"Hatamoto Ichiro, how long are you going to keep lying to yourself?"
Ritsu stepped forward and grabbed the wrist holding the knife.
With just a little force, the kitchen knife slipped from Ichiro's hand and clattered onto the concrete floor. At such close range, Ichiro was finally able to make out the face of the man standing before him, even in the darkness.
It was one of the four strangers his father had invited aboard after they missed their original ferry.
"You don't even know me! Stop acting like some wise adult and lecturing me!"
"You love Natsue, don't you?" Ritsu asked calmly. "Then you should understand better than anyone what someone's eyes look like when they're in love."
His crimson eyes remained cold and detached as he continued in a hoarse voice, "Eyes don't lie. The feelings hidden within them are real."
"The affection Takeshi has for Natsue is genuine. And it hasn't lost to yours."
"Bullshit!"
Ichiro immediately snapped back. "That's all an act! He only got close to Natsue so he could use her to get revenge!"
"You're still deceiving yourself?" Ritsu shook his head.
"That's honestly pathetic."
After a brief pause, he continued, "Takeshi's feelings for Natsue are real."
"And your feelings for Natsue are real too. You can acknowledge your own unhealthy obsession, so why can't you acknowledge someone else's love?"
Ichiro gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Because this was precisely the truth he didn't want to face. He refused to accept that Takeshi genuinely loved Natsue. Because deep down, he knew Natsue loved Takeshi.
That was why he kept convincing himself that Takeshi was only seeking revenge.
Only then could he justify trying to break them apart. Only then could he convince himself that he still had a chance.
A chance to take Natsue away.
A chance to obtain the happiness he wanted.
"At first, I didn't pay much attention to you," Ritsu continued.
"But when I saw you panic and hide your drawing, it reminded me of a sketch I saw not long ago."
Ichiro frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Yuzo is your friend, right? By chance, I saw one of your drawings in his studio. When I asked about it, he told me you were the artist."
Ritsu looked directly at him.
"A novelist uses words to write about love."
"A painter uses a brush. The way you drew Natsue was beautiful and it was obvious that you truly loved her."
Ichiro froze.
Then lowered his head. For a long moment, he said nothing. This was the first time anyone had ever said something like that to him.
Every painting he created had always been criticized by his grandfather. His parents had constantly opposed his pursuit of art, insisting that painting had no future.
Even Yuzo had never praised his work for successfully conveying his feelings for Natsue.
This was the first time someone had seen through his hidden emotions.
Seeing that Ichiro had calmed down somewhat, Ritsu pressed forward. "There's something I'm curious about."
"Why are you so certain you can make Natsue happy? And why do you need your grandfather to fulfill your love for you?"
"...Natsue and I grew up together." Ichiro finally spoke.
"We were childhood friends. I've loved her secretly ever since we were little. Because I love her, I can make her happy."
"And besides, she's my cousin. Wouldn't it be perfect if we became even closer family? In Japan, cousins can legally marry."
"It's all Grandpa's fault. He stubbornly insisted on marrying Natsue to Takeshi."
"Isn't the stubborn one actually you?" Ritsu sighed helplessly.
"Natsue didn't marry Takeshi because of obligation. She married happiness. She married love. Your grandfather didn't do anything wrong."
His voice softened slightly.
"The problem is that Natsue doesn't love you. You know as well as I do that forcing a relationship never ends well. If she married you, she wouldn't be happy."
"She'd be miserable."
"...!"
Ichiro stood frozen.
Unable to say a single word. The greatest source of insecurity in this one-sided love had been exposed without mercy.
Deep down, he had always known the truth. Natsue didn't love him. She never had. He simply couldn't accept it.
The wound he had hidden away for years was torn open in an instant. His long, unrequited love suddenly seemed so pitiful.
"So I…"
"Your grandfather was trying to protect you too." Ritsu interrupted gently.
"He never rejected your talent. He only rejected your feelings for Natsue."
"But Grandpa never once praised my paintings!"
Ichiro finally exploded. "He always called me useless! He always said I was a worthless failure!"
Ritsu stared at him with a deadpan expression.
"Because you spend every day painting Natsue. Isn't it perfectly normal that he wouldn't praise that?"
"But—"
"There is no 'but.'"
Ritsu stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. His voice became noticeably gentler.
"You only get one life. And once you do something irreversible, there's no taking it back."
"No second chance."
"No reset button."
"..."
