Chapter 39 – What Do I Do?

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“So, what are you going to do about Naegi-san?”

“Can't we do something for her…?”

Even after Naegi-san left the house, for some inexplicable reason, the guests who showed up afterward just wouldn't leave. It was the exact opposite of helpful.

So there we were—me, Mahiro, and Temari—remaining awkwardly at the entrance after seeing her off. It felt less like a real conversation and more like we were stuck in some surreal game of pretend. Mahiro seemed unusually invested in whatever drama Naegi had going on.

“I don't know. Whatever I try probably won't matter. I doubt anything I say will get through to her.”

“That's not true…”

“But hey, Yuuya, you did manage to change Mahiro's behavior, right?”

“If you think about it, it's obvious. Mahiro wasn't actually in love. She was just playing a part—‘Look at me, the devoted girlfriend, sacrificing everything for love. ‘Look at me, I'm such a heroine…' You were basically drunk on your own image, right?”

“Guhh!!”

“And then, once you'd cooled off and actually looked at yourself, it downed to you—‘Wait, wasn't I just some clingy pushover who fell for sweet talk and gave my pussy away freebie!? Even a pillbug's got more sense than that.”

“Gefuu!!”

“Yuuya… have a little mercy… Mahiro's H.P.—H***y Points—are already at zero…”

“But because she realized it herself and managed to end things, she was able to protect her heart in the end. Am I wrong?”

“……”

“……”

“This time with Naegi-san… it's different.”

Both Nishida and even Naegi herself knew the guy was a hopeless piece of s**t, and yet she still went back to him. That's why she said “I'm sorry” when she left.

I'd been dumped. That was the reality. No matter what I said, there was no changing her mind.

If I had to call it something, I'd call it codependency

“…Well, when it comes to this kind of mess, wouldn't the ones with experience know better?”

I tossed out that lazy comment, basically shoving the responsibility onto the two women sipping tea in the living room—my mom and Chihiro-san.

“So? What do you think, single moms?”
“……”

“……”

Both of them paused mid-sip, looking up as if I'd just plopped a steaming s**t in their cups.

“…Honestly, that's a counseling case now.”

“Huh?”

“There's no way they'll fix it on their own. Someone needs to rip them apart, forcibly. End of story.”

“……”

Harsh, but probably true. If it were that easy to fix, these two wouldn’t have had such a rough ride themselves.

“But seriously, for someone to rack up that much debt… losing it all to pachinko? Gambling really is terrifying.”

“Now that you mention it, Sayaka, your ex-husband was also…”

“Oh, yeah. He used to say nonsense like, ‘I'll win it all back at the horse track!' and things like that.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

And just like that, another cursed entry got added to the ever-growing biography of My Disgrace of a Father.

Look at this mess. Not just me—Temari and Mahiro went quiet too, like synchronized submarines. Knowing I've got the same blood as that guy makes my skin itch. There's no way I'm going anywhere near that kind of stuff.

Then again, these days the world has stuff even worse than gambling—like gacha games. The most toxic stuff out there survives because someone always profits.

And the Obachan convo kept rolling on.

“But you know, I wonder… was gambling really the only thing behind that guy's debt?”

“Oh, Chihiro, you think so too? Feels like he'd also blow off steam by f*****g around with hookers after losing at pachinko.”

…The f**k?

That was not something I could ignore. I cut in without thinking.

“Okay, hold up. I mean, I get wanting to blow off steam after losing money, but—why not just be with Naegi-san? Isn't she his girlfriend? That's free sex.”

“Guys like that don't run on logic. They want someone different for the reset. Besides, being a girlfriend doesn't mean they're always available. And sometimes, their preferences just don't match.”

“……”

Not exactly something I wanted to argue with. I mean, sure, sexual compatibility matters—but does it really outweigh love?

“…Ah! AH!!”

That's when Temari suddenly yelped like she'd figured out the secret to the universe.

“What the hell, Temari? Finally lost it?”

“No! Nishida Kaito—that name! When you said it, I knew it sounded familiar. I just remembered why! He's one of Mami-chi's regulars!”

“…Say what?”

She didn't even flinch at my wisecrack. Which meant… she was completely serious.

“When I was trying to talk Mami-chi out of that line of work, he called her. She said they sometimes meet outside the shop too—he's really into her.”

“What a f*****g piece of s**t…”

Nishida's one of that b***h's clients?

Not sure if that even counts as cheating, but seriously—what were the odds? If only her standards hadn't been so low, or if she'd just been a little less available. Could've saved everyone a world of trouble.

“But… do you think Naegi-san's okay?”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean… Mami-chi… she's sick right now. She caught something, and she's getting treated…”

“…Oh my goodness gracious spaghetti peperoncino.”

Temari just casually dropped a nuke on us.

Way too much information for one conversation. Still, credit where it's due—only someone with a real emotional connection would know that kind of detail.

Also… wasn't syphilis one of those things you could catch just from kissing?

At this rate, Nishida isn't just at risk of one infection. He's about to hit the jackpot of STDs.

Welcome to the Triple Infection Combo Special, m**********r.