But that didn't mean Haruno was done investigating. She had to find out who that man was.
Leaving Yukino's apartment, Haruno felt relieved to be out of that stifling atmosphere.
"How should I investigate?" she muttered to herself, frowning in thought.
Should she go as far as to install a camera in the panda?
As Haruno pondered, a potential lead presented itself.
Click.
The door to the neighboring apartment opened, and out stepped Rei Ao, holding a bag of garbage.
"Rei Ao?"
Haruno greeted him with a sly tone.
"Hello, Yukinoshita-san."
Rei Ao didn't look the least bit surprised to see Haruno, considering that the apartment next door belonged to her younger sister, Yukino.
Testing the waters, Haruno asked, "So, Rei Ao, do you live here?"
"Yes. I assume you're here to visit Yukino?"
"Correct, spot on."
A pleasant smile crossed Haruno's face as a plan began to take shape in her mind.
"Tell me, Rei Ao, have you seen anyone coming to visit Yukino?"
With that one question, Rei Ao pieced together most of what was happening. This had to be connected to the camera she had likely hidden in the panda plushie. She must have seen him and Yukino talking in her living room and grown suspicious.
He replied smoothly, "I'm afraid I can't say; I'm not aware of anyone else visiting her, and Yukino and I aren't particularly close."
This was true. While he had been to Yukino's apartment, he hadn't seen anyone else there.
"Mm-hmm."
Haruno wasn't disappointed. She knew Rei Ao and Yukino were just ordinary classmates. And with her knowledge that Rei Ao was ardently pursuing Shizuka, she didn't overthink it.
But she had a plan.
With a sly smile, Haruno continued, "By the way, how's it going with Shizuka? Any progress?"
Rei Ao spread his hands in mock exasperation. "Shizuka-san always sidesteps things with mentions of age and status. So, not much progress."
"Heh."
Haruno knew this answer was coming; Shizuka had even asked her for advice on how to politely decline Rei Ao's advances. She had just been asking to set up her next question.
"Well, as Shizuka's friend, I have to say I'm rooting for you."
"Thank you."
"But it's a bit too early for thanks. I can help you out."
"Help me?"
Rei Ao looked at her skeptically.
Haruno's eyes glinted mysteriously. "You know Shizuka and I are close. I can easily create opportunities for you to spend time with her."
"Oh?"
Rei Ao narrowed his eyes. "I have a feeling there's a catch."
"Haha, Rei Ao, you're overthinking things. I have just one small request."
There it washer real intention.
"I'd like you to keep an eye on who comes to see Yukino and interacts with her."
Since Rei Ao was Yukino's neighbor, he'd make the perfect set of eyes and ears. That way, she could finally uncover the mystery man's identity.
And all she had to do was dangle the prospect of some alone time with Shizuka in front of him. She was doing it for her sister's sake, after all.
*Shizuka, I hope you'll forgive me for this.*
Rei Ao, seeing through her plan, nodded after pretending to think it over. "Alright, I'll do it."
"Mm-hmm, Rei Ao, I'm glad we're working together."
Haruno flashed a satisfied smile, then walked away in her heels, her long legs striding confidently.
But she didn't see Rei Ao's faint smile as he watched her retreating figure and glanced at the contact information he had just saved.
"Apologies."
"But I don't play by the rules."
"My goal isn't only Shizuka-san. Yukinoand youare my targets as well."
He was the hunter, lying in wait.
While the clam and the sandpiper fought, the fishermanRei Aostood to gain it all.
~~~
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Chapter 100: Tomoya Aki's Fate and a... Demon?
Monday.
At the Academy, Tomoya Aki returned to school.
In truth, his parents hadn't wanted him to come back. Since the incident, he had become distrustful, sensitive, and quick to anger, even snapping at his doctors and family members. They worried he might cause trouble at school.
But Tomoya insisted he was fine and was determined to attend.
He thought he could keep everything under wraps.
But he was wrong.
Almost everyone looked at him with mocking, scornful glances. He could hear people muttering, questioning whether he was even still a man.
Clenching his fists, he felt an overwhelming urge to disappear.
"Phew"
With a deep breath, he managed to calm himself, trying to ignore the taunting stares and whispers.
Right now, Tomoya wanted only one thing: to find Eriri and explain.
At least he had already deleted the angry messages he'd sent to her, realizing how out of line his insults had been. He'd thought up an excuse, toohe would say that another patient had stolen his phone in the hospital. Given their close relationship, he was sure Eriri would believe him.
