Chapter 77: The Vow on the Eve of the Final Battle

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Translator: Soafp

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A faint glow from the streetlamp filtered through the gap in the curtains, seeping into the dimly lit room. The faint sound of cars passing outside blended into the silence of the space. On the desk lay a chaotic spread of documents and a pile of notes. The pages of the notebook, which I had looked through countless times, were covered in scribbled handwriting, each stroke marking the trace of my indecision.

Even so, my anxiety did not fade. No matter how many times I reviewed the plan or how thoroughly I prepared, the cold lump nestled deep in my chest remained unmelted. I rested my elbow on the desk and stared at my phone's screen.

Displayed on the group call screen were three names: mine, Marin, and Kagura. We were having the final discussion for tomorrow's operation.

“So, you told Koda's office that we'd agree to his demands?”

Kagura's voice came through the speaker in response to my question.

“Yeah. Koda's manager, was it Akutsu? Some creepy-sounding old guy said, ‘I'll pass the message on.'”

Kagura's lighthearted remark eased the tension in my shoulders a bit.

“But do you really think it'll work…? I'm starting to feel worried…”

Marin's voice betrayed a hint of vulnerability. Hearing such an honest tone from her, usually so composed, made my chest stir slightly.

“We got a final confirmation message from Ranko. I also contacted Hizaki yesterday, and she booked a hotel room for us. The ‘item' is prepared, too. I said it was for a novel interview, but… she probably figured a lot of it out.”

I smiled wryly, recalling the piercing stare Hizaki had given me. There was no way she believed my words. I remembered how my heart twisted painfully as I bowed my head in apology.

“Well, we've come this far, so we just have to do it!”

Kagura said brightly.

“That's right… and Kyoko-nee is helping us, too. We can't afford to be weak.”

Marin quietly solidified her resolve.

“Yeah, we'll make sure tomorrow is a success.”

Both of them responded cheerfully with a “Yeah!” Their enthusiasm gave me a small sense of support.

But—the relief was fleeting.

“Hey, Hajime? I can't sleep tonight, so give me a kiss so I can sleep~?”

Suddenly, Kagura's voice turned playful and coquettish.

“Oh! No fair! Hajime, me too!”

Marin joined in, and the group call quickly descended into chaos.

“No, no way! That's impossible!”

I hastily made excuses and forcefully ended the call. As soon as the screen went dark, exhaustion washed over me.

My phone vibrated again as messages from Kagura and Marin started pouring in.

“Hajime, you coward~”

There was a teasing sticker of someone sticking out their tongue.

“Goodnight, Hajime, chu~”

A kiss mark sticker accompanied the message.

Honestly…

Even though it's the night before the decisive moment, I couldn't help but be exasperated at how carefree the two of them were. Yet, that playful exchange helped loosen the tight knot in my chest just a little.

I couldn't help but feel how much I was relying on that small sense of comfort.

The phone rang again, this time with a call from Ranko.

“Hello?”

“Sensei~ are you awake?”

Her usual cheerful voice came through, tinged with a bit of playfulness. Just hearing her voice made the tension I'd been feeling earlier dissipate further.

“Yeah, I'm still up. What's up?”

“No particular reason, I just felt like hearing your voice. Fufu.”

She said it as though it was nothing, but at this moment, her thoughtfulness felt especially precious.

“Hey, Ranko…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Are we really… going to do this?”

“What are you saying now, at this point? We've come too far to back out now~”

She laughed it off, but my anxiety wasn't something that could be dismissed so easily.

Ranko was at the center of our plan. She was the one who'd be putting herself on the line to corner that man. No matter how much we prepared, if something went wrong—

“But… if something happens to you, Ranko… I…”

“…Sensei.”

Ranko's voice suddenly softened.

“You know, I was really happy back then. When we first met… do you remember?”

“Back then…?”

“When I had just dropped out of high school and come to Tokyo, I didn't know my way around at all. I had big dreams, thinking everything would work out… but nothing went right. My illustration work wasn't going well, I had no money….”

Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if recalling distant memories. It was clear that the anxiety and frustration she felt back then still lingered in her chest. I could feel the tightness in her heart that must have accompanied those memories.

“I didn't want to sell my body, so I barely held on… but even though I hated it so much, whenever I was struggling, I'd immediately turn to sugar daddies…”

A bitter laugh escaped her.

She was speaking lightly, but behind her words were complex feelings of conflict and self-loathing.

Every bit of her voice, as she swallowed those emotions and forced herself to speak, resonated deeply.

“I thought about quitting so many times, but before I knew it, I'd be doing it again. I hated myself the most for that. But life doesn't go easy on you….”

I heard a faint, tearful laugh over the phone.

It was the voice of someone who had gotten used to blaming themselves.

But beneath it, I sensed a small glimmer of hope—the desire to change.

“And that's when I met you, Sensei.”

Her voice grew a little brighter, like a small light shining through.

She was remembering the day we first met, at that café.

“You didn't ask anything of me. You didn't demand anything. You just told me, ‘Let's proudly say we love what we do.' Those words… they saved me from everything I had been going through.”

Her words, as she struggled to express them, were filled with a trembling warmth.

I could feel just how much those words had meant to her, how much they had been a lifeline.

“Those words from you, Sensei, are still a treasure to me. That's why… this time, I want to be your strength. I want to stay by your side.”

“…Thank you, Ranko.”

“Fufu, you can thank me later, and you better make it up to me!”

“G-go easy on me…”

“No way!”

Her playful tone returned, but the warmth from earlier lingered between us.

The night before the big day. No matter what, I have to make this work for Ranko. That resolve burned stronger than any preparation we had made.