The Kansai Villain’s Rebirth: I Accidentally Ended Up With a Harem.

Kansai Guys Sure Love The Garter Belt.

It was quite the commotion, but everyone hurried through their bentos with a bit of urgency. Shi-chan and I had already finished ours. Midway through eating, Sakura suddenly spoke up, her voice soft and hesitant.

“Tennouji-sama, Shina-sama, Mio-sama, Rinko-sama. The other day, my mother committed a grave discourtesy, and for that, I am truly sorry. On her behalf… I offer my deepest apologies.”

“Eh? What’s this all of a sudden?”

“I asked Mother why Tennouji-sama had been so angry… She told me that she was testing whether you were worthy of getting close to me…”

“Ah… So that ten million yen really was something like that, after all.”

“Rin-chan, how did you figure it out so quickly!?”

“Sakura-san’s mother… her eyes weren’t smiling at all. Just like Dai-kun said, Sakura-san’s worth isn’t something to be measured with money. If he’d accepted it, you wouldn’t be here with us right now.”

“Th-That’s amazing…”

“Well, yeah, but I kinda get where Ashlyn-san was coming from, too. She’s probably dug up everything there is to know about me. To her, I’m just some notorious delinquent with nothing but bad rumors around here—helping Sakura-san must’ve looked like I had some ulterior motive.”

“B-But even back then, Tennouji-sama said no thanks were necessary…”

“That could’ve been part of the plan, right? Act all noble and walk away—then boom, get invited to the house and have ten million yen slapped down in front of you. From there, more negotiations… extra cash, and eventually demanding Sakura-san herself. Suspicious as hell, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think Dai-chan would ever do anything like that, not even a little!”

“That’s because you know the me of today. But to someone relying only on second-hand info, I’d look way too shady.”

“Mm… Yeah, you’re right… Even we thought Daiki-kun was scary until the end of first semester.”

“Exactly. If I were a parent, I wouldn’t just be cautious—I probably wouldn’t even invite him over to thank him.”

“But after speaking with you like this again, I can say with certainty that Tennouji-sama is not a bad person. So in the end… it really was Mother’s fault.”

“There’s parental love in there too, you know. What Rinko said isn’t wrong.”

“Y-Yes…”

“I think she’s a good mom. She truly cherishes her daughter, that’s all.”

The heart of a parent is something the child never truly knows, huh. For some reason, Sakura had been trusting me blindly from the start. I really should apologize for losing my temper back then. It’d be nice if I could sit down with Ashlyn-san sometime. Anyway, there’s no reason to treat Sakura coldly. She’s a classmate now, and a friend of Shi-chan and the others—I have to welcome her properly.

“Oh, right! Sa-chan, are you free after school?”

“Ah, yes. If I contact Sebas, I’m sure he can delay the pickup.”

“Then how about we show you around the school while we chat? It’d be rough if you don’t memorize where the staff room or the special classrooms are, right?”

“Oh my! What a wonderful suggestion! I would be delighted—please!”

“Ah, that sounds fun! I’ll come too!”

“Yes. It would be good for building closer bonds.”

As expected of Shi-chan—her communication skills really shine. A school tour to deepen friendships. Perfect.

“Then I’ll tag along too. That okay?”

“Yes, Tennouji-sama! I look forward to it!”

Good, good. Another lively day—not bad at all. It turned into a great lunch. And I even got a glimpse of that garter belt. Nice… The ultimate male fantasy. Yeah… I bet Rinko would look amazing in one. Black would suit her vibe… no, too ordinary. Pastel blue… that might really fit her. Wonder if she’d wear it if I bought one. I rested my chin in my hand, lost in thought. Blue… or maybe deep crimson would be hot too…

“Dai-kun, what’s wrong? You look deep in thought.”

“Hm? Oh, nothing much.”

“You’re thinking awfully hard… Is something troubling you? I’m here if you want to talk.”

Oh? She’s offering to listen. I was just thinking about Rinko, and she’s always telling me to say something if I need to… Alright, let’s consult her a bit.

“Rinko, lean in for a sec.”

“Eh? Uh, sure… Something you can’t say in front of Mio and the others…?”

“Just a little.”

