In the quiet dining room, after we silently finished eating our sushi, Dad opened his mouth heavily.
“Yoko, you were bullying Kurokawa-kun, weren’t you?”
Mom also turned a cold gaze toward me.
“When we heard about it, Kurokawa-kun was the one protecting you, wasn’t he? Why would you do such a thing?”
Kurokawa-kun. I remember playing happily with him and Tetsuya Fujisaki so much back in elementary school that we could almost be called childhood friends.
However, around the third grade of elementary school as a turning point, Tetsuya became tyrannical against the background of his wealthy family.
As a result, friends including Kurokawa quietly distanced themselves from Tetsuya.
Even if Kurokawa ended up in the same class as Tetsuya in high school, he should have maintained a moderate distance, exchanging just greetings.
And yet, why did things turn out like that?
——”It’s my fault.”
Surrounded by people who were scared, everyone looked away while I was being hugged by Tetsuya and touched all over.
Only one person, Kurokawa-kun, pulled that hand away and warned him.
That was the trigger for everything.
After that, dazzled by the money and items Tetsuya gave me, I became Tetsuya’s girlfriend.
Worried about me becoming flashy, the presence of Kurokawa-kun, who called out to me, gradually began to feel annoying.
To win favor with Tetsuya, I joined him in mocking and trampling on Kurokawa.
It’s my fault—
Before things came to this, if I had told Kurokawa, “I’m dating Tetsuya, so don’t bother me anymore,” Kurokawa might have stopped caring about me.
“Leave Kurokawa alone already”—if I could just say those words, the bullying against Kurokawa might have ended.
Yet, I did nothing.
No, it wasn’t that I didn’t move.
Drunk on the position of being Tetsuya’s girlfriend, I willingly moved to the perpetrator’s side.
Because whenever I hurt Kurokawa, Tetsuya would laugh happily.
It wasn’t just me. The kids in the class also targeted Kurokawa all at once.
Surely everyone was scared of Tetsuya out of self-preservation and needed a human sacrifice.
The one who became that human sacrifice was Kurokawa.
It’s not just my sin.
I told my parents the excuses I had come up with, just like that.
Dad and Mom exchanged chilling glances with each other.
“What you did is the worst. But since Kurokawa-kun himself is missing, there’s no way to apologize.”
“That’s right… I hope he isn’t dead.”
“Dead…? Kurokawa-kun?”
My voice goes up an octave.
“You!”
Dad lets out a reproachful voice, but Mom calmly states.
“Well, he’s missing, isn’t he? In cases like this, there’s a high probability they’ve taken their own life. Maybe he even committed a double suicide with Tetsuya’s mother, who felt responsible.”
“Mom, that’s spreading too many rumors.”
Suicide. No way, that can’t be.
“You should assume the worst-case scenario.”
At Mom’s words, Dad gave a small nod.
“……That’s right. Oh well, right now it’s about you rather than Kurokawa-kun, whose life or death is uncertain. Yoko, what do you want to do from now on?”
“What do I want to do… I don’t know what I should do.”
Really, I didn’t know anything.
“Let’s organize the options one by one. First, do you have any intention of marrying Tetsuya? If you drop out of high school, it’s the same as having a middle school diploma. Financial hardship in the future is clear as day.”
“But honey, if Misako, Tetsuya’s mother, is found, it’s a different story. At worst, if we wait 7 years after the disappearance, there’s a possibility a massive inheritance will fall into our laps. If Yoko can endure until she turns 25, there’s also the option of holding out until then.”
“Indeed, that makes sense… But if we completely cut ties here, there might be a marriage proposal with even better conditions. Yoko, what do you want to do?”
Did I really love Tetsuya?
At first, I hated him.
I hated being touched like a groping man, and I didn’t even want to talk to him.
But luxury dinners out of reach for high schoolers, high-end brands bought on a whim and 1 million yen.
I sold my soul to that dazzling brilliance.
If I strip the money away from Tetsuya, what on earth will be left?
The one I was in love with wasn’t the human named Tetsuya, but the money behind him.
If I wait 7 years, money in the form of property might be mine again.
However, by that time I will be 25 years old.
Calming down, there is no guarantee that Tetsuya, having gotten his hands on a huge fortune, will love me as his wife just as I am.
I feel like Tetsuya’s treatment of me has been getting worse and worse.
Maybe a future awaits where I’ll be used and thrown away.
Above all, for the next 7 years, can I endure a life of poverty? …Probably impossible.
I don’t want to go to Hokkaido.
“I can’t endure 7 years. Marrying Tetsuya is an absolute no.”
“I see. He said he can no longer stand on the public stage, after all. Hardship is foreseeable, and there’s no guarantee we’ll definitely get the inheritance 7 years later either. Breaking up is probably the wisest choice.”
Dad nodded.
“Well then, the marriage option is out.”
Mom continued.
“Next is the baby in your belly. If you’re not marrying Tetsuya, Mom thinks you should abort it. Since the father has no affection, there’s no way you can love that child. Even if it feels precious now, I think it will be hard to keep loving it in the future.”
“……That’s right. It’s cruel to the baby, but this time… it’s better to give up.”
“……Yeah.”
I’m sorry, my baby.
I don’t have the resolve or the confidence to raise you.
I’m sorry.
“It’s decided then. Yoko, once you finish the procedures for voluntary withdrawal, go and take refuge at Uncle Takuma’s place in Gunma.”
“At Uncle’s house?”
“Yeah. Either way, according to the other party’s account, this matter will become public. Because of the bullying, the mass media might push into here. If you’re not marrying Tetsuya, it’s better to leave this town. Fortunately, we can secure 3 million yen as settlement money. After finishing the abortion surgery and calming your mind and body, you can re-enroll in a correspondence high school over there.”
“That’s good. Bullying and pregnancy… staying here is hell. Even if you escape the eyes of the media, once word gets around that you ‘got pregnant in high school,’ no decent men will come near you. Before your identity is leaked, you should go somewhere nobody knows.”
“……Yeah.”
The next day, Dad called Tetsuya’s uncle to communicate our decision.
Dad asked for my privacy to be protected as much as possible.
The 3-million-yen settlement was immediately wired to Dad’s account.
The moment I confirmed the numbers of the 3-million-yen lineup on Dad’s smartphone screen, I felt as though the thin thread connecting Tetsuya and me had snapped and vanished without a trace.