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266Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYbyiue5q9
The bar I was invited to is a decent place with decent bartenders but they have to upgrade their security if they want the place to flourish. Sitting down on one of the stools, I nurse my drink whilst trying my hardest not to let the smell of alcohol get the better of me.
'Tokuko Kitagwa, I am sure that name rings a bell.' I push the buttons on my phone and wait patiently for the results. 'Well, now...'
"Hey, sweetheart? Do you want me to buy you a drink?"
Refusing to look up at the man's face, I shake my head.
"Oh come on!" I felt another body sit next to me bringing along the terrible stench of alcohol with him. "How about I buy you a refill? It's on me!"
My sixth sense told me they weren't going to leave me alone so I stand up and go sit in a quiet corner. The men complained but I ignore them and read the information on my phone.
"HEY! IS THERE ANYONE I KNOW?" a shrill but familiar voice yelled. I look up and see it was Tokuko Kitagawa still wearing the dress she wore last night with a fresh batch of make-up on her face.
The men cheered and hollered as she greeted them one by one, sometimes giving them a kiss on the cheek.
'Wow, she really knows how to spend her days.' I turn off my phone and raise my hand up to get her attention.
Tokuko looks up, sees me, and grins. "I got to go guys. Got some money to make."
They all groaned in disappointment as she walked over to where I was sitting.
"Seriously? This is where you want us to sit?" she ran her finger over the table. "You have poor taste!"
"I should be telling you that. This was the bar you picked as our meeting place." I say.
She scoffed and took a seat. "I hope the dust doesn't ruin my dress though. It is an imported one from America after all."
I quickly spot the frays along with the fake jewels missing from her dress and roll my eyes. 'It is either that or she ruined the dress in her drunken stupor.'
'Let's go with the latter.'
"So, what do you want to know?" she asks putting her elbow on the table. "And how much are you willing to pay?"
I was shocked. "Pay?"
"Why yes." she rubs her fingers together in a money-making way. "I wouldn't be telling you this for free would I?"
A wave of annoyance washed through me but I bite my bottom lip knowing this was going to happen. Dipping my hand into my bag, I take out a ward of money and hand it to her. Her eyes glowed with excitement and with a quick gesture, she swipes it from my hand leaving a small scratch in her wake not like she cared for she was busy putting the money in her purse.
"So? What do you want to know?" she asks.
"About Mr. Yamada's relationship with the late Osana Najimi," I reply. "What do you know about them?"
She rolled her eyes. "The Highschool Tsundere and Mr. Oblivious."
A vein was about to pop out of my forehead.
"Well, I am not sure about Osana but what I did know back then is Taro was trying to be a playboy." she began. "His plan was to act bland and pliable to attract girls and he got it after Osana started dating another guy."
My eyes widened at that. "Really?"
She nods. "It all started when I was accidentally locked up in the boys' room during P.E. Hiding behind one of the lockers, I overheard two boys talking about girls as usual but was shocked to see one of the boys was Taro."
"High school boys talk about girls all the time," I said cocking an eyebrow.
"Ah, ah, ah. Not Taro Yamada." she wagged her forefinger at me. "He's not the type of boy who talks about that with his loner personality and bookwormish nature. As they talked, he expressed how disappointed he was with Osana dating another guy."
"Why was he upset."
"He liked Osana chasing him. All this time the poor tsundere was trying to pluck up the courage to tell him how she felt, he knew it yet decided to 'wait it out. In my opinion, he never liked her for she was too feisty for his taste. So imagine his disappointment when she stopped pursuing him to start dating someone else. At least he had Amai to fool."
This caused the gears in my head to turn and in not a good way. "So he was planning to be a player?"
"That's what I heard. When Amai passed on because of an accident in the Cooking Club, he tried to make a move on me but I rejected him on the spot. Why?" she put her hand on her chest and closed her eyes in a dignified manner, "I don't deal with players."
This time, it was my turn to smirk. "That's rich coming from someone who dated one."
She opened her eyes in shock.
"During your days as an actress, you entered a relationship with a man whilst married to your husband. You got divorced and sued by him but your lover fled the country after clearing your bank account..."
"Hey that was one time!" she snapped banging her fists on the table.
