(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.

My date with Takeda-san was over.

“The date itself wasn’t bad.”

Despite the fact that I’d chosen places that were definitely not popular with men, he’d gone along without a single complaint. Well, part of it might have been because I was in my element, doing things I enjoyed.

During the date, he didn’t give off that overbearing “manly” vibe in the slightest—at least, in a good way.

Unlike the men I’d dealt with in the past, there was no forcefulness, no condescension. He’d actually listened to what I’d had to say, carried on proper conversations, and accepted my words with a smile… at least, up until a certain point.

He didn’t feel like someone younger than me. It was more like I was talking to someone with the maturity and understanding of an older person, someone with an innate sense of appropriate conversational distance. Though, of course, that couldn’t actually be the case.

And yet… running into Takato and Kuzuryu was the worst kind of coincidence.

A part of my past that was supposed to already be over.

I’d thought I’d moved on emotionally. I had no lingering affection for them, not even a shred. The things they’d said to me back then were so far in the past that they didn’t even matter anymore.

Maybe that was why it was so irritating.

Predictably, the atmosphere became unbearable after that encounter, and we ended up cutting the evening short without even having dinner.

But the real issue came afterward. Once the date was over, Takeda-san made two requests.

The first one was: “Could we go on another date sometime?”

That one, I agreed to without much thought. It wasn’t a big deal, and I didn’t see any harm in doing it again.

It was strange, though. Here I was, feeling as if I was doing him a favor by agreeing, even though one would typically expect it to be the other way around. It was really odd.

And it was strange that someone like him would even want to go on a date with someone like me in the first place.

The second request, however, was the one that irritated me. It frustrated me so much that it completely upended any positive feelings I’d had until that moment.

He’d deliberately crossed a line even though he must have known I didn’t want him to.

“It really pissed me off,” I muttered to myself.

…But looking back on it now, I could see why he’d asked when he did.

After all, he was a candidate to be my fiancé.

Takeda-san had a sense of responsibility. He probably wanted to understand the situation I was dealing with and was trying, perhaps as my potential fiancé, to face those issues alongside me. It could be seen as an attempt to support me by stepping into my world.

Whether that was what he truly meant… I couldn’t say.

Maybe he’d noticed the difficulties I’d been dealing with and genuinely wanted to help, though his approach to broaching the topic was clumsy at best… The timing might have been appropriate, but his phrasing was awful.

…Now that I’d had time to reflect, I could think about it rationally, but at that moment, my emotions had gotten the better of me.

Even when I’d made Kurokawa handle things after I’d decided I didn’t want to talk anymore, Takeda-san didn’t seem angry at me for ruining the date. Instead, he was upset with Takato and Kuzuryu.

He would’ve had every right to be angry at me, too.

Maybe he really was a little different from the other men I’d known…

Not that I was entirely convinced.

“What’s on your mind, milady?”

Kurokawa, who had just returned from Takeda-san, was watching me curiously from across the room.

“Oh, nothing. Is your report finished?”

“Yes, it is… Still, that gentleman seems to be something else, doesn’t he? He was quite polite even to us servants, despite my feeling that I might have been a bit rude myself this time.”

Kurokawa lowered her head slightly, as if reflecting on her words.

I was sure she’d said whatever she did with my best interests in mind.

But still…

“I hate to say this, but you should be mindful of your position. As far as the world is concerned, you represent the Hosho family… You seem to keep yourself in check, so it’s fine, but do be careful, alright?”

I was too soft, really.

But how else was I supposed to respond when someone acted with my well-being in mind? It was the same as always.

“Understood. My apologies… Will you be retiring for the evening now?”

“I’ll work for a little longer before bed. You can go ahead and call it a night. Goodnight, Kurokawa.”

“…Very well. Then I’ll take my leave. Goodnight, milady.”

After preparing some tea, Kurokawa left the room.

“…Phew.”

Today was exhausting… And tomorrow, I was meeting with him again.

It felt like we’d ended things on a sour note, so… What was I going to do?

“I’m really not looking forward to it…”

With thoughts like that swirling in my head, it ended up taking me a little longer to fall asleep.

—

The next morning, breakfast was… well, not what I’d call “normal”.

The atmosphere was painfully awkward.

Takeda-san avoided making eye contact with me and wore an indescribable expression the whole time.

If this was how it was going to end, then…

At least, that was what I was thinking.

“How was it~? Where did you go~? Did you have fun~?”

Tachibana-san’s lively voice broke the silence.

I supposed she was trying to lighten the mood, but right now, her enthusiasm was a little painful.

Even Takeda-san gave a strained smile in response.

Still, I had to give him credit—he managed to navigate the conversation well.

He even said he had fun, right here at the table, albeit while blushing slightly.

And his expression didn’t look like a lie to me.

Well, it didn’t feel bad, at least.

My emotions were all over the place, though, which was why, when I was asked for my thoughts, I made sure to give an honest answer.

“It was fun.”

…Though, of course, I couldn’t help but throw in a bit of sarcasm at the end.

I was sure that, in Takeda-kun’s mind, I must come across as an unpleasant woman. And honestly, that was fine by me. I’d been steering things in that direction, after all.

But there was also a small part of me—just a little—that felt a tinge of regret.

It was really complicated.

—

Thinking these thoughts, I returned to my room.

Ugh, I really was such a hassle to deal with. I was starting to hate myself.

That man… He’d really thrown me off balance.

“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”

“…Then why not be honest and apologize? You do feel bad about your attitude yesterday, don’t you, milady?”

Well, yes, I did feel bad.

I did, but—

I mean, I’d finally managed to make him dislike me, so what was the point in apologizing now?

“In any case, I don’t think he minded what happened yesterday. And I don’t think he dislikes you either. The way he spoke earlier didn’t seem disingenuous to me.”

So Kurokawa felt the same, huh?

But seriously, did he really not hold any negative feelings toward me? Was he secretly a masochist or something?

…No, surely that was not the case.

“Judging by that expression, you don’t believe me, do you?”

Kurokawa looked at me with an exasperated face. How could she tell?

“Normally, anyone would start to hate someone after being treated like that.”

If it were me, I’d have absolutely disliked that person, and I was a woman.

I was not exactly the type of woman men tended to like, after all.

“Well, maybe he’s just not the kind of person to hold grudges over things like that. He might have a bigger heart than you think. So really, it’s up to how you feel now, isn’t it, milady?”

“My feelings, huh?”

Still, Kurokawa might be right. Staying in this awkward limbo would only make things worse.

And in business, decisiveness was crucial.

“Alright, I’ll talk to him soon… just to talk, of course.”

“Of course, milady. Whatever you say.”

Why was Kurokawa looking at me with that lukewarm gaze?

She’d been getting a little cheeky lately. Or was it just my imagination?

—

A few days passed.

…I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t figure out how to approach him or what to say.

“So, are you being a coward now, milady?”

Kurokawa’s exasperated look again. Honestly, that was not the face you should be making toward your employer, you know?