(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.

This was bad.

This haunted house was seriously terrifying—like, unbelievably terrifying.

Within five seconds of stepping inside, I regretted it.

Why did I let myself get carried away, thinking, “I’ve got to be manly!”? I should’ve just admitted defeat from the start! I’d like to go back in time and punch my past self for trying to show off.

Why were there corpses getting up and chasing us?! And why were there so many corpses lying around in the first place? Couldn’t they just clean up after themselves?!

And it was so dark! Even when it was not pitch black, the lighting was this eerie green that only made everything scarier! Use a less scary color, please!

But the scariest part of all…

“Fufu, isn’t this fun?”

Why did Shiraishi-san look so calm, smiling as she explored this haunted house?

Weren’t these kinds of situations supposed to have the woman clinging to the guy, screaming, “Eeeek, so scary!”?

Meanwhile, here I was, finding comfort in the… well, weight of her chest pressed against me.

“Oh.”

“…What is it?”

“Do you think I should be saying something like, ‘Eek, so scary!’ after all?”

“…Isn’t it a little late for that?! And did you have to sound so monotone—ahhh!!”

A ghost suddenly jumped out, and I ended up biting my tongue!

“Eek, so scary~”

Following my reaction, Shiraishi-san gave a delayed scream of sorts. She screamed, kind of, but…

“…Shiraishi-san.”

“W-what is it, Kyoya-kun?”

“Don’t you think your delivery was a little too flat?”

“I thought so too, honestly. For that matter, I was more distracted thinking, ‘Isn’t the way that ghost’s outfit drapes a little off?’”

You’re not scared at all, are you?

“With Shiraishi-san around, this haunted house doesn’t feel scary anymore.”

“…But are you sure you’re okay? Are you even enjoying this? Having a woman who’s not scared at all with you might ruin the experience. If you want, we can leave early.”

I couldn’t see her expression clearly in the dark, but those words seemed uncharacteristic of her.

“No, I’m fine. Sure, the haunted house is scary, but I’m genuinely happy to share this experience with you.”

Not to mention, I’d be content to enjoy the feeling of her chest for a while longer, though I wouldn’t say that out loud.

“Fufu, I see.”

“Yes, that’s… waaaaah?!”

I bit my tongue again!

I was so startled I bit it hard—ow!

And now there was a woman with a knife sticking out of her head chasing us! What terrible timing—she just had to appear when I was trying to look cool!

“Well, shall we move on? If we stay here too long, we might inconvenience the other guests and the cast members.”

I couldn’t help but notice the murderous glint in the ghost woman’s eyes.

It felt as if she was silently telling us, “Stop flirting in here!”

…No, it was probably just my imagination. It was a ghost, after all.

—

It took about an hour to finally make it out of the labyrinth.

I was never going back to that haunted house. If I did, I was pretty sure I’d pass out next time.

“That was fun! So many types of evil spirits and ghosts—it was fascinating! Let’s come again sometime, okay?”

Stretching cheerfully, Shiraishi-san laughed as if she’d just come out of some relaxing activity.

I made sure to communicate my firm stance on the matter.

“Yes, let’s definitely come again.”

I mean, how could I be scared of the ghosts when that presence of hers overshadowed everything?

—

After that, we enjoyed all sorts of other attractions.

We conquered most of the roller coasters, rode the teacups, and even braved that 70-meter drop tower. We tried everything the park had to offer.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

“It’s already evening.”

“It is.”

I felt like this was the first time I’d properly sat down all day.

“I probably overdid it, running around like this at my age.”

“What do you mean, ‘at your age’? You’re still young.”

“Oh my, was that a jab? You’re much younger, Kyoya-kun.”

“No, not at all! What I meant was… uh, there’s no reason to be pessimistic about it!”

The more I talked, the deeper I felt I was digging myself into a hole.

“Fufu, I’m just teasing. I understand what you meant, so don’t worry.”

Looks like she got me again.

“So, did today’s outing help you unwind at least a little, Kyoya-kun?”

The setting sun backlit her face, making it hard to see her expression. But her voice was so gentle that I felt like she must’ve been smiling at me with the warmth of a saint.

“…Unwind, huh?”

“Yes. I heard a little rumor that you’ve been in quite a difficult situation lately. Not just with Rio and the fiancée vote, but with something else entirely.”

Another matter… She was probably talking about the situation with Hosho-san.

And “rumor,” huh? That sounded like something she would’ve heard through Rio…

“Well, it’s true that things have gotten a little troublesome, but it’s nothing too overwhelming.”

