(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 48: The Trap I Set

Kazari-san returned with a fresh cup of coffee for me.  

Taking a sip, I felt my frayed nerves relax a little. The coffee earlier had been wasted on account of having to drink it with that strange woman, completely ruining the taste.  

“Shall I bring some cake to go with the coffee as well?”  

“…Why don’t you join me instead?”  

“At your command, if that’s what you wish.”  

“Then it’s a command.”  

“Oh my, how cruel of my master to force an innocent maiden to eat a calorie bomb… Very well, I’ll bring it.”  

Her words sounded like complaints, but her face seemed slightly happy. Granted, she was as expressionless as ever.  

It seemed Kazari-san had already prepared enough for both of us.  

“Bon appétit,” she said.  

“Please, help yourself too.”  

Our usual kind of conversation.  

…Though I was not particularly fond of sweets, the ones Kazari-san made were something I couldn’t help but want to enjoy with coffee.  

“…This is delicious. Matcha?”  

“I’m glad you think so. Today, I made a matcha chiffon cake.”  

She finally took a bite herself after politely saying, “Excuse me for indulging.”  

“Mmh… It’s good.”  

For just a brief moment, I caught a fleeting smile on her normally serious face. Not that I’d dare say anything, knowing she’d get mad.  

“…Kyo-sama, why are you grinning? Shall I confiscate your chiffon cake?”  

“That’s unreasonable!”  

“No, it’s only natural.”  

[Breaking News]: I got scolded without saying anything.

“I’m glad, though. The crease between your eyebrows has softened a bit, Kyo-sama.”  

“The crease between my eyebrows?”  

I rubbed my forehead with my fingers but didn’t feel any tension there.  

“That’s because I smoothed it out for you. It’s gone now.”  

Fair enough. Still, I didn’t realize I’d been so tense that my brow was furrowed.  

“Kyo-sama, you were the scariest right after Hazaki left, you know? You were glaring at her retreating silhouette through the window as though you were trying to burn a hole through her.”  

“Was it that bad?”  

“Oh, yes, it was that bad.”  

Well, I couldn’t show any anger in front of her. I had to pretend to be a timid man, after all.  

“Yeah, I did hold back quite a lot.”  

“And yet, midway through, you couldn’t help yourself and got sarcastic, didn’t you?”  

Sarcasm… Oh.  

“You mean the part about whether she could provide the same level of support as the Hosho Group?”  

“Yes… The Hosho Group is one of Japan’s top corporations. There’s no way another company could compare. And you knew that thw Hazaki Group was the one she was referring to, didn’t you? It really says a lot about your personality.”  

“…You mean that in a good way, right?”  

“Of course.”  

“…Well, cut me some slack—it was just a little sarcasm. I had to hold back from outright denying everything, after all.”  

“Well, that’s true. Normally, you’d be much angrier.”  

“Exactly. Besides, I’ve come to appreciate Hosho-san even more, so it was incredibly frustrating. But given how far things have come, getting mad would’ve been pointless. I mean, I didn’t expect her to take the bait so easily.”  

“Neither did I.”  

What I did was simple.  

I’d casually mentioned, in the shared space where I knew I was being observed, some dissatisfaction about my cohabitation and a little bit about my sister.  

That was all it took for Hazaki to pounce immediately with her so-called ‘approach’. The speed with which she’d acted was almost laughable.  

“She’s being tailed, right?”  

“Yes, we’re keeping an eye on her,” Kazari-san replied matter-of-factly.  

“As expected of Kazari-san. Thank you.”  

“No need to thank me. I’m only following your instructions… But still, as you predicted, when you gave the impression you were out alone in the shared space, she came running without hesitation. It’s almost absurd.”  

Even Kazari-san seemed more exasperated than surprised. It was remarkable how little decorum Hazaki had.  

“You’d think after the second time, she’d be more cautious. Most people would suspect there’s something off about it being so convenient.”  

“Well, Kyo-sama, you’re the one who hinted at a lack of coordination with Shiina-san, acted uncertain, and made yourself seem easy to manipulate. You do have quite the personality, don’t you?”  

…I couldn’t really deny it in this case, since I’d intentionally let her have free rein to say whatever she wanted.  

“She went from offering an apology to outright recruiting you halfway through. It’s quite something.”  

