Chapter 31: Notebook

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

[Nao PoV]

I was standing in front of Nii-san’s room. The truth is right behind the closed door. I have to get inside somehow.

I tried it to open it the normal way thinking maybe it will just open but of course the door wouldn’t even budge.

I refused to resort to brute force; destroying the door would only create more problems.

Maybe the window was open—I could sneak in that way. I hurried outside, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

Outside, I found the window tightly shut, denying me entry. Disappointment tugged at my heart as I realized this route was a dead end.

Back inside, determination fueled my search for another solution. Perhaps Nii-san kept a spare key nearby. I scoured the corridor, my heart racing with each passing second.

After half an hour of searching, frustration threatened to overwhelm me. Every corner of the corridor had been thoroughly examined, yet the elusive spare key remained hidden. I slumped against the wall, defeated.

“Where could it be…”

Just as I was about to give up hope, a flicker of determination ignited within me. There had to be another place to look. With renewed resolve, I resumed my search, scouring the ground for any sign of the key.

But as minutes turned into what felt like hours, desperation began to claw at my insides. I had checked everywhere—or so I thought. Then, a thought struck me.

“I had been looking down this whole time, but what if the key was above me?”

I scanned the area near the door, my eyes landing on the top of the nearby balustrade. Could it be there? Heart pounding with anticipation, I dragged a nearby chair over and stood on it, stretching upwards.

And there it was—a glint of metal nestled atop the balustrade, just out of reach. Excitement surged through me as I reached out, fingertips brushing against the cool surface of the key. With a triumphant grin, I snatched it up and leaped down from the chair.

Standing once more in front of the door, key in hand, a sense of relief washed over me. It was finally time to end this madness. With steady hands, I inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

The door swung open, revealing the familiar sight of Nii-san’s room.

It was just an ordinary room. At first glance, there was nothing suspicious about it. But I knew that somewhere within these walls lay the key to unraveling the secrets that I will tear my family apart.

With determination coursing through my veins, I stepped into the room and immediately began my hunt for the notebook. Each step felt like a move in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, and I embraced the role of detective with fervor.

My first stop was Nii-san’s cabinet. I rifled through his belongings, hoping to uncover any hidden compartments or clues. But all I found were mementos of his life—photographs, trinkets, and memories locked away in the confines of wooden drawers.

Undeterred, I moved on to the next potential hiding spot: under the bed. I knelt down and peered beneath the mattress, my fingers brushing against dust and forgotten treasures. Yet, there was no sign of the elusive notebook, only darkness and empty space.

As I searched every nook and cranny of the room, frustration gnawed at my resolve. Each empty drawer, each barren corner felt like a dead end. He is good at hiding things.

There had to be something, some clue that would lead me to the truth.

After what felt like an eternity of searching, my eyes finally fell upon a nondescript box tucked away in the corner of the room. With cautious excitement, I approached and lifted the lid, revealing its contents: a notebook and two individual photos.

My heart raced as I reached for the notebook, hands trembling with anticipation. This was it—the key to unlocking the secrets hidden within these walls. With a deep breath, I flipped open the first page and began to read.

---

[Yuto PoV]

“My husband has been arrested?!”

My mother’s voice pierced the air, filled with shock and disbelief as she confronted the police officer.

“Yes, he was found in possession of drugs.”

The officer’s solemn reply.

I stood frozen, overhearing their conversation from upstairs. The gravity of the situation sank in as I made my way downstairs to where the officers and my distraught mother stood.

After the officers left, my mother closed the door and crumpled to the ground, overcome with emotion. Her cries echoed through the room, filling the space with heart-wrenching despair.

I had never seen my mother so broken, her anguish palpable as tears streamed down her face. In that moment, my own heart ached witnessing her pain, and I felt a surge of empathy wash over me.

I stood in front of my mother, feeling a knot form in my stomach as I witnessed her heartbreaking distress. She noticed me there, her tear-filled eyes meeting mine, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.

“Did you hear what happened?”

She asked, her voice barely above a whisper, thick with emotion.

I nodded silently, unable to find the right words to convey the mix of shock and sadness swirling inside me.

Her trembling hands reached up, wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks. She tried to summon a small smile, a brave façade to hide the pain etched across her face.

“I see…”

My heart ached at the sight of her suffering, and I wished desperately to offer her comfort. But what could I say? How could I ease the weight of this burden crushing down on us both?

“….E-Everything will be alright! Dad would never be involved with drugs. I am sure there is some misunderstanding. I bet he will be free the next day!”

