(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.

The Takeda family grave itself is located not far from the house. We drove nearby in Rio-san’s car, gathered what we needed, and headed there on foot.

Before long, several graveyards came into view. The Takeda family grave was in one of them.

“Is it this one?”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

Although there couldn’t have been many visitors, strangely, there weren’t many weeds growing. …Perhaps Kazari-san had taken care of this, too.

“I’m home… Grandpa.”

The characters written on the gravestone read The Grave of the Takeda Family. Not just Grandpa, but generations of Takeda ancestors slept here.

“Sorry for being late to visit the grave.”

I replaced the flowers and water, lit the incense, and moved to join my hands in prayer…

“May I… join my hands in prayer as well?”

“Yeah, please do… thank you.”

Rio-san sat next to me and joined her hands in prayer.

The main reason it had been so long since I visited the grave was a lack of time. But that wasn’t the only reason for the delay. There was also a reason that made it difficult for me to come here. To be honest… I felt a little guilty toward Grandpa.

“In the end, I haven’t been able to keep my promise to Grandpa.”

There were words Grandpa used to say a long time ago.

[Love one woman through to the end, and keep protecting her.]

Those words have become a major guiding principle within me. However, I could only keep half of it.

It’s nothing but an excuse, but this was the only way to protect Mio-nee. I had no choice but to give up on loving one woman through to the end. I have no regrets, but… I did feel guilty.

It’s not anyone’s fault; this is entirely my own problem.

Grandpa… I protected Mio-nee to the end. She has started to recover and is doing well now. So you don’t have to worry about Mio-nee anymore; I will keep protecting her from now on.

So, regarding the broken promise, I’ll take your lecture after I die. Because I have no regrets.

“…A promise?”

Ah. It seems I leaked those words out loud. Rio-san had a puzzled look on her face.

It wasn’t anything to hide, so I told her about my memories with Grandpa from the past. And about what Grandpa used to say.

“How should I put it… he was a man of the old school, no less than my own father, wasn’t he? Your grandfather, Master.”

It is exactly as Rio-san says. He really was a man of the old days.

“He might have been even more stubborn than your father, Rio-san. He was old-fashioned and hard-headed, but he was a good person… Even though we weren’t related by blood, he still treated me just the same as Mio-nee.”

We weren’t wealthy or anything, but it was still fun.

“He was a wonderful person.”

“Yeah.”

He was loud and nagging when he was alive, but now he is a silent gravestone. But sitting here brings various memories back to life.

Those rugged hands and that crinkled smile. The times we got into trouble together and got a fist to the head. Playing in the river, or conversely, the times the two of us got scolded by Mio-nee for not doing housework.

“Yeah, I respected him. I still do.”

“Is that so…”

Recalling the memories a little, I poured water over the gravestone one last time and prayed once more.

To report on my current situation. I don’t know if the afterlife exists, but if it does, I pray that Grandpa can smile.

I conveyed various things to him.

Because I had things to say, I ended up praying for a little too long.

Thinking I had inconvenienced Rio-san, I looked to the side with an apologetic feeling, only to find her praying with a serious face as well.

“…”

I was a little surprised that she was still joining her hands in prayer. Before long, she opened her eyes and looked at me.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

“No, thank you for offering incense.”

We cleaned the grave to a certain extent to leave it tidy. While we were praying, the wind had picked up a little, and it was gradually getting colder outside.

“Shall we head back soon? I’d hate for you to catch a cold.”

“Yes.”

The atmosphere inside the car on the way back to my family home was strangely calm. It didn’t feel awkward like before.

We arrived at the house and drank tea.

“Thank you for today, for visiting the grave with me. I think Grandpa must be a little relieved, too.”

“No, no, he raised my fiancée, Master, so it is only natural.”

Only natural, huh… In a time when more people are saying that visiting graves is a hassle.

“I see.”

This kind of thing is what makes Rio-san wonderful. Her fetishes and such are intense, but she also has parts I can respect.

“I was making a report to your grandfather.”