Episode 142: If We All Carry It Together

「So, since you’re asking about that, did something happen?」

Now, how should I tell Nishikawa-san?

I could just tell her the truth, but when explaining things to someone who knows nothing, I’d have to start from the very beginning, including everything about me.

「Hmm… to explain it simply… I know! Sara, lend me your phone. Takanashi-kun, come over here for a sec.」

I guess it’s necessary to explain about me and Yamazaki.

I should say it directly rather than leaving it to Sara-san.

Natsumi-senpai took the phone from Sara-san and stepped to the side. As I tried to move next to Sara-san to take her place, I thought I saw Natsumi-senpai give a little smirk for a split second.

Just as I was about to sit down, Natsumi-senpai gave me a light shove from behind.

「Whoa!」

I lost my balance and ended up basically falling into Sara-san’s arms.

「Ah! …Kazunari-san, are you okay?」

Sara-san spread her arms to catch me, hugging me close, and then she just held on tight.

「Natsumi!! What if Kazunari-san got hurt…?」

Sara-san started to scold Natsumi-senpai, but her voice trailed off.

What’s up?

「Eri-rin, can you see?」

「Ha…? Eh, e-e-e-eeeeh!!!」

Nishikawa-san’s scream, or rather, a cry of pure shock, echoed through the phone.

「S-Sara, what happened to your hatred of men?! No, wait, did you just hug him yourself?! Eh? Eh? Hold on, Natsumi, explain this!」

「You can see for yourself, can’t you? You and I both got beaten to the punch.」

Even for an introduction, this felt like a bit much.

I wanted to bury my face in my hands thinking about how I was supposed to greet Nishikawa-san after this. Well, Sara-san was already doing the burying for me, I guess.

「No way… Sara actually… I totally thought she’d be the last one… I thought it’d be impossible for her for the foreseeable future.」

I could hear Nishikawa-san’s voice vibrating with agitation.

I guess showing a friend a scene like this out of nowhere would be a huge shock.

By the way, Sara-san, could you let go of me soon?

When I tried to move a bit to pull away, Sara-san put a little more strength into her hug and squeezed me.

Ah, so I’m still not allowed to leave…

「As you can see, Sara is totally lovey-dovey with her boyfriend. She’s like a different person, she’s so sweet.」

「Natsumi, we’ll talk about you pushing Kazunari-san later. Eri, sorry for the late report. Actually… well, I’m with Kazunari-san…」

No, I should be the one to say this properly as a greeting.

I’m gonna need her help from here on out, so I can’t keep showing such a pathetic side of myself forever.

「Sara-san, let me say the rest. Also… if you could let go…」

Hearing my voice, Sara-san let me go. Seeing her reluctant expression made me feel a little bad, but anyway, I had to talk to Nishikawa-san.

Since Natsumi-senpai was still pointing the phone this way, I guess she wanted me to talk just like this.

I faced Nishikawa-san on the screen properly.

「Nice to meet you, Nishikawa-san. I’m Takanashi Kazunari. I’ve been officially dating Sara-san since last month.」

When I said that, Sara-san put her hand on my arm and leaned in close.

「Eri, I’m sorry for the delay. I want to prioritize other things right now, so let’s talk about this more another time.」

「…Alright. But make it tonight. I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t hear the details soon.」

She gave Sara-san a reply in a slightly lighter tone.

It looks like she’s willing to prioritize the main topic.

Nishikawa-san’s expression tightened, becoming serious.

「Takanashi-san, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Nishikawa Eri. I have lots of things I want to ask you too, but let’s save that for next time. So, since you’re showing your face, does that mean you’re the one involved with Yamazaki?」

「Yes. To be precise, it’s not just me. There are several women who were treated lightly and told they were just playthings by Yamazaki.」

Then I gave a brief explanation of what Yamazaki and Yuzuha had done to me in the past, the current situation, and about Tachikawa-san and Hanako-san, along with the photos and RAIN history.

「…Heh. So he was hitting on me while he had a girlfriend. He really looked down on me, didn’t he?」

Nishikawa-san let out a faint, cold laugh.

The atmosphere was a bit scary; she kind of reminded me of Sara-san when she’s angry.

But it seemed she believed what I said.

I didn’t expect her to believe me so easily.

「From what I’ve heard, he sounds like an enemy of women. It seems like there are lots of other little details too. So, Takanashi-san, what do you want from me? Or rather, what do you want to do to Yamazaki?」

「Eri-rin, are you okay with trusting him so easily? Is it possible you were being tricked by Yamazaki?」

Natsumi-senpai cut in with a light tone.