“R-Right. There must be a misunderstanding. I will go to the police station to check on him.”

“Can I come with you?”

My mother paused, considering my request for a moment.

“Okay, but don’t do or say anything reckless.”

“Understood.”

“Be ready within 15 minutes.”

“Understood.”

Fifteen minutes later, we were on our way to the police station. My mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions—fear, uncertainty and a bit of hope that everything would somehow turn out alright.

As we arrived at the police station, I followed my mother’s lead. Together, we approached the front desk, where an officer stood waiting.

“Hello, how could I help you.”

“Hello, a police officer came to my house today and said that my husband has been arrested. I would like to see him if possible.”

“What is your husband’s name?”

“Kaito Yamamoto”

“Kaito Yamamoto… Ah, he is here. If you would follow me.”

The officer at the front desk said, leading us through the maze of corridors with a brisk pace.

We followed the officer, our hearts heavy with anticipation, until we arrived at my father’s cell. Peering through the bars, I caught sight of him, sitting on a narrow cot, his expression weary yet relieved at the sight of us.

“Dad!”

I called out, unable to contain the rush of emotions flooding through me.

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine with a mixture of exhaustion and gratitude.

“Yumi… Yuto.”

He murmured, his voice filled with relief at the sight of my mother and I standing before him.

“Dear, I am all ears. What happened?”

“Yumi, I got framed. It was a man with a red snake tattoo on his left arm who put the drugs inside my pocket because I refused to cooperate.”

“Refused to cooperate?”

“Yes! I though we would have a business talk but turns out he was trying to expand his network, which I refuse to do. He then put drugs in my pocket and told the police about it!”

“T-This is hard to swallow.”

“It is the truth believe me.”

My dad was really desperate to convince my mom. However, knowing my dad he would never do something like. That’s why,

“I believe in you, Dad. You would never do this.”

“Yuto…”

“If Yuto believes in you, so will I. Let’s get through this, together.”

“Yumi…Thank you both of you.”

I thought that moment at the police station would be the turning point, the moment we would prove my father’s innocence. But fate had other plans.

A few months later, we found ourselves in a courtroom, my father standing trial for the charges against him. Despite our hopes and prayers, the conclusion was devastating—he was judged guilty of possessing drugs and sentenced to six years in jail.

As the evidence piled against him during the trial, my mother’s trust in my father began to waver. She couldn’t reconcile the man she loved with the accusations levied against him.

Despite my unwavering belief in his innocence, her doubts grew stronger with each passing day.

Eventually, my mother, unable to bear the weight of suspicion and uncertainty any longer, made the heartbreaking decision to file for divorce. And with it, she sought custody of Nao and I.

My father was devastated by the loss, not just of his marriage, but also of his children.

He fought to maintain the bonds that held our family together, but in the end, there was nothing he could do. Not wanting to bring further shame upon us, he made the painful choice to sever all ties, cutting off communication with us entirely.

It was a decision made out of love, a desperate attempt to shield us from the pain and stigma that had engulfed our family.

But for me, it was a wound that would never fully heal—the loss of my father, my family, and the shattered dreams of a life once filled with love and happiness.

After the divorce, my mother was heartbroken. She seemed to carry the weight of our shattered family on her shoulders, and her tears became a constant presence in our home.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and still, her grief lingered, casting a shadow over our lives.

During those years, I longed to visit my father, to see him and reassure him that despite everything, I still believed in him.

But my mother wouldn’t hear of it. She was adamant that I stay away, convinced that any contact with him would only reopen old wounds.

Six long years passed, and finally, the day came when my father was released from jail. I couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing, what he had been through during his time behind bars.

But my mother’s strict rule forbidding me from contacting him left me with no way of finding out.

Meanwhile, my mother started to tentatively navigate the world of dating once again. It was strange to see her with other men, to watch her attempt to move on from the pain of our past.

And then, one day, she announced that she had found someone special.

I remember the day she introduced us to him. He looked like an ordinary man, unassuming and kind, with a warmth in his eyes that immediately put me at ease.

As my mother explained, he was a solo father who had tragically lost his wife to br*ast cancer. Now, he was raising his son, Ryota, on his own.

Not long after my mother and stepfather married, I found myself needing to talk to my mother about something important.

I approached their bedroom, intending to have a private conversation with her. But as I entered, my stepfather was in the midst of changing his clothes.

However, what caught my eye wasn’t his attire but rather a distinct tattoo—a red snake coiled around his left arm.

