What the Hell Is This Clichéd Bullshit **** Male Lead Setup? (New Book, Please Support!)

Six in the evening.

Carrying some ingredients he had bought from the shopping district, Shinji spotted a package in the mailbox outside his home and felt a surge of delight.

The things he needed had finally arrived...

Sakura leaned over from beside him, looking curiously at the package Shinji had picked up. Noticing her questioning expression, Shinji smiled faintly.

"Don't mind it. I just wanted to personally inspect our company's capabilities."

"Our family business is... courier delivery?"

"That's just one part of it," Shinji said casually. "A new e-commerce business similar to Amazon, energy, real estate, lightweight and fast parcel delivery, digital technology, electronic communications, games, investments, clothing... Those are roughly the areas our company covers. Of course, if you're interested in managing a company, I can teach you bit by bit later."

"Just hearing all that sounds exhausting..." Sakura stuck out her tongue.

After dinner, Sakura watched Shinji sit in the entryway changing his shoes as though he were about to head out. A faintly complicated emotion flashed through her eyes.

"Sakura, I'm heading out for a bit."

"Be careful, Brother."

Nine in the evening.

Ghost Mansion.

Sitting on the sofa, Bazett listlessly fiddled with a four-by-four sliding puzzle resembling Huarong Pass using her only remaining right hand.

It was a very simple kind of puzzle. A picture was divided into sixteen pieces, with one removed to leave an empty space, then the pieces were slid one by one until the original image was restored... more or less.

Bazett had bought it at the shopping district as something to pass the time when she first came here. It was also the only thing that could be called a hobby or interest of hers.

However, because she only had one arm, it was difficult to keep the puzzle steady on the smooth tabletop. It kept shifting around whenever she touched it.

Just as Bazett was about to pick up the puzzle and place it on her lap, a hand reached over from the side and held it in place for her.

It was a slender, fair, beautiful man's hand—the hand of a grown boy she had only known for a short time.

"Do you like this kind of game?"

Shinji asked as he sat down beside her.

Bazett merely gave a quiet hum and continued working on the puzzle by herself. Yet, for some reason, she began making frequent mistakes—or rather, many unnecessary moves. A puzzle that should have taken only ten moves to restore remained unsolved even after several dozen moves.

Watching Bazett practically move the pieces around at random, Shinji was a little puzzled. ...Didn't the information say Sister Bazett was good at board and card games? Was that just made-up nonsense?

In the end, Shinji could not help reaching out. He moved a piece before Bazett could, while she silently withdrew her hand and quietly watched him work.

Without a single wasted move, Shinji swiftly restored the puzzle—a flower—then pulled back his hand, narrowed his eyes at Bazett, and grinned.

And then...

Somehow, amid her gradually quickening heartbeat and the silence between them, Bazett fell deeply into it...

By the time Bazett came back to her senses, only her final line of defense remained. Her body and nostrils were filled with the scent of this grown boy she had known for only a short time—a sunny scent that made her lose herself.

"N-No!" Bazett shoved Shinji away, covered her chest, and turned her flushed face aside. "Th-This kind of thing isn't allowed, I..."

Thud!

"You didn't refuse when we were kissing."

Shinji, his shirt half-unbuttoned, sat up from the floor while rubbing his head, muttering helplessly.

"D-Don't look."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm aware that the nice mood has already completely disappeared."

As he spoke, Shinji picked up his shirt and sweater from the floor beside him and slowly walked toward the door.

Creak—click!

Only after the door closed did Bazett loosen the hands she had tightly held over her chest.

In truth, Bazett remembered everything that had just happened perfectly clearly. From them kissing on the sofa to him carrying her into the bedroom, she remembered it all. But why had she not resisted?

Even if she had not fully recovered, she could have easily pushed away this ordinary boy named Shinji Matou, who was not even a mage. But... why?

She clearly could have refused him and pushed him away much earlier. Why on earth had she not?

Come to think of it, what exactly was she doing?

She had actually lost herself and indulged in something so shameful she could not even speak of it.

