Chapter 43
I continued to eat my curry as I recalled what I said, constantly thinking if I went too far . At the same time, I felt that was fine . The producer’s response was okay, so I shouldn’t be worried . I warned myself in my heart as I nibbled on a piece of Fukujinzuke1 .
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Right now, I’m enjoying my lunch break in the cafeteria . The Sumire TV studio has a cafeteria open for general public and a staff canteen for staff only, with the latter usually used by staffs and TV stars . Obviously, I too use the staff canteen . With just 300 to 500 yen, you can get food that can fill your stomach, so I’m quite thankful for it . The food is also not bad, it’s pretty delicious, but the meat they serve is huge . I heard that advertising revenue is declining, but I could only think that they’re using nothing but expensive ingredients in the cafeteria . I wonder if they’re being peppered questions about cost reduction or whatnot . Honestly, it’s quite a luxury .
As I thought of that, I took out my smartphone .
I opened the messaging app and sent a message to King Leo .
[There should be a boy named Saeki in your middle school years . One that was said to be absent from school from the second year . Tell me his address if you know . Rough estimate of the location is fine . If you don’t know, can you ask your former classmates?]
Pretty sure they’re also in a lunch break, so his reply should come quickly .
Spaced out looking at the hallway as I drank my cup of water, the notification sound rings .
[Saeki? Ya looking for him?]
[Yeah . Do you know about his address and first name?]
[It was Saeki Yuuta or something . Idk his address . Never hung out with him anyways . Ah, but I remembered . He got a little sister the same age as Rio . Might know each other . ]
[You think Rio knows where she lives? Go ask . ]
I smiled bitterly, remembering this guy can’t do formal language at all . I get that he’s a delinquent hence his brash language, but I don’t think he’s actually a bad kid . Compared to Gondou who’s a lost cause, King Leo is just slightly deviated from the norm . I’m sure there’s still a saving grace for the boy . Being young sure is easy .
Along with such old-fashioned way of thinking, another message arrived . It’s King Leo again .
[Soz Nakamoto-san . Rio said she ain’t gonna say it for free . ]
[What do you mean?]
[Said you were looking for someone yesterday too so she’s in a bad mood or sth so she wants something back . ]
[Can you persuade her?]
[Nope . She’s turned on her spoiled mode and shit . Can’t talk to her like this . This is what bein an Aniki is all about . You get it right?]
[Nope, I’m an only child so I don’t get you . ]
[Then just imagine a little sister . Anyways, can’t do it . ]
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For now, I understand that I can’t rely on King Leo at the moment .
I sent him a message saying [Good work] and went on to contact Rio .
[Have you heard from King Leo? Why aren’t you helping? I just wanna know the address . Tell me where Saeki’s house is . ]
[What’s it to me?]
The reply was short . I can imagine Rio sending that message sullenly .
[You’ve asked me for two days now . You think I’m a handyman? Isn’t it about time I get paid for what I do?]
I don’t mind paying her back in some form, and I’m also feeling bad for asking her for help a lot .
[I get it]
[Rly?]
[I’ll pay you back sometimes, so lend me your help one more time . Saeki might be the one behind the cloning incident . I really have to meet him . ]
[Depends on the payback]
A bunch of trouble this child .
[What do you want?]
[I wanna go to your house]
The answer’s an obvious no, I replied .
[Why not? I just have to keep it a secret, right?]
[You’re saying you’re gonna hold the fact that you can tell someone about it? I’m not gonna tell you my address . ]
[Then I’m not gonna tell you Saeki’s address]
Touché, Rio . But you’re too weak to pressure . That’s the type of person you are .
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[You just gotta do what I tell you to do . Tell me what you know . ]
[You sure you wanna say that? I’m not gonna tell you . ]
Huh, that doesn’t work…Is she immune to it now? Did she get a shot of vaccination or something?
I stared at the screen wondering what kind of vaccine would cure a masochistic fathercon while Rio continuously sends me messages .
[I went looking for that Ootsuki Ayako girl yesterday, right? Does she like you?]
[Huh?]
