(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. - Chapter 30: The Atmosphere of Hell

A lot happened.

Yesterday was really eventful.

A fun date with Hosho-san  The final moments in the park, which ended on a subtle, awkward note. Touching upon her past.  

I was exhausted.  

Truly, deeply exhausted.  

Even after being teased mercilessly by Kazari-san, I fell asleep in seconds.  

Thanks to that, I woke up feeling refreshed and went for my usual morning run. Morning runs always felt so great.  

But still…

“…Breaking off an engagement isn’t something that simple, huh?”  

Of course, breaking off an engagement wasn’t exactly easy, but in reality, it was far beyond anything I could have imagined.  

A wedding ceremony crash?  

Running away with the groom?  

That wasn’t something a normal person would even consider. Ordinary people wouldn’t think of such things.  Could this, perhaps, also be one of the side effects of the lack of men?  

No, who knows.  

Even though I wasn’t directly involved, it wasn’t a pleasant story to hear. On top of that, while I might have understood Hosho-san’s circumstances, the part where she distanced herself from me still didn’t quite sit right with me.  

What should have been an enjoyable date was becoming clouded with frustration.  

“Ah, damn it.”

As I jogged along at a steady pace, I felt like the unnecessary thoughts in my mind were piling up more and more. To shake it off, I sped up.  

My breath grew ragged. My heart began to ache. My lungs begged for oxygen.  

But no matter how much I pushed my body to the limit or how much I ran, the irritation lingering in my mind just wouldn’t clear.  

When I finally returned home…  

“Haa… haa…”

I was so out of breath that just standing upright was a challenge. I wanted to collapse on the spot.  

“Welcome back, Kyo-sama… What happened to you? Why are you so out of breath? Did you encounter a pervert?”  

Kazari-san gave me a suspicious look as she observed my state.  

“No, I just got the urge to run at full speed… for about an hour, maybe?”  

The moment I said that, she gave me a deadpan, unimpressed glare.  

“…Are you an idiot? Are you aiming for the Olympics or something?”  

“Of course not.”  

“Kyo-sama, you’re already one of the more physically fit men out there. Why push yourself further? What are you trying to achieve?”  

It was a simple question.

“…I need to build stamina if I want to win. You know, in the battles… at night.”  

Frankly, I’d rarely ever been able to beat this maid during our nightly “battles”.  

The moment I said that, her expression shifted into one of understanding as she muttered, “Ah, I see…”  

“Well then, you’ll have to work much harder, won’t you, Kyo-sama?”

She narrowed her eyes provocatively, almost as if daring me.  

“But, that aside… excuse me for a moment.”  

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and leaned her face toward me.  

Wait, what’s this? That “kiss me” expression—what’s with the way she was leaning in?  

Did she really have that kind of maidenly side to her?  

…No, of course she would. She was a woman, after all. As if I’d forgot something like that.  

Alright, here we go—let’s do this. I made up my mind.  

And just as I was about to respond…  

Her eyes snapped open with a “pop,” and she flatly remarked, “Kyo-sama, you smell sweaty.”  

“…Of course I do! I just came back from a run!”  

It seemed she was sniffing me instead. Flustered, I stepped back and put some distance between us.  

That kind of comment hurt, you know?  

“Now then, since we’re having breakfast soon, please take a bath. I’ve already prepared your morning bath.”  

“Y-yeah.”  

Was I really that smelly?  

I sniffed myself a couple of times to check, but I couldn’t detect anything unusual.  

“Haa haa. Don’t worry, there’s still a trace of fabric softener scent on you. But as you are now… it’s dangerous, so please hurry and take a bath.”  

So she was saying I did smell ba—? Nope, not going to think about that.  

After being practically stripped by Kazari-san, I was ushered into the morning bath.  

“…Ah, it soaks right into my tired body.”  

The hot water felt amazing. It reaffirmed in me that, indeed, Japanese people were meant for baths.  

That’s why I didn’t hear her last words.  

“…Releasing pheromones like this should be considered cheating… my underwear’s ruined now.”  

Nor did I see her clutching my shirt tightly against her chest.  

