After Reaching the Happy Ending, I Was Locked up by the Extremely Possessive Heroines I Had Conquered

Chapter 26.2: Problematic Statement

The Shiomine old lady nodded in admiration at Satori’s bold declaration.

“Satori, ya really take after yer auntie, don’t ya. Same exact way of goin’ about things.”

“My aunt?”

“Ask that sulky boy Harune over there if ya don’t believe me.”

As she said that, the Shiomine old lady shot a teasing glance at my uncle beside me.

“…………………………”

My uncle abruptly looked down, as if embarrassed.

No way—had my uncle gone through the same thing?

If so, I wished I’d heard more details from that predecessor, but from the looks of it, he was the type who had failed. I couldn’t imagine it serving as useful reference.

“Gahaha, just thinkin’ back makes it hilarious.”

“…My stomach hurts.”

My uncle muttered that in a tiny voice only I could hear. His expression was so unbefitting for a three great family head.

For a fleeting moment, our eyes met, and though I couldn’t fathom why he looked at me with pity, I was grateful that the Shiomine old lady’s attention had shifted.

If only this could all fizzle out inconclusively…

“Hoo, alright then. Since Satori showed us somethin’ entertainin’, I’ll let this ruckus slide. Make sure ya keep that man of yers locked down tight, hear?”

“I planned to anyway.”

“That man’s a loose cannon, so lock him up good and proper!”

“That’s the plan.”

…Uh, her dialect’s so thick I can’t quite follow, but it sounds like I’m about to get captured. This is scary. This island really isn’t normal.

“But the talk ain’t over yet, is it?”

“Yeah.”

Satori took a brief breath and surveyed the venue.

Her next words were surely set. The main purpose of attending today’s assembly.

And the very line she uttered in the original story’s Satori route.

Satori took one more deep breath and voiced those words in a powerful tone.

“I—will become the head of the Jindaiji family!”

That declaration wrapped the venue in momentary silence. Everyone held their breath and stared at Satori, as if savoring her words.

Even my uncle’s eyes widened in surprise.

In that atmosphere, only the Shiomine old lady’s low chuckle echoed.

“Hoo, the brat claims to be head, eh. Ain’t the Jindaiji head that boy Harune?”

“My uncle’s era is over. From now on, Akira and I will lead the Jindaiji family together.”

“Ya say that bold as brass. Harune’s boy, ya okay with that?”

My uncle couldn’t hide his bewilderment, but when the Shiomine old lady turned her gaze on him, he straightened his back conspicuously.

Yet he seemed at a loss for a reply.

“…Sorry, but I can’t keep up with the situation at all. I’ll give my answer later—”

“Decide quick if yer a man! Still so wishy-washy, Harune’s boy.”

The Shiomine old lady scolded my uncle mercilessly for trying to stall.

She had no intention of granting him time to think and pressed him for an immediate answer.

“Yes or no—answer that. Ya makin’ Satori head and steppin’ down? Or not?”

“………………… ”

“Yes or no—which is it?”

“……………………………………”

“Yes or no—which is it?”

Cornered, my uncle looked sequentially at Satori and me. Then, with a complicated expression, he gazed up at the ceiling.

“………………………………………………………………………………………………………Yes.”

My uncle muttered that single word.

His demeanor reminded me inescapably of myself just minutes earlier, stirring a sense of kinship, but right now, I should rejoice that Satori had won his acknowledgment.

Satori’s declaration this time had been sprung on my uncle without any prior notice, a sudden move.

In the original story, the plot involved exposing his misdeeds and corruption to seize the head’s seat, but she had judged that unnecessary.

Because in truth, my uncle was little more than a puppet manipulated by the three great families, worn down by the head’s burdens all along.

That was why she had bet that if she declared it boldly at the assembly, he would accept without resistance. Her read had proven spot-on.

She hadn’t expected the Shiomine old lady to be this cooperative, though…

For a moment, I wondered if she had some ulterior motive, but when I glanced her way, she shot me a glare, so I quickly looked away.

“The Jindaiji folk are all a bit touched in the head, ain’t they. But that’s what makes it interestin’. Alright, as head of the Shiomine family, I recognize Satori as the Jindaiji head.”

The Shiomine old lady said that with a lively smile.

Her words wrapped the venue in murmurs. Some voices agreed, others dissented, no doubt.

But no one could overturn that statement.

The decision of two houses—the Jindaiji and the Shiomine—could not be gainsaid.

The only one who could voice an opinion was the head of the third great family—the Kirishima head, but

“…………………………”

Despite the tense situation, he dozed openly. His head bobbed slightly, his quiet breathing audible in the venue.

That utterly out-of-place sight made me widen my eyes for a moment.

Yet for the assembly participants, this scene had become everyday fare. No one reproved his napping; they treated him as if he weren’t there.

What had become of the three great families’ authority?

“No objections, then? It’s settled. As of today, we appoint Satori as the Jindaiji family head.”

In the end, no one present could challenge the Shiomine old lady, so Satori’s declaration was accepted, and she formally became the Jindaiji family head.

It had wrapped up rather neatly, I thought, but I couldn’t shake the previous topic from my mind.

—First, we’ll date.

Was it real or a lie? No, nine times out of ten it was her true feelings—almost certainly genuine.

The problem with that was, marriage aside, dating could happen anytime.

No need for paperwork at city hall, no parental greetings—just mutual consent, and it was immediate.

In other words, the chance of fulfilling that obligation was extremely high—and

I had no idea what face to show.

—

Assembly hall.

At this very place, two men now stared up at the ceiling in a daze.

Why had they ended up in this stunned state, gazing at the ceiling?

In a word, it was woman trouble.