Chapter 61 Kanata’s Circumstances
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Harem? Are you kidding me?! Only a total jerk would even think about that!”
”Harsh, Kanata! At least call it ‘philanthropy’ or something.”
Those old words echoed in Kanata’s mind, a conversation with Tsubasa from back in the day. They’d been arguing about some gal game, hadn’t they?
If he remembered right, Kanata had snapped when the game’s True End required romancing every heroine to build a harem. Back then, he was firmly anti-harem, while Tsubasa was all for it. Their debates often went like that, clashing over and over.
And yet, here I am with a harem? How did this even happen?
Kanata muttered under his breath, watching the women around him chatter and giggle. Before getting whisked away to this isekai, he’d been a virgin high schooler with zero dating experience, clueless about how to even talk to girls.
He figured he’d stay that way for years. But now, nearly a year after landing in this world, he was surrounded by girls who called themselves his wives—though he refused to accept that label.
He’d been… intimate with all of them, multiple times. And that wasn’t all—there were others, not even present, bringing the total to over fifty. All to survive in this world, sure, but back in Japan? No way a guy like him, neither rich nor a heartthrob, could’ve pulled this off.
How did it come to this?
Kanata sighed quietly, hoping Maria, standing beside him, wouldn’t notice. Like any healthy high school guy, he’d had his share of interest in girls. He’d fantasized about classmates, stashed adult videos, even imagined darker scenarios.
But the one thing he’d always despised was the idea of a harem. Whether forced or consensual, he believed any relationship should come from genuine affection—even if one-sided—and he wanted to be honest with whoever he was with. If he fell for someone new, he’d end things properly with the first girl before moving on. That’s how he’d always thought.
Kanata’s outlook stemmed from his upbringing. He didn’t have a father… or rather, he had one on paper, but he’d never met the man, never spoken to him. The closest he got was a single phone call, just before high school, after his mother passed away and the funeral was over.
Late at night, his phone rang—a number registered but never used. “You doing okay?” the voice asked, followed by thirty seconds of silence. Then, “I’ll send money for living expenses.” The call ended, barely a minute long, with Kanata silent the whole time. Hardly a conversation.
His mother, Kunugi Yoriko, had been a school nurse at a small rural elementary school. One day, a young, sharp Diet Member (T/N: A Japanese parliamentarian) named Yuuto Shijo visited for some ceremonial event. Overworked and exhausted, he collapsed after his speech and was carried to the infirmary.
Yoriko, tending to him, diagnosed sleep deprivation and calmed the worried staff, letting him rest until his team arrived. Yuuto, embarrassed by his collapse, apologized profusely. Yoriko just smiled and said, “Make sure you get some sleep, okay?”
Yuuto was born into a prominent family but rejected their influence, running away as a teen to start a venture company. When it succeeded, he handed it off and became a Diet Secretary, eventually rising to Member of Parliament.
The path was grueling, surrounded by people with ulterior motives. He didn’t mind using that to his advantage, but it wore him down, especially in relationships. Women were risky, so he grew wary, half-distrusting them—until he met Yoriko.
Her genuine warmth, free of hidden agendas, captivated him. He fell for her at first sight and pursued her with gifts and dinner invitations. But his hectic schedule meant months, sometimes half a year, between visits.
Yoriko thought he was just teasing her. Who’d take such sporadic invitations seriously? Still, as a humble school nurse, she couldn’t easily refuse a Diet Member, and their odd relationship dragged on for two years, with only a handful of meetings.
At one of those dinners, Yoriko asked him to stop contacting her. She had a fiancé, and their wedding was set for the end of the school year.
Yuuto was crushed but agreed—sort of. For one last memory, he pushed for intimacy, and after much hesitation, Yoriko gave in. After over two years, they finally shared a night together.
That could’ve been the end, a bittersweet tale of a past romance. But fate wasn’t kind to Yoriko. After cutting ties with Yuuto, her life unraveled.
Her father lost his job, plunging the family into debt. Loan payments piled up, forcing them to sell their home. The shock drove her father to drink and her mother to illness, leaving Yoriko’s nurse salary as their only support. She clung to hope because of her upcoming wedding.
Then her fiancé broke things off. Desperate, Yoriko tracked him down, begging to talk.
In that moment, she revealed she was pregnant with his child. His face fell, and he fled the conversation. Days later, she learned he’d been hit by a truck and passed away.
Reeling from the news, Yoriko pieced together rumors. Her fiancé had been drowning in debt, taken on as a guarantor for a friend who’d vanished.
To spare Yoriko, he’d ended their relationship. But learning about the baby was the final straw. He’d taken out a massive life insurance policy, sorted his affairs, and stepped in front of that truck, believing it would clear his debts and secure enough money for Yoriko and their child to live on for a decade.
Getting an insurance payout from such a suspicious accident was never going to be easy. Yoriko’s relationship with her fiancé hadn’t been public, and since she’d only informed her boss about their engagement a month earlier, she faced relentless scrutiny as the designated beneficiary.
Some heartless tabloids even spun wild stories, calling it “murder for the insurance money.” Under that kind of pressure, keeping her job was impossible. Yoriko lost her work, her fiancé, and her future. But the one who saved her was Yuuto.
