After the car drove for a while, we arrived at a café that Daiki apparently visited often—or at least that's what he told me. Fortunately, no one bothered me when I got out of the car, even without hiding my identity.
The people here seemed older and didn't appear to recognize me.
I entered the café together with Rina and Miu, and we sat down. The security guards stayed outside to prevent suspicious people from entering the café.
In other words, journalists.
The café wasn't very crowded. There were several tables, and only three of them—including ours—were occupied. Because of that, we were served quickly.
"Do you want something to eat, or just coffee? Don't worry, I'll pay for everything."
"Just coffee is fine," Rina replied.
"And you, Miu?"
"Can I order a cappuccino?"
"Of course, order whatever you want."
"Then I'll have a cappuccino," Miu said with a flushed face. She avoided making eye contact with the waitress.
"One cappuccino, one coffee…"
"For me, just black coffee and a slice of vanilla cake. And you, Miu, aren't you going to eat anything?"
"Ah, no, I'm not hungry."
"Alright."
The waitress walked away after writing down our orders. While we waited, Rina started talking about what had happened at school. She began calling me irresponsible for going to school today.
And honestly, I could understand her.
She told me not to go to school for the next few days.
"And about the statement the agency released…"
"You already made one?"
"Wait, you didn't read it?"
"No."
"Well, we basically talked about your real identity and made it clear that we're going after whoever caused all this chaos."
"That's basically a public threat."
"And it's supposed to be. That person was stalking you and leaked sensitive information about you without permission."
"Have you managed to contact her yet? That journalist?"
"No, she disappeared. Rikuya will handle it, don't worry."
"I see. But don't overdo it. I don't want to ruin someone's life because of this."
"Are you an idiot?" Rina asked in disbelief. "That woman exposed your biggest secret to the public, and your life turned into hell overnight. Aren't you angry?"
"Hmm…" To be honest, there have only been a few times in my life when I felt genuine anger, and this isn't one of them. "I was a little nervous at first, but now I don't really care. Like I said before, this would've happened eventually."
"I seriously don't understand you…" Rina sighed.
I looked at Miu, and she was quietly listening to everything. She didn't really know what to say.
"But let's change the subject for now. Miu, did those girls stop bothering you?"
"Hmm?"
"Those girls who were bullying you."
"Wait, you were being bullied?"
"Don't ask questions, Rina," I said.
"I'm just curious!" Rina pouted.
"Yes, they haven't come near me anymore. Actually, no one's bothering me now." Miu smiled. "But I can still feel their anger whenever they look at me."
"Just ignore them," I said.
"That's what I'm doing…"
"You're terrible at giving advice, Kyo," Rina said while shaking her head. "You can't just tell her to ignore it. Miu, right? You should talk to your parents or the principal about it. It's an easy problem to solve."
"No, not my parents!" Miu said in panic.
Rina looked surprised by her reaction.
I looked at Rina disapprovingly. She seemed very confused.
Before the uncomfortable topic could continue, the waitress arrived with our orders on a tray.
####
On the way back home, I asked Miu if we should drive her home, but she refused. We stopped the car a few blocks away from her house, and she got out. After saying goodbye, she quickly walked away.
As soon as she left, Rina asked,
"What's wrong with her?"
"Well, let's just say her life is a bit complicated."
"Does it have something to do with her family? Is that why she didn't want us taking her home?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"I see…"
"So she's the friend you wanted to help," Daiki said.
"Yes, that's her."
"She's a pretty girl. Now I understand why you're in love with her."
"In love? Hmmm…" I'm still not sure about that.
"Wait, you're in love with that girl?" Rina looked surprised.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?..."
"I like her. She's a good friend. What I feel for her… I don't know how to describe it. I want to protect her, that's all."
"Hmmm…" Rina thought for a moment before saying, "You definitely care about her a lot… Maybe you really are in love."
"I don't really understand those kinds of feelings."
"But that girl… if she took a little better care of herself, she'd be really beautiful. Her eyes are gorgeous, and her skin is amazing. What she really needs is a new haircut!"
"What are you? The owner of a beauty salon?"
"I have some experience with that stuff. I am a woman, after all!"
Some time later, we arrived in front of my house. Thankfully, nobody was waiting for me there yet.
My address still hadn't been leaked.
Before I got out of the car, Rina reminded me that filming would continue over the next few days and that she had already added everything to my schedule.
The moment I stepped out of the car, I said,
"Rina, can you do something for me?"
"Hmm?"
"Could you ask Mr. Rikuya to arrange a press conference? I want to clear things up for the public."
"Wait, weren't you trying to avoid journalists!?"
"If I give an interview and answer everything they want to know, they'll leave me alone, right? At least most of them."
"Alright, I'll talk to Mr. Rikuya about it."
I went inside the house and told my mother everything that had happened.
And what did she say?
"I told you that you shouldn't have gone to school."
I gave her a bitter smile and took a shower.
Then I sat down in front of my computer and started drawing a new Dragon Ball chapter.
And just like that, the days kept passing by…
####
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Next Chapters:Chapter 82 - I was more nervous than I expected. / Chapter 83 - Press conference. / Chapter 84 - Why did you lie? / Chapter 85 - Aoi Hoshino. / Chapter 86 - Encounter with the "entity"