Chapter 85: The Decisive Battle is on Sunday (8)

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Translator: Soafp

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[Koda PoV]

The knock on the door echoed.

…Damn it…! It was just getting to the good part!!

I took a deep breath to keep my anger from showing on the outside. Trying to suppress my irritation, I glanced at Ranko.

“…I’ll go answer it”

I replied casually.

“Yeah, please.”

Ranko quietly stood up, lightly brushing the sheets aside as she got out of bed. Her movements were careful as she placed her feet on the floor and slowly began walking across the carpet. The air in the room was heavy with silence, but she moved toward the door without hesitation.

I absentmindedly watched her back. The distance to the door was only a few steps. But why did Ranko's movements seem unusually slow? It was as though she was checking something, or maybe making up her mind, taking one step at a time.

Finally, she stood before the door and reached for the doorknob.

And then it happened.

“Sensei~! I did my best~! Praise me~!”

…Huh?

In an instant, an unsettling feeling shot through my mind. What just happened? What is going on?

My body suddenly went cold. My chest stirred with an indescribable anxiety that began to rise from my gut.

I kicked the bed as if jumping up, my legs stumbled, but I managed to plant my feet on the floor. With my balance off, I roughly pushed the sheets aside and directed my gaze to the door.

My body started to heat up. A bad feeling was creeping in. The knock was still echoing in my ears.

Step by step, my irritation grew as I walked toward the door. My heart pounded unusually fast, and my hands began to sweat.

When I reached the door, the scene before my eyes hit me like a shockwave.

The girl who was supposed to be a room service attendant… was being embraced by Ranko. But that wasn’t all.

Behind them stood Kagura Shinomiya.

I was instantly thrown into confusion.

“What… What is this!? What’s going on!!”

“I should be asking you that, Koda-san…!”

It became deep, a man’s voice.

I couldn't understand what was happening. My breath stopped as the girl suddenly grabbed her hair and tossed it to the floor.

Clunk.

The sound of something falling. The wig.

My breath caught in my throat.

“A… A wig…!?”

I looked closely at her face.

A man…!

“What the hell is going on!? Why are you cross-dressing…!?”

I was in a panic. I didn't understand. What was happening!?

“Could it be that you’re some kind of perverted freak!?”

“You're the pervert!”

Came the reply from both the boy’s voice and Kagura's.

My mind was burning with heat. I couldn't make sense of it. What were they saying!?

“Shut up! And Kagura-chan! Why are you here!?”

I pointed at Kagura and demanded an answer.

But Ranko ignored me and suddenly started walking deeper into the room.

“Hey, wait, where are you going?”

Anxiety welled up inside me.

Ranko didn't turn around. She silently made her way to the back of the room.

What is she doing…? A bad feeling gripped my chest.

She entered the back room and began rummaging around. I saw her crouching next to the bed, as though searching through her bag, confirming something.

I held my breath.

Finally, Ranko slowly stood up, clutching something in both hands.

What she held was a hidden camera—

My thoughts scrambled as my whole body froze.

“…!!”

A feeling like my heart was being tightly squeezed overwhelmed me, and I couldn't breathe.

This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.

My brain was burning with heat, and I felt as though the blood in my body was reversing. I couldn't bring myself to believe the sight before me.

Without thinking, I snatched the equipment from Ranko's hands. I grabbed it forcefully and impulsively slammed it to the floor!!

Crash!

A deafening sound echoed as the equipment shattered mercilessly on the floor.

But that wasn't enough. My breathing became erratic. The anger and confusion boiling inside me clashed.

“You bastards… Could it be that you’re all in on this!?”

In a fit of rage, I stepped on the scattered shards again and again. The broken pieces of equipment scattered across the floor as I stomped them to pieces.

But it still wasn't enough. The frustration swirling in my chest didn't subside.

“Don't mess with me…! What is this…!?”

I stomped harder. With each dry snap of the broken pieces, the trembling in my body intensified.

A cold, disdainful gaze looked down at me.

“It's useless. The data has been backed up and saved.”

Her tense voice dropped into the room.

My thoughts froze, and my mind turned blank as if it had burned out.