"One time? Yet here you are drinking and wasting yourself away." I put my elbow on the table and rest my chin on my fist. "When was the last time you had a gig?"
Silence was her reply and I shake my head in pity. Slapping another ward of money on the table, I look at her in the eye. "Keep talking."
The glare was still there when as she took the money from the table. 'It's clear I struck a cord but I had no choice but to call her out on her extortion. Besides, How I'm I sure she is telling me the truth?'
Luckily, she didn't leave instead choosing to revert back to her normal self. "Now, where was I?"
"You were telling me of how you rejected him," I replied.
"Oh right." she coughed and composed herself. "As I said, I don't date players plus his relationship with Oka was enough to put me off."
"Oka?"
"Yeah. She went missing a day after talking to him." then she sighed dramatically. "And thank God for that. That dreaded girl was the leader of the Occult Club not to mention she was spying on two girls believing them to be demons. How pathetic. Any boy with common sense would avoid that kind of girl but I don't know who approached who first."
She chuckled at that last part and I roll my eyes.
Anyway, that didn't stop him from moving on with Kazina and..."
"Sorry to interrupt but wouldn't he be wary of who he hanged out with after Oka's disappearance?" I ask.
"As I said earlier, he was trying to be a playboy and he still is now."
I cock an eyebrow. "How could you tell?"
"Oh, I figured it out a few years when he entered a relationship with Ayano Aishi aka the Hero of Akademi High." she hummed in glee, "When the government declared her to be a hero, every boy wanted to date her and although she was spoiled for choice, everyone started pairing her with Budo Matsuda the leader of the Martial Arts club. Strong, heroic, handsome, popular, surely he was the right pick for someone who 'saved' us from the Saikou Corps embezzlement scheme. Alas, she picked Taro Yamada and I knew the relationship was doomed from the start."
"Why do you say that?"
"Remember when I told you Taro wanted to be a playboy?" she asked making it look like she told me yesterday or three weeks ago. "It turns out he was doing that to explore his options on the kind of girls he liked. So, for him to pick a bland, expressionless, boring girl who became popular overnight for exposing a scandal, I knew he was doing it for fame. Too bad it faded quickly. Replaced with the suicide of the Headmaster of Akademi High and my legacy as the leader of the Drama Club."
This caught my attention. "When did he pass on?"
"In 2018 in his office and I was the one who discovered him." She put the back of her hand on her head and looked up at the ceiling. "It was so dreadful that I passed out on the spot!"
'Gosh! She is such a drama queen.'
"Anyway, with me as the leader of the Drama Club, I gained fame by leading them from victory to victory when it came to competitions on plays. Within a few years in that school, I had outshined the Hero of Akademi High and it was my turn to be spoiled for choice when it came to boys who wanted to be my boyfriend and I picked Budo of course. Too bad the relationship didn't last because he was pining for Ayano. Poor thing."
This little bit of information made me put a hand on my chin in thought.
"Anyway, during our graduation, I approached Ayano during the party to tell her how I felt about her relationship with that boy and this is what I said..."
*flashback*
"Do you know you have a terrible taste in boys Ayano?"
Ayano looks at her and rolls her eyes. "What do you want Tokuko Kitagwa?"
"Calm down dear, I just want to tell you about Taro and why you should break up with him."
This made Ayano scoff and shoot daggers at her. "And why should I do that? He's my senpai and I love him."
"If he loved you, he would have been with you right now," Tokuko said with a huge grin. "Besides, men nowadays don't like stone-faced walls."
This shocks Ayano who stiffens in anger. "Excuse me?"
Tokuko just grins.
"Are you trying to insult me?" Ayano asks.
"I am just relaying the facts to you because it is true," Tokuko says still keeping the smile on her face. "You seem to have forgotten the scandal involving him and Nurse Kina and don't get me started with the rumors about him and that substitute teacher Ms. Rana but the question is, what did those ladies have in common?"
Ayano doesn't respond.
"They had big boobies, Darling. Big boobies and your boyfriend is someone who likes women with that."
"You are lying to me Tokuko," Ayano says with a scary glare. "What makes you think he likes that?"
"Or? You haven't noticed?" Tokuko looks at Ayano in the eye.