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at that.  

“Right? I mean, I understand why she came to apologize, but when she started trying to recruit me, it was honestly shocking.”  

She must have thought she had a chance. I’d been putting on a timid persona, after all.  

Letting me voice my dissatisfaction, and then swooping in with, “There’s a better place for you!” That was her whole angle.  

Maybe that was how Takato had been recruited as well. He seemed like the type who would fall for something like that.  

“What will you do? Will you accept Hazaki’s invitation?”  

“Are you really asking such an obvious question?”  

“Well, as your maid, I figured I should at least ask— aahm.”  

She asked while happily stuffing her mouth with chiffon cake.  

There was no way Kazari-san actually cared about my answer—she was clearly too preoccupied enjoying the cake.  

Honestly, though, this cake was amazing.  

“Well, there’s no way I’d fall for such a sloppy sales pitch. Seriously, anyone who does makes you question their judgment.”  

“…Did you just call Takato-sama an idiot?”  

“I didn’t mention Takato by name, did I? …At least, not explicitly.”  

“But from the context of the conversation, it’s clearly about Takato-sama, isn’t it?”  

“Ah, yes, the famous context. A concept we Japanese love so much.”  

Apparently, in some other cultures, people only reacted to what was explicitly stated.  

“So you’re saying it’s the fault of the person who interpreted it that way?”  

“Well, you could put it that way.”  

“My, my, how awful of you to blame your maid. Truly, what a terrible master you are. Then again, this might just mean my genius-level intellect has backfired on me…”  

“You’ve been calling me terrible all day! And yet, you’re ridiculously positive about it!”  

I might actually cry, you know.  

“I’m just joking. Being positive is something I had to do to survive…”  

Her gaze lowered slightly as she spoke, though her tone remained calm and matter-of-fact—just like always.  

Still, for some reason, it made me feel like I’d done something wrong.  

Now that I think about it, I didn’t know much about Kazari-san’s past. Maybe something had happened to her… but if she hadn’t brought it up herself, it was not like I could just go poking around.  

Unlike the situation with Hosho-san, there was no pressing need to dig further.  

“…I see.”  

And so, I had no idea what else to say.  

“Have you reflected on your actions?”  

Kazari-san asked casually, her tone now as light as ever, while sipping her coffee.  

“…Did you trick me just now?”  

“Your acting still needs work. Please improve, alright?”  

“…Yes, ma’am.”  

I couldn’t really argue since, well, she had successfully fooled me.  

“Oh, by the way, about this week’s… let’s call it, stress relief—would you like to take care of it today?”  

She brought it up nonchalantly, as usual.  

“With the upcoming fiancée vote and school starting soon, things are bound to get hectic. It’d also help with stress relief. What do you think?”  

She had a point. Between the fiancée vote and the new semester, things were about to get busier.  

If things didn’t go well, I might even have to move, and that would only add to the chaos.  

So, yeah…  

“…Let’s go ahead and take care of it for now.”  

“Then please make sure to let it all out today, alright? Your stress, I mean. It must have piled up a lot today.”  

Honestly, just the conversation we’d been having felt like it added to my stress. Could this have been her plan all along?  

If so, that would be terrifyingly calculating.  

Her voice, though steady as always, carried a strangely alluring and seductive quality. It was subtle, but unmistakable.  

Still, if I was being provoked like this, how could I not respond?  

“Getting cocky, huh? I’ll have you begging for mercy by the end of today!”  

“Best of luck to you~ ♪”  

Her smug chuckle wouldn’t last long—or so I thought.  

—

I lost.  

“Fufufu, Kyo-sama, you couldn’t win again today, could you~?”  

Now, I was lying on Kazari-san’s lap while she gently stroked my hair.  

I wanted to do something manlier, but the comfort of her lap pillow was too overwhelming.  

As I drifted further into my relaxed state, she suddenly spoke, “Oh, by the way, the day after tomorrow, right?”  

“…The day after tomorrow?”  

“Did you forget? Your date with Akizuki-san.”  

Oh.  

“Crap, I forgot.”  

It really was the day after tomorrow.  

“Well, this time, Akizuki-sama said she’d plan everything for the date, so all you have to do is show up. But you really shouldn’t forget, alright?”  

“…Sorry.”  

I ended up getting properly scolded.