I’ve Been Reincarnated as the Childhood Friend of a Doomed Heroine. Since I Don’t Want to Get Caught up in Her Bad Ending, I’ll Make Sure She Ends up Happy
“So you’ve admitted the Sayama family’s involvement, haven’t you?”
“Hahaha. Even if that’s true, what are you planning to do with me here?”
Yukimi immediately moved to cut off his escape route, but Yuzo interjected with a laugh.
For a split second, I felt an overwhelming sense of intimidation that almost made me flinch.
Even Yukimi was taken aback.
Besides, there isn’t much we can actually do.
Even if we tried to turn the Sayama family in to the police, it would just get swept under the rug anyway, and in the worst-case scenario, the culprit would just be made a scapegoat.
To begin with, the Shichikajo family’s ties to the Sayama family are nothing to be taken lightly, and it would be foolish for two families with deep roots in the same region to turn against each other.
No matter how vicious the criminal might be.
Besides, if we start digging into that, we’d probably uncover a massive amount of wrongdoing on the Shichikajo side as well.
Truly, this world is rotten to the core.
That said, the shift to negotiation mode went according to plan.
At this point, Yukimi voiced the real reason for their visit.
That a girl named Hiiragi Kisa, sitting next to her, had been assaulted by Chagiri Kayaya.
And that the incident still hadn’t been truly resolved.
Therefore, she wanted the right to access his device to review his videos.
If that request was granted, she promised not to reveal the truth—that Chagiri’s death was a homicide committed by someone associated with the Sayama family.
Yuzo stroked his beard and laughed upon hearing these terms.
“If that’s all it takes, feel free to do as you please. In fact, from our perspective, it’s better to get rid of this ticking time bomb—which could explode at any moment—as soon as possible. I’ll cooperate.”
At the phrase “if that’s all it takes,” Kisa and Shinori’s expressions briefly hardened.
It was a remark that trivialized the existence of a single girl, so their reaction was only natural.
That said, neither of them interjected.
Well then.
The main business was wrapped up without a hitch.
Since we’d gathered all the evidence beforehand, there was no way he could slip away.
…However, my battle is only just beginning.
“Um, can I ask you something?”
“…Is there something else?”
“Yes.”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to speak up, because Yuzo asked with a look of surprise.
Since I hadn’t expected him to be willing to listen, I spoke on despite being a little taken aback.
“Regarding his refusal to testify about the murder of Kayaya Chagiri, we just concluded negotiations on the condition that the video be recovered.”
“That’s right.”
“However, I don’t think the compensation is quite commensurate. After all, don’t you agree? It’s only natural that we seek resolution for the assault committed by Kayaya. Besides, this also benefits you by allowing you to erase any traces of your relative’s crimes. As a result, you’ll be able to simultaneously silence us regarding the evidence of the murder and clean up the mess left by hir misdeeds. Isn’t that… a bit too good to be true? ——Isn’t that too light a price to pay for the emotional trauma she suffered and the loss of a human life?”
It’s true that our only real demand is to have Kisa’s video deleted.
But that alone offers far too favorable terms to the other side.
Considering all the harm Chagiri has inflicted on us so far, accepting a deal on these terms would be a slap in the face.
That’s exactly why we deserve a greater price in return.
It won’t be an equal exchange unless Sayama takes a serious hit too.
That’s the gist of my reasoning.
My hands were trembling, but I kept up a calm facade as I negotiated.
Even during a momentary silence, sweat trickled down my face.
The air conditioning felt unnaturally cold.
“What do you want?”
It was a short statement, but the pressure in his voice made me swallow hard.
“Let us report on the death of Kayaya.”
When I brought up the main point, Yuzo’s eyes widened—perhaps because it was truly unexpected.
But he immediately snorted.
“Can’t do it.”
“It’s fine if you report it as a s**cide. But please make sure to clearly state in the report that he is Hiroyoshi Sayama’s grandson.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s why I’m telling you it can’t be done. Do you have any idea how much effort we’ve spent all this time covering up the existence of those scumbags? Besides, if you try something like that, all sorts of rumors—true and false—will spread online, and it’ll turn into a huge scandal.”
“Yes. That’s exactly why.”
“……What?”
I nodded.
After all, that was precisely the point.
