(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.

But somewhere in my heart, I had a premonition that I shouldn’t tell other people.

“Let me think about it? It’s not something I really want to tell people.”

Somehow I didn’t like consulting with others about my family.

In the end, I couldn’t come to an answer after that day either, and days just passed with it on hold.

Even as Haruko’s transfer approached a week away, my heart still wasn’t settled.

Then one evening.

That day mother had gone to work, and only father was home.

[What is this score?! You have to get 100 points on at least elementary school tests!!]

That day I unusually made a mistake. I got 95 points on a math test at school and had to hide it, but unluckily, father who had been drinking since noon found it.

Father’s drinking progressed, and as he drank, his face became increasingly displeased.

[That child could have done this with a cool face… why can’t you do it?! You have to try harder!! I have expectations for you!! This is discipline, I’m doing this because I care about you!]

Sometimes father would scold me as if comparing me to someone.

This day too his tone was rough, and father scolded me without caring about the spit flying. Not satisfied with just that, father raised his fist as usual.

But receiving discipline was unavoidable.

Because I was the one who was bad for not getting 100 points.

Thinking that, I prepared myself to receive discipline.

I tried to grit my teeth for the impact coming to my body, but that day something different from usual happened.

Ding-dong.

The front door bell rang at just the right time.

“Hmm?”

Father looks at the front door with bleary eyes.

Looking suspicious, father peers through the peephole to check outside. Something seemed strange as father made a puzzled expression.

“Hello!”

A bright voice I always hear at school echoes from the front door.

A voice that should never be heard at home.

“…Who are you?”

Father bends down a little to match the child’s eye level.

“I’m Akaumi Haruko, Mizuri-chan’s friend! I forgot to return a textbook that Mizuri-chan was teaching me from, and I thought Mizuri-chan would be troubled, so I came to return it!”

When I peeked from behind, it was the face I always saw.

She had an even more full smile than usual.

“To Mizuri? …Wait a moment, I’ll call her now… Hey Mizuri? Your friend is here.”

Father’s voice was a gentle tone that you couldn’t imagine had just been about to discipline me.

To avoid making him angry, I hurriedly head to the front door.

“Sorry for borrowing the textbook! I thought you’d be troubled if you couldn’t do homework, so I came to return it!”

“T-textbook…?”

Honestly, I didn’t understand.

I had no memory of lending any textbook.

“Here’s the textbook! …Uncle, Mizuri-chan always teaches me studying. Her way of teaching is really easy to understand. She helps everyone with studying in class too, and she helps with my studying. Thank you for always helping with my studies!!”

Akaumi grabs my hand and shakes it vigorously.

I had no idea what was going on. I had been asked about studying a few times, but that was it. Besides, I get taught about subjects I’m weak at too.

“I see, I see! If Mizuri is being helpful, that’s great. This kind of thing is good study for both the teacher and the student, it’s a good thing! Please continue to get along well with our Mizuri, Akaumi-san!”

Father smiles at Akaumi with a beaming smile.

“Yes! Sorry for suddenly barging in! Well then!”

Akaumi says just that, turns on her heel, and runs away.

Father and I watch her running figure together.

“Mizuri.”

I was scared of what father would say.

“Take care of your friends, okay? They teach you various things.”

Father was in good spirits as if he had forgotten about the discipline from before.

At that time, unusually, he patted my head with that big hand.

Father’s hand was big. A man’s hand.

It smelled a little of alcohol, but I didn’t mind.

I was simply happy.

“Man, I’m really glad you’re my daughter. That’s my girl, right? That child did everything alone, so there was never anything like this! Yeah, yeah, I’m glad it’s you!”

“…Yeah!”

I felt confused in my heart, but the happiness was greater.

Maybe that’s why I forgot—why Haruko suddenly came to my house without any business. Things like that.

Why she told such a lie about borrowing a textbook when I hadn’t lent any, why she met father, I didn’t think about the reason.

The following week after school.

While preparing to go home, Akaumi approached me with a serious expression. Come to think of it, I hadn’t been with Haruko much today.

“Hey Mizuri.”

“Ah, thanks for the other day, Akaumi! Thanks to you happening to come, I was about to get scolded but that stopped, and father even praised me.”

When I thanked her, for some reason Akaumi’s face stiffened.

For some reason she had a pained expression.

“I knew it was strange… I can’t transfer peacefully like this.”

“Ah, Akaumi?”

“Mizuri… sorry, I consulted with Kirigakure-sensei.”

“Eh…”

I was speechless.

Why would she do such a thing?

“This can’t continue! Besides, just from what I said yesterday, Mizuri was praised by your father, right? If an adult like Kirigakure-sensei gets involved, don’t you think it would get even better?”

…There might be something to that.

If a child like Akaumi could do it, maybe if an adult got involved it would get even better.

The frequency of receiving discipline might decrease too, and yesterday’s was cancelled.

“Mizuri thinks so too, right! The teacher said she’d listen too, so this weekend! This will solve everything.”

Akaumi said this with an innocent smile.

“At the meeting with the teacher, try talking properly, okay? About things as they really are, and then it will surely get better.”

Akaumi’s words gave me hope.

“Trust me, your best friend! Mizuri.”

“…O-okay.”

I still didn’t know at the time that this was the worst choice.