"So… where is it?" I asked.
I did not look at either of them when I said it. I just spoke into the night, half expecting an answer to come back naturally.
When you are walking in a group and ask a question, who are you really asking?
You ask the group itself.
Like when you say, "Where are we eating today?" or "What should we do next?"
You throw the question into the air, assuming it will land somewhere.
Yet somehow, it always lands on one person.
Why is that?
"Well, it's about ten minutes from here," Kudo said, like it was obvious he would be the one to answer.
Ayumi kept walking ahead of us. She did not look back. The streetlights above made her blond hair appear darker, almost muted. She blended into the night in a quiet way. Like she was there, but not demanding attention.
It felt awkward.
"Um… Ayumi?" I said.
"Yes?" she replied immediately.
"You do not like… long hair?"
She answered without hesitation. "No."
That was it.
I blinked. "That was fast."
She tilted her head slightly. "You asked."
"Yeah, but… why?"
"I just prefer short hair."
"Oh. Okay."
Kudo leaned closer. "Short hair looks nice on you."
"Thanks," Ayumi said calmly.
And that was the end of that.
No reaction at all.
We reached the karaoke place soon after. Neon lights above the entrance. Music leaked out through the walls in muffled chaos. I hesitated at the door.
Ayumi stepped forward without a word.
She talked to the cashier. She booked the room. She handled the payment. Kudo and I stood there like background characters, nodding when needed.
I was slightly impressed. Slightly embarrassed.
When we finally stepped into the room, Kudo's eyes lit up.
"This looks insane," he shouted.
Ayumi checked the screen. "We have the room for two hours."
"T two?" I said. "That is way too much!"
"Your friend wanted as much time as possible with you," she said, looking at the screen.
"Kudo."
"What? It's my duty to cheer you up. We are super best friends."
We are NOT best friends.
"Fine," I muttered. "Thank you."
Kudo immediately grabbed the remote. "Let's start."
He picked a song before either of us could react.
He sang.
Horribly.
It was impressive, actually. The kind of singing that made you question how sound worked. Ayumi stared at him for a solid ten seconds before covering her mouth. For a brief moment, I thought she was going to snap.
She did not.
But she came close.
After one song of pure suffering, the mic was handed to me.
"Uh… I cannot really sing," I said.
Ayumi looked at me. "After Kudo, I believe you can."
So she can joke.
"Hey," Kudo protested. "I sang amazingly."
I scrolled through the song list, choosing something simple. Something safe.
I sang.
Badly.
My voice shook. I avoided eye contact. I was painfully aware of every wrong note.
I did not realize I got a message from Ichika.
"You sing bad, but compared to him… you should go pro," Ayumi said.
"Thanks?"
"You were great," Kudo said. "Do not listen to her."
It was Ayumi's turn.
"No," she said.
"What?" Kudo stared.
"You must."
"I am not a good singer."
"So what?"
She looked at me.
I hesitated. "I think you should."
"No."
That was that.
An hour passed with just me and Kudo taking turns. Ayumi ordered pizza. We sat on the couch, eating quietly.
"So," Kudo said, mouth full. "Are you cheered up yet?"
"Yeah," I said. "Thanks."
Ayumi spoke suddenly. "Are you in a relationship, Yamamoto?"
"What?" I nearly choked. "N-no."
"Well, Nakamura is clearly into you."
"She is not," I said quickly. "We are just friends."
"It looks like you are into her though," Kudo added.
"You are not helping."
"Do you like her?" he asked.
"What does that matter?" I snapped. "I thought you wanted to deal with serious stuff."
Ayumi leaned forward slightly. "I did some digging."
"…What?"
"I can tell when someone is a walking red flag."
That set me off.
"You cannot say that after one interaction," I said, my voice sharp, cutting through the room. "You cannot just decide who someone is after one moment."
Ayumi looked at me, unreadable.
"Do not talk about Ichika like that," I continued, louder now. "You do not know her. You have no right to say things like that!"
"Kenji, calm down," Kudo said, uneasy.
"No!!" I shot back, turning on him. "You calm down! Both of you. You hear one rumor and suddenly you think you understand everything."
"That is not what we meant," Kudo said.
"It is exactly what you meant," I said, my voice rising despite myself. "One look and suddenly she is suspicious. Suddenly she is dangerous."
My chest felt tight. Hot.
Ayumi shifted slightly, but stayed silent.
"A lot of people like her," I went on. "Do you think that happens by accident. Do you think people just trust someone for no reason."
"Kenji," Kudo said again, firmer. "Lower your voice."
"I am sick of this," I said. "I am sick of people talking about her like she is some problem that needs to be solved."
My hands were shaking now. I noticed it. I hated that I noticed it.
"You do not know anything about her." I said. "You do not know anything…"
The words kept coming, messy and uncontrolled.
The room was tense. Thick. Kudo looked like he wanted to disappear.
Ayumi stood up.
