(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.

“Phew…”

I got into the bath and slowly relaxed my body. My fatigue melted away in the slightly hot water.

Today was busy from morning to night.

It started with Aoyama-san calling me to the rooftop in the morning, and ended with Tachibana-san calling me to the rooftop after school.

“Ahhhh, the hot water feels so good on my body.”

If Kazari-san saw me muttering like this, she’d probably sneer and say, “You sound like an old man.”

Speaking of Kazari-san, she was unusually quiet in the car today.

Normally she’d ask things like “How was school?”…

But I see. Kazari-san probably already knows about today’s events through her earpiece, so she didn’t need to ask.

Looking back on it again, Tachibana-san’s words today seemed fake.

And then there was her sudden change of heart.

About the abuse, it felt like it was almost certainly true.

I wanted to talk to Kazari-san about all this, but… looking at the bathroom door, there was no sign of her coming in.

Usually she’d come in about every other time.

When there’s something to talk about, she usually picks up on it and comes in with me.

…She’s not coming today, huh.

Since she prepared the bath for me, I thought she’d definitely come in today.

There’s no point staying in too long and getting dizzy, so I should get out soon.

As I was lightly toweling my hair and about to dry it with a hair dryer…

“…Would you mind explaining to me what exactly is going on?”

I heard Kazari-san’s voice. It was a hard tone.

Though her manner of speaking was the same as always, her voice carried a dangerous edge.

This might be the first time I’d heard such a voice from her.

“…Yes, yes.”

From the sound of it, she seemed to be on the phone rather than talking directly to someone.

Even straining my ears, I couldn’t hear the other person’s voice.

“When I previously asked about your family, I believe you said [There are no problems, everything has already been resolved], didn’t you?”

Family.

It was the first time I’d heard that from Kazari-san’s mouth.

If I remember correctly, when becoming a maid, personal information was basically sealed.

That’s why Kazari-san and all the other maids use the surname Sato.

“…Yes. However, according to information I’ve independently obtained, it seems a situation that can hardly be called resolved has continued for many years. What exactly is this about?”

She obtained information independently—that’s impressive.

The fact that Kazari-san was talking about family meant the other person was someone she could discuss such things with.

That could only be the arranged marriage organization.

Since I couldn’t hear the other person’s voice, this was all speculation.

Haven’t I been doing a lot of speculating today? Including Tachibana-san’s situation.

“…I became a maid for my sister’s sake.”

So Kazari-san has a sister—this was the first I’d heard of it.

“…Yes, I am extremely grateful for that. However, it’s also true that I cannot directly intervene or reveal my existence. I request another covert investigation—to find out what situation she’s in.”

Investigation, huh.

Was something happening with Kazari-san’s family at this time too?

…Could it be Eucharis? No, maybe I’m overthinking it.

“Yes… yes, of course. I will perform my duties properly. So please don’t give me reason to think about anything other than work.”

Kazari-san’s tone was quite strong.

She must be that worried about her family.

But a continuing problem… huh.

It sounded similar to Tachibana-san’s situation… or maybe that was just my imagination.

Tachibana-san’s problem isn’t even confirmed yet.

“…Understood. I will come to inquire about the results the day after tomorrow… phew.”

It seemed the phone call was over.

Since it was with her superior, she was probably tense—Kazari-san let out a breath.

“…Is Kyo-sama still in the bath?”

Ah, crap.

Did she get suspicious because I was taking so long?

I could hear footsteps approaching the bathroom.

It was too late to go back into the bath, so I held my breath and prayed I wouldn’t be caught.

Kazari-san was just one step away from opening the door.

If I got caught, I’d apologize for eavesdropping—just as I was steeling myself for that…

“Well, Kyo-sama is also tired, so taking a long bath is natural. He was summoned both morning and evening by Aoyama-sama and Tachibana-sama. He must be mentally exhausted too.”

Just before opening the door, she seemed to convince herself.

“If he doesn’t come back after a bit more time, I’ll go check on him. Really, what a troublesome master.”

She laughed softly as her footsteps moved away. Sorry for being a troublesome master.

“Phew.”

It seemed I hadn’t been caught eavesdropping.

I must have been listening for quite a while—my hair was already half-dry.

“I should dry it with a hair dryer.”

I wasn’t sure if there was any point now that it was half-dry, but I started drying it anyway.

…But family, huh.

Of course Kazari-san has a family too.

I’d never really thought about it, but… if there’s ever an opportunity, I’d like to properly greet Kazari-san’s parents. She’s one of the most important people to me.

Though I don’t know if I’ll ever get to meet them.

But it’s unusual for Kazari-san to take a work call in my room.

Really unusual…

I dried my hair and changed into the tracksuit that was laid out.

“…I’m out of the bath, Kazari-san. It was a nice hot bath—I think I recovered from some of my fatigue.”

“You were in there for quite a long time. I’m glad you could recover from your fatigue. I was starting to think you might have drowned.”

When I came out of the bathroom, there wasn’t a trace of the dangerous tone from earlier—it was the usual Kazari-san.

“…Did anything unusual happen to you today, Kazari-san? Any troubles?”

I asked while keeping the main topic vague.

If she wanted to talk about it, she would with this approach. If she didn’t, it meant she didn’t need help.

“Unusual things… troubles?”

“Let me think…” Kazari-san pondered a bit.

“…There was something.”

“What was it?”

“I was on guard duty and standby from morning so I could act at any time. I got tired from acting differently than usual. I’m just a maid, so housework is my main job—maybe it’s because I’m not used to other things. …So I’d like a massage.”

That’s a lie. If anything, you’re better at combat and stealth. Though of course you’re also first-rate at housework.

“…Should I give you a massage then?”

“Could you not rub your hands together like that? If you’re going to do such things, please do them subtly.”

Kazari-san looked exasperated. I was just going to helpfully support her chest since it looked heavy.

Jokes aside, it seemed she didn’t have any particular concerns to discuss at the moment.

…Which meant she didn’t need my help.

Then I should just let this pass as a joke. I was aware I’d said something strange.

“…Subtly, huh? Should I just naturally make body contact?”

“I just want a normal massage, you know? Shoulders and back.”

“That’s fine too… but isn’t it unusual for a maid to have her master give her a massage? Isn’t it usually the other way around?”