“Right now, a student at the same school can’t come to class because of an online backlash. I’m asking if you’d be willing to take on even a fraction of that hate for her.”
“Hah. You want me to stir things up dramatically and help put out someone else’s online firestorm? Are you telling me to exploit that guy’s death for that?”
“Yes.”
Originally, Ouka’s online firestorm event had ended by leaking a new scandal involving someone else through Yukimi, thereby diverting the hate and putting out the fire.
I’d remembered that the other day and immediately consulted Yukumi about it.
Basically, a scandal keeps burning as long as onlookers keep adding fuel to the fire.
To put it out, you need either the physical time for their interest to fade or for them to find something else to focus on.
It’s kind of like a shift system.
At my words, Yuzo wore the most exasperated expression he’d shown all day.
“What if he refuses? Are you going to withdraw the offer you just made?”
“No, that offer still stands. That’s why I’m going to publicly expose the criminal activities he’s been involved in separately.”
“Hmph. So you’re planning to negotiate some more?”
We’d already reached an agreement regarding the retrieval of Kisa’s video.
So, from here on out, we’d use another weakness of Chagiri’s that we held over him to conduct a separate negotiation.
Perhaps realizing my intent, Yuzo rested his hand on his chin.
“Where do you plan to post it?”
“On social media, of course.”
“Hmph. So no matter how this turns out, you’re going to make him a plaything on the internet, are you?”
It was a despicable thing to say.
That said, this was a guy who had turned a living human being into a s*x toy.
I felt no sympathy for him.
“But who’s going to believe what you post?”
“My account has a lot of followers, so it has reach. Besides, if the real culprit makes a move, it’ll come out that Chagiri himself is dead anyway. In that case, regardless of whether it’s true or not, you’ll be in trouble. After all, you killed Chagiri to avoid this very situation.”
If Chagiri were alive, there’s no telling when he might cause trouble.
And there’s no telling when his connection to the Sayama family might become public.
That’s why I went through with the murder, fully aware of the risks.
Besides, considering the timing…
…Most likely, because I’d been relentlessly pressing him about the Aoiko incident, Chagiri—fearing that—seriously begged the Sayama family to take me out.
And at that point, the Sayama family—frustrated by his behavior and having reached their limit—moved to have him assassinated.
—That was Yukimi’s theory.
“Huh, I see. So that’s the scenario.”
Yuzo exhaled deeply before speaking, then for some reason started grinning.
And then.
“I understand. …But in that case, I’d like to make a request of my own.”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t expected my side to be asked for anything right then and there, so my mind went blank.
As I panicked, Yuzo pointed at Yukimi.
“Regarding the marriage proposal with Yukimi Shichikajo, the situation right now isn’t exactly looking promising. So, let’s do this: —In exchange for accepting those terms, you promise to engage my son to Yukimi.”
The terms of the negotiation should have been airtight.
Setting aside whether my motives were ethical or not, the logic should have held up.
I don’t think this man had any opening to catch me out.
So this must be nothing more than a bluff.
That’s got to be it.
“…That doesn’t make sense. Isn’t it Shichikajo Senpai who decides that? Since this is a negotiation, you’ll have to set the terms within the scope of what I can realistically agree to.”
“Oh? So you’re willing to listen, are you?”
“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant.”
This is bad.
Making a careless slip of the tongue right here could be fatal.
Calm down, me.
But just as I was taking a deep breath to compose myself, Yuzo threw me even further off balance.
He said—
“That may be so, but I think it’s up to you.”
“Huh?”
“Yukumi clearly turned us down at our last dinner, saying, ‘I’ve already set my heart on someone else.’”
“……”
“As you probably know, as far as I’m aware, there’s only one man close to Yukumi. —That’s right, it’s you.”
I’d thought it was strange.
Why had this man stared at me with a sly smile after I entered the room?
It was because he’d already heard about me.
No—it was because he knew about the one and only man Yukimi has feelings for.
It’s always been like this lately.
Things keep moving forward behind my back.
She’s been arbitrarily labeled as my girlfriend, and she’s been turning down arranged marriage proposals using me as an excuse.
And then, I’m only told about it after the situation has spiraled out of control.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
“But that’s irrelevant. You’re the one with a weakness exposed—you shouldn’t be in a position to make demands of me right now. Besides, Chagiri’s misdeeds aren’t limited to s*xual assault. We’ve got evidence of that, too.”
