(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.

“Why? Why are you smiling?”

“…Huh?”

What was this all of a sudden?

“For a man like you, today’s outing must have been torture. Being dragged around to look at books you don’t care about, admiring paintings and art you’re not interested in. On top of that, I decided on all the destinations without asking for your input. With all these things you’re supposed to hate, why are you smiling so much?”

…Wait, what?!

Were modern men really supposed to dislike admiring art, reading books, or browsing through libraries?

This was the first I’d heard of it.

Sure, I didn’t know much about art—I’d never studied it formally—but I genuinely enjoyed appreciating it.

There was something about it that felt like it was refining my senses, awakening a kind of aesthetic sensitivity within me.

Now that I thought about it, maybe that was not something everyone enjoyed. But still—

“—It wasn’t torture at all. In fact, I had an amazing time.”

If anything, it felt like parts of me were being sharpened or awakened. It was almost like discovering this thing people called a ‘sixth sense’.

“You’re lying. That can’t be true. Most men prefer to take the lead in situations like these. That’s their natural inclination. Yet, this entire date was planned by me. If I had taken you somewhere more aligned with your interests—say, a lively sports match or a stylish apparel store—you’d probably be much happier. ‘That’s how it’s supposed to be’. So why…”

“…Hmm?”

“…Why didn’t this kind of date make you want to break off the engagement?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Ah, I think I understood now.

I might have just figured out why she was so shaken up.

This must be a wound from her past.

A lingering fear she harbored toward the idea of men.

“I don’t mind not taking the lead. And sure, sports can be fun to watch, but I’m more into combat sports than playing them myself.”

“But you’re a man! You’re supposed to…”

It was as if she’d built up a rigid image of what a ‘man’ was supposed to be.

Perhaps she was confused because I was so different from the men she’d encountered before.

Her preconceived notions about men and my actual personality were worlds apart.

But that was completely understandable.

Humans tended to judge the world based on their personal experiences.

And in this society, where men were a rarity, the number of men Hosho-san has interacted with must be extremely small—certainly fewer than the number of women I’d encountered in my previous life.

Among those limited encounters, truly understanding someone’s character or forming close relationships would reduce the number even further.

It was only natural that the men she’d met so far had shaped her entire perception of ‘what men were like’.

The real issue, though, was that her image of men seemed to be a negative one.

I didn’t know what kind of people she’d met or what kinds of experiences she’d had, but I’d wager her past fiancés have played a significant role in shaping that perception.

Now that I’d realized all this, one thing was clear:

I needed to make her see me as more than just ‘a man’.

“Sure, I’m a man. But… what does that have to do with anything?”

I needed her to see me not as a generic man, but as a human being—an individual.

But instead of answering, she let out a derisive chuckle.

“Because that’s your foundation, isn’t it? Being a man is your pride, your ultimate identity—your one and only defining trait.”

“No, not really. Being a man doesn’t define or support me at all. I’m just me. Even if I were a woman, it wouldn’t change how I live my life.”

“That’s something only a man would say. You’ve never experienced life as a woman,” she shot back.

Was it because I enjoyed privileges as a man?

In this world, maybe. But compared to my previous life, being a man here came with its own set of challenges. It was not all positive things, either.

Maybe I was just more sensitive to this because of my past life. I’d felt the probing stares, the strange looks, and even outright hostility.

Making female friends? Impossible.

The closest person I had was Kazari-san, but… no, that was not the same.

“You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman—to experience how they’re treated or spoken to.”

“Then—”

Her voice grew stronger, more forceful.

“But by the same token, you don’t know what it’s like to be a man either, right? Like how uncomfortable it can be as a boy growing up in this world, or what it feels like to be an overwhelming minority.”

“That’s just because men have privileges—”

“It’s less about privilege and more about perspective. Whether you see it as a privilege or as an uphill struggle depends on how you choose to look at it. From the lens of humanity, I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”

Perspective was everything. Whether you saw something as an obstacle or an opportunity was just a matter of interpretation.

“Perspective, huh? So, are you trying to say that in this world, men and women are the same?”

“Of course not.”

There was no way I’d say that. After all, I was—

“—using the privileges of being a man to take advantage of a system like this. But that’s just about the societal framework. Women dominate politics, make the laws, and hold the majority in parliament. They’re the ones in power. In terms of sheer numbers and influence, women are the majority here.”

“That… might be true, but…”

“I’m not saying one is better or worse—I just think we should consider people as individuals.”

“Individuals?”

“Exactly. Not just as their gender, but as unique people. There are so many different personalities among women, right? Some love fashion, some love sports, others enjoy movies, some prefer the sea, and others the mountains. It’s the same with men—there may be fewer of us, but we’re still people, with just as much variety. That doesn’t change.”

Humans tended to judge based on their experiences.

While there weren’t many young men in society, they did exist. Because encounters with them were so rare, however, people’s perceptions were often shaped by those limited experiences.

“…But I think there are certain things that don’t change,” she said after a brief pause.

Did she have something specific on her mind, I wondered?

“What do you mean?”

“Being male.”

Fair enough.

“What you’re saying reminds me of how people generalize cats as aloof. But within that generalization, each cat has its own name and personality. Some are aloof, sure, but others are affectionate. Some hate being held, while others love it. What I’m trying to say is, uh…”

Wait, what was I trying to say?

“…Are you telling me to see you as an individual, not just as a man?”

“Yes! That’s exactly it.”

I hadn’t managed to articulate my thoughts very well, but Hosho-san summed them up perfectly.

Team effort?

No, that just felt weird.

“Takeda-san himself… as a person, huh?”

“Well, I get that it’s hard to break away from values you’ve built up over time. And I’m sure there are men like the ones you described. I might be a bit of an exception, though.”

I’d like to think I was normal, but still…

“…It’s true. You are a strange person,” she said with a smirk.

“Could you not only agree with that part?”

“…But yes, you’re right. I realize now that I’ve been looking at you with a skewed perspective—or rather, I wasn’t really looking at you at all. I saw you as a man, not as an individual. I wasn’t seeing you for who you really are.”

So she completely ignored my protest.

What exactly did ‘a man’ symbolize to her, anyway?

“In business, I know how important it is to base decisions on objective facts and avoid relying solely on personal biases. Otherwise, you’re bound to make serious mistakes. But when it comes to myself, I just can’t seem to judge things rationally.”

“Well, that’s only natural. We’re not machines—we have feelings.”

“That sounds like something straight out of a cheesy movie,” she teased.

“Haha.”

All I could do was laugh it off.

“…Well, cheesy lines aside, thank you. This conversation has helped me reflect on myself.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I hadn’t meant it as a cheesy line, though…

She shifted her gaze slightly, her eyes darting from side to side.

“…Maybe it’s time I started really looking at you—not just as a man, but as yourself,” she said with a small smile.

“Maybe I’ve been a little too stubborn.”

“Have you? If your past experiences made you that way, then that’s understandable. You don’t need to change who you are. But if you could see me as me, as an individual, I’d really appreciate that.”

And if you could vote to keep the Fiancée System going, I’d appreciate that even more.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

This didn’t mean she liked me now.

It just meant she was finally starting to acknowledge my existence.

“…Alright, I’ll try to see you as an individual man,” she said, her tone light but her words carrying weight.

“Could you maybe not phrase it like that?”

Seriously, that just sounded terrible.

“Excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom…”

“Of course, go ahead.”

It wasn’t just my bladder that needed relief—my heart did, too.

I’d said some things that were way out of my comfort zone.

If Kazari–san had been here, she’d definitely have laughed at me.