(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.

“Hazaki was in the same middle school, high school, and university as me, and also a senior to Housho-san.”

“Eh?”

“…So, the three of you are childhood friends?” Kazari-san asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

Shiina-san immediately shook her head. “Oh, no, it’s nothing as pleasant as that. I was never close with her, nor with Hazaki. If anything, Hazaki had a one-sided rivalry with me. Now that I think about it, there were even times she would go out of her way to confront me.”

Judging from her tone, Shiina-san didn’t seem to care much about Hazaki at all.

“Is there any particular reason she saw you as a rival?” I asked.

“Well, there might be. To put it simply, I did well in academics. In fact, I was at the top of my class—no point in pretending humility about it. And she was usually in second place.”

So Shiina-san was someone who usually acted humble. That in itself was a bit of a surprise to me.

“That’s impressive,” I said, offering a safe compliment.

“It’s nothing much. I just happened to be good at studying. Now, this is speculation on my part, but I was the type to manage my time efficiently, so I often hung out with friends after school. Hazaki, on the other hand, wasn’t that kind of person. I guess that didn’t sit well with her. She’d find reasons to pick fights with me, and on the rare occasions when she scored higher than me on a test, she would gloat about it endlessly. It was as if she was trying to prove something.”

Ah, I see. She must have been delighted by her victories, but Shiina didn’t even care—being ignored by her intended rival must have been frustrating. It sounded like Hazaki was essentially fighting a battle all by herself.

“Also, both Hazaki and I were considered good-looking, so we were often compared. For me, it was nothing but a nuisance.”

Shiina-san’s expression turned sour, as if remembering the frustration of it all.

“Well, that’s the extent of my relationship with Hazaki. To be blunt, she probably hates me, without a doubt.”

So, Hazaki hated her—but the way Shiina spoke made it clear that she herself hardly cared at all. Based on what she was saying, it even sounded like she only remembered Hazaki because of this whole situation. She likely hadn’t given Hazaki much thought in years.

I could see why Hazaki might have been frustrated, but honestly, this wasn’t my problem to sympathize with.

“I understand. But this is purely a question out of curiosity—if Hazaki was brought into such an important government project, she must be highly competent, right? Even so, would she really risk so much over a personal grudge?”

From a logical standpoint, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that she sold information to gain favor with a candidate like Kuzuryu. But would someone working in her position really miscalculate to that extent? It didn’t seem like the risks outweighed the potential reward.

“…Sounds kinda dumb, doesn’t it?” Kazari-san casually remarked, saying what I hadn’t dared to say aloud myself.

“Well, if that were all, you’d be right—it wouldn’t make sense to take such a risk,” Shiina-san replied, her tone implying there was more to the story.

“…So, there’s more to it, then? Does this mean there’s a deeper connection between Hosho-san and Hazaki? Something more than just a senior-junior relationship?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily ‘deep’, but there’s definitely some history between them,” Shiina explained.

“History…?” I repeated.

“Yes, though it’s more on a corporate level. It wasn’t something Hosho-sama wanted, nor was it inherently bad or malicious,” Shiina clarified.

“So, like with you, was it just another case of being seen as a rival?” Kazari-san asked.

“…It’s a little different from that,” Shiina replied hesitantly.

“How so?”

“Kyoya-sama, are you familiar with the Hazaki Group?”

“The Hazaki Group…” I repeated, pretending to think.

Honestly, I had no idea. The name didn’t ring any bell whatsoever.

As I pretended to consider, I glanced at Kazari-san for help.

A slight glance. Another glance.

Come on, Kazari-san. Be my guide…

Kazari-san nodded once as if understanding my intention.

“…Sigh, there’s no helping it, is there? Kyo-sama, you’ve never shown much interest in things like this.”

Well, mentally I might be nearing 30 years of life, but in both this life and my previous one, I had only made it through high school.

I’d never developed much interest in these sorts of topics.

“The Hazaki Group is a company ranked in the top 50 in Japan. They handle a wide variety of businesses, but they are particularly well-known for their work in importing goods, healthcare, and welfare,” she explained.