“Is that so? I bet the only thing you’ve got on him is that time he obtained drugs through illegal channels, right? I’ve already taken care of that matter, and the police won’t even bother with it.”
“Huh! Still, if word gets out that Chagiri is dead—ah!”
“It seems you’re misunderstanding something.”
As he said that, I, too, sensed his intent and clamped my mouth shut.
Yuzo smirked.
“If I leak news of Kayaya Chagiri’s misdeeds, wouldn’t that put your young lady in a bind?”
“Huh!”
I already knew that.
Spreading the news of Chagiri’s crimes online would also mean publicizing that Kisa was r*ped by him.
I have no intention of making this public either.
Even if Kisa gave the go-ahead, it’s an option I would absolutely never take.
So, what I just said was nothing more than a bluff.
But still… is this old guy out of his mind?
Even if he knows my words are just a bluff, you wouldn’t normally make a proposal like that.
The fact that he’s backing down means the negotiations with Yukimi from earlier are now in jeopardy.
There’s even a chance we might change our minds and say, “Fine, then we’ll leak the evidence of your murders after all!”…
The goal is to find a compromise that benefits both sides; if he’s willing to destroy that and try to gain an advantage for himself alone, that’s a different story.
Since their family’s honor is at stake, Shichikajo probably can’t avoid a confrontation either.
In short, Shichikajo are going to go all out to crush us while they still hold the upper hand with this leverage.
And yet, Yuzo shows no sign of being bothered by this; he’s acting nonchalant as he brazenly tries to negotiate a marriage arrangement with Yukimi.
“Besides, we haven’t signed any contract yet. The negotiations from earlier aren’t finalized either. Wouldn’t it be a problem for you, too, if you couldn’t retrieve her video?”
On top of that, he had the nerve to use the terms of the previous negotiation as leverage.
Something’s off.
This guy’s reasoning is definitely crazy.
It was supposed to be perfect when we planned the strategy.
Both Yukimi and Kisa said we’d have the upper hand.
I recall Kisa’s carefree remark from the strategy meeting a few days ago.
“Exactly. Even if the negotiations fail and we can’t get our videos back, there aren’t really any major downsides, right? If anything, that’d give us a chance to expose a gang of vicious criminals to the public, wouldn’t it? That’d make us look like heroes, so it’s totally fine.”
“Wait, are you really okay with that?”
“Well, I mean, it’s not like any new videos are going to be released, right?”
Actually, that’s true.
Since the owner is dead and the footage is likely under the Sayama family’s control, there probably won’t be any future incidents where those videos get leaked online.
But I didn’t want things to turn out that way.
Unless I clearly identify and shut down the source, I’ll feel uneasy.
I want to eliminate any sources of anxiety.
After all, it’s obvious that Kisa would feel more at ease that way, too.
Damn it, was that not enough?
They’re looking down on me just because I’m a mere student.
If I had just one more piece of decisive evidence, I could really shut this guy up.
I’m still in the lead, but when he says something this outrageous, I might lose my way in steering the conversation.
I was completely flustered by Yuzo Sayama’s aggressive stance.
Glancing around, I saw Yukimi smiling calmly.
It was the expression of a winner, as if she were saying, “How long are you going to keep playing around?”
It was a look that didn’t suggest the negotiations were on the verge of collapse.
Just then,
the woman who had remained silent until now stood up.
As I stared wide-eyed, wondering what was going on, she smiled slightly and pulled out a laptop.
She opened a saved video and shoved it toward Yuzo.
The moment he saw it, Yuzo’s expression changed.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Hanesaki Shinori, a childhood friend of Kyota Toyono, who’s sitting next to you. —Could you please watch this video for a moment?”
After going out of her way to deliver an unnecessary greeting—as if to show off to some wealthy heiress—she began operating the laptop.
Immediately, a voice I’d heard somewhere before began playing in the private room.
“Huh!?”
“…Hehe, even I learn new things, you know? Kyota.”
I gave a wry smile at Shinori, who was grinning with a devilish expression—while Yuzo, still looking utterly stunned, was glued to the computer screen.
That was the long-awaited final piece of the puzzle.
In that instant, our complete victory was also guaranteed.
Maiban