“O-Okay…”

Rinko brought her ear close, so I whispered softly.

“Rinko… if I asked you to wear a garter belt, would you?”

“Huh? Wh-What?”

She started fidgeting like crazy. Then she rested her chin in her hand, thinking hard… and before long, her entire upper body flushed bright red.

“Y-You idiot, Dai-kun! Pervert!!!”

Ouch, got scolded. Damn, no good with Rinko… then Shi-chan… no, wait. This calls for Mio-chan!!

“Wah! Rin-chan, what’s wrong? Suddenly yelling at Daiki-kun…? Daiki-kun, what happened?”

“Ah, yeah. Just a little secret talk with Rinko.”

“Ehh? What what? Rin-chan looks mad, though.”

“What’s up? Rin-chan’s angry.”

“…You really… want to see it that badly?”

“Want to see it. Like, really badly.”

“Eh, Rin-chan, what what—?”

“Rinko-sama?”

“…Fine. Pick one that suits me. Then… at night…”

Yes!!! Rinko’s fallen! Garter belt request success! Alright, I’m buying the absolute best one!

“Then let’s go on a date soon.”

“…Overnight…”

“Of course that’s fine. I’m looking forward to seeing you in it.”

“…Pervert.”

“Heyyy! What~? Dai-chan and Rin-chan are being sneaky—!”

“Yeah! Totally unfair, right, Shi-chan!”

So when I explained about the garter belt…

“Dai-chan’s such a perv♪”

“Daiki-kun’s a perv~”

“U-Um… You weren’t… looking at the one I’m wearing right now, were you…?”

Ah, busted. This is bad—what do I do? Just then, the warning bell rang. Nice, my luck’s holding.

“Yikes! Hurry and clean up—back to class!”

“W-We mustn’t be late!”

We frantically packed up and dashed back to the classroom. It got chaotic again, but if I don’t settle the date details with Rinko soon, she’ll sulk. That childish side of hers is adorable, though. If she gets sick from pouting too hard, it’d be trouble—better plan the date quick.

***

After school finally arrived. Alright, time for Sakura’s school tour. Hm, Imamiya’s at it again, pestering her. What’s he saying this time? It’s not just because she’s a transfer student… Nah, he probably thinks he can get away with it since she doesn’t know him yet. Bad deeds travel fast—Sakura will hear about it soon enough. No matter what he says, the girl he made cry is friends with her now.

“I apologize. I already have arrangements to be shown around by my friends…”

“Eh, you made friends already? Awesome. But hey, come with me instead—”

“Imamiyayaaa, get your ass to practice. Skipping just ’cause you lost your starter spot ain’t cool—”

“Guh!? Kahyuk kahyuk!”

“Sakura, sorry ’bout this guy. I’ll take him off your hands—”

“M-Momodani-sama! Thank you so much!”

“Momodani-sama, huh? Kentarou~, I feel like some big shot now.”

“Oi, Shouma—his neck, his neck. Imamiya’s gonna die.”

“I’m only choking him enough not to kill him, it’s fine~”

“No matter how you look at it, his face is purple!? He’s dying! Let go already!”

“You’re playing basketball with us—”

“Kahyuk! Kahyuk! I-I’m dyiiing…”

“Hey, Shouma! This is bad!”

Momodani-kun didn’t just grab him by the collar—he practically dragged Imamiya out by the scruff like a sack. His neck looked like a waist cinched way too tight with a corset. Hope he’s okay.

“Sa-chan! Welcome baaack! Before the tour, I almost forgot—do you have POINE?”

“POINE… Ah, yes… the messaging app, correct? I do, but only my mother and father are on it, and we barely exchange messages…”

“Once we’re friends, it’s way more fun to chat on POINE at night and stuff! I’m inviting you to our girls’ talk room!”

Mm, that’s some serious social skill. Mio-chan and Rinko gathered around too, exchanging POINE info. Sakura looks overjoyed.

“Fufufu…! These are my first POINE friends ever! I’m so touched!”

Ah, that almost made me tear up. Friends… yeah, they’re really something special. I have a separate chat with Shi-chan and the girls, but seeing Kentarou-kun and Shouma-kun’s names in my POINE always makes me quietly happy all over again.