With that in mind, he finally found her in the hallway.
Excited, he called out, "Eriri!"
At the sound of his voice, Eriri stiffened, then immediately turned and started running away.
"Huh?"
Confused, Tomoya chased after her, managing to keep up despite an awkward, unsteady run. Finally, he caught up to her at a staircase landing and blocked her path.
"Eriri, listen! The other day, my phone was stolen by another patient. I didn't send those messages!"
He quickly gave his prepared explanation, confident she would believe him.
But things did not go as he'd expected.
Eriri turned to him with a furious glare and shouted, "It doesn't matter who sent them!"
She wasn't naive enough to believe such a flimsy excuse.
"Tomoya Aki, let's end this friendship. Goodbye."
End their friendship?!
Tomoya felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Eriri actually wanted to cut ties with him?
Why?
His gaze dropped to the empty space between his legs. She must have found out about this, he thought. Was that really it?
But he was the victim here! Why was everyone treating him this way?
Thinking of everyone's judgmental stares, anger surged within him, his bloodshot eyes narrowing. He grabbed her bag, stopping her from leaving.
"Eriri, why are you doing this to me?" he demanded, his voice full of anger. "You betrayed me once beforewhy are you turning on me again?!"
Back in elementary school, he and Eriri had been close, but because of that, he'd been targeted by classmates and endured bullying. While Tomoya fought against it, Eriri had chosen to avoid the situation, distancing herself from him. She had hidden her interests and avoided being bullied, while Tomoya had stood by his own identity, leaving them with no contact for seven yearsessentially a silent breakup.
Tomoya brought up that painful truth, hoping to spark some guilt in her.
But
This time, Eriri didn't back down.
She released her bag, turned to face him, and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry. Whether it was drawing you into otaku interests or choosing to avoid you back then, it was all my fault."
Then she looked up, her face solemn. "I apologize, and my family is willing to offer you 200,000 in compensation."
"Whatever you want to say to me, I'll accept. But because of what you did yesterday, I'm ending our friendship. Please don't ever talk to me again."
After facing her own mistakes, Eriri's decision remained unchanged.
She had gained clarity from her mother and was resolute.
"???"
Tomoya Aki was stunned.
Things weren't supposed to go like this.
Where was Eriri's usual stubbornness? This wasn't the outcome he wanted!
"No, no, no"
Tomoya muttered, his breath unsteady.
"Eriri, you can't do this."
"Tomoya Aki, stop acting like a child," Eriri insisted.
"I've already apologized, and my family is willing to compensate you. What more do you want? Let's move on with our own lives."
But Tomoya raised his head, his expression fierce.
"I won't end this friendship. I want you to live with guilt for the rest of your life!"
"Tch."
A scoff echoed through the hallway.
"Starting off the morning with such bad luck," Rei Ao muttered irritably, coming down the stairs.
"It's you!!!"
Tomoya's fury turned instantly toward Rei Ao.
It was him! The one he had cursed countless times in the hospitalthe one who had left him in this state, neither fully a man nor a woman!
Rei Ao ignored him completely, turning his attention to Eriri instead.
He hadn't expected her to genuinely apologize for what were, in hindsight, just childhood misunderstandings, and to even offer compensation. It seemed Eriri had grown up somewhat.
200,000 a significant sumenough to buy a decent car. For such a minor childhood dispute, it was far more than necessary.
Clearly, her mother, Sayuri, had a hand in this. Although Rei Ao had only spoken with her briefly, he sensed she was a sharp, astute woman.
For this kind of conflict, the most it warranted was a few angry words before moving on. To do anything more would be absurdcommitting violence over it would be laughable.
Right now, Tomoya's behavior was almost ridiculous. Perhaps the series of events he'd endured had pushed him over the edge.
However, forcing others to live a lifetime burdened by guilt? That was wishful thinking.
This was their problem, and Rei Ao didn't intend to interfere. He was just passing by, and, after muttering his displeasure, he continued down the stairs.
At that moment, Eriri picked up her bag and followed him down.
"You're not going anywhere!"
But Tomoya wasn't ready to let their childhood bond go so easily. He still needed her help for his game project. Even if everyone now viewed him with disdain, he believed that achieving something meaningful would earn him back some respect!
Once again, he grabbed onto Eriri's bag.
But because they were on the stairs, she missed a step and stumbled, pitching forward.
"Ahhh!"