The fully calmed-down Ichiro looked down at his trembling hands.
He had actually considered killing the pillar of the Hatamoto family. He had genuinely contemplated murdering his own grandfather.
What had he been thinking?
What had he almost done?
Ritsu turned around and opened the storage room door. Standing against the light streaming in from outside, he said,
"If you've figured it out, go apologize to your grandfather. He's been hoping all along that you'd grow up."
"That you'd become someone capable of helping support the Hatamoto Group."
"...Okay."
Ichiro slowly raised his head. Looking at the young man with white hair, he hesitated before asking,
"Um... may I ask your name?"
"Onizawa Takashi."
Ritsu smiled slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Ichiro-san."
"Um... well..."
Ichiro's head immediately lowered again. His voice grew smaller and smaller. He had reverted to the shy, timid young man he normally was.
"Could... could you come with me?"
"What?"
"I'm kind of scared of my grandfather. Could you come with me?"
Ritsu could only nod.
If he was going to help someone, he might as well see it through to the end. Besides, it wouldn't cost him anything.
At worst, he'd be a little late for dinner.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
"Thank you."
But just as the two emerged from the pitch-black storage room, a woman's scream suddenly echoed through the corridor.
Ichiro's face changed instantly. He knew that voice.
"That's Natsue!"
A sense of dread surged through him. The scream had come from the direction they had just walked from.
Which meant, something had likely happened to Gozo.
Realizing the same thing, Ritsu immediately broke into a run. Following close behind Ichiro, he reached the source of the scream even faster than he did.
As expected, Gozo's bedroom door stood wide open.
And among the people gathering outside, Ritsu spotted Shinichi, who had also been drawn over by the commotion.
"Sensei! What happened?!"
"I just got here too."
"We won't know until we go inside."
Shinichi looked at Ichiro standing behind Ritsu in confusion.
'Why were those two together?'
But now wasn't the time to worry about that. He hurried into the room after his teacher.
The sight that greeted him was shocking.
Natsue was sobbing uncontrollably as she held Gozo in her arms. The old man's abdomen was stained red with blood.
"Grandpa!"
"Grandpa, wake up!"
Ritsu immediately crouched beside him and checked his breathing.
A moment later, he let out a breath of relief.
"He's still alive."
Turning to Shinichi, he shouted, "Kudo! Get someone to bring a first-aid kit! He's still breathing!"
"Huh?! Right! I'm on it!"
As Shinichi started running in the wrong direction, the family butler, Suzuki, grabbed him.
"This way, sir! I know where the first-aid kit is!"
When Ichiro realized Natsue wasn't the victim, he sighed in relief. But the next moment, his worry shifted to his grandfather.
He knelt beside them anxiously.
"Onizawa-san! How is my grandfather? I haven't even apologized yet! He can't leave me behind!"
"Everyone, please leave this room. Do not touch anything. Do not disturb the scene."
While speaking, Ritsu loosened Gozo's belt.
Only then did he notice the scratch marks carved into the folded fan tucked at the old man's waist. Immediately, he understood what had saved his life.
The attacker had intended to kill Gozo with a single stab. But the blade had struck the fan first and been deflected away from the vital organs.
Fortunately, the assailant had fled in a hurry and hadn't stayed behind to finish the job.
"Hey!"
A blond man with spiky hair frowned.
"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to order us around?"
"That's right!"
The middle-aged woman in the purple kimono, the same one Ritsu had overheard earlier, joined in immediately.
"This is Hatamoto family business!"
"What does it have to do with an outsider like you?!"
"Hatamoto family business?"
Ritsu slowly turned around. His icy gaze swept across every person gathered outside the room.
Then he smiled.
A smile with no warmth whatsoever.
"A matter involving human life isn't a family matter. At the moment... You're all criminal suspects."
"Bullshit!"
The blond man exploded.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"
Ritsu reached into his pocket. Without even looking, he tossed something behind him.
Smack!
His police identification struck the blond man squarely in the face. In a cold voice, Ritsu said,
"Because I'm a Police Inspector from the Violent Crimes Unit, First Investigation Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."
"If you keep talking... I'll start treating you as the primary suspect."
"!!!"
A police officer?!
Several members of the Hatamoto family instantly changed color. None of them had expected the young white-haired man to be a detective.
And among the crowd,
Ritsu clearly noticed that one particular person looked suddenly regretful.
----
bonus chap every 20 PS
read ahead on my p4tr3on.com/Siamus404