(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.

“Please tell me….Is Tachibana-san being abused? Do you know about that fact?”

To my question, Ayaka-san slowly nodded.

The guess I hoped wouldn’t be right had come true.

“…I figured as much.”

Even though I had been speculating and preparing myself, learning it was a fact brought up feelings of indignation.

I leaned back deeply into the beach chair and took a deep breath.

“Since you’re asking me, it means you didn’t hear it from Tachibana-san herself, right?”

“No, I did ask her directly, but she dodged the question… at that time.”

“…At that time?”

As expected, that alone wasn’t enough for Ayaka to understand.

Right, she didn’t hear the conversation.

“When Tachibana-san and I were talking alone on the rooftop.”

“Ah, that time… was I interrupting?”

“No, not at all, but… the timing was bad. I was just about to have her show me her wounds.”

“Show you her wounds…? You mean Tachibana-san was going to…?”

“Yeah.”

“So you’re saying she was about to undress and show you on the spot?”

“That’s right. Of course, I was only going to look at her back.”

In the end, Tachibana-san wouldn’t talk about her back anywhere other than the rooftop. When we walked home together, she said there was no abuse at all, and I still don’t understand why she started saying that.

Ayaka seemed to have something on her mind as she put her hand to her chin and started thinking.

“Hmm, I see… may I ask something?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Why would the conversation flow toward Kyo-kun seeing the wounds from Tachibana-san’s past abuse? Normally, if you were just having a conversation, it wouldn’t lead to talk about her being abused in the past. The abuse happened when she was in elementary school too. Even we at the NAZ organization only learned about her past abuse after conducting an investigation—normally no one would notice. Moreover, she’s hiding it herself, so I simply don’t understand how you could know about it.”

Past… abuse?

Was that a mistake? Abuse should still be happening now.

“I learned about the abuse because a classmate interrogated me. They suspected I might be abusing her since we live together.”

“You’re being… why would a classmate know you live together? You weren’t public about your relationship with Tachibana-san, right? You should have asked them to keep quiet…”

“I did tell them, so that’s fine. The person who found out we live in the same house was Aoyama-san, who apparently saw Tachibana-san and me enter the same house. Well, more accurately, she saw it as a result of following Tachibana-san. What triggered the following was that this person saw fresh wound marks when changing after swimming class. Recent wounds, at that.”

“Wait, recent wounds? …She’s still being abused?”

What… Ayaka looked stunned.

Yeah… what does this reaction mean?

I feel like something’s not adding up.

“Ayaka, I’d like you to tell me too—I understand there was abuse in the past, but what were you doing about it? You didn’t just leave it alone, did you?”

The NAZ organization was a public institution. There’s no way they’d leave abuse alone after discovering it.

“I didn’t do anything. Rather, there’s no way I could have.”

What did that mean?

No way she could have?

Ayaka’s words continued.

“Because the one who abused her—no, them—was her father. That father died when she was in elementary school. To stop the abuse, I’d have to travel back in time or something. That’s why I said it was in the past.”

“…”

I was speechless.

The abuser was already dead?

“What do you mean… her father is dead?”

“Yes, he died in a traffic accident when she was in upper elementary school.”

What’s going on?

When I talked with Karen-san, didn’t she say something like “My husband is far away”?

I was told that, so I naturally thought he was still alive.

“…Is that really true?”

“Yes, there’s no need for me to lie. I properly checked the family register—he was definitely deceased.”

Huh?!

That’s right, there’s no reason for Ayaka to lie.

Then what was that meeting with Karen-san about?

Her way of talking made it sound like he was still alive… and Tachibana-san didn’t deny anything either.

“…From what you’ve been saying, it sounded like Tachibana-san is still being abused.”

Ayaka apparently had the same doubts I did.

Let me pause thinking for now and share my thoughts.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. We think Tachibana-san is still being abused now. I talked to you today because I thought you knew this fact, which is why you told me during the fiancée vote that ‘Tachibana-san should be saved for last.'”

At my speculation, Ayaka looked stunned, then strongly denied it, saying “That’s impossible.”

I could see faint anger in her expression too.

“No way! The NAZ organization would stop any abuse—we’re a proper government agency, unlike Eucharis. And as an adult, I’d never overlook such a situation. Since there seems to be a misunderstanding, let me explain why I said that. The problems with the other two were about conflicts with parents and issues stemming from that. Basically, they were just misunderstanding each other, right? You were able to solve those by unraveling the misunderstandings. But Tachibana-san’s situation is a bit different.

The past of being abused is something that can’t be changed or solved anymore. Moreover, abuse is such a delicate issue that it should be handled carefully, slowly, and over time. I thought you shouldn’t rush things or carelessly touch on it. If you didn’t know, it would be better to stay ignorant, but since she was abused by a man, I thought sudden approaches might frighten her. That’s why I said that. She did tell the NAZ organization she was okay though.”

“That’s right, I didn’t think you would just leave it alone either… that’s exactly why I felt something was off. So you said that for Tachibana-san’s sake, right?”

“Yes, I thought taking time would benefit both of you. The fiancée vote could be overcome with just one person’s vote anyway.”

I see.

So there were such circumstances behind those words.

“Tachibana-san always appears cheerful, but she’s actually always reading people’s faces—even now. That’s probably to avoid being harmed herself. She’s probably been getting by that way.”

Looking at Ayaka’s pained expression as she seemed to imagine the absent Tachibana-san, it was like looking at something tragic.

So Tachibana-san can’t reveal her true feelings.