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

A Lunchtime Without the Kansai Guy.

Akitani Mio’s POV:

Daiki: Mio-chan, I’m really sorry! Tomorrow I’m eating with Takii, so I won’t need a bento!

A message from Daiki-kun. My first thought was—why is he apologizing?

miomio: Got it. Eating with Takii is pretty rare, huh?

Daiki: He’s helped me out with a few things, so I’m treating him.

Sorry for turning down the bento…

miomio: Don’t worry about it! Hanging out with friends is important—go have fun!

He really doesn’t need to be so considerate. It’s not like he’s canceling at the last second, and I haven’t even started prepping tomorrow’s bento yet. I’m actually glad he told me early. Maybe I’ll take it easy tomorrow morning since I’ll be eating alone. Oh, but if Daiki-kun isn’t eating with us… will Rin-chan be okay? She really falls apart without him… W-well, I’ll just have to look after her!

***

The next day, Daiki-kun went off to lunch with Takii. Rin-chan and Shi-chan’s eyes were absolutely terrifying…

“Daiki-kun has friendships to maintain too, you know? It’s wrong to get in the way of that.”

“I-I know that…”

“Rin-chan, your hands are shaking!”

“Rin-chan’s suffering from Da-chan withdrawal, huh?”

“I’ll endure… I have to endure…”

“Fufu… Everyone truly adores Tennouji-sama, don’t they?”

“Yes. I love him.”

“Fufuun! I love Dai-chan a ton too!”

“I love Daiki-kun so much.”

“How wonderful! Oh… I want to be part of that circle too…”

“So Sa-chan likes Dai-chan as well?”

“Yes! He’s the prince who saved me from terrible men… I want to find happiness with my prince too.”

“I completely understand. Dai-kun really is a prince. He appears at the perfect moment in a crisis and solves everything… just like the prince in a fairy tale…”

“I fell for Dai-chan the moment he saved me too. Me, Mio-chan, Rin-chan—we’ve all been rescued by him over and over. He even lets us cook for him.”

It really is strange, isn’t it—this mysterious connection where everyone has been saved by Daiki-kun. So Sa-chan has fallen for him too. Fufu, her eyes are sparkling exactly the way Rin-chan’s do when she thinks about Daiki-kun. It’s adorable. But… Daiki-kun really is incredible. Even a young lady who could represent all of Japan has fallen for him.

“Does Sa-chan want to become Dai-chan’s girlfriend too?”

“G-girlfriend… boyfriend… E-eh!? M-me, as Daiki-sama’s lifelong partner!?”

“She jumped straight to marriage!?”

“Daiki-kun’s spouse… yes… I would vow to love him for the rest of my life…”

“I’m gonna marry Dai-chan too!”

“Me too! Cooking is pretty much my only talent, though!”

“Mio, that’s actually a huge advantage, you know?”

“Eh?”

“I don’t have anything…”

“Being good at studying isn’t much…”

“I-I don’t have anything to offer either…”

If Sa-chan actually married him, the backing would be incredible… though her mother didn’t seem to think highly of Daiki-kun. I wonder if that’ll be okay…

“I will choose my own husband. Even if Father and Mother do not approve…! An elopement of love… how romantic…!”

“Elopement!? That’s bad!”

“No! I already consider myself bound to Tennouji-sama—I adore him that deeply…!”

Wow. Sa-chan’s resolve is amazing. My parents approve of Daiki-kun, so I’m lucky… but Sa-chan might have it rough. Still, I want to cheer her on. Being with Daiki-kun really does make you happy.

***

Just before the pre-bell, Daiki-kun came back. I ran over to him.

“Welcome back! Did you have fun with Takii?”

“Yeah. And I got some good info too. Mio-chan, starting tomorrow, please make bentos again.”

“Of course! Leave it to me! Tonight we’re having mushroom kayaku-gohan for dinner—mind if I put some in tomorrow’s bento?”

“What’s that? Sounds insanely good!”

“Fufu. I’m using these amazing daikokushimeji mushrooms, so look forward to it. Oh, and maybe some mushroom tempura? Daiki-kun, is a Japanese-style bento okay? I’ll put in a piece of salmon… and ask Mom for a little extra tempura.”

“Thank you…! I’m seriously looking forward to it! Mio-chan’s bentos really are the best!”

“Fwa!?”

