(Chastity Reversed) The Legitimate Wife War: How I, a Harem-Hater, Ended Up Creating an Ultra-Eccentric Harem with a Villainess, a Sadistic Beauty Teacher, a Scheming Classmate... etc.

After our conversation on the rooftop, Aoyama-san and I returned to the classroom at staggered times to avoid arousing suspicion from our other classmates.

By the time I returned, most of the students had already arrived at school, including Tachibana-san.

I took my seat and casually glanced over at Tachibana-san, where I could see her chatting happily with her friends.

She seemed as energetic as always, showing no hint of the dark past she carried.

Honestly, I found it hard to believe that she bore scars from abuse, as Aoyama-san had claimed.

I wanted to think it was a lie—or rather, I hoped it was a lie.

That’s how bright and cheerful Mizuri-san seemed at school as usual.

But Aoyama-san’s anger had been genuine too. I couldn’t believe that it was fake.

And then there was that incident I witnessed in the bathroom at the beginning of March. That also served as evidence to convince me.

But I had no concrete proof.

“…What’s wrong? You keep glancing my way. Ah, did you fall for me?”

During a break between classes, Tachibana-san suddenly spoke to me.

I thought I’d been looking discreetly, but she’d apparently caught me with her sharp eyes.

“That’s right, yeah, I was mesmerized.”

Crap, the excuse that popped out sounded like something a pickup artist would say.

“Well, I am cute, so it can’t be helped.”

Surprisingly, that worked, but I definitely needed more than just that.

“I was also worried about whether you did your homework properly!”

“Ah, I didn’t do it!”

Mizuri-san frantically started writing her homework in her notebook.

Phew, somehow I managed to deflect that.

Other classmates who had heard our conversation started teasing Tachibana-san, saying [Don’t call yourself cute! And let me copy your homework!]

Tachibana-san played along, saying [Nobody else will call me cute, so I have to say it myself! Come on, say I’m cute!]

Making herself the fool to entertain everyone.

That’s how she brightened the atmosphere.

…But what if this was her way of navigating the world?

When did she learn this method of getting by?

When did she acquire the skills to behave in ways that wouldn’t earn her hate from others?

…If abuse from her past was at the root of all this… it made me feel incredibly frustrated.

According to Aoyama-san, there were apparently relatively fresh wounds too.

That meant there weren’t many people who could abuse Tachibana-san.

The most likely candidate was…

As I was thinking that far, I suddenly noticed that Tachibana-san was looking at my face.

She seemed to have finished her homework.

“What’s wrong? About the homework?”

I tried to act nonchalant, but Tachibana-san didn’t look away from me.

“Hey, Kyo-kun.”

“Y-yeah, what?”

“That look in your eyes… you’re imagining what’s under my clothes, aren’t you?”

She smiled sweetly at me.

Which meaning was she going for?

Was she talking about my chest?

Or was she talking about the wounds hidden beneath her clothes?

It almost sounded like she was asking, ‘You know my secret, don’t you?’

“N-no, I’m not!”

Damn it. I hesitated for a moment in my response.

“Hmm.”

What’s with that meaningful expression?

It’s scary.

“Takeda-kun would never do something like that! Who would want to see women’s underwear!”

“I don’t know about that? He might be surprisingly interested?”

So that’s what she meant.

Clever phrasing.

Anyone who didn’t know anything would think she was talking about underwear.

But knowing about the wounds, I automatically assumed she meant the injuries.

“…So what’s the real answer? For future reference, Kyo-kun… please tell me.”

“I-I’m curious about that too!” “Me too, me too!”

Before I knew it, there were quite a few female students gathered around us.

“Well, if I had to say whether I’m interested or not, I’m a guy, so I’m not completely uninterested.”

The moment I said that, squeals of “Kyaa!” went up.

But my words weren’t finished yet. I still had something to convey to Tachibana-san.

“But I think what’s most important is what’s inside, you know? What kind of person they are—ultimately, that’s what matters most.”

Did my intention get through to Tachibana-san correctly?

I couldn’t read anything from Tachibana-san’s face as she talked with her female friends.

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, how she felt right now—nothing.

While I was doing that, class was about to start.

The girls who had gathered nearby scattered back to their seats.

I suddenly noticed that I had received a message during class.

It was from Mizuri-san.

[Let’s talk after school? (●´▽｀)]

The cute emoticon made it even more frightening.

When I glanced sideways, Mizuri-san was waving at me slightly, trying not to let the teacher notice.

Sigh.

This is my second summons today, isn’t it?

*****

Once again, I was called to the rooftop.

From the rooftop, I could see students heading home from school.

It was quite rare to watch students going to and from school from the rooftop in a single day.

This time too, Mizuri-san arrived at the rooftop first.

“Hey there, it’s been a while since we last talked.”

Mizuri-san spoke to me in her usual light tone.

“It feels like it’s been a while since just the two of us talked.”

“That’s true. Recently at home, sensei or Hosho-san are usually near you, Kyo-kun, so we don’t have many chances to talk alone—though of course we talk with everyone together.”