(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 45: Investigation Results and Cunningness

“I’m sorry for the delayed report,” Shiina-san said, her usual lighthearted demeanor absent.

Her expression was much more solemn, which made sense. From her perspective, this issue stemmed from a mistake on her government’s side, and that was not something she could take lightly. At least, that’s what I was convinced of.

“I understand that a thorough investigation takes time, so I don’t blame you for the delay.”

“I appreciate your understanding…” Shiina-san said, looking somewhat relieved.

“For now, why don’t you have something to drink?”  

Kazari-san offered her the tea she’d prepared.  

Shiina-san wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief and took a sip of the tea, gracefully draining the cup despite clearly being parched.  

That was impressive—she must have been extremely thirsty.

“Now that your throat is quenched, let’s get started. Oh, Kazari-san, is this room secure?”  

“It’s perfectly safe,” Kazari-san replied. “There’s nothing here that could compromise confidentiality.”

“I’m glad to hear that. It doesn’t look like anything new has been planted, either.”  

“Of course not. I’d hate for this room to have hidden microphones or cameras. That’s why I make sure everything is secure—don’t underestimate a maid’s skills,” Kazari-san said confidently.

“So maids need skills like that, too, huh?”

“It’s a basic skill for me.”

“That’s absolutely not true for most maids,” Shiina-san countered. “Only the maids of the NAZ agency are trained in such skills. Normal maids can’t do this sort of thing.”

Normal maids? What exactly defined a “normal maid”?  

So, Kazari-san wasn’t normal after all.

“I consider myself a normal maid,” Kazari-san said. “But, well, the comparison pool is mostly NAZ maids, so take that as you will.”

“You were one of the top performers there, weren’t you?” Shiina-san interjected.

“Only moderately so,” Kazari replied modestly.

“Don’t lie. You were the best in that environment,” Shiina said pointedly.

It seemed my maid was far more capable than I’d realized. That was reassuring, though—

“As much as I’d like to hear more about your past, Kazari-san, let’s save that story for another time. For now, there are more pressing matters to discuss,” I said, turning to Shiina-san. “So, please, tell me what you discovered.”

“Understood,” Shiina said, pulling out a file from her bag and handing it to me.

“To summarize, it seems that information about you was indeed leaked from the NAZ agency. I deeply apologize for this failure on our part.”

She bowed deeply at those words.

“Please, lift your head,” I said.

“But—”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying I forgive or excuse this. I’m saying that apologizing right now doesn’t progress the situation, so there’s no point in it.”

I smiled, more out of a sense of necessity than anything else.  

After all, anger wouldn’t solve anything.  

What was the term for this? Anger management?  

It did seem to help, at least in theory.

“I… I see,” Shiina-san said, slowly raising her head. However, as soon as she met my gaze, she flinched and quickly looked away.

“Kyo-sama, you look terrifying,” she muttered.

“…I’m just trying to look normal.”

“Not even close.”

I guess anger management wasn’t working for me after all.

“At least it won’t interfere with the discussion, right?”  

“You’re really just pushing ahead, aren’t you, Kyo-sama? That’s kind of ruthless.”

Ruthless? I was just being practical.  

I was a gentleman at heart, after all.  

“Let’s get to it. You mentioned earlier that information was leaked to Kuzuryu’s group. Do you also know who was responsible for the leak?”  

“Yes, we’ve identified the individual. It was an employee who also served as an assistant at your initial arranged marriage meeting. They were the one who passed the information on to Kuzuryu’s contact.”  

“And their name?”

That was the most important detail.  

I needed to know the enemy’s name.

“Please don’t glare at me like that, Kyo-sama. You look like you’re ready to kill someone.”

“I have no such intention.”

Violence wasn’t my style. But I was definitely going to make them pay.  

“And their name?” I repeated.

“While revealing their identity isn’t usually encouraged, given the circumstances, it’s necessary. The assistant’s name is Shirogane Minako. She was simply the one who passed on information. However, Kuzuryu contact’s name is Hazaki Kaname.”

“Hazaki Kaname, huh?”  

I committed the name to memory.

“Based on our findings, Hazaki convinced Shirogane to cooperate by claiming that Kuzuryu wanted help finding male friends due to feeling shy and awkward. Shirogane, in turn, provided information on your schedule, supposedly to facilitate a ‘positive encounter’ with a good man.”  

Shy? Awkward? That didn’t sound like Kuzuryu at all.

This was the same person who had no problem ruining someone’s wedding!

“And Shirogane leaked all of this information?”

“Yes. As for her current status, we’ve held off on taking disciplinary action for now to prioritize the investigation. Punishing her too soon would likely turn her into a scapegoat and let the real instigators go free.”  

“It’s a classic move for governments, isn’t it? Pushing all the blame onto the lowest-ranking individual,” Kazari-san remarked with her usual calm demeanor.

“Indeed, I’m all too familiar with that practice. It’s not unlikely I’d become such a scapegoat myself,” Shiina-san said with a bitter laugh.  

The government’s darkness ran deep—nothing new there.

“For now, I’d like to keep Shirogane under observation, including monitoring public areas like shared hallways and security cameras. Is that acceptable?”

“I appreciate it. I was going to request that myself.”

“I figured you’d think that, Kyoya-sama. You have a similar mindset to certain maids,” Shiina-san said dryly.

“I don’t think that’s quite accurate,” I replied.

I considered myself gentle, after all. One of the nicest people around. Though—there was one thing I needed to add.

“Just keep her under observation, nothing more. When the time comes, deal with her properly.”

“…Understood.”

“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Kyoya-sama, the fact that you can smile while saying that only confirms the accusation that you’re not as kindhearted as you claim,” Shiina-san muttered.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Clearly, I’m the only one here with a kind heart,” Kazari-san interjected.

Could she say that with a straight face? Well, apparently she could.

“In any case, once this matter is resolved, I’ll ensure Shirogane Minako is appropriately dealt with.”

“Of course. Thank you,” I replied.

“Hearing you two talk is honestly unsettling,” Shiina-san said with a sigh.

How was that my fault? I was just matching Shiina-san’s tone.

“Now, tell me more about Hazaki Kaname,” I prompted.

After all, she wasn’t just any accomplice—she was the one directly pulling strings.

“…Hazaki was a colleague of mine in the same department,” Shiina-san began, her tone bitter.  

A colleague? That alone didn’t seem like enough reason to betray me.  

Unless there was some deeper rivalry or hostility at play.

“She and I were also classmates in middle school, high school, and university. On top of that, she’s Hosho-san’s senior.”

“Huh?”

That connection to Hosho-san was much closer than I’d expected.