I’d felt that too, but she didn’t have to go out of her way to say something that might stir up trouble…

「Of course I’m gonna believe a story from Sara’s precious person. There’s no way a man chosen by that Sara could be untrustworthy.」

「Thank you, Eri. Kazunari-san has been voluntarily taking care of the flowerbed you left behind all by himself since before we even met, you know? Even without being thanked by anyone, he just kept doing it silently.」

Man, when she puts it like that, it sounds so beautified. It’s embarrassing.

I mean, it’s true I didn’t have any ulterior motives or a desire to be praised, but I didn’t exactly have some grand, noble spirit about it either.

「Well, I’m grateful to him for looking after my children. I owe you my thanks. In that case, I’d like to help you even more. Is there anything I can do?」

「Thank you. Then, first, please join our discussion so we can think about what’s possible.」

And so, from here, the first strategy meeting including Nishikawa-san began.

Especially regarding Yamazaki, Nishikawa-san is currently the only one who can deal the most damage, so there’d be a lot to ask of her.

「I see. As evidence of involvement in a crime, it’s weak, but there’s no doubt he introduced a victim to a sex offender. I understand. Since this is a perfect opportunity for me too, I’ll ask my father about various things so we can use this incident as a foothold.」

If this goes well, not only will Nishikawa-san be able to cut her personal ties with Yamazaki, but depending on the situation, it could involve Yamazaki’s parents and their company.

If that happens, it might literally lead to their ruin.

But is it really okay to go that far?

This isn’t just a personal level story anymore. Even though there’s a possibility of it becoming a major incident, I’m just easily saying「please do it」…

Sara-san, who pulled me close from the side, had a complex expression on her face.

She seemed to notice my internal conflict and looked like she wanted to say something.

But Nishikawa-san spoke up first.

「…Takanashi-san, it’s only natural to hesitate when things become too big. In fact, anyone who could just coolly say they’ll do everything right now might be a big shot, but they’d get their comeuppance eventually. So, you’re fine just the way you are. Besides, this isn’t just your problem. As the Nishikawa Group, it’s unthinkable to favor a partner who is a high-risk factor, let alone a dangerous one. Thanks to you, we can prevent such a disadvantage before it happens.」

Nishikawa-san was telling me that I didn’t need to take all the responsibility.

The story had grown beyond the individual level, and I was bewildered by the scale, but the important things hadn’t changed.

Protecting Sara-san.

Keeping danger away from Sara-san.

「Takanashi-kun, I’m in on your plan. So if there’s any responsibility, I’ll take half of it.」

「I feel the same way about wanting revenge on Yamazaki. So, not half, but one-third.」

「I’m the one who introduced Takanashi-kun to Yoko and the others! Of course I’m participating, so it’s one-fourth.」

Hanako-san, Tachikawa-san, and Todo-san each stood up and announced their part.

「Oh, I’m participating too, so don’t leave me out. One-fifth.」

「Since Sasagawa Yuzuha is targeting me, Yamazaki is definitely gonna be involved. Don’t leave out the parties involved. One-sixth.」

Natsumi-senpai and Hayato followed suit.

「Since I’m the one executing it, I should actually have the biggest share. I’ll make it one-seventh for now, though.」

Nishikawa-san announced her part with a slightly dissatisfied look.

「Hey, hey, don’t go forgetting about me. Or rather, let me participate even if it’s just over the phone. I’ll need a detailed explanation later, but make it one-eighth.」

Yuji appeared on Natsumi-senpai’s phone; she must’ve called him at some point.

「Honestly, even though it’s my role to carry Kazunari-san’s burdens with him, please don’t just distribute them however you like. That said, if it reduces the load on Kazunari-san, I suppose it’s fine. I’ll compromise and make it one-ninth.」

And Sara-san, still holding me, made her declaration.

One-ninth… about 11%.

If we split it between everyone, the responsibility is only a little over ten percent each.

It becomes that small, huh…

「Kazunari-san, you don’t need to shoulder everything yourself. I’m here… everyone is with you. So, just do as you think best… I’ll follow you wherever you go.」

Chu…

Sara-san kissed my cheek and gave me a dazzling smile.

「Good luck. You’ll be fine, Kazunari-san.」

I’m gonna protect this smile.

If it’s for Sara-san, I know I can do it.

Regarding the Yamazaki matter, Nishikawa-san decided to handle it for now, so we decided to wait for her results and then have our next meeting.