(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 31: Girls' Talk
“How was it~? Where did you go~? Did you have fun~?”
Tachibana-san fired off her questions one after another.
Hmm, how should I respond?
No, I should just answer honestly.
“It was fun!”
“Is that so~? That’s great! Oh, where did you go again?”
“Let’s see… she took me to a museum, I guess. Oh, did you know? Hosho-san is a really good driver.”
“…It’s nothing special,”
Hosho-san replied curtly, denying my compliment without hesitation.
“Wow, then maybe I’ll have her give me a ride to school next time~!”
“Stop that. Trying to come to school by car is just asking for trouble. Parking in front of the school is prohibited. I’ve had to warn parents about it many times before.”
“Besides, I don’t drive to university in the first place, so I can’t give you a ride.”
“Aww, that’s too bad. I thought I could take it easy for once.”
While saying that, Tachibana-san didn’t stop eating her meal.
Her face still looked delighted by the food, and contrary to her words, she didn’t seem the least bit disappointed.
“You’re young, so you should walk a little. It’s good for your health.”
“I’m totally in my prime~!”
“…I’m in my prime too, but I walk, you know?”
“…S-so true! I walk too!”
There was a slight pause just now.
“…What’s with that pause~?”
For the first time today, Akizuki-san smiled—a wide, bright smile. At the same time, for the first time, Tachibana-san’s chopsticks froze mid-movement.
With a face that practically screamed, “Ah, I messed up,” she broke into a nervous sweat.
“S-so, shouldn’t we be heading out soon? L-look, it’s a good time to leave, right?”
“I strongly believe that punctuality is integral to a good education. So, I’ll make sure to teach you this properly.”
“Wow, how kind of you… But right now, I’d actually rather hear about Hosho-san’s thoughts on the date, you know?”
That’s naive, Tachibana-san.
Right now, Akizuki-san only had one thing on her mind—that someone had implied she was old. That was all she cared about.
And as for my date, something she normally wouldn’t have even the slightest interest in…
“…Well, I kind of am curious about that too,” she said.
So she was interested?
Wow, I was really hoping we wouldn’t discuss this.
After yesterday’s date, I’d already messed things up even more with Hosho-san.
“…Haa, you want my thoughts?”
With a face steeped in reluctance, she turned to look at me.
“Well, judging by that face, I think I can already guess, but go ahead and tell me anyway.”
Ugh, I absolutely didn’t want to hear this.
I silently focused on eating my breakfast, but deep down I just wanted to escape back to my room.
There was no way I could leave in this atmosphere, however.
“Yup. Next time, it’ll be our turn to go on a date. This’ll help us prepare, you know?”
“That’s right—we need to check if there’s any inappropriate touching or peeping involved.”
They smirked and glanced at me teasingly.
“That’s a misunderstanding, though…”
“Well, let’s see~ For now, I can say there wasn’t any inappropriate touching or peeping… though that might just be because there weren’t any situations where those things could happen.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected!”
“It’s not unexpected! I wouldn’t do those things!”
Weren’t they being way too harsh on me? What was their image of me, anyway?
“I mean, you’ve seen me naked before,” Tachibana-san said, fidgeting while eating her rice.
She had a slight smile at the corners of her mouth. It was clear she was teasing me, but the fact that it was technically true left me without a single retort.
“…I’m sorry about that.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that while the person is around. Save it for when they’re not here,” Akizuki-san interjected.
Now that’s just backbiting, Akizuki-san.
“Sorry about that~”
“The date itself was at a museum,” Hosho-san said.
“A date to a museum with a guy, huh? That’s pretty bold.”
“Totally.”
I guess that was the impression people had of museum dates.
“So, how was the date with him?”
Wow, she was really digging into the details.
Was this what girls were like?
“Let’s see. I felt like he respected me during the date, and overall, I thought it was pretty enjoyable.”
“…Then why is your face so expressionless?”
Even though she said it was enjoyable, her facial muscles didn’t so much as flinch.
Naturally, everyone but Hosho-san herself had their faces stiffen.
“…Are you really sure about that?”
“Maybe something unpleasant happened?”
Tachibana-san tilted her head in confusion, while Akizuki-san glared at me accusingly.
Since I already knew she was upset with me by the end of the date, I couldn’t exactly deny it.
“…You don’t have to force yourself to say you enjoyed it, you know.”
Before I realized it, I was awkwardly trying to reassure Hosho-san.
“See? Even he’s saying that, right?”
“No, I really did enjoy myself. He listened to what I had to say and showed respect for me.”
That was the same thing you said earlier. Are you a robot or something?
“…So, why the straight face?”
Everyone nodded in unison.
“Oh, that’s unrelated. There was just something that got on my nerves a little…”
“I see…”
“Yes, so feel free to choose whatever you like for your next date. I think it’ll be perfectly fine.”
After gracefully finishing her coffee, Hosho-san moved toward the kitchen.
As she was about to leave the room, she suddenly turned back and said, “Oh, I almost forgot,” flashing a beaming smile.
I had a bad feeling about this.
That kind of smile from a woman was terrifying. It was the same expression Akizuki-san had when she got called old.
“He tends to cross lines into areas people don’t want touched, so do make sure you’re careful about that.”
Leaving those words behind, she went upstairs.
Meanwhile, the two people left behind, Tachibana-san and Akizuki-san, set their sights squarely on me.
“…Well then,” I muttered.
“…Hey.”
I could feel their gazes burning into me.
Actually, no—I could see them staring right at me.
Hyper-focused on my breakfast, I considered making a quick retreat.
“Right, I think I’ll head back to my room for a bit—”
Someone grabbed hold of my arm, firmly.
“Hey.”
“Hold on a second.”
When I turned around, the two of them were standing behind me, pinning me to the chair.
“Why don’t you tell us what’s going on? Let your big sisters help you out.”
“Technically, there’s only one ‘big sister’ here…”
“…Did you just call me old?”
“No, I absolutely did not.”
And so began what felt like an interrogation.