"Quiet." She said it firmly.
That was all she said.
My mouth shut immediately. My chest was still rising and falling fast, but no sound came out. Even Kudo froze.
My ears rang. My throat burned. The anger had nowhere to go now, trapped inside my chest.
I looked away first.
Not because I lost the argument.
"I am not attacking her," Ayumi said slowly. "And I am not attacking you."
I clenched my fists.
"But you are yelling because you are scared," she continued. "And because you are protecting something you do not fully understand yet."
"That is not true," I said, my voice still loud but weaker now.
"It is," she replied. "And that is why you need to stop talking and start listening."
My heart was still racing. My head was still burning.
"Yamamoto," she said "Listen. As your friend, I said I would help you."
She admits we're friends?
"The rumors about you and Nakamura from the party. They will fade. The fight too. But we found out who started them."
My chest tightened.
"Who?"
"A girl from our class," Kudo said.
"Misaki Ishikawa," Ayumi added.
"She hates Nakamura," Kudo continued. "She is popular. Has connections."
"She said she wants Nakamura to die," Ayumi said.
The room went cold.
"…Why?" I whispered.
"For now, there is nothing we can do," Kudo said.
So that was why we came?
"How do you know it was her?"
"I overheard her talking," Ayumi said. "She was badmouthing Nakamura openly."
I rubbed my face. "I do not understand any of this."
"It is okay, Kenji," Kudo said.
I noticed he used my first name, I kinda feel uncomfortable to call Kudo… Haruto… I'll probably won't.
Ayumi spoke again. "One more thing."
I did not respond.
"Nakamura is from a bad family," she said.
"…Okay."
"There is no proof yet," Kudo said. "But her father owns a company."
"How big?"
"About… one hundred billion yen."
My breath caught.
"…W-What?"
"Yes," Ayumi said. "Around that much."
So Ichika is rich.
That was my first thought. And then the second. That must be nice.
But when I really thought about it, it did not match her at all. She never dressed loudly. Nothing flashy. Nothing that screamed money. If you passed her on the street, you would never guess.
but.. why is it bad?
"B-But why is it bad..?" I stated, something didn't want me to ask that. so I didn't ask.
"There are… speculations," Kudo said carefully. "About Ichika's father."
Ayumi finished the sentence. "He is not a good person."
"So what?" I said immediately. "Ichika is nice."
"Yamamoto," Ayumi said, her voice heavier now. "Her father is a shady businessman."
"So what?" I snapped. "What does that have to do with me?"
Ayumi sighed. Not annoyed. Just tired.
"Think."
Kudo looked at me, hopeful. Like he was waiting for something to click.
Think.
The one thing I am supposedly good at.
Ichika's father is shady.
Ichika's father has connections.
There are rumors spreading about Ichika.
There is a girl who hates her.
So what.
So what.
So wha-
I stopped.
Something aligned in my head, slowly and painfully.
Businessmen. Criminals. Rumors.
I swallowed.
"…I think I know," I said.
"Yes," Kudo said instantly. "I knew Kenji would get it. You get five seconds of screen time in my new anime."
"What?"
"So?" Ayumi said, ignoring him.
I took a breath. "You are saying… if someone from Ichika's family hears about the rumors Misaki is spreading…"
I hesitated.
"I'm cooked."
"Boiled to death," Ayumi said flatly.
My heart dropped.
I was right.
"But how could this be true?" I said. "There is no proof."
"There is," Kudo said.
He took out his phone.
"During our digging, a picture of Ichika's father was uploaded to social media."
"Okay," I said weakly. "So?"
"Look."
He handed me the phone.
"What am I supposed to see?"
"The man on the left. Blue suit," Kudo said. "That is her father."
I stared at the image.
"And he is shaking hands with… gangsters?"
"Not just any," Ayumi said. "All of them are serving life sentences. Most for murder."
My head felt light.
"But they are all gone, right?" I said desperately.
Ayumi looked at me. "Do you think that is all of them?"
"How do you even know that is her father!"
"Well dude they have the same last name so that must be it!" Kudo said
"there is another picture. Him and Nakamura when she was a kid. Is that enough proof?"
I stared at the screen again.
I wanted it to be fake.
I wanted to laugh and call it stupid.
But my hands were shaking.
"Like… you could actually die if the wrong people hear about this," Kudo said.
You are not helping.
Die.
That word did not belong anywhere near me.
"I would run and hide in another country," Ayumi said calmly.
"What…"
"Okay that is not funny," Kudo said quickly. "We need to help him."
"I know," Ayumi replied.
I lowered my head.
"So what do I do?" I asked.
My voice sounded small.
"If we cannot stop the rumors at the source," Ayumi said, "then it is a matter of time before it's over."
So much… Despair…
I felt something burning behind my eyes.
Why me.
Why you have to be this complicated.
Why you won't stay simple.
Why you won't just listen.
I pressed my fists into my legs and tried not to cry.
And failed.