In that moment, memories flooded back to me, words my father had spoken to me during one of our visits when he was still in jail.

He had mentioned something about a man with a red snake tattoo being involved in his wrongful accusation.

Stunned, I stood there in a daze, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly falling into place. Emotions churned within me—a mix of anger, disbelief, and betrayal.

My stepfather turned to me, sensing my presence, but before he could say anything, I found my voice.

“What’s that tattoo? I remember my father mentioning something about a man with a red snake tattoo. Was it you? Were you the one framing him!?”

My stepfather’s expression shifted, his features tightening with unease. He hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice strained.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must be mistaken.”

“DON’T MESS WITH ME! Because of you…my father had to suffer and I will never be able to see him again!”

“…”

“I am going to tell mom.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Let’s talk this out.”

“There is nothing to talk about!”

“I… I will do anything, but please don’t mention anything to Yumi. I’m already out of the underworld and I want to change. Please.”

Bowing his head in a gesture of surrender.

“Why did you frame my father?”

“…Because he declined our offer and I would be in trouble if he told the police about us. So, I had to silence your father…”

Just hearing this makes my blood boil.

“Why did you stop trafficking drugs?”

“….My son was about to be born and I couldn’t live any longer like this.”

I see, well let’s check if he is really out of the underworld.

“Give me your phone.”

“Eh?”

“Give me your phone. I want to know what you’ve been up to.”

I insisted, my gaze unwavering.

He hesitated, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but eventually relented, handing over his phone with a defeated expression.

As I scrolled through my stepfather’s phone, my heart was pounding. I checked his email first, but found nothing suspicious.

It wasn’t until I delved into his messages that I stumbled upon something that made my blood run cold.

There it was—a chat that I randomly picked. I opened the conversation and felt a wave of revulsion wash over me as I read through the messages.

My stepfather had been exchanging intimate messages with someone, someone he had been involved with while he was still married to his previous wife and still talking to her.

“You really disgust me.”

Without another word, I swiftly snapped photos of my stepfather’s tattoo with his snake, capturing the evidence in case he gets rid of the tattoo.

I also took screenshots of the incriminating conversation, ensuring that I had proof of his infidelity and deceit.

After taking the screenshots I threw the phone back to him and walked away. I went back into my room and jumped on my bed to forget what happened.

As I lay on my bed, trying to push the disturbing events out of my mind, a dark and vengeful thought began to take root within me. Anger and bitterness simmered beneath the surface, fueled by the injustice of my father’s suffering and my stepfather’s betrayal.

In my turmoil, I found myself targeting Ryota, my stepfather’s son, as a means to inflict the pain and bitterness I felt upon my stepfather.

I began to argue with him, to provoke fights over trivial matters. What made it worse was that I knew I would never get scolded for my behavior, but Ryota would bear the brunt of the blame.

I watched as my stepfather scolded and reprimanded Ryota for things that were often my fault, knowing that I was the instigator behind it all. It filled me with a twisted sense of satisfaction, a fleeting semblance of justice in the midst of my own turmoil.

It wasn’t enough to make my stepfather feel the pain my father had endured. I wanted him to truly understand the depth of my father’s suffering, to experience the same helplessness and despair.

But deep down, I knew that this wasn’t the right path and yet so, driven by my need for revenge, I hatched a plan. I framed Ryota for something he hadn’t done, using the same method my stepfather had used to unjustly accuse my father. The pain I saw in my stepfather’s eyes was what I had waited for, the vindication I had sought.

As I looked upon the devastation I had caused, I couldn’t ignore the gnawing guilt that ate away at me. I had involved an innocent person in my quest for revenge, betraying the values my father had instilled in me.

If my father were here, he would be disappointed in me, ashamed of the path I had chosen.

---

[Nao PoV]

I closed the notebook, the weight of its revelations heavy upon me. With trembling hands, I carefully placed it back in the box, the evidence of my brother’s actions now laid bare before me.

Picking up the two individual photos, I looked at them intently. One depicted the snake tattoo, a symbol of deceit and betrayal, etched into my stepfather’s skin. The other captured a damning screenshot, evidence of his infidelity and duplicity.

As I examined the images, a wave of understanding washed over me. I realized now why Nii-san had resorted to such drastic measures, why he had been driven to seek revenge at any cost. It was justice for our father.

With a heavy heart, I made my decision. Placing the photos back in the box alongside the notebook, I knew what I had to do. It was time to confront my stepfather, for him to face the consequences of his actions.

“But first I have to talk with Kenji-kun first.”