Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094088809262/episodes/16818622171638862943
After finishing breakfast, I was clearing my head while cleaning up the kitchen.
To destroy Shindo, Goto san’s testimony is not enough.
Soichi’s suggestion of “meeting the journalist who wrote that article” was risky, but it could certainly be a breakthrough.
But if Shindo gets wind of it, it will surely be troublesome.
In the living room, Soichi was sitting on the sofa with the phone in his hand, and Yua chan was writing something in her notebook.
“Yuuto kun, is this correct?”
“It’s perfect. Yua chan, you’re really helpful.”
“Anyway, Yuuto. It would be best if you didn’t show yourself out in public too much. It would be troublesome if Shindo found out.”
“But your face is also known to him.”
“He doesn’t have my name.”
Although it’s true that he was an accomplice in the murder and a close friend, there’s no reason for him to go to such lengths…
Could it be something he’s hiding?
“….Soichi, when are you going to tell me about what you’re hiding?” I ask him, and his body reacts with a jerk.
“I think it will be when this matter is settled.”
“Got it. Soichi, I’d appreciate it if you’d be the main person in charge.”
When I replied, Soichi nodded lightly.
But I thought there was a shadow in his eyes for a moment.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and picked up his coffee.
Yua chan gently tugged at my sleeve and said.”
“Yuuto kun, I don’t like to meet scary people, but… if you have to, I’ll do my best.”
At her words, I squeezed her hand back.
“Yua chan, you don’t have to push yourself too hard. But I’m glad you said so.”
Then she looked up at me happily.
◇
The fourth floor of an old building.
I entered the company–a small office with no sign–and after leaving Yua chan there, I knocked on the door to the boss’s office.
The rusty metal door made a dull thud.
“Oh, come in.”
I heard the boss’s blunt voice from inside, and I pushed the door open.
Inside the room was a mixture of cigarette smoke and the smell of old paper.
The walls were yellowed and peeling posters were forcibly attached with cellotape.
From the window, all I could see was the concrete of the building next door, and very little sunlight reached the room.
The boss sat at his desk, staring at an old computer screen.
The wrinkles on his forty-something face look even deeper under the dim fluorescent light.
“All right. What’s up?”
He took one look at my face and immediately narrowed his eyes as if he had guessed something.
“I’ve been doing some research on that detective. Do you know my friend Soichi who you met the other day? He found a clipping of an article…”
As I began to speak, the boss started rummaging through his desk drawer.
“Is that what this is about?”
He said, and then he put that weekly magazine on the desk with a thud.
The cover was faded and the corners were broken.
“Did you know?”
I asked in surprise, and the boss grinned.
“Yeah. Actually, the person who wrote this article is someone I know.”
“I see….”
I was speechless and picked up the weekly magazine.
The feel of the paper was rough, and it felt more real.
“So what? What have you been doing, or what are you gonna do?”
At the sound of the boss’s voice, I looked up from the weekly.
“Well, I met with Goto Kiyotsugu and asked him if he would be willing to testify about his false accusation.”
“Goto Kiyotsugu…. That old man?”
The boss raised his eyebrows a little and muttered as if trying to recall.
“Yeah. He said he could testify as long as I didn’t use any names.”
”…Really? The person I know who wrote this article said he was turned away at the gate.”
“I guess it was a good thing I said it was for personal, not business.”
The boss stroked his chin a little thoughtfully and lit a cigarette.
Smoke billowed up and seeped into the old ceiling.
“Have you heard anything from Aira?”
“No, not yet. You mean Aira’s grandfather, right? He was Shindo’s boss, wasn’t he?”
“Oh, yeah. Well, he was also my father’s acquaintance. He used to come to us with stories that the police couldn’t handle, stories that were covered up with money or power. It’s what they call private punishment. Nowadays, with the Internet, a certain amount of cases get out in the open, but it wasn’t like that in the past. It would be a lie to say that the reason why Aira is employed by us is not because of that.”
“I see.”
I nodded, and the image of Aira’s grandfather came to mind.
He had a stern face, but his eyes also seemed somehow kind.
The boss took a drag on his cigarette and dropped the ashes into the ashtray of the can.
“I don’t know what exactly happened that day either, and I’ll try not to ask. For Aira’s sake. But, if you’re serious, listening to your story might be an option.”
“…..Yes.”
Those words echoed heavily in my chest.
“And one more thing. I’m gonna take care of Shindo myself soon.”
“Take care? What do you mean?”
I leaned forward and asked, and the boss narrowed his eyes.
“You somehow know that he was trying to destroy our company, don’t you? That’s why he tried to intimidate you and take advantage of my weakness.”
His words made my mind go blank for a moment.
That wasn’t an act aimed at the boss personally, but to destroy the company itself.
But for what…?
“Well, it’s a long story to tell. That’s what I’m trying to say in a nutshell. So, there’s no need to force me to look into it. And if you wanna join me, I’ll think about it.”
Am I going to kill again like I did that time?
Shindo is a scumbag no matter how you look at it.
He is a bad guy who falsely accused and ruined someone’s life, he knew about Yua chan’s family situation and didn’t help her, he is just a bad guy who thinks he is righteous.
That’s why I wanted to bring him to justice in the end.
But killing him…something stuck in my mind.
“Have you decided on a specific date?”
“Hm? Well…next month at the earliest. At the latest, I’d like to finish within two months.”
One or two months?
“I understand. If you can throw him in jail, would you be okay with that?”
“That’s fine, but if he comes out after serving his sentence, I’ll do it, if that’s okay with you.”
“….Yes. Yes, that’s fine.”
My voice trembled a little, but I managed to say it out.
While we were talking, the door to the boss’s office suddenly opened with a bang.
The rusty hinges screeched and the air became tense.
“Senpai !”
Appearing there was Aira, looking panicked.
She was breathing on her shoulders and seemed to be a different person from her usual calm self.
“What’s wrong, you look so flustered.”
The boss pushed his cigarette into the ashtray and raised an eyebrow.
“Rinoha…! She’s gone !”
“…Huh?”
[Illustration.]
[https://kakuyomu.jp/users/tanakamatao01/news/16818622171808371408]
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