When Yuuto learned of Yoriko’s situation, he carved out time to see her, despite their promise to part ways. That promise was long forgotten. Seeing Yoriko, broken and exhausted, he couldn’t turn away.
She collapsed into his arms, sobbing. Yuuto used every ounce of his influence and wealth to silence the tabloids, shut down predatory lenders, and ensure the insurance payout came through. But it came at a cost: marriage to the granddaughter of a powerful Diet Member, Ono.
Ono had always valued Yuuto’s talent and wanted him in his political camp. Marriage was the easiest way to secure that loyalty, but Yuuto had resisted, his heart still with Yoriko. This crisis gave Ono leverage.
In exchange for his help—silencing the media, handling the lenders, and securing the payout—Ono demanded Yuuto marry his granddaughter. “You can keep that woman as a mistress for a few years,” Ono said, “but cut ties within three.” Ono’s party had just won a landslide victory in the recent general election, and he was eyeing the prime minister’s seat next.
Yuuto was a key piece in that plan. The three-year limit was Ono’s pragmatic compromise—clearing potential scandals early while showing a shred of leniency, his version of kindness.
Yuuto agreed. He bought Yoriko an apartment and lived with her there until his marriage to Ono’s granddaughter. For that brief year, Yoriko loved Yuuto deeply, finding a fragile peace. She gave birth to her child with her late fiancé, naming him Kanata.
Yuuto wanted to formally recognize Kanata as his own, but Yoriko refused, insisting it wasn’t necessary. Yuuto pushed, but interference from others complicated things. They settled on a compromise: Kanata could join Yuuto’s family registry later, if he chose. On the day Yuuto married Ono’s granddaughter, Yoriko took Kanata and left the apartment.
Even after their parting, Yuuto sent monthly child support (T/N: Financial support for raising a child). Yoriko accepted it gratefully. Raising Kanata alone wasn’t easy, and without Yuuto’s help, she knew she’d have crumbled. “Everything we have now is thanks to your father,” she’d tell Kanata often, urging him to be grateful. As a young child, Kanata accepted it without question.
But as he grew, he pieced things together. Talking about his father always made his mother sad, so he stopped bringing it up. That didn’t mean he wasn’t curious. Rumors found their way to him anyway.
By age ten, Kanata knew his father was Shijo Yuuto, a prominent Diet Member tipped to become prime minister someday. He also learned his mother had been Yuuto’s mistress (T/N: A woman in an unofficial romantic relationship).
To Kanata, who didn’t know the full story, it felt like a powerful man had used his mother to secure his status, then discarded her. That belief came straight from the gossip swirling around, and Kanata took it as truth.
Meanwhile, Karen, Ono’s granddaughter, knew everything—Yuuto’s love for Yoriko, her child with another man, and her grandfather’s schemes. She’d fallen for Yuuto three years earlier at a party, where he’d kindly escorted her through an unfamiliar crowd.
Knowing her grandfather would choose her husband, she’d buried her feelings, thinking they’d never be returned. So when the marriage to Yuuto was arranged, even as a political move, she was thrilled. She vowed to win his heart, no matter who else he loved.
Her efforts paid off when their daughter, Maika, was born. Unlike her older brother, conceived out of duty, Maika was born from genuine affection.
Her birth stirred something in Karen—a desire to meet Yoriko and Kanata. For Yoriko, this was an unwelcome intrusion. She wanted no part in stirring up trouble around Yuuto and refused contact while she was alive.
A month after Yoriko’s passing, Karen finally met Kanata. She arranged a casual tea time, bringing Maika along. Kanata’s sharpness struck her immediately. Only two years older than Maika, he seemed far more mature. Impressed, Karen offered, “Why not live with us? As Maika’s brother?” She didn’t mind if Maika developed deeper feelings for him—blood ties didn’t matter, and legalities could be sorted.
More than that, she wanted someone as capable as Kanata by Maika’s side for her future. In a slip of the tongue, she added, “Or even as Maika’s husband? Blood or not, you’re Yuuto’s son. Marrying Maika would make you family for real.”
Karen didn’t know Yoriko had never told Kanata about his true father. Assuming his intelligence meant he already understood, she openly shared the truth about Yuuto, his actions, and the circumstances.
The revelation hit Kanata like a storm. He left the meeting and shut down. He didn’t lash out, but he rejected everyone around him. Deep down, he’d held a faint hope that his father had a reason for abandoning his mother.
Now, he believed Yuuto was just a power-hungry man chasing women for his own desires, with Yoriko and her fiancé as casualties. The recent mistress scandals surrounding Yuuto only fueled Kanata’s resentment.
He’d wanted to believe his father was sincere, that there was some deeper reason for his mother’s role as a mistress. But that hope was crushed, replaced by a burning sense of betrayal.
From that moment, Kanata saw those in power as “jerks who use money and influence to toy with women and toss them aside when they’re bored.” To him, anyone chasing a harem was the lowest kind of person.
The light novels he loved back then, filled with sleazy noble characters, probably didn’t help. He avoided galge (T/N: Japanese romance visual novels) with harem routes entirely.
