Chapter 55: Cornered at Home

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However, Kojima-san, clearly in a rush about something, showed no signs of listening to my advice. This made me suspicious, so I decided to press her a bit. I didn’t want to push too hard, though, as she might resort to slashing her wrists again.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“…”

She remained silent. While there are things one can’t talk about, it seemed pointless to get further involved. I was about to give up when she finally spoke, reluctantly.

“He’s coming soon…”

Her words were vague. Was she talking about her period, the fearsome King of Terror, or maybe Sadako?

“Who?”

“Ryuichi, my brother…”

“What?”

So her second cheating partner enters the scene. He might be scarier than Sadako for her right now.

“When I told them I wasn’t going back home, he said, ‘I won’t allow that. We’re siblings, even if just in name.'”

“Does he plan to take you back by force? That’s insane.”

“Ryuichi-nii would do it.”

I could understand her fear. It sounded like a pun—he'd ‘do’ her in more ways than one.

“Maybe you should just expose what your stepbrother’s been doing to you.”

“……..They already know… I attempted suicide because of it…..”

“What?”

“But my stepfather, who cares about appearances, acted as if it never happened.”

It wasn’t a typo, but a clever play on words. Or maybe it was an unconscious mistake.

“Didn’t your mom stand up for you? She should just get a divorce.”

Any decent mother would consider divorce if her daughter was being treated as a sex toy by her stepbrother.

But reality was even harsher than artificial sweeteners.

“……My mom is being blackmailed by my stepfather. She can't get a divorce. She barely managed to help me get into this university.”

“Blackmailed?”

“…..I can’t say more…”

I sighed.

It seemed her suicide attempt wasn’t just because she was used as a sex toy by her stepbrother. She felt trapped in a hopeless situation, with nothing going her way at home.

In that sense, I was luckier. Despite being step-related, my mom is a reliable adult, and Ange would never betray me—she's an angel in every sense.

Thinking that there’s no salvation made me feel a bit vindicated, but…

“It would have been fine if there was no hope left. But I met you again at this university, Yuuta.”

“…”

“Seeing you again made me want to find salvation, even though I know I don’t deserve it. I can’t stand sinking into despair anymore. It’s so foolish and sinful, I know, but I can’t take it.”

I felt a twinge of pity for this miserable, frigid woman. I held back the urge to say, ‘Is this my fault?’ I understood the feeling of clinging to a glimmer of hope.

“So, you wanted to move before your stepbrother arrived? But even if you do, he might just come to the university. Unless you drop out.”

From what she said, her stepbrother seemed persistent enough to go that far if it meant getting to her.

Kojima-san, overwhelmed by the sense of inescapability, finally broke down.

“Ugh… ah… ahhhh…”

Oh, great. Now she’s showing me her wrist scars while crying.

…

Alright.

She's so miserable now that I feel compelled to help, but I'm just a student with no real power.

…

I do know some reliable adults, though…

No choice. I can’t just leave her like this. I'll ask Jones-san for Mrs. Kurebayashi's contact information.

So, I decided to contact Jones-san and ask for Mrs. Kurebayashi’s contact information.