(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 67: The Villainess and the Time That Begin

“Thank you for coming to pick me up.”

“Don’t mention it. It was on the way.”

“I-Is that so? And just what kind of—”

“You’ll understand once we get there.”

Ah, it was one of those times when she wouldn’t tell me anything.

The atmosphere inside the car was heavy with silence.

The smile Hosho-san had shown earlier to our classmates was nowhere to be found on her face. In fact, she looked more like she was frowning.

Her brows were furrowed as she focused on driving.

Ugh, this is scary!!

The car’s interior was filled with soft jazz playing in the background—completely at odds with the current tense mood.

Jazz music was supposed to be calming, but it wasn’t helping me relax at all!

Hosho-san had opened the window and rested one arm against it as she drove. The languid posture, although slightly laid-back, oddly suited her.

She was now wearing the sunglasses she had been using earlier as a hair accessory, letting her bangs fall naturally over her forehead.

“Ah—”

Her side profile was tinged with a hint of irritation.

Well, I already knew I was not her favorite person, so I couldn’t really blame her. I mean, the other day, I kind of used the Hosho family’s influence without getting her explicit permission…

Then, as if realizing her expression, she quickly looked contrite.

“…Ah, what I just said has nothing to do with you, okay?”

“S-So it’s not about me?”

“Correct. I was just frustrated at my inability to express myself properly.”

“Did something happen?”

Was it something to do with work? Or university, maybe? It was not uncommon for young people’s opinions to be brushed aside, after all.

“Probably not what you’re imagining. My work and university life are both going well. I’ve even had some people apologize lately, saying they misunderstood the situation after that incident with the video.”

If that was the case, why did she look so upset?

No, hold on—it just hit me as I glanced at her side profile.

That wasn’t an angry face; there was a hint of red tinting her cheeks.

This… wasn’t irritation. She was embarrassed.

“I see.”

If I added, “That’s great to hear” at this point, she’d probably just deny it even more.

“…So, uh, this time… umm… th-thank you…”

“Eh?”

Her voice was so faint, I couldn’t make out what she’d said. It was soft and almost fragile.

“I said thank you!” 

This time, I heard it. Loud and clear, though she sounded almost desperate—like she was forcing herself to say it.

“Is this related to what we discussed the other day? About how you’ve come to terms with certain things?”

It was probably in regard to the whole affair with the Kuzuryu group, or so I assumed.

“Yes, it is. That being said, let’s change the way we talk now, shall we? Since I’ve officially gone from being a potential fiancee to officially being your fiancée, it feels a bit strange to keep using such formalities… It might even make it seem to others like our relationship hasn’t progressed at all. Oh, but I’ll stick to using formal speech because I’m used to it.”

“A-Ah, I see. So that’s what this is about.”

“Exactly. So, Takeda-san… Or rather, I think Kyoya-san would be more appropriate now. Could you address me more casually—without losing respect, of course? Also, call me Sayaka-sama.”

“Sayaka-sama, with casual speech but utmost respect?”

Wait, what even was that? How was I supposed to pull that off?

“Don’t take the Sayaka-sama thing seriously! I was joking… Just call me Sayaka-san, okay?”

I had unconsciously accepted the Sayaka-sama title just now. But honestly, she totally had this aura—like she was radiating some kind of Conqueror’s Haki or something. (T/N: It’s a one piece reference I believe? The fan are free to correct me. It means At its simplest, it allows one to assert one’s will over others to dominate them, causing those of inferior spirit to be intimidated or (if much weaker) to lose consciousness.)

“I-I get ya, geez!”

“Please don’t mix in your own made-up words that aren’t even fake Kansai dialect! …Basically, I’m asking you to just speak normally.”

“Ah, got it!”

“Good.”

“Right! …I mean, understood.”

“It’s going to be a long road, isn’t it…? But fine. Now, about the thank-you—”

She paused to take a breath.

“I’d been meaning to express my gratitude properly after everything that happened.”

“You mean, regarding the Kuzuryu group?”

“Yes. The other day, I spoke out of emotion, and I regret that. I’m sorry for that.”

I knew it. As I thought…

“You don’t need to apologize. And I don’t think I did anything deserving of thanks. All I did was eliminate my own enemies. Sure, it might sound nicer if I claimed it was for your sake, but honestly, my primary motivation was protecting myself and my family. So it’s not something you need to thank me for. If anything, I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

“You’re referring to how you contacted Kurokawa without consulting me first and used the Hosho family’s influence for that, correct?”

Of course, she’d see through that.

I had intentionally kept quiet about it, knowing someone like her wouldn’t approve of tactics that involved ruining someone else so thoroughly.

“At first, I did wonder, Why would you go so far? I even said as much, didn’t I? …But reflecting on it, I realized that perspective is something I could only afford because I’m part of the Hosho family.”

As part of the Hosho family, she had the power to deal with slander or threats effortlessly. She simply chose not to. 