Harem protagonists are scum, he thought. I’ll never be that guy. I’ll love one girl with everything I’ve got. That was his quiet resolve. In games, he’d pick one heroine, clear her route, and stop.
Tsubasa, watching him, would tease, “You’re a complicated guy, Kanata. Every girl’s different, and they’re all great. Ignoring one you’re interested in? That’s just rude.”
They got along well enough, but Tsubasa’s love for harem routes—”They’re awesome! Everyone’s happy in the end!”—was the one thing Kanata could never vibe with.
”And now I’m the harem guy?” Kanata muttered. How did it come to this?
”Impressive, Kanata,” El said, suddenly beside him, her tone dripping with fake admiration. “Living the Demon Lord dream. Truly inspiring.”
”Where’d you hear that line?!” Kanata snapped. And how does she know what I’m thinking? He glanced around, half-expecting some ancient magical artifact reading his mind.
Maya, looking awkward, chimed in. “Uh, Kanata-kun, you were mumbling out loud.”
He froze. Girls had gathered around him, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
”Huh? Wait, what? What did I say?”
Haruka giggled. “Something about harem guys being no good?”
”You said you’d love one girl forever,” Kotono added, smirking.
”Making kids with your wife while keeping mistresses? Kinda intriguing, right?” Maria teased.
Shizuka, quieter, murmured, “You mentioned… home cooking. I’ll try harder.”
”Succubus Tribe’s secret medicine could keep you going for ten girls, no problem,” El said, dropping a bombshell with a grin.
”Knock it off!” Kanata shot back, eyeing Haruka warily. With her alchemy skills, giving her ideas about special medicine (T/N: A euphemism for aphrodisiacs) was a recipe for disaster. The conversation veered toward stamina potions, and Kanata felt a brief wave of relief.
Then Miyako tugged his sleeve, whispering close to his ear.
”I’m happy you feel that way, Kanata-san, but… think about everyone else’s feelings, too? We all love you.”
”Sure, but don’t you ever think, Look at me, think only about me?” he countered, watching her shy smile.
Miyako hesitated. “I’d be lying if I said no.
But I love you more than that, and I love everyone else, too. Sharing you… it’s just how it is. Better than being greedy and losing everything.”
”Is it really like that?” Kanata muttered.
”It is,” Miyako said firmly, leaning in for a soft kiss. Her lips, warm and gentle, drowned out the noisy chatter around them, pulling him into a quiet moment.
”You’re overthinking it, Onii-san,” Alice said, squeezing between them and hugging him tightly. “Everyone loves you. That’s enough, right?”
Her softness always seemed to find him when he was down, making everything else feel… unimportant. Maybe it’s fine like this, he thought.
”Hey! No sneaking kisses!” a voice shouted, shattering the moment. The other girls had noticed. Miyako was dragged away, giggling, while Alice clung to Kanata, refusing to let go despite several hands trying to pry her off.
In the end, Kanata calmed the chaos by kissing each girl one by one.
Well, this isn’t so bad, he thought mid-kiss. For the first time, the stubborn belief that “harem guys are scum” started to fade.
Notes:
• Tsubasa – A classmate, and a gift holder of Creator. He has an androgynous charm, popular yet approachable, bonds with Taichi’s group.
• Maria – A healer aiding Sumire, ensuring classmates recover during intense training sessions. One of Setsugekka.
• Yoriko – MC’s mother.
• Yuuto – Kanata’s estranged father, a Diet Member who aids Yoriko then marries Ono’s granddaughter under pressure. Guilt-ridden yet ambitious, he hides behind politics.
• Ono – Ruthless elder statesman who forces Yuuto’s marriage to his granddaughter to secure power. Sees people as tools, focused on control and political gain.
• Karen – Ono’s granddaughter and Yuuto’s wife, seen after Yoriko’s death meeting Kanata; brings Maika, invites him to live, even suggests he marry Maika.
• Maika – Daughter of Yuuto and Karen, Kanata’s half-sister, mentioned postscript as a rich, yandere girl with a crush on Kanata. From a powerful family, she’s possessive and willful.
• May – Blonde, soft-eyed shrine girl. ch14–15. Gentle and pleading (“Please… just let us go…”), timid but loyal, relies on Mina’s strength. Came with Mina to save Sara, but was disarmed and bound by Kanata as his captive maid.
• Maya – Cheerful brown-haired girl, naturally charming and social, Kanata’s classmate and morning conversation neighbor.
• Haruka – A classmate who have Harvester gift. She keeps her distance from Ichiro, focused on her role in training. One of Setsugekka.
• Kotono – A classmate, and a wielder of Mage.
• Shizuka – Classmate, wielder of Sniper, nicknamed “Shizu-tan.” Neglected, raised herself after father’s death and mother’s abandonment. Nearly assaulted in another world, broke her stoicism with first real plea for help. Saved by Kanata, now torn between distrust and fragile hope. Reminder: hardened loner, only cracks under extreme pressure.
• Miyako – Quiet library girl with golden hair, intelligent and book-savvy, occasional silent companion to Kanata.
• Alice – The general ghost.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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