"They were all adults trying to seduce a minor Tokuko. You and I know it."
Her words make Tokuko laugh scornfully . "And you think that's going to stop him? Listen, honey if Taro was a decent guy he would have reported Ms. Rana to the Guidance Counselor but he let her lead him on. He's just lucky whoever exposed them didn't get him expelled. Did I forget to mention they had a personality unlike you."
"And what makes you think I don't have one."
"Isn't obvious? You are boring Ayano. Boring. What are your hobbies?"
Taken aback, Ayano scrambles for an answer. "I...I like reading manga, riding bikes, and..."
"What is your favorite food?"
"Anything he likes."
"What's your favorite color?"
"Any color he likes."
Tokuko laughs and shakes her head in pity. "You have no personality dear. Just like your mother."
Her words make Ayano tighten her grip on the glass of wine in her hands. "Excuse me?"
"I will only say this once dear; your relationship with that boy won't last forever even if your world revolves around him." And nursing her drink in her hand, she adds, "Taro likes girls with strong personalities and good figures but you have none of the above. The reason why he is staying with a blank slate like you is because of how popular you are but that's dwindling, isn't it? I heard him complain to someone about how boring and dry you are adding that if he had his way, he would have dumped you to go after girls like Mia Waifu, Midori chan, Kokona, or me."
Then she walks up to Ayano who has a shocked look on her face. "So if I were you, I'd keep that boy on a tight leash but not too tight though or he might use that as an excuse to dump you. Speaking of him, where is he?"
This causes Ayano to look around while Tokuko covers her mouth with her hand hiding the smile on her lips.
"And where is Kokona? I won't be surprised if they are somewhere cuddling each other without our knowledge. It is graduation day after all."
Pale-skinned with pupils reducing in size, Ayano turns around to look for Taro while Tokuko chuckles and takes a sip.
*flashback ends*
I stare at her in shock for I was unable to believe my ears. "You know you insulted her right?"
She scoffs. "Sweetheart, there is a difference between insulting someone and being brutally honest. I was brutally honest with her."
This made me groan and pinch the bridge of my nose.
"Besides, it was my way of revenge against her mother for harassing my family."
My head snapped up at that. "What did you say?"
Tokuko grins at me and rolling my eyes, I hand her another wad of cash which she takes.
"So, Ryoba Aishi was harassing your family?" I ask again.
"She was harassing my father to be precise. Luckily, my mother recorded their conversations and handed them over to the police to get a restraining order against her. Too bad. Her father is never going to work in any company in Japan. My father made sure of that."
I was shocked. "Really? It was that serious?"
She nods. "When Jokichi Yudasei aka Ayano's father, joined the company, my father was his supervisor in his department. He showed him the ropes, gave him instructions, and all that shebang. You know, the boring stuff office workers do. Everything was going well until he was paired with a female co-worker to help with the company's project. According to my dad, the female co-worker approached him asking Mr. Yudasei to be removed from the project. When he asked why she said his wife had been calling his phone continuously interrupting their meetings. According to her, she told him to turn off his cell phone but he said his wife wouldn't like that. My father dismissed that as a bland excuse until she showed him the text messages sent to her by his wife saying she should stay away from him. As a result, Mr. Yudasei was removed from the project thus making him miss an important promotion but he took his loss well and continued to work."
She paused when a waiter arrived asking if they would like to order drinks and she ordered a beer while I politely reject the offer.
"Soon other female workers started getting threatening text messages from his wife telling them to stay away from him," she said taking huge swings of her beer. "How she got their phone numbers? We will never know. What we will know is some of the ladies received meaningless threats while others got threats that left them sleeping with the lights on. Thus, fearing for their safety some asked to be transferred to another department while others started leaving the company. All this time, Mr. Yudasei continued to be oblivious to what was going on in his work environment angering my father who ordered him to tell his wife to stop harassing the female co-workers but Mr. Yudasei ignored him. So, my father dug up on his wife and discovered her controversial history with Akademi High...
"Controversial history?"
"Yeah. Something about her being accused of killing some girls during their time there." she took another swing of her beer. "But she was acquitted in court so..."
I immediately recall what Magic and Brutes said regarding the school except one had more detail than the other. Yet, they all omitted the name of the student who was charged with the murder.
