CH 34

For Arashi…no, for Touma, it may seem like everything is going according to his desired future. However, this is not only because it is what he wanted, but also because of the schemes of the women who wish to have him for themselves.

“For his sake.”

“For Touma-kun’s sake.”

After countless cycles of reincarnation, Shirayuki and Hisui have arrived at this timeline and will not let him slip away. They will do everything they can to make him happy and want to be happy with him.

To achieve this, they must move many pieces on the board and control the humans who are key to their plans. Hisui has successfully accomplished this.

“… What’s wrong with you today?”

This was a scene at the Gundo household.

It was already late at night, and both husband and wife were about to go to bed in their bedroom. Sanae, Arashi’s mother and Kagetaka’s wife, asked him worriedly as he seemed absent-minded since returning from work.

Although she had a gentle look, she was also one of the people who wished for Arashi to leave and not be a part of their family.

“It’s nothing… I’m fine.”

Kagetaka was clearly not okay, but he was the pillar of the family and can be relied upon. There was a reason for this behavior.

(Why… why does she know everything…?)

Today, Kagetaka visited Hisui Hououin with the company president.

In Japan, there were probably only kids who did not know the name of the famous conglomerate’s top executive. It was also known that she had a daughter and was constantly being approached for marriage proposals… But above all, the moment Kagetaka met Hisui face-to-face, he was captivated by her beauty.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Hisui Hououin.”

Despite being a married man, he was so entranced by her beauty that he was rendered speechless. Hisui exuded an indescribable aura that seemed to swallow everything. Kagetaka shuddered at the thought of how Hisui had managed to grow the Hououin group into such a massive organization.

(This can’t be happening…it can’t be!)

Today’s contracts went well.

While they didn’t quite reach the conditions that Kagetaka had originally hoped for, it was still quite an achievement that they were able to sign a contract with the Hououin Group.

But despite bringing such a splendid victory, Hisui was the reason why he was so agitated.

“By the way, Gundo-sama, I looked into you a bit out of personal interest. And I discovered some interesting things.”

She took some time to talk to him personally, and once the president was gone, she finally revealed her true colors.

The documents she pulled out not only contained Kagetaka’s accomplishments from the past to the present, but also recorded in detail the illegal activities he committed to obtain them, including the truth behind the lies he created by bribing a lawyer.

“Now, what shall I do with this…Ufufu♪”

It was the very smile of a witch.

In the atmosphere where he couldn’t even make excuses in desperation, she proposed something unexpected for Kagetaka.

It was the same proposal that Shirayuki had given to Touma.

“My daughter and I are very fond of him. Every time I hear about you treating him with contempt, I can’t help but wonder what I should do… If Arashi-kun were to say even a word that he wants you to disappear… I could even make you all disappear from society if I wanted to.”

“…”

“But he has no interest in you whatsoever and thinks you’re irrelevant. Therefore, I have a proposal regarding him that I’d like to make to you.”

Kagetaka remembers the contents of the short but intense conversation vividly.

With that exchange, he made a contract with Hisui separately from the company, and when the time came, Arashi would have to leave his family…only Kagetaka knows about this, and while he wasn’t specifically told to keep it a secret, he couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone else in his family.

(What kind of connection does Hououin have with him? But that’s no good…I mustn’t make an enemy of them under any circumstances…if something strange happens, everything will be over!)

Everything he had built up to this point would be all for nothing. 

To avoid that, he had no choice but to cling onto this place no matter what… but Kagetaka knew he couldn’t let his guard down anymore. The fact that Hisui knew all the truth meant that she could take his life at any moment.

“In this world, there is no information that I cannot obtain. Do not think you can escape from me and above all… please refrain from getting closer to him anymore, okay? Because I don’t know what I’ll do when I get angry♪”

He would live under the constant threat of his life like the Grim Reaper’s scythe hanging over his neck… that was the fate Kagetaka had brought upon himself.

▼▽

A few days have passed since Shirayuki suggested that I move in with them, and I nodded in agreement without hesitation. But what that meant was that I was going to their house.

Well, I didn’t really have any problem with that, and in fact, I was happy because it was something I wanted.

“…But there’s really nothing here.”

So I was cleaning up to prepare for the move, but there was really nothing I wanted to bring with me from this room. After all, it was originally Arashi’s, so I didn’t have much attachment to the personal belongings that he had… or rather, there weren’t many personal belongings in this room to begin with.

“For now, I’ll bring my school uniform and study materials… and also the clothes Hisui chose for me.”

As I prepared to move at any time, I couldn’t help but feel a deep emotion that everything was moving towards the future that included me and the girls.

We weren’t just at the beginning of a deep relationship, but we were also connected at the heart… It was like the frustration and jealousy I had felt when I realized that I was born in this world were now just lies.

“…. This is bad, I’m getting really excited now.”

I was going to live with them… 

Would I be even more dyed by them than I am now? 

Would I become unable to settle down unless they were by my side twenty-four hours a day, to the point where the very idea of thinking is destroyed? 

Well, I think I’m overthinking things, but Shirayuki and Hisui are coming at me with that kind of force.

“Well, I can only think that it’ll work out somehow.”

I myself wanted this… That’s why I can’t and won’t turn back now.

“…Yosuke, huh?”

Yosuke, the protagonist of this world, kept asking Shirayuki to hang out with him, but she always turned him down with a smug expression. He didn’t seem to get the hint and persisted in his futile attempts.

Soon… our relationship will surely be known to Yosuke.

Although I feel sorry for him if I think about the original world, what’s important is the feelings we ourselves hold, and it’s not necessary to consider others.

“Well then, is this enough?”

I finished packing up the luggage to a certain extent and took a breather.

I had already contacted the apartment manager, and there was no need to worry about my family either, as Hisui had taken the lead in preparing everything.

I was about to leave the Gundo family for good and start a new life with them… My heart was filled with nothing but joy at the thought of it.