The ability to not act because you didn’t need to was entirely different from being unable to act. 

Probably because she was part of the Hosho family, she fully grasped the weight of her influence.

“From your position, it’s obvious why you acted as you did. Even a fool could understand that.”

Her words were logical, but logic didn’t always align with emotions.

“Besides, my tendency to endure everything myself had ultimately saved no one… It only made me appear weak. My father even scolded me for it, saying, ‘Stop thinking that sacrificing yourself will solve everything.'”

Self-sacrifice could be noble. 

But had she truly considered the feelings of those around her? 

To hear that from someone else really hit home. After all, I’d been sacrificing myself for the sake of protecting my sister.

While stopping at a red light, Hosho-san turned to face me and said, “Well, regardless of the reasons behind your actions, the fact remains that we were saved because of you… So, I need to properly express my gratitude. I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused, and thank you very much for everything.”  

“No, I’m sorry for acting on my own. And… thank you for helping with my sister, too.”  

“Are you talking about arranging the hospital and all that? That was merely the right thing to do—it wasn’t nearly significant enough to warrant your gratitude—”  

“—Even so, thank you.”  

“You’re so stubborn… Fine. I’ll accept your thanks on behalf of the Hosho family.”  

Her tone seemed to say, “It’s the least we could do, given how powerless I was.”

“You know, at that time, I was definitely thinking about the employees and others who’d be affected… But to be honest, when you stood up to the Kuzuryu like that, it was pretty satisfying to see.”  

“…Really?”  

I had assumed that someone as kind as her wouldn’t approve of such forceful methods.  

“Oh, by the way, just to update you, the company run by his family is going under. But please don’t worry; we’ve ensured that the employees will remain employed—our family took responsibility for that.”  

“That’s what you meant by kindness, huh.”  

“Exactly.”  

“And as for Kuzuryu’s disgraceful behavior afterward, it was just unbearable to watch.”  

Hosho-san brought up the topic casually, trying to move the conversation to something lighter.  

Her expression was completely clear, devoid of the clouds that had lingered before. She seemed to have fully come to terms with it. I was relieved.  

“Yeah, that was pretty bad.”  

We both laughed a little, exasperated as we recalled the events.  

“I no longer hold any grudges against you about what happened back then. Honestly, I’d even say I’m grateful.”  

“…But wasn’t the vote a △ (triangle)?”  

“No, you misunderstood. That was a ○ (circle) that looked like a △.”  

“What on earth…?”  

How unnecessarily complicated.  

“I admit it was a bit childish of me,” Hosho-san said with a faint blush of embarrassment.  

“I hadn’t fully processed my feelings at the time, so I thought ruling it as a simple × (cross) lacked fairness… After all, I’m Sayaka Hosho—I’d never stoop to something as petty as outright rejection.”  

With a slight puff of her chest, she declared this proudly.  

Ah, the pride of the Hosho family. How very dignified.  

“But you’re still okay with being childish sometimes, huh?”  

“Unnecessary remarks will only invite trouble, you know?”  

And there it was—her signature icy smile.  

The car continued to cruise gently out of the urban area, and the scenery gave way to a more tranquil, pastoral setting.  

The atmosphere inside the vehicle felt peaceful, like flowing water.  

“Oh, speaking of which, it seems there’s been some debate in the media lately about men showing excessive consideration in their behaviors.”  

“Yeah, I’ve heard about that.”  

“So, you’re just going to act like it doesn’t concern you? Even though you were the one who started it?”  

Acting like it didn’t concern me, huh…

“To be fair, it really doesn’t concern me personally. As long as it doesn’t cause trouble for those around me, I don’t care either way.”  

“That’s just so typical of you… Oh, we’ve arrived.”  

Come to think of it, we’d been driving for quite a while.  

Before us stood a large building I didn’t recognize.  

“Shall we?”  

Hosho Sayaka stepped out of the car and extended her hand toward me.  

“…What’s this?”  

“You’re not trying to become one of those oblivious protagonists, are you?”  

Her face showed utter disbelief.  

Wait… an oblivious protagonist?!  

“You mean… holding hands, right?”  

“What else could I possibly mean? And no more formal language, please?”  

Why was she allowed to use formal speech and I wasn’t?! So unfair!  

“O-Okay.”  

I mean, I figured that was what it meant. I just never expected her to do something like this, so I was caught off guard.  

“So, are we holding hands or not?”  

“Th-Then, if you’ll excuse me…”  

I gently took her hand. Her palm was cool to the touch, and surprisingly, it was smaller than I’d imagined.  

“…Your hands are so big.”  

“…They’re normal.”  

“…”  

Both of our faces felt warm. Probably just the cold weather, definitely that.  

“Let’s get going, shall we?”  

“Yeah.”  

The time that had stopped between Sayaka and me—our stalled relationship since that date—finally felt like it was starting to move forward again, slowly but surely.