Her mission had only been to participate in the Holy Grail War, avenge herself, and reclaim Lancer while she was at it. Why had she done something like that...?

As an enforcer of the Mage's Association's Sealing Designation, she was supposed to have little interest in anything beyond battle. She was not supposed to be particularly interested in men either, so why?

Then again, had she failed to control her strength when she pushed him away just now?

Had he... been hurt?

In the living room, Shinji, now fully dressed, sat on the sofa arguing with the System.

Although the three souls and seven spirits each possess their own yin and yang attributes, taken as a whole, they are still divided into yin and yang. The yang of the soul condenses it, while the yin of the spirit tempers it; only then can yin and yang be harmonized. In other words, Grandson, the yang energy within your body is currently too strong. You are overcome by desire and find it difficult to restrain yourself. The slightest lapse and you will...

That was right. Earlier, while still retaining some rationality yet overwhelmed by desire, Shinji had nearly done something impossible to take back.

Fuck, isn't this that clichéd harem fantasy protagonist routine from more than a decade ago in my previous life? Put it in Japan, and it's straight-up a **** male lead!

Like how practicing some whatever-the-hell scripture gives you too much yang energy and makes women flock to you, or some kind of eyes that make whoever you glare at want to screw you, or some kind of app—aren't they all the same thing?!

That humanoid whatever drug!

It is different. Grandson, you can only attract women who are excessively weak. The weaker they are, the stronger your attraction to them becomes. Conversely, the stronger they are, the weaker it becomes.

Fuck you!

Shinji cursed inwardly.

Why the fuck didn't you tell me that sooner?!

I almost reached the point of no return!

I wasn't planning to use this woman that way!

What if we did something weird?!

A grown man should not fuss over trivialities. You still care about that?

Fuck off! I have principles too, okay?!

Wouldn't it be more convenient to simply make her your woman? Then the information about the Mage's Association that worries you could be legitimately coaxed out of this woman's mouth.

That's different!

Grandson... don't tell me you're the purehearted type? But I have not seen any sign of that from you over these years.

Purehearted my ass, fuck off!

After cursing, Shinji looked up and saw Bazett standing outside the bedroom door. She wore a shirt, its buttons apparently fastened wrong in her haste, and avoided his gaze.

"Sister Bazett..."

Bang!

The moment Shinji spoke, Bazett quickly turned around, rushed back into the room, and shut the door again.

That move genuinely left Shinji baffled.

Shinji could never have imagined that Bazett was merely worried whether her instinctive shove earlier had hurt him.

The instant she shut the door, Bazett finally breathed a sigh of relief.

—Looks like he wasn't hurt.

After waiting on the sofa for half an hour without seeing Bazett come out, Shinji finally got up and went to her door. He hesitated for a while before raising his hand and knocking lightly.

Knock, knock...

"Sister Bazett, um... about what happened earlier..."

Shinji felt a little awkward. It seemed wrong no matter how he tried to bring up something like this.

"Go home."

Bazett's voice from behind the door had regained its coldness.

"Oh... okay."

Shinji answered, inwardly cursing himself for being so useless. In a moment of carelessness, he had ruined his own plan. He had clearly come to discuss the Holy Grail War...

After hesitating for a little longer, Shinji tentatively spoke again. "Um, Sister Bazett, could you come to my house tomorrow night? Don't misunderstand. It's about what I mentioned before—the Holy Grail War..."

Listening to Shinji's words, Bazett sat on the bed with her knees hugged to her chest in silence.

If Bazett had already been reluctant to let Shinji get involved in her affairs before, then after what had happened tonight, she was even more unwilling deep down.

Even if she truly had no combat support whatsoever, and losing an arm had reduced her strength by more than half...

"The address is xxxxxxx. I'll be waiting at home after school."

Still receiving no reply, Shinji left those words behind, turned around, and slowly departed.

After the awkward incident tonight, even Shinji himself could not guarantee whether things would continue according to his expectations.

Of course, if Bazett chose not to come, Shinji had some backup plans as well...