(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.

“Ah, I’m so nervous.”

Today was my date with Hosho-san

I was waiting for her in front of the station.

Despite it being spring, there was still a lingering chill in the air, and the trees were still in bud.

Good thing I decided to wear a light coat.

She told me to meet her at the park near her house.

A park date, huh?

Somehow, it felt surprising for Hosho-san, but there was a certain charm to the unexpectedness.

What if she’d made a bento lunch for today?

…That’d be amazing!

I let myself get carried away by these happy thoughts for a while.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

“Excuse me, can I have a moment?”

A voice called from behind me.

Wait… I recognized this voice.

But then again, what if they were not calling for me? That would be so awkward.

You know, that moment when you realize they meant someone else?

‘Oh, sorry, I wasn’t calling you,’ their gaze would say—the sort of look you’d get when they confused you for a weirdo.

At times like that, even though I couldn’t usually read minds, I felt like an esper who could suddenly perceive exactly what they were thinking.

When something like that happened, you just had to play it off.

Pretend you were cracking your neck or adjusting your hair. Maybe act like you were checking the part in your bangs—there were all kinds of ways to feign nonchalance.

But I’d prefer not to relive such an experience.

Still, just in case, I stretched briefly, pretending to glance around—and peeked over my shoulder.

Then quickly turned forward again.

…Wait. There was a woman behind me, wearing sunglasses and glaring at me from the driver’s side of a large, black SUV.

“…Huh?”

I glanced back again—my second take.

Yep, she was still there, glaring in my direction.

“Please don’t ignore me. You were the one who invited me, weren’t you?”

That voice…

Wait a second…

“…Could it be… Hosho-san?”

“Who else could it possibly be?”

“I—I didn’t recognize you…”

“There’s no one else around here besides you, is there?”

I looked around just to make sure.

…Yeah, there really wasn’t anyone else.

Her expression, even behind those sunglasses, had a sharpness that was hard to miss.

This just made her staring all the more intimidating.

“…We don’t have all day, so would you mind getting in?”

“Uh, sure…”

“Alright then, let’s go. Be sure to put on your seatbelt, alright?”

She might dislike me, but the way she was still considerate enough to remind me of basic safety was… oddly kind.

Well, I mean, wearing a seatbelt was common sense, but still.

“…Are you cold?”

“No, I’m alright. Thanks for asking.”

“Of course. There’s climate control in the center console, so feel free to adjust it as you like. The settings are separate for both sides, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Her attentiveness was impeccable.

She must be incredibly popular.

“…By the way, where are we headed right now?”

“That’ll be a surprise for when we get there,” sShe said it flatly, without even a hint of emotion.

A cheeky smile or mischievous expression would’ve fit this kind of line perfectly. If I were only listening to her words, it would’ve made my heart race.

This date’s location—a choice that could be decided by the fiancées—was something established during the heated debates of the ‘Second Fiancée Meeting’.

In the end, it was agreed that such events were necessary to appeal to the government and the NAZ Agency. Each fiancée would get the opportunity for an individual date.

However, they requested to have control over the location.

They decided this unanimously, citing reasons like not wanting to be taken to strange places.

To be fair, the recent bathtub incident probably didn’t help my case.

So, yeah, I didn’t get a say in this.

Hmm… did they think I was exaggerating things?

That was the thought running through my mind when Kazari-san joked, “Well, at least you didn’t have to come up with three date plans, right?”

She wasn’t wrong.

But… a part of me felt a little uneasy. In my previous life, it was almost a given that a guy would plan the date. That expectation seemed so deeply ingrained that this felt… off.

Still, rather than seeing it as laziness on my part, maybe I should view this as an opportunity to learn more about them.

By the way, soft international pop music was playing in the car.

It was something stylish and relaxing.

“Do you drive a lot, Hosho-san?” I ventured.

“…What kind of question is that out of nowhere?”

Her eyes stayed fixed on the road, but her tone betrayed her curiosity about my sudden question.

“Well, I tend to get a bit carsick… but—”

“—Is that a complaint?”

“N-no, not at all! I just wanted to say that your braking and overall driving is so calm and smooth. It feels… gentle, I guess? So, I was wondering if you drive often.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry for jumping to conclusions… I’m glad to hear you’re not feeling sick. As for your question, yes, I do drive on weekends or when I have free time. I’d say I enjoy it—maybe not as a passionate hobby, but as a way to clear my head.”

“Oh, so driving is your way to relax?”

“More or less. I like turning on some music and emptying my thoughts as I take in the scenery. It’s a good way to reset when I’m busy or feeling stuck.”

“That sounds nice. Maybe I should try getting my license when I’m old enough.”

In my last life, I wanted to get my license, but never got the chance. Life got complicated around the time I graduated high school, and… well, I died. If I could stay alive this time, I’d love to actually try driving.

“That could be a good idea,” she said. “Do you have any hobbies, by the way? No ulterior motives—it’s just small talk.”

“Haha, I believe you,” I replied.

Not that you really had to clarify…

Hobbies, huh? What were my hobbies again?

“Now that you mention it, that’s a surprisingly tough question…”

In my previous life, my family situation wasn’t great, so I didn’t really have the luxury of thinking about hobbies. Sure, I participated in clubs, but that didn’t feel like a hobby.

In this life, I spent my time at my grandfather’s learning self-defense. After that, my focus shifted to working to pay for my sister’s treatment.

“…I don’t think I have any hobbies,” I admitted.

“Really?”

Hosho-san looked at me with a slight hint of surprise, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

“I figured it’d be something like running… or maybe peeping on women.”

“W-wha—?! Hosho-san?!”

Caught completely off guard, I couldn’t help but stammer.

“Oh, that reaction… Did I perhaps hit the mark?”

“N-no, of course not! Please stop saying that! I’m a wholesome guy!”

“Wholesome enough to enjoy looking at naked women, then.”

“No, I mean, I don’t like looking at someone without their consent!”

“So, you admit you’re fine with looking as long as you have consent?”

“Well, I mean… I am a guy!”

At that point, outright denying it would feel dishonest. What guy didn’t have some curiosity?

“…You’re an unusual one, aren’t you?”

“Unusual?! Why does that sound like an insult?”

Did she just call me a weirdo? Was that what I was now? A rare species?

“…But isn’t that the case? These days, men may not be used to seeing women completely naked, but there are plenty of opportunities to see underwear and such. In schools, for example, they often change in classrooms. So, while there might be those who don’t feel any aversion to seeing it, wanting to actively watch… is still strange, isn’t it?”

In modern times, it was more common for men’s changing rooms to be prepared.

By the way, since I had lived in a rural area, we used to change in the classroom.

Also, there was definitely less embarrassment. Maybe it was because my previous life’s sense still lingered.

If I were to put it bluntly, perhaps men of now thought more like women from my previous life, with similar levels of modesty and shame.

“…I’m normal, really!”

“People who call themselves normal usually aren’t, you know?”

“Ugh…”

“Ah, we’ve arrived,” she said, cutting off our conversation.

By the time I realized it, we had parked the car. I stepped out and looked ahead.

In front of me was a massive, multi-sided stone structure.

Its exterior was covered in ancient-looking carvings—things that resembled owls, almost like depictions of old gods.

The place had an otherworldly atmosphere, so far removed from everyday life that it felt like stepping into another dimension.