[I get her, we’re the same kind anyways . ]
Maybe a direct order doesn’t work because she’s in an interrogation mode . That’s scary .
[What do you call it, a girl’s intuition?]
[Nah I saw that her phone’s standby screen is a peeping photo of you]
Let me rephrase that . Ayako-chan is the one that’s scary . When the hell did she take that picture…
[Did you cheat with a lot of other girls? You get sticky with a lot of other people’s children?]
[That girl was someone on a homestay, wasn’t it?]
[And that Ootsuki girl is someone you know from long ago, right? I asked the girl myself]
Why do I feel like I’m getting attacked? I feel like that time when I was getting surrounded by an Orcish Army .
[I’m the only one who’s different from those girls, right? That’s not fair . Tell me your address, and if you do, you’ll have Saeki’s home address]
A sixteen years old high school girl is going to come to the apartment where another teenage girl is also being sheltered . This is too dangerous .
[Not gonna happen . Can’t tell you what I can’t tell you . ]
[Why? Even after all I said?]
[Forget it, I won’t be asking you . I’ll do it myself . ]
[Eeh? You’re gonna give up?]
[I can’t be following your whims . ]
I’m not playing around here, I said, irritated .
[Are you angry?]
[My lunch break is going to waste . Bye]
[Wait, you’re gonna end the conversation? You’re angry, aren’t you?]
I know Ayako-chan’s address . If it’s school district, Saeki shouldn’t live that far away from the area . I won’t be able to search today since I have work until late, but it’s a day off tomorrow . If I spend my day off searching around, I should be able to find it quickly . Besides, it should be easy if I just ask the neighborhood a . k . a . Ayako-chan’s guardian the shopkeeper . They might just give a straight answer since they might have seen Saeki’s parents from parent-teacher’s meeting at school .
Asking them one by one all the way to the station might take some time, but…playing detectives in my off day, huh . It’s such a chore . Thinking thus, I put my phone on the table .
Right after that, the notification rings again .
[You’ve got mail!]
It’s probably Rio again . Thinking she’s probably not done complaining, I tapped on the screen, and after a while, the white window switched to the colorful SNS screen . Thinking ahead of what abuse she might hurl at me, I noticed that the message wasn’t something I expected it to be .
[I’m sorry]
It was a modest, simple apology . A link was pasted underneath the message . Thinking it’s probably yet another selfie, I pressed on it and what appeared was what I thought it would be; a picture of her exposing her white skin with her shirt lifted up, while her cheek showed a trace of tears .
[You should really stop this . I’m not gonna be happy receiving it anyways]
Her sending me this after a light quarrel would only make me feel even more guilty . She should try to make up with words instead .
[Will you forgive me?]
[I told you I wasn’t angry in the first place . It’s my bad too, Maybe I was upset cus I was hungry so I end up saying it harshly]
[Rly?]
[Really, so stop doing this already . Even if you don’t show me your skin, I won’t abandon you . ]
[I don’t get it]
What don’t you get? I questioned as I tilt my head .
[Men likes these kinds of pictures, right? Am I wrong? Why do you not need it?]
[Of course not . Even if it’s true, I don’t think men needs them all the time, especially risky times around now]
[Mom usually make up with her boyfriend like this though]
[And did her boyfriend forgive her?]
[Yeah]
…The girl’s situation at home is ruining her methods of approaching the opposite gender . Did all this happen because she’s trying to imitate her mother? This is horrible .
[We need to talk at some point . There’s a lot I need to teach you]
[You’ll meet me?]
[In due time]
I ended up sending her my address .
[Listen, if you want to come over, you have got to contact me beforehand . Also, don’t come alone . Bring your brother . If you do that, you can come and play]
[Yeah, I promise . Thanks]
[…So, you’re gonna tell me Saeki’s address, right?]
[Hold on, I’ll ask Kana]
[Kana is Saeki’s little sister?]
[Yep yep]
Several minutes later, I got Saeki’s information through the mail . When I confirmed it through the maps, it’s about 800 meters east of Ayako-chan’s house . Despite living so closely, Ayako-chan never got to know Saeki’s first name or his address…is he that low-profile?