*****

“Ahhh, that was so refreshing!”  

“…Yes.”  

Kazari-san handed me a towel with a slightly resentful expression.  

“Hm? What’s wrong?”  

“Nothing at all. More importantly, breakfast is ready, so please come downstairs.”  

She seemed a little cold.  

Why?  

“Well then, shall I go eat?”  

“…Yes.”  

I started drying my hair with the towel and was about to head out when—  

“Dry it properly. Honestly.”  

Kazari-san forcibly stopped me. She then grabbed a hairdryer and began drying my hair herself.  

“…Ah, thanks. I just find it such a hassle to do.”  

“Kyo-sama, you shouldn’t say things like that in front of other women, alright? For women, drying their hair is five times more troublesome than it is for you.”  

“Really?”  

“It’s absolutely true.”  

I quietly let her do her thing. She even applied some kind of hair oil to my hair while she was at it.  

“There, all done,” she said.  

With that, I went downstairs. After returning from my run, I was absolutely starving.  

“Ahhh, I’m so hungry… huh?”  

When I reached the first floor, I saw Akizuki-san, who appeared to be preparing to head out. Tachibana-san was cheerfully stuffing her face with food, while Hosho-san sat at the table, sipping coffee after her meal.  

Kurokawa-san and Kazari-san were serving food. Wait—when did Kazari-san even get here?  

In short, everyone was gathered.  

“G-Good morning?”  

“Morning!”  

“Good morning…” 

“…Good morning.”  

Tachibana-san and Akizuki-san greeted me as usual. However, it was obvious that Hosho-san avoided making eye contact with me.  

She quietly took another sip of her coffee and moved over to the sofa.  

Should I interpret this as her giving up her spot for me, or distancing herself from me entirely?  

The entire time, she didn’t glance in my direction even once.  

“…Let’s eat.”  

I quietly began eating my breakfast.  

How do I put this… it was a little awkward.  

No, that’s a lie. It was extremely awkward.  

For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to look in Hosho-san’s direction either.  

Perhaps noticing the strained atmosphere between us, both Akizuki-san and Tachibana-san didn’t talk much. One idly fiddled with her phone, while the other continued getting ready.  

Tachibana-san, who usually chatted a lot, also seemed to pick up on the mood and kept quiet.  

“…This food is really delicious. Kurokawa-san’s cooking is great, but Sato-san’s food is hearty and absolutely amazing!”  

I take that back—Tachibana-san was simply enjoying the food too much to care about the mood.  

Still, Kazari-san’s cooking really was good. The way she seasoned everything, it was right up my alley. It was the type of food that made you want more rice with every bite.  

“…I’m so jealous of people who get to eat meals like this every day! I’m getting seconds!”  

“Are you sure you should eat that much? Aren’t you worried about gaining weight?”  

“Gaining weight? Hmm, nope, I’ve never had to worry about that sort of thing. You have to eat properly when you can, you know!”  

With a bright smile, Tachibana-san went to get more rice.  

“But don’t you think there’s a limit? This is your fourth bowl already.”  

Akizuki-san gave Tachibana-san a slightly incredulous look.  

Four bowls? Four bowls was kind of excessive. And not just regular portions—her bowls were piled high with rice. How much coulda she eat?  

And she’d already had three bowls like that? Impressive, really.  

Watching her, I quietly brought a bite of egg and rice to my mouth.  

“This is what youth looks like…”  

Akizuki-san muttered to herself, looking like she was quietly despairing.  

Though, honestly, Akizuki-san was still plenty young herself.  

“…Oh, by the way, wasn’t yesterday a date?”  

Tachibana-san asked the question casually in between bites of breakfast.  

The air froze instantly.  

Mostly between Hosho-san and myself.  

However, Tachibana-san, completely immersed in her meal, didn’t seem to notice the tension at all.  

“So, how was it? Where did you go? Did you have fun?”  

She fired off question after question in rapid succession.  

Meanwhile, I deliberately chewed my food slowly, trying my best to buy some time to response. My brain was working in overdrive—hardly what you’d expect in the morning.  

Hmm… how should I answer?