Kazumi Takenaka was fortunate in one regard: no direct physical evidence linked her to the crime. However, she was a cunning woman. Seeing Toshihiko Takasugi's world crumble, she chose to save herself by turning on him instantly.
Kiyonaga Matsumoto was a high-ranking Superintendent, and Toshihiko, despite being a pathetic failure, was still the heir to the Takasugi Conglomerate. Arresting him required solid proof, but someone like Kazumi was far easier to squeeze. Besides, Toshihiko was almost certain to implicate her once he started talking.
Realizing her precarious position, Kazumi's expression shifted rapidly from shock to a facade of desperate victimhood. She collapsed to the floor, her voice trembling with a mixture of rehearsed hatred and despair. "It was all Toshihiko! He forced me into this! He was the mastermind; I was just following his orders!"
Toshihiko's eyes bulged as he stared at the woman who had been moaning beneath him just hours prior. His breathing became heavy and ragged. If Kazumi hadn't been whispering poison into his ear for years, he might never have found the resolve to kill Sayuri. But it was too late for regrets.
Seven years ago, when Kazumi and Sayuri were still in university, Toshihiko discovered that his girlfriend, Kazumi, had a best friend she'd known since high school—Sayuri Matsumoto. She was the daughter of the policeman who had effectively killed his mother twenty years ago. That discovery reignited the dormant flames of vengeance in his heart.
He had broken up with Kazumi to pursue Sayuri. Having finally snared a wealthy heir, Kazumi hadn't been willing to let go. After she persisted in stalking him, Toshihiko eventually revealed his true motive.
Sayuri surpassed Kazumi in every way—looks, height, personality, and family status. For years, Kazumi's jealousy had festered in the shadows. When the opportunity for revenge appeared, her envy flared into a murderous obsession. She goaded Toshihiko into killing Sayuri, calling it the ultimate revenge against Kiyonaga—letting him experience the agony of losing his only family.
In reality, Kazumi just wanted Sayuri dead so she could reclaim Toshihiko, marry into the Takasugi fortune, and live a life of luxury while erasing the woman who made her feel inferior. Toshihiko, weak-willed and easily manipulated, had fallen right into her trap. Between their sessions in bed, he had agreed to the plan. They chose the wedding day specifically to satisfy Kazumi's sick sense of irony.
The plan was perfect on paper, but the execution was a disaster. The poison was set, but Sayuri hadn't taken a single sip, and now they were both caught.
Looking at the sobbing Kazumi on the floor, Toshihiko felt a wave of cold indifference wash over him. He lowered his head, his face mask-like. "Fine," he whispered. "It was all me. I did it."
Suddenly, a blur of motion swept past Yuu. The towering Kiyonaga Matsumoto lunged forward, grabbing Toshihiko by the collar and hoisting him off the ground. "Why?!" he roared. "Why would you do this to Sayuri?!"
Dangling in the air, Toshihiko let out a chilling laugh. "Why? Because I wanted you to feel the same grief I felt." He looked at Kiyonaga's face, savoring the horror. "Do you remember twenty years ago? You were chasing a criminal. Your car slammed into my mother. She was innocent!"
"She was still alive!" Toshihiko's veins throbbed in his neck. "If you had taken her to the hospital immediately, she would have lived! I begged you, but you ignored me! You kept chasing the suspect! I watched my mother take her last breath on the side of the road fifteen minutes later!"
Kiyonaga's grip slackened. He looked stunned, his face pale.
"Superintendent, is this true?" Inspector Megure stepped forward, his expression complex.
Kiyonaga bowed his head, his voice thick with old sorrow. "Yes... I was so focused on the arrest. I didn't realize the suspect's car had hit someone. I chased him after he ditched the car. By the time I went back to investigate the accident, the survivors had moved away."
"I only had my mother," Toshihiko spat. "Thanks to you, I was an orphan. But I was lucky. The Takasugi family, having no children of their own, adopted me." In Japan, being an adopted heir was common, giving the adoptee full inheritance rights. "Seven years ago, when I found out your daughter was Kazumi's best friend, the fire for revenge came back."
His face twisted into a mask of pure malice. "You have no idea how excited I was to find out Sayuri was your only child. Your only weakness!"
"So that's why you dumped Kazumi to pursue me?" Sayuri asked, her voice cold and flat.
Kazumi continued her act, wailing, "I'm so sorry, Sayuri... I just loved Toshihiko too much..."
"That's right!" Toshihiko laughed manically. "I never loved you, Sayuri! It was all for revenge! You wouldn't even let me touch a finger to your skin, but I didn't care! Because I was fucking your 'best friend' every single day! Hahaha!"
Sayuri took a deep breath. She felt the warmth of Yuu's semen still inside her, a secret comfort against the vitriol being spewed at her. She looked at the pathetic pair with utter disgust. "What does that have to do with me? You two belong together—in a prison cell. Rot in hell."
Kiyonaga, burdened by guilt, looked at Toshihiko. "If you wanted revenge, why not kill me? Sayuri was innocent."
"Because if you died, you wouldn't feel the pain! I wanted you to live the rest of your miserable life haunted by the guilt of your daughter's death!" Toshihiko sneered. "Besides, she was just after the Takasugi money anyway. She didn't love me, yet she accepted the proposal. She's not innocent."
"My family might not be as rich as yours, but I've never wanted for money," Sayuri said, stepping forward. "Don't project your filth onto me. I only said yes because I was tired of being nagged to marry, and because I wanted to repay the kindness of the boy who protected me when I was a child."
She briefly explained the childhood connection and the lemon tea. "But the more I saw of you, the more disappointed I became. I even started to hate the taste of lemon tea. That's why I didn't drink it today. Your plan failed because you're pathetic."
With that, Sayuri turned and walked away, leaving Toshihiko and Kazumi staring at her elegant, retreating back.
The Takasugi family lawyer stepped forward immediately. "This incident is an grave insult to the Matsumoto family. Toshihiko will be officially disowned and removed from the family register. We will cooperate fully with the police."
The Takasugi Conglomerate was already on the decline; they had no intention of protecting a failed murderer who had offended the police chief.