Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School - Chapter 25: Six Characters

“Eh, eh, Leader…?”

After a moment of silence.

The delinquents tried to speak but froze, unable to comprehend the situation.

Well, of course. Their leader had collapsed right after being kissed.

And not just that—her reaction was… quite something.

“…”

This person was probably unconscious now (not my problem).

For “that” to cause this reaction was rare. She must have been really shocked.

Well, whatever. In fact, this worked out perfectly.

“So? Your leader here has totally ‘checked out’, as you can see…”

I stood up from the chair (that being the fox woman). Then, with a smile, I addressed them.

“You’re not coming for me?”

“Eek…!”

With each step I took toward them, the delinquents stepped back.

I was not some protagonist from a delinquent manga. If they all came at me at once—yeah, I’d definitely lose.

The fiery tension had now turned into fear.

“The so-called ‘Rose Garden’ has really fallen. A cowardly leader obsessed with making money, while the underlings are endlessly exploited. And when one of you is being assaulted, you all turn a blind eye. Did none of you think for even a second that something was wrong? That you were tarnishing your own ‘legend’?”

Their faces twisted in discomfort, yet none of them dared to lay a hand on me.

“You guys—are seriously uncool.”

With that final remark, I spat out my disdain and picked up my fallen bag.

Then I left the place with Azuse in tow.

****

“Does it hurt?”

“Not enough to be a big deal.”

“I see. That’s good. Here, take this.”

“…Oh.”

10 PM at night.

We walked for a bit and arrived at a convenience store that served as our landmark. Naturally, it wasn’t the one where I worked.

Looking at the map app, it seemed we’d come quite far. Ogre Taxi really was amazing.

Now we were waiting for a regular taxi I’d called over the phone.

Hoping her wounds would heal faster, I pulled out an energy drink from my bag and handed it to her as a gift.

“So, is this the end for Rose Garden?”

“…”

“You look like you want to say something.”

“This is all because of me… Sato got involved…”

“Sigh… You should’ve talked to me about this kind of thing.”

“Ouch!”

I flicked her forehead lightly as she still wore a bitter expression.

It was troubling when someone you’d just helped looked like that.

“I can pretty much guess what happened. They probably told you that if you sacrificed yourself, they wouldn’t touch me or something like that?”

“…Ugh.”

“Don’t expect someone like that fox woman to keep her promises. Seriously.”

“But when I thought about Sato getting hurt…”

“If we’re friends, then all the more reason to talk about it. The solution we come up with together will always be better than one made alone.”

“!”

If someone sacrificed themselves without saying anything, even if it saved others, it left behind nothing but bitterness.

But if two people came to a decision together—even if it was the wrong one—they could accept it better.

“All right! Conversation over! Now go home already.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“…My dad’s home today.”

“Oh? Then go apologize for everything.”

“Do you think I can…?”

“No idea.”

“…I’ll try my best though.”

She’d be fine now—that much I was sure of.

“You’re no longer part of Rose Garden or anything else. You’re just an ordinary high school girl now.”

“…!”

“If your parents are still around, rely on them while you can. You’ll regret it otherwise.”

She must’ve understood what I meant by now. I could feel her gaze turning toward me.

“Sato’s parents—”

“Haha! What’s with that face? Don’t worry—they’re alive and well.”

“Right… Of course.”

…My “real parents” weren’t in this world anymore. But over there—they were probably doing just fine.

“Oh! The taxi’s here.”

“I’ve never ridden in one before!”

“I don’t ride them much either. By the way, where’s your house?”

“Near ●× Station…”

“Got it!”

Screech

“Good evening! Long time no see, Sato-san.”

“Oh, hey there!”

“And where to tonight?”

“For now, could you take us to ●× Station?”

We got into the taxi. Before long, the abandoned building faded from view entirely.

…That ogre was still asleep!

****

As I sat in the car heading back along the same path we came from, reality still hadn’t quite sunk in for me yet.

“Hm?”

The guy sitting next to me—he actually took down that Kanau-san.

…With a kiss.

“N-Nothing! My house is that tall apartment building over there!”

“Oh, wow. Fancy place you’ve got there.”

“My dad’s amazing like that.”

“Heh…”

“What?”

“You really like your dad, huh?”

“What?!”

“Oh! Please stop here for now.”

Unfamiliar with being in a taxi, I fumbled awkwardly while he seemed completely at ease inside it.

“Yes, sir!”

“Thank you so much~”

The car stopped in front of my house and its door opened automatically.

“Oh wait—the fare…”

“I’m not taking money from someone who doesn’t even have a part-time job. Go on—get out already.”

“…But still…”

“In exchange, make sure you say what needs to be said.”

“!”

“That’s our ‘deal’. See ya!”

With a slam, the door closed behind me. The taxi carrying him disappeared into the distance in no time at all.

“…I get it already.”

Taking out my keys from my pocket, I passed through the security gate and rode the elevator up to the 10th floor.

Apparently this kind of place is called a “tower mansion”. The ride up felt unusually long today—but eventually, I arrived.

Walking down the hallway briefly, I glanced at the night view outside without much interest before reaching my door.

Taking a deep breath—

“…!”

I opened it. The aroma of coffee greeted me alongside the sound of typing on a keyboard.

My dad often drank coffee because my late mom loved it so much. Whenever he worked hard in her absence—that scent was always nearby.

His back felt close yet distant at the same time.

“…”

But tonight—I reached out toward it. Walking into the living room—

“What?! Ai… That injury…”

He stopped working immediately and looked at me with concern. Normally—I would’ve ignored him and escaped into my room without saying anything.

“…I’m home, Dad.”

“!!”

My voice echoed through our home—a simple four-word greeting I hadn’t said in years.

“…All this time—”

Summoning my courage, I bowed deeply before him. These six words couldn’t possibly make up for everything—but—

“All this time—I’ve been—”

When Mom passed away during elementary school…I rebelled against him completely after that point…

Breaking dishes and leaving them shattered on purpose… Skipping graduation ceremonies without telling him… Ditching school during parent-teacher days…

“I’m sorry…”

Everything until now—I poured all those feelings into my apology as best as I could manage aloud—

“It’s okay… Because I’m your father, after all.”

“!”

“Will you come here… Ai?”

“…Yeah…”

“This warmth—it feels so nice…”

The embrace we shared after so many years brought such comfort that I naturally closed my eyes…

“How about dinner then?”

“!”

“You still love fried chicken—don’t you?”

“…Yeah…”

“All right then! Wait just a bit—oh, wait, first let’s get some bandages on those cuts!”

“N-No need, really…”