"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.
Suzu-san 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... Suzu-san?" 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," Suzu-san said calmly.
And that was the end of that.
No reaction at all.
We reached the convenience store soon after. Neon lights flickered above the entrance. Suzu-san stepped forward without a word, grabbed a basket, and started tossing in snacks while Kudo and I stood there like background characters.
We ended up sitting on a bench at the edge of the local park, the plastic bags crinkling between us. I ate quietly, careful not to open my mouth too wide because of my jaw.
"So," Kudo said, mouth full of chips. "Are you cheered up yet?"
"Yeah," I said. "Thanks."
Suzu-san spoke suddenly. "Are you in a relationship, Yamamoto?"
"What?" I nearly choked. "N-no."
"Well, Nakamura-san is clearly into you."
"She isn't," I said quickly. "We're 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."
Suzu-san leaned forward slightly. "I did some digging."
"...What?"
"I can tell when someone is a walking red flag," Suzu-san said.
That set me off.
"You can't say that after one interaction," I said, my voice sharp, cutting through the cold air. "You can't just decide who someone is after one moment."
Suzu-san looked at me, unreadable.
"Don't talk about Ichika like that," I continued, louder now. "You don't 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's not what we meant," Kudo said.
"It's 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.
Suzu-san 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'm sick of this," I said. "I'm sick of people talking about her like she's some problem that needs to be solved."
My hands were shaking now. I noticed it. I hated that I noticed it.
"You don't know anything about her," I said. "You don't know anything..."
The words kept coming, messy and uncontrolled.
The air was tense. Thick. Kudo looked like he wanted to disappear.
Suzu-san 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'm not attacking her," Suzu-san said slowly. "And I'm not attacking you. But you're yelling because you're protecting something you don't 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-kun," she said "Listen. As your friend, I said I would help you."
She admits we're friends?
"The rumors about you and Nakamura-san from the party... we found out who started them."
My chest tightened. "Who?"
"Ishikawa Misaki," Suzu-san said. "She hates Nakamura-san. And she has social connections."
"So what?" I said. "People spread rumors all the time."
"Nakamura-san is from a very connected family," Suzu-san said quietly. "Her father owns a massive investment firm. We're talking hundreds of billions of yen."
My breath caught. So Ichika is rich.
"There are... rumors," Kudo said carefully. "About her father. He's ruthless. People who mess with his family's reputation tend to get socially and financially ruined. Blacklisted from universities, families losing their jobs... he crushes people."
"So what?" I snapped. "Ichika is nice. What does that have to do with me?"
Suzu-san sighed. Not annoyed. Just tired. "Think."
The one thing I was supposedly good at. Ichika's father is ruthless. He protects his family's image. Ishikawa-san is spreading rumors that I assaulted his daughter.
I swallowed, the pain in my jaw flaring.
"...I think I know," I said.
"You're the scapegoat," Suzu-san said flatly. "If her father hears about this rumor, he won't go after Ishikawa-san. He'll go after the guy who allegedly ruined his daughter's reputation. You."
My heart dropped.
"I'm cooked."
"Expelled and blacklisted, probably," Suzu-san said calmly.
"But how do you know he'd actually go that far?" I said desperately. "He's just a businessman."
"He's not just a businessman," Kudo said quietly. He took out his phone and handed it to me. "Look."
I stared at the screen. It was an online article.
'Former Executive Blacklisted, Faces Bankruptcy After Corporate Dispute with Nakamura Conglomerate.'
"He crushes people, Kenji," Suzu-san said. "Legally, socially, and financially. If he decides you're a stain on his daughter's record, you won't get into a single university in this country. Your parents could lose their jobs."
My head felt light.
"Like... your whole future could actually die if the wrong people hear about this," Kudo said.
You are not helping.
"I would run and hide in another country," Suzu-san said calmly.
"Okay that is not funny," Kudo said quickly. "We need to help him."
"I know," Suzu-san 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," Suzu-san 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.