“What…!?”

I gasped for air, my throat making a sharp sound.

My vision swayed. The walls, the floor—everything looked unstable, distorting in my view. Despair and fear clashed within me, cold sweat running down my spine.

A cold voice seemed to mock me, ringing in my ears.

“…Hey, Koda-san. Where’s Akutsu?”

The moment that name was mentioned, my whole body froze like ice.

“Wha… what? Y-yeah! Why hasn’t Akutsu come back yet!?”

But as I looked at her, Kaguya smirked. A chill ran down my spine at her expression.

“Dammit…! Akutsu!! Where is Akutsu?!”

If he comes… he should help me…!

“Oh, too bad, he's probably sleeping soundly somewhere by now. He won’t be back for a while, I think?”

Impossible. That can’t be right.

The words of denial echoed in my mind over and over, but nothing in reality changed.

“Impossible… Akutsu…? There’s no way he’d… leave me like this!”

“You have no allies, Koda-san.”

The boy’s words were cold, stabbing into me like a sharp knife.

I could feel strength draining from my body. My legs wobbled, and my knees almost gave way.

This has to be a joke… There’s no way…

But despite my confusion, Kaguya's cold voice dealt another blow.

“If you don't want this exposed, you know what you have to do, right?”

My heart raced, and I felt a tightening sensation in my chest.

“…Y-you mean… the case with Tono Shiho?”

The words came out with an unexpected rasp, even I was surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded.

My shoulders slumped, and I hung my head. I couldn't think. I had forgotten how to breathe, and only the sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears as silence enveloped me.

What do I do? What should I do?

But my thoughts were a blur, my mind clouded as if in a fog.

“That's right, and also, never… no, never get involved with me… with us again!”

Kaguya turned to the boy as she spoke.

I looked up, trembling.

“We are all Hajime's now!! You're not needed!!”

Kaguya's face was filled with rage.

In that moment, something inside me twisted.

She looked so beautiful, it sent a shiver down my spine. My body trembled.

“Heh… heh heh…”

I started laughing.

“Ugh…”

Hajime, Ranka, and Kaguya all grimaced.

“Le-let’s go, Hajime.”

“Y-yeah, let's go, Ranka.”

“Y-yes…”

Hajime… wait! Hajime… Could it be you?!

Rangaku…

The name slowly took form in my mind. It was like a piece of the puzzle that had always been vague was finally falling into place.

My vision swayed again.

The voice I had heard somewhere before—yes, that's right, the voice of that foolish rabbit from the press conference.

The same voice that had sounded so frivolous back then now echoed right in front of me.

Blood drained from my face.

This guy… Rangaku… Hajime…!?

Before I could shout, the three of them left the room.

The door slammed shut.

As the silence descended, my knees gave way once more, crumbling to the floor.

My fingertips wandered aimlessly in the air, unable to grasp anything, just slicing through empty space.

All the strength drained from my body, and I sank into the floor. Cold sweat slid down my back, and the sound of my heartbeat reverberated in my ears.

…Everything's been taken from me.

My control, my plans, everything… by that man.

All the strength left my body, and my shoulders trembled. Was it anger or despair that shook me?

But—

Suddenly, Aoi's words crossed my mind.

“We… we're acquaintances of Hajime-sensei.”

“We've known him since we were kids.”

In that moment, my face twisted again.

…It's not over yet.

I won't let it end like this.

A laugh, suppressed deep in my throat, bubbled up.

I slowly looked down at my watch.

“It's twelve now… just a few hours left…”

My fingers trembled. But this time, it was different.

A smile twisted on my lips.

“Heh… heh heh… heh heh heh…”

A smile, filled with madness, rose from the depths of my throat.

Ah, how should I handle this?

That easygoing girl, Aoi Tachibana.

How should I twist that pure, clean face?

I'm not going to let her play along with my tastes… I'll ruin her, as a woman, I'll destroy Aoi Tachibana.

Nothing can stop me now.

“I'll make you regret this, Sensei…”

I stood up, laughing madly.

“Heh… ha ha ha… ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

—The real conclusion to this story will be decided by me…