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

A Kansai Native Cooks Akashiyaki.

“We’re intruding~!”

“Excuse the intrusion!”

“I’m home~”

“Hmm? Oh yeah—for Natsume, this is basically a second home, huh.”

“Ehehe♪ That’s right!”

“U-Um… I’m jealous… I want to live together with Shouma-san too… blush”

“We totally should someday!”

Makino-san and Shouma-kun really are close. Well… Kentarou-kun and Tamatsukuri-senpai are super close too, but… if those two lived together, Kentarou-kun might literally wither away. These two feel more… wholesomely sweet.

“Whoa, a takoyaki maker! The rumored one-every-Kansai-household essential!”

“I bought it ’cause sometimes I get intense cravings. First time actually using it, though. It’s big, so we can make a ton—Shouma-kun, don’t hold back.”

“Roger that! I won’t!”

“Hmm, might need more dashi. I’ll make another batch.”

While preparing the broth, I switched on the hot plate. Swap the plate and it can do okonomiyaki or teppanyaki too—maybe invite Kentarou-kun over sometime. Anyway, for akashiyaki, less is more. Just octopus, nothing else. I poured dashi into individual bowls… and now it’s time to cook!

“Amazing! Way fluffier than the ones you made at school!”

“Softness is everything with akashiyaki. Hold on just a bit longer.”

“…Smells incredible…”

“Nfuu! Dai-chan, you’re amazing as always!”

Being able to make a big batch at once is seriously convenient. First round’s done—basically a test run, but it turned out great. Ratios seem spot-on.

“Alright, everyone try the test batch. Dip them in the dashi. Shouma-kun, yours is extra large.”

“Nice, super size! Itadakimasu!”

“Itadakimasu!”

“Yay! Itadakimasu!”

Now, how’s the dashi flavor…

“…So good! Daiki, this is insanely good! Nom! Nom!”

“I’ll keep ’em coming~”

“Delicious! This is incredible!”

“Dai-chan, it’s so yummy! Here—say ah~!”

“Ah~… Yeah, really good!”

Perfect—no issues here! Delicious! I can confidently call this my best batch yet!

***

“Next round’s ready~”

“Nguh! Ngggghhh!”

“Shouma-kun, what…?”

“Daiki, he says seconds, lots of them.”

“How did you understand that!? Kana-chan, you’re scary good!”

Kana-chan really is the perfect girlfriend for Shouma-kun. I kept cooking nonstop while Shi-chan fed me bites. Much appreciated.

“Shouma-san, say ah~”

“Ngu… Gulp! Ah~”

“Is it good?”

“Mmm, delicious. I could eat another hundred easy.”

“You’ve already eaten so much!?”

“Shouma-kun’s appetite is insane~”

“You won’t have room for dinner!”

“Sorry to Mom, but today nothing beats Daiki’s akashiyaki.”

Come to think of it, even during crab season Shouma-kun out-ate Kentarou-kun. Maybe that’s why he’s built like that. Kentarou-kun’s lean-muscled, but Shouma-kun is straight-up jacked. If someone tried to charge at him, they’d probably bounce off. Not that I can talk.

190 cm tall. Blessed with an impressive physique. Sumizome Academy basketball team’s greatest achievement ever—Winter Cup top eight. Shouma-kun, Kentarou-kun, Takii-kun, and Doi-kun were one step away, and apparently Shouma-kun bawled his eyes out. Kentarou-kun cried quietly too. So now they’re aiming for the summer Inter-High. As third-years, it’ll be their last tournament. They have to win the prefecturals to qualify, then avenge the Winter Cup loss— the whole team is training like mad.

Imamiya’s mess this time really had us sweating. Worst case, club activities suspended and banned from all official matches. From their perspective, Imamiya only ever brought trouble—kicking him out was the right call, wasn’t it? Some parents scream about not ruining kids’ futures these days, but what about the futures of the kids who work hard and stay serious? Inter-High and Winter Cup are dreams for the entire basketball team.

“Nngh, all this food’s got me pumped! Gonna crush tomorrow’s practice!”

“I’ll cheer you on with everything I’ve got!”