'Could this mean she's the culprit? If so...wait...she is Ayano's mother so...does this mean there is a connection?' I facepalm in agony. 'Gah! I can't think straight!'
'How about you brainstorm on the fact her name is Ryoba Aishi and not Yudasei?
The gears were turning again and it was giving me a headache. Where do they fit into this?'
"Hey! Are you listening?"
Tokuko's scream brought me back to reality. "I am sorry."
"Gah!" she slammed her mug on the table. "Girls like you should listen to your elders you know? You might look old but I am older than you!"
'Great! She's getting drunk on us.'
With that in mind, I quickly say, "I am sorry. Please go on."
She rolled her eyes and demanded another mug of beer. I would have objected to it but I know better than to anger a drunk person.
Believe me, I have experienced it first hand.
"Anyway, where was I?" she tapped her finger impatiently until the waiter brought her another mug. "So, my father, convinced he was in a toxic relationship asked him flat out why he couldn't divorce his wife and Mr. Yudasei's response was, 'It's not as easy as it looks. Rumors about his controversial wife spread like wildfire in the company and everyone started treating him like an outcast. No one wanted to get close to him not invite him for any occasion held in the office. Still, the phone calls kept coming and the text messages continued to bother any female employees who came into contact with him. My dad wanted him fired but the CEO and the board of directors were not on board with it so he worked his butt off to become the CEO and employed a new board of directors from different departments. While this was happening, Mr. Yudasei continued to stay where he was despite the number of years he worked there. Not moving forward but never moving backward. Everyone wanted him gone but they needed a reason and it came to them on a silver platter."
I watched her finish her mug of beer, wipe the froth from her mouth and order another one. The waiter arrived with the mug and she immediately took a huge gulp.
"What happened next?" I ask praying she wasn't going to ask for money.
"Well one day, my dad received a phone call from his wife demanding to her husband go on a vacation for a certain number of days. Mind you, it is against the company's policy to do that unless it's sick leave and my father told her this but she insisted threatening to blackmail him if he didn't. Mr. Yudasei didn't come to work for ten weeks and when he got back my father fired him on the spot with no mercy. He cried. He begged to keep his job but my father didn't budge. A few weeks later, his wife called demanding her husband be re-employed and in response, my father sent her the company's written policy to her via email. This didn't stop her though and she continued to harass my father until my mom took action sending her a restraining order. Until this day, we never heard from them again."
As she took another swing of her beer, I ponder deeply on this story.
"Is that all?"
"Yep?" she burped and slammed the mug on the table with a bang. "All this talking made me so thirsty! Man! That hit the spot!"
'This story...it looks like a missing piece of a puzzle. Only one question remains...'
'Where does it fit?'
"In fact, I heard she and Taro got hitched immediately after graduation," Tokuko said with a laugh. "It was so funny! I told her to keep a tight leash on him but she did it too tight! I can't wait for her to tell me he filed for a divorce! That Taro isn't going to be a faithful man in my opinion! Ha ha ha!"
I look up realizing she was talking to me all this time and cringe at the way she was chugging that beer. "I am sorry but is this story real?"
"Ah! Of course, it is real!" she bangs the mug on the table again. "I wouldn't be asking you for money if I was lying would I?"
"O...okay." I look at the time on the clock hanging on the wall and see it's 9:30PM. "I am sorry but I have to go."
"Okay! Thanks for the cash!" she yells loudly
I give a wry smile and wave.
"Make sure you come back!"
"I will!" I say laughing nervously and run out of there. "Obviously not! I can't believe she made me spend money like that!"
'At least she gave you some insight on the Oath Breaker which matched with his current behavior.' said my inner voice. 'Not to mention he lied to you about Osana Najimi.'
This made me stop in my tracks and think. Taking out my notebook which had the pictures of Taro, Riabaru, Kuyji, and Ayano I write something underneath their names.
'So Mr. Yamada, you weren't a decent person from the beginning.' I thought to myself. 'You Ms. Fumestsu, are withholding some information from me but...Ms. Aishi or can I say Mrs. Yamada...'
I look closely at her picture and frown. 'Where do you fit in all of this?'
ns 15.158.61.20da2
