Chapter 67: Search

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Translator: Soafp

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It was clear I couldn't stay put any longer, even without knowing Naoki's exact address. I got into my car and reluctantly took Maya along as the navigator, seating her in the passenger seat, and we set off.

“Is this the right way?”

“I think it's somewhere near Chogo Station.”

“You really don't know, do you?”

The frustration of waiting at a red light made my tone sharper. Despite the chaos, I still couldn't fully trust Maya. I pressed her again, my voice laced with suspicion.

“I really don't know. I've never been to Naoki's place.”

“Why not?”

“I think… Naoki lives with another woman. That's why.”

“…Haa? Even so…”

She fell silent. So even though he was living with someone else, Naoki still had entanglements with both Maya and Mizuki? What kind of insatiable pervert was he? Couldn't he be satisfied with just one woman?

Alright, maybe, just maybe, if he was going through some kind of midlife crisis. But seriously, treating love as a mere excuse for pleasure—was that what Naoki and maybe even Maya and Mizuki thought?

Bastards.

…No, in Mizuki's case, Katsuragi's rage indicated that Naoki had likely coerced her into something against her will. I should withhold judgment until I knew more.

Even so, just having Maya in the seat next to me made my skin crawl with revulsion.

──Why did I spend the last few days desperately clinging to a woman like this?

I didn't know if Maya had truly changed or if she could be trusted even if she had. What happened to the part of me that took these things seriously? The me who felt the emptiness of wasting time and suffered from despair—where did that go?

Driving in silence, I was consumed by a mix of anger, urgency, and even a bit of jealousy.

There's no way I can let Katsuragi become a criminal. Even if Naoki deserved to die for what he'd done, I had to prevent Katsuragi—a good guy—from ending up in jail for it.

──Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?

My only clue: Katsuragi's car.

“Is this the right way?”

“I… I think so. I remember hearing that you can see a university campus from there, so… probably…”

Maya was a nervous, unreliable navigator, and at this moment, I didn't need proof that she had never been to Naoki's place—what I needed was for her to be useful, damn it.

After what felt like an eternity of anxious wandering, I finally spotted it—a black CR-Z, Katsuragi's car. The license plate matched.

I parked as quickly as possible and got out of the car. From a nearby new-looking apartment, I could hear the sounds of a violent confrontation.

No way.

Katsuragi.

I raced toward the source of the noise, dreading what I might find.