“Oh, really?”

She asked, her tone slightly skeptical.

“Yes, well… I mean, I have been a little tense and tired lately, but…”

That much was true.

“But honestly, that guy isn’t much of a threat to me. He’s just a minor annoyance. I can’t claim to be overwhelmed by someone like that. If I were to complain or appear flustered over something like this, how could I possibly stand alongside my fiancée candidates, each of whom is dealing with their own unique problems? Someone who appears overwhelmed or lacking composure isn’t someone people can confide in or rely on. And I wouldn’t want to give anyone that impression.”

“Well, that makes sense… but that’s incredible. That way of thinking—it’s not very high school-like.”

Honestly, she wasn’t entirely wrong.

I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“I am a high schooler, though.”

“What’s with the ‘technically’ in your tone?”

Shiraishi-san chuckled softly. She must have thought I was joking.

But it was true—because I’d lived a life before this one.

“Well, I admit, I was showing off a little earlier. The truth is, I did think it was tough. But someone once said this to me: ‘If you’re already calling this tough, becoming a harem king is just a pipe dream.’ …Not that I’m aiming to become a harem king, though.”

“Wow, that person sounds pretty strict.”

Strict, huh? That was not wrong.

But—

“They may be strict, but they’re also kind in their own way.”

They were hard to read and loved teasing me, but… someday, I wanted to solve their problems, too.

“That person must be lucky to have you thinking that way about them, Kyoya-kun. Makes me a little jealous.”

“Well, for now, I still have a long way to go if everyone feels the need to worry about me like this.”

“That’s true, but I think you’ll keep working hard. I believe that, no matter what happens.”

“I hope so.”

“That’s why I’m sorry, but I’ll be counting on you to help my Rio too, okay? She’s clumsy, but she’s a kind girl. Even though she’s been acting cold and standoffish toward you, believe it or not, she’s the one who sent me here today.”

Logically, it made sense. If anyone had sent Shiraishi-san, it had to be Akizuki-san.

But as Shiraishi-san said, it was hard to believe. She’d been so harsh, even saying she didn’t want to see me.

“Her being under the weather was one reason, but it’s also true—Rio said she couldn’t be kind to you in her current state, so she asked me to come in her place. She wanted someone to be kind to you today.”

…So she’d noticed.

I thought I’d been doing a good job hiding it at home, but it seemed Akizuki-san had figured me out.

“…Well, she is a teacher, after all. Those things are hard to miss,” Shiraishi-san said with a knowing smile.

“Seems like it,” I replied.

Teachers really were something else.

“And? Back to my first question—do you think you were able to relax a bit today? I hope you did… That was my intention anyway.”

“Oh, absolutely. I screamed so much, I’m completely refreshed!”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Honestly, I was just enjoying myself most of the time, so I’m relieved it worked out.”

She exhaled with a soft “Phew,” looking genuinely relieved.

It was nice to see she had enjoyed herself too.

Before I realized it, we’d been talking for quite a while. The Ferris wheel had already passed its highest point, and the ground was drawing closer. Time had flown by.

As the ride neared its end, she shared one last thing with me.

“Huh?”

“So, don’t worry about tomorrow, okay? And please, don’t blame her for it.”

“Of course I won’t… but are you sure about this?”

“It’s fine. It’s actually in her own best interest too.”

This felt like a huge advantage for me, though. Was this really okay?

“Shall we head back?”

We left the amusement park behind. By the time we got home, it was already late into the evening.

“Thanks for today.”

As I reached to step out of the car—

“Oh, you forgot something.”

“Huh? What did I forget—mmph?”

When I turned around, her face was right in front of mine, close enough to touch.

And then—

“A grown-up kiss,” she said.

I didn’t know how long it lasted. Maybe it was just a moment, or maybe it went on for minutes. Time had stopped entirely.

“Kyoya-kun, I think you’ve been working really hard. If you ever feel like you’re at your limit, or if you just need to rest a little… you’re welcome to come to me.”

“…Why do you go so far for me?”

I couldn’t bring myself to voice the question fully, but it seemed she understood anyway.

“Well…”

She pondered for a moment, then smiled seductively.

“Because I’m a school nurse, because I care about Rio, and… because I find you fascinating.”

I see. That explained absolutely nothing.

“So, once everything’s over, let’s continue this, shall we?”

She waved goodbye, then drove off into the night.

“Once everything’s over,” huh?

That woman always left behind more questions than answers.