Her first thought was that this was itshe was done for. Rei Ao was right in front of her; he'd surely be dragged down with her.
"Sigh."
Rei Ao turned around just in time to catch her. She fell into his arms, and he remained perfectly steady, not even leaning.
Rei Ao looked coldly at the startled Tomoya. "Look at what you've done."
"If I hadn't been here, Sawamura-san would have injured her legs or back."
"And if she'd hit her face or the back of her head, you couldn't cover that with 200,000."
He was mostly just scaring him, but Tomoya looked utterly terrified.
"It it wasn't me!" he stammered, shaking his head, desperately denying it. "She just tripped on her own!"
'Drip. Drip.'
A soft dripping sound followed.
"Man, she's the one who tripped, not you, but you still wet yourself?" Rei Ao shot him a look of disdain.
Yes, in his panic, Tomoya had wet himself.
"Tch!"
Tomoya gritted his teeth in pain; ever since his accident, even relieving himself caused discomfort. His face flushed a deep red, and he couldn't bear to stay any longer. He turned and ran, leaving an unsightly mess behind in the hallway.
"Pathetic. Since the accident, he's become a eunuch, a complete mess," Rei Ao remarked.
At least before, Tomoya had been someone you could look at. Now, he was nothing but a disgrace.
Turning to the shaken Eriri in his arms, Rei Ao asked, "Are you okay?"
Eriri stood up slowly, then gave him a deep bow. "Thank you, Rei Ao. I-I'm alright."
Once again, he'd helped her.
Eriri bit her lip. "Um, Rei Ao What did you mean when you called Tomoya a eunuch?"
She had heard Rei Ao say Tomoya had not only wet himself but had also become a eunuch. Though she hadn't turned to look, she felt both disgusted and curious about Rei Ao's comment.
"You don't know about Tomoya's accident?"
Rei Ao looked at her, surprised.
"I do, but"
Eriri's expression was complicated.
She knew Tomoya's misfortune had been partly because of his attempted revenge on Rei Ao.
"Oh, so you may not know exactly where he was injured," Rei Ao replied.
"Hm?"
Eriri looked at him, confused. To her, Tomoya didn't seem too seriously hurt.
Rei Ao, unwilling to gossip further about someone so pathetic, simply said, "Maybe you can ask someone else. Class is about to start. Goodbye."
"Oh, okay!"
Watching him walk away, Eriri felt she owed him a proper thank-you. Remembering her mother's suggestion to invite Rei Ao over, she started to form a plan.
As for Tomoya?
Their friendship was over for good, and she had no desire to reconnect with him.
Bathroom.
Tomoya Aki knelt on the ground, his teeth clenched in fury.
"Damn it!!!"
Once again, it was Rei Ao.
Not only had he left Tomoya in this miserable state, but he had humiliated him in front of everyone once more.
His hatred for Rei Ao had reached its peak, and it now extended to Eriri as well.
"Hah! Does she think that 200,000 can erase our friendship? That 200,000 can undo her betrayal?"
Tomoya's eyes grew darker with resentment.
During the break between classes.
Eriri stood outside Class 3-3, holding a bag and scanning the room.
She was looking for Rei Ao.
Following her mother's advice, she was here to properly thank him.
Megumi Kato noticed Eriri standing outside and turned to Rei Ao. "Rei Ao, it looks like Sawamura-san is here for you again."
But before Rei Ao could step outside, another figure appeared in front of Eririit was Tomoya.
The two seemed to get into an argument, and as a crowd gathered, Eriri suddenly ran off in tears, while Tomoya's face remained dark and angry as he chased after her.
Rei Ao frowned slightly.
He'd clearly heard Tomoya spitting out insults that would make anyone scowl.
"I'm going to check on things."
Originally, he'd planned just to see how far this conflict would go between them.
However
What happened next was shocking.
Eriri, visibly distressed, had run to the wooded area behind the school. But now
On the ground lay a body, sliced cleanly from head to torso, spilling blood and entrails. Even in death, the face was unmistakably that of Tomoya Aki.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Eriri's terrified scream pierced the air.
Before her stood a monstera huge, ant-like creature several meters long, clearly a hunter.
In her upset state, she had run here to escape, only for Tomoya to chase after her.
She barely had time to react before a powerful gust of wind swept past.
"Aaaaah!!!"
She only heard Tomoya's agonized scream and turned to see his horrified body splitting apart down the middle, as though cleaved by a blade.
