As a Reward for Saving the World, I Was Reincarnated Into a World Where Girls Are Super Aggressive and Chastity Roles Are Reversed!! …Or So I Thought, Until It Turned Out to Be an Overbearing Yandere Harem of My Former Companions Who Loved Me Too Much - 30

Chapter 30: The Meeting of Overbearing Maidens in Love

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“…Please become the first ally in my harem plan!”

After parting ways with Kazuki, who had declared that with a beaming smile, the girls gathered in another room for an emergency meeting. The atmosphere in the room was wrapped in silence, as cold as absolute zero.

The only sound was the loud clink of someone setting down a teacup. The first to break the silence was the saintess, Celestia. The blood drained from her face, and her beautiful azure eyes wavered as if she had just witnessed something unbelievable.

“…He asked us to look for harem candidates…? Not to make one of us part of his harem…?”

Her frail voice was about to vanish. She pressed a trembling hand against her chest and lowered her gaze with a pained expression.

“Why…? Kazuki-sama accepted even my ugly heart, my indecent desires… He said all of it was ‘charming,’ did he not…? Then why… Why would he say something so cruel, as if he were seeking other women…?”

The only man who had accepted her entirely had just asked her to find women other than herself. That fact mercilessly tore her heart apart.

“Don’t mess with me!!”

With a loud slam! the expensive table let out a groan. The one who had struck it with her burning fist was Silvia, the elf mage. Her face turned crimson with humiliation and fury, and her pointed ears twitched violently.

“What the hell is with him!? Didn’t he say he liked me!? Didn’t he even acknowledge me as his fiancée!? He said it was an act, but he even tried to kiss me in front of Papa! And now, he wants to look for other women!? What kind of nerve does that thickheaded oaf have!?”

She rose from her chair with a clatter, ready to storm out of the room and confront Kazuki. It was right after the sweet exchanges from their date (one-sided), the engagement vow she had made her father acknowledge (which Kazuki considered just an act), and the confession after the incident with Isabella (or so she had convinced herself). No wonder her anger was boiling over.

“This is just a dream… Because Kazuki-sama would never abandon me… If it’s a dream, then it’s fine to force him to hold me, isn’t it?”

“And that bracelet too! He said, ‘I’ll treasure it!’ What a liar! The worst! I’ll just use magic and kidnap him already!”

Celestia escaped into delusion, while Silvia grew emotional. The grief and rage of maidens betrayed by the man they loved (or so they gravely misunderstood) weighed down the air of the room. And then—

“…Both of you, please compose yourselves.”

A dignified yet chillingly cold voice sharply cut through their hysteria. The voice belonged to the maid, Shinon. She alone had not broken her usual blank expression. After quietly sipping her tea, she set the cup back on its saucer.

“This is most likely…A ‘trial’ from Master.”

““A trial…?””

Celestia and Silvia blinked in confusion at Shinon’s outlandish claim. Shinon gave a firm nod, her sharp eyes gazing at them in turn.

“Yes. Think about it. After the incident with Isabella-sama, would Master not be deeply concerned about us, and even other noble daughters, quarreling over him? And, no matter how dense Kazuki-sama may be, he must have at least faintly realized that our feelings for him are a little… No, quite ‘heavy.’”

Shinon’s words sounded like calm analysis, but in truth, they were twisting into an incredibly convenient interpretation.

“That is precisely why he dared to give us this unreasonable demand, ‘help me find a bride.’ By doing so, he is testing our resolve, our feelings for him… And whether we truly have the capacity to be worthy partners for him. His words, ‘I can’t decide on my own,’ are proof. In other words, he wishes to see if we have hearts that do not give up on him, and if we can remain calm even in adversity.”

At Shinon’s astonishing reasoning, light returned to Celestia’s eyes. She transformed Shinon’s words into the most blissful truth she could imagine.

“I-I see…! Indeed, God once said to me, ‘Don’t hold back your love for him. Express it with all your might. If it feels “heavy” to him, that’s just right.’ So this must be Kazuki-sama’s trial! Ah, what a man…! To see through even the immaturity of our hearts…!”

“Doesn’t that god’s way of speaking sound incredibly shady to you?”

Celestia’s tearful face was gone, replaced with one of rapture as she clasped her hands before her chest. In her mind, Kazuki appeared as a god of benevolence, granting them a trial to encourage their growth.

“Hmph, if that’s the case, then it’s simple!”

Silvia, too, followed Shinon’s interpretation, a fearless smile spreading across her face. Her rage had fully transformed into determination.

“Hmph, so he wants to test our love? He’s getting cocky… Fine then, I’ll accept his little trial!”

For someone as proud as her, being “tested” only fueled her fire. Once she confirmed that all three of their opinions had aligned in a terrifying direction, Shinon gave a satisfied—yet expressionless—final remark.

“Exactly. Therefore, as the ‘Kazuki-sama Bride Candidate Selection Committee,’ the first thing we must do is define the conditions for a woman worthy of him. Of course, those conditions will be…”

At Shinon’s words, Celestia and Silvia exchanged glances, dark yet beautiful smiles spreading across their faces.

“““So impossibly difficult that no one but us could ever clear them!!”””

And so, the lovestruck maidens formed an impenetrable web to eliminate any future rivals. 

The former Hero’s dream of a harem, built on a misunderstanding, had already been twisted into a thorny path by his beloved “allies” from the very moment it began—though he had yet to realize it.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー