Arc 1.5 – Episode 7: Encounter with a Nemesis

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[Side: Kyoichi]

One day after we all visited Aria-san’s house, I ended up going on a date with her after she invited me. Yeah, she blackmailed me into being her boyfriend, but a relationship's still a relationship, right? Plus, Ichigo practically shoved me into it, so it wasn't like I had a choice. Gotta play the role, I guess. Apparently, Aria-san had told both Ichigo and Rina-chan about the date—probably just to mess with them or flex a little.

“Have fun, you two!”

Ichigo waved us off, all smiles.

“Could you, um, take some pictures together and send them to me?”

Rina-chan acted like we were some kind of celebrity couple. Whatever. It wasn't a big deal, so I said yeah.

Aria-san planned the entire date, and it seemed like I just needed to bring myself. Honestly, I was a bit anxious, but I figured she wouldn’t go too far, so I did the minimum preparations and headed to the meeting place.

When I arrived, Aria-san was already there. She was wearing a black dress, her expression was somewhat dark, and there was a shiny black luxury car parked beside her, so there were no brave souls trying to hit on her this time.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”

“No, I just got here.”

Isn’t that line usually the other way around? Also, “just got here”—that’s clearly a lie; she’s sweating.

“Is this car from your family, Aria-san?”

“Yes, it’s my family’s car.”

“You could’ve waited inside with the air conditioning on.”

“But then you wouldn’t have found me easily, Kyoichi-san.”

That’s heavy… and hard to comment on.

“Make sure you don’t get heatstroke, alright?”

“Are you worried about me? I’m so happy.”

…She didn’t wait outside just to be worried over, did she?

“Hey! You there! Step away from the lady!”

Suddenly, a voice cut in. I turned around to see a guy around my age.

“You’re bothering her! Stop hitting on her!”

What?

……

Oh, I get it now. He misunderstood me talking to Aria-san as hitting on her. It took me a moment to process because it was so unexpected. I’m too baffled to even respond.

Well, I guess I’ll just explain that we’re meeting up.

“Um, hey, actually—”

“Wait a sec, you’re… Kuzuha Kyoichi, aren’t you?! I need to talk to you about Rina! Come with me!”

Before I could explain, the guy grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

“Ah, um!” Aria-san tried to stop him, but—

“Kakyoin-san! It’s fine! I’ll make sure he stays away from you!”

The guy ignored Aria-san and dragged me off.

Wait, seriously? My date just got canceled by some random guy? And he knows our names… Does that mean he goes to the same high school as us?

While I was debating how to handle the situation, I was taken to a deserted alleyway.

“This should do.”

“So, what did you want to talk about?” I wasn’t exactly mad about my date getting interrupted—more like just confused. Sorry, Aria-san, but there’s nothing I could do here. This was out of my control. I definitely wasn’t happy about losing a date with someone other than Ichigo.

“Listen, I’m telling you for your own good—send Rina back to the Nagaoka family.”

“That’s a bold demand. Who are you to Rina-chan?”

“Don’t call her ‘Rina’ so casually! I’m her brother, Nagaoka Shuuji!”

“Nagaoka? Oh, I see.”

So, he’s from the family Rina-chan lived with before she was adopted by us.

“Do you even understand why Rina-chan came to the Kuzuha household?”

“Is it about the financial support? Then just give her the money! She shouldn’t have to live with someone like you!”

Huh? That money probably came from Ichigo. Does he want to just take the money and run? …No, calm down. He probably doesn't know the whole story.

“…Listen, saying ‘just give the money’ is incredibly rude. Even if we gave the money, how do we know it would actually be used for Rina-chan’s care?”

“My family would never do that!”

“Maybe you think that, but I can't trust it. And now that she’s been adopted, the Kuzuha family is legally obligated to support Rina-chan. We can't just hand over money and call it a day.”

“I’ll work and pay you back! You have no business in her life!”

By “you,” does he mean my entire family? What kind of manners did the Nagaoka family teach him?

“You’re just a student. Your future earning potential is hardly reliable. Besides, you’re missing the point. Telling me won't change anything—the decision was made by our parents.” And Ichigo, though I won't mention that.

“Then tell me where your house is. I’ll meet with your parents and settle this.”

“No. I don't want to introduce a guy like you to my family. If you've got a problem, talk to your own parents.”

“Tch, trying to hide, huh? If you lay a finger on Rina, I'll kill you.”

“Hide”—how does he interpret Rina-chan's adoption, exactly?

Thinking the conversation was over, I started to leave the alley alone. But for some reason, Nagaoka followed me.

“…Why are you following me?”

“I need to make sure you don't mess with Kakyoin-san again. Plus, I might figure out where your house is.”

“The first reason I get, but the second one's stalking. Wanna come to the police station with me?”

“I haven’t done anything wrong, so I don’t care.”

This is pointless. He’s not listening. Fine, I’ll just wander around and shake him off eventually.

My phone has been buzzing nonstop—it's probably Aria-san. But I can't answer while Nagaoka's watching. Sorry, Aria-san, but it looks like we'll have to reschedule the date.

[Side: Aria]

…What the hell?

I can't believe this.

The date I'd been looking forward to for weeks—ruined. Completely ruined. All thanks to some random idiot I don't even know.

I had everything planned out perfectly.

Reservations at a fancy hotel auditorium, a gorgeous restaurant, and a private suite to end the night. We were supposed to watch that new romance movie about a love triangle where the guy picks the exciting new girl over his childhood friend.

Then we'd spend dinner dissecting every moment of it. And finally, we'd get a whole night together in the suite…

Do you even know how much all of that cost me?

Nearly a million yen. A million!

Even if I reschedule, it's going to cost even more. Unlike Ichigo, who's always got Kyoichi-san's attention, I have to juggle my entire schedule just to see him. I even had to ask Grandfather to help cover part of the expense.

And now? Now it's all gone, thanks to some jerk.

How the hell am I supposed to let this slide? That b*****d—how should I make him pay for this?

I've been blowing up Kyoichi-san's phone, calling and messaging him non-stop, but he's not answering. Is he still dealing with that a*****e? He said he wouldn't let me near Kyoichi-san. Is he actually babysitting him all day just to keep us apart?

That has to be it. Why else wouldn't Kyoichi-san answer?

…Damn it. I guess I don't have a choice. I didn't want to stoop to this, but desperate times…

Grinding my teeth, I scrolled past Kyoichi-san's name and called Ichigo instead.

As much as I hate to rely on her, she might know something. That b*****d mentioned Rina by name, so maybe Ichigo or Rina knows who he is.

…

“What? Kyo-kun got dragged off and canceled the date? And he's not even answering his phone? Rina-chan's name came up? If that's the case…”

She figured it out right away. His name is Nagaoka Shuuji.

First-year. Rina's stepbrother.

The moment I heard it, I contacted the school. They sent me his profile, and sure enough, his picture popped up. That face—it's him.

I can't believe scum like him was hiding right under my nose this whole time.

Now that I know who he is, he's screwed.

I'll crush him. I'll come at him from every angle—damages, school reputation, everything he has. He'll regret ever messing with me.

And as for Kyoichi-san? I'm not giving up on him, not by a long shot. I'll rebook those reservations if I have to crawl to do it.

The bill? That b*****d's family can cover it. Every last yen.