He hugged me!? Daiki-kun… ehehe… Being held by him is so calming. He’s truly kind. Looking forward to my cooking this much… cherishing me like this… Daiki-kun… I love you. I love you so much.

“Ooh~ A 30cm height-difference couple… so sweet it hurts…”

“So healing~”

“D-Daiki-kun… everyone’s watching, it’s embarrassing…”

“Akitani~ It’s way too late for that~”

“Momodani-kun!?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

“Even Tenma-kun!?”

Uuu…! This is so embarrassing! But… I can’t bring myself to pull away from Daiki-kun… He smells so nice… so warm… The actual bell rang and the teacher arrived, so it ended there. Okay, time to buckle down for afternoon classes!

Later, Kuu-chan told me that Imamiya had been watching with a really awful look on his face. I wonder what that was about… I just wish he’d leave us alone already.

***

From Natsume Shina’s Perspective

“Dai-chan!”

“Shi-chan, what’s up?”

“Hey, hey—can I come over to your place this Saturday?”

“Totally fine. Staying the night?”

“Yeah! And let’s go on a date!”

“I’d love to say yes, but… Takii told me some stuff, and it sounds kinda dangerous out there right now.”

“Oh… yeah…”

“Shi-chan, I’ll explain in detail later, but… do you know a group called Vivian?”

“Eh… that’s…”

The moment I heard that name, my heart stopped. Because that was… the gal group I used to be in. Back in first year it was just normal—chatting, window-shopping for clothes, nothing heavy. But right after we became second-years, this girl called Cha-ko took over as leader, and suddenly there were scary girls smoking and drinking. Some were even forced into street work… creepy guys started showing up too. It was terrifying. If Dai-chan hadn’t been there for me, I don’t know what would’ve happened. Or rather… was it bad that I was ever part of Vivian…?

“Dai-chan…”

“Going far would be tough right now. How about a stay-at-home date instead?”

“Huh?”

“We won’t really do anything special at my place. Just talk, hang out. Sorry for teasing you, but your safety comes first, Shi-chan. That Cha-ko from Vivian is apparently looking for you. Something about making you ‘atone’ for leaving the group on your own.”

Atonement…? Am I caught up in something really bad…? Dai-chan knows about it and is telling me to stay home because it’s dangerous. He’s so kind. He’s always thinking of us. It makes me so happy… I really can’t stop this feeling of loving him more and more.

“Okay! Then let’s talk tons at your place!”

“Yeah. Oh, maybe I’ll make beef stew. I’ll simmer it the day before—make it super delicious.”

“Ehh!? I’m so excited!”

“And those things—ground hamburger meat rolled into balls, coated in flour, egg, and panko, then deep-fried.”

“Eh? Hamburger… meat… fried?”

“Just look forward to it. I’ll make something tasty.”

“Okay!”

Saturday is going to be so much fun! A brand-new kind of date! Ehehe, I’m gonna eat a ton! Ah, but… if my tummy gets all soft and pudgy… that’d be bad…!

Today Dai-chan is helping Rin-chan with library committee duties, so I’m walking home with Mio-chan from the main gate. Two is safer than one. Dai-chan said to stick to busy streets on the way home~ I have to be careful. That’s what I was thinking as I changed my shoes.

“Shina.”

“Hm…? …What?”

It was Imamiya. He was grinning in this super gross way.

“Hey, Shina. You free this Saturday? Wanna hit the arcade together?”

Huh? Why would I ever go anywhere alone with this guy? And that arcade—the one where all the shady people hang out… I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. Plus, Saturday is—

“Absolutely not. I’m going on a date with Dai-chan that day.”

“Tch… Oh yeah? Where you headed?”

Gross!!! Why do I have to tell him anything!? His eyes are seriously creepy!

“None of your business. Why would I tell you? What are you plotting?”

“I just… wanna hang out with you, that’s all.”

“I’d never want to. I already told you, right? Stop talking to me. I’m fine with Takii and Doi, but not you. I haven’t forgiven you for what you did to Mio-chan either. Don’t follow me! You’re disgusting!!”

“…Tch.”

That guy’s been weird lately. He keeps sneaking glances at us and smirking—it’s seriously revolting. Dai-chan said he’d explain everything on Saturday, but I’m really glad I shut him down hard. I warned Mio-chan to be careful on the way home too. Ugh, this is the absolute worst!