“So it’s similar to the Hosho Group, being tied to a large corporation… Wait, does the name Hazaki mean Kaname is also the daughter of the company president, like Hosho-san?”

“Yes and no,” Kazari responded ambiguously.

…Huh? Which was it?

“Hazaki Kaname is what you’d call an illegitimate child.”

“I see… An illegitimate child means she’s not the child of the legal wife, right? …And someone like that became a public servant?”

“That is correct. Additionally, the Hazaki family has a legitimate child as well, ten years younger than Kaname.”

Hearing that alone gave me the sense this situation was going to be complicated.

“So, is this a case of a corporate succession battle?”

Kazari seemed to reach the same conclusion, as she asked the question first.

“Oh no, the successor will most likely be the younger legitimate child. Since Kaname is an illegitimate child, the legitimate heir takes precedence. That’s why Kaname is in this government department instead,” Shiina-san explained.

“I see… So despite being the eldest daughters, Hosho-san and Hazaki have vastly different circumstances,” I noted.

“That’s certainly part of it,” Kazari-san acknowledged.

“…Is there even more to this?” I asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Oh, there’s much more.”

“Much more…”

This was starting to feel like a gourmet platter of complications.

“As companies, the Hosho Group and the Hazaki Group operate in fairly similar fields. Before Hosho-sama’s first engagement was called off, the two companies spent years battling for market share. In that conflict, the Hosho family came out victorious. However, after the broken engagement, the Hosho family suffered some losses.”

So, it was a corporate feud involving entire families.

And it seemed like the Hazaki Group was the one that had dragged children into it first.

“A corporate feud, huh? And Hosho-san got caught in the middle… No, at this point, she’s practically blameless. She’s almost completely uninvolved,” I said.

“That’s correct. Hosho-sama did nothing wrong. However, based on the investigation, it seems Hazaki exploited the situation quite skillfully,” Shiina-san added.

“So the company covered it up?” I asked.

“No, actually, it seems Hazaki orchestrated all of it herself. The company doesn’t seem to have had much involvement. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing on the surface linking the company to these actions. My conclusions are based on circumstantial evidence, outcomes, and some information from the shadows,” Shiina-san clarified.

…Scary.

She really was terrifyingly competent. No wonder she stood out academically.

“Still, that’s such a petty and underhanded way of doing things,” I said.

“From Hazaki’s perspective, it must have been infuriating. While Hosho-sama was loved as the eldest daughter, Hazaki was born as an illegitimate child. Once her younger legitimate sibling was born, Hazaki was treated poorly. On top of that, while Hosho-sama had already created her own successful brand back in high school, Hazaki ended up just a public servant. It’s easy to imagine how that bitterness must have festered,” Shiina-san explained.

“Well, while she might not have gained anything tangible, I guess we can attribute her actions to personal resentment,” I said.

It was fair to say that her jealousy outweighed any rational calculation of risks.

“There’s also one unconfirmed rumor: her lifestyle seemed to improve significantly after Hosho-sama’s engagement was annulled… That’s the extent of the background I uncovered through various channels. So, what will you do, Kyoya-sama?”

“…I see.”

Hazaki’s motives were starting to make sense, at least partially.

But still…

“If that’s the case, then Hosho-san really isn’t at fault at all.”

“That’s correct. This conclusion comes from reexamining every detail and anomaly surrounding the situation. At the time, Hosho-sama’s handler was Hazaki, so it would have been easy for her to cover things up,” Shiina explained.

What a despicable person.

“She acted purely out of jealousy.”

“That is the result of the investigation. So, Kyoya-sama, what will you do?”

“There’s no question. We bring her down. Completely. There’s no other option.”

In the end, her actions amounted to nothing more than self-satisfaction.

—

The next evening, while I was out for a walk, I noticed a woman in a suit approaching me.

“Hello. You’re Takeda-sama… correct?”

She had short, jet-black hair, almond-shaped eyes, and a slender figure—elegant and poised.

“…Yes, that’s me. And you are?”

“I’m Hazaki, Hazaki Kaname. Would you mind joining me for some tea?”

It appeared that the culprit herself had decided to make contact.