“Kana~ You really are the best girlfriend~”

“Ehehe♡”

The basketball club’s newest famous couple: Shouma-kun and Makino-san. Though the iconic one is still Kentarou-kun and Tamatsukuri-senpai. This intel courtesy of Takii-kun. I wish he’d only bring me wholesome updates like this… I really hope he doesn’t push himself too hard. If he overdoes it, best case he ends up in the hospital—worst case… Yeah. Be careful, man.

“…I’m hitting my limit… Shouma-kun, can you finish these?”

“On it!”

“Unbelievable… I’m stuffed…”

“Me too…”

What kind of stomach does this guy have?

“Shouma-kun, there’s white rice if you want.”

“I’ll take it!”

“Help yourself.”

“Sweet! Pour some dashi over it like ochazuke—sounds amazing!”

He piled a huge bowl… Oh, Shi-chan’s holding her tummy. Of course—she ate the most akashiyaki and now a giant bowl of rice… Even I’m getting heartburn just watching. And there’s still enough batter for twenty more…?

“So good! Daiki~ This dashi is killer! Rice goes down so smooth! And now for these piping-hot akashiyaki—itadakimasu!”

“You’re still eating…?”

“Huh? I’m only about seventy percent full?”

“Y-Yes…?”

“Natsume-senpai… if Shouma-san says so, there’s still room…”

“No way…”

“Delicious! Seconds on rice!”

“You’re kidding!?”

He filled another huge bowl and demolished it… In the end, every last akashiyaki disappeared into Shouma-kun’s stomach.

“We’ll handle the dishes, me and Kana-chan! Dai-chan, just relax~”

“Thanks~”

“Thank you so much for the delicious meal!”

“I’ll help too~”

Much appreciated. I leisurely prepared for tea time—only to get scolded by Shi-chan for not sitting down like she told me to. Why…

***

“Kana-chan, you can go a bit heavier on the foundation!”

“L-Like this!?”

“Yeah, yeah! Now eyebrows~”

After eating, it was time for Shi-chan to teach Makino-san makeup. I sipped black tea and watched from the sidelines. The moment she saw the makeup kit in my bag, Shi-chan’s eyes lit up.

“Daiki~ Natsume’s insane. She’s a full-on makeup teacher.”

“She says she wants to go to fashion vocational school after graduation, so yeah—her sense is incredible.”

“For real!? Kana might get a total before-and-after glow-up.”

“Speaking of, Shouma-kun… you’re crunching potato chips like crazy… still not full?”

“Nah—only eighty percent now.”

“No way…”

“Right! And for under-eye bags, Kana-chan doesn’t need to emphasize them much! Keep it natural! I tried making mine super obvious once… and it was… kinda scary…”

“I know exactly what you mean… I saw it online…”

“Right!? Scary, wasn’t it!?”

“Yes! It was really frightening—!”

Yeah… Shi-chan showed me once, and it was a little terrifying. Though on people it suits, it looks insanely cute…

***

“Shouma-san! How do I look!?”

“Whoa—cuteness tripled!”

Makeup really does transform girls completely. Add Mio-chan’s favorite mature outfit and it’d be a total change. Shi-chan tailored the look perfectly to Makino-san. She really has studied a ton. She calls herself an idiot, but a real idiot couldn’t do this. Don’t put yourself down like that, Shi-chan. You’re amazing. You should be more confident—I always tell her that. Look how happy Makino-san is. That’s only possible because it’s you, Shi-chan.

I smiled watching Makino-san bounce with joy and Shouma-kun beam at her.

***

“It’s a bit early, but with things sketchy lately I’ll walk Kana home. Thanks for today, Daiki, Natsume!”

“Thank you so, so much! Shina-san… I finally feel confident about myself!”

“Yay! Let’s do makeup again sometime!”

“Yes!”

“See you Monday, Daiki, Natsume!”

“Bye~!”

“Come again anytime~”

“Byeee!”

Shi-chan and I held hands and waved until Shouma-kun and Makino-san disappeared from sight.

“I-It’s cold! Dai-chan, let’s take a bath!?”