I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

The story didn’t take long to unfold.

After all, it was a pretty simple incident.

There was no reason for stories related to me or the track and field club to come up.

Mr. Yamashita, with his yakuza image, was expected to threaten the blonde guy on the spot, but instead, he silently listened to the story without any reaction.

In the meantime, other kids’ parents also started to arrive one by one.

The first to arrive after Mr. Yamashita was the parents of the blonde-haired kid.

The two, who entered with their faces flushed, seemed to snicker at Kagami when they saw him.

Then they turned their heads and locked eyes with Mr. Yamashita, who was looking up at them.

“……”

The faces of the two turned pale in an instant.

Sitting next to each other on the chairs provided by the police station, they quietly listened to the story.

The next to arrive was Miura’s parents.

“Mr. Yamashita.”

Dressed like a high-ranking official, Mr. Miura approached Yamashita, extending his hand politely.

“Mr. Miura.”

Mr. Yamashita stood up and shook his hand lightly, also being courteous.

“How unfortunate that we meet in a place like this.”

“Isn’t fate just unpredictable?”

The two of them spoke quietly to one another.

Though it looked like a high-ranking official’s attire, that was just my impression, and I wasn’t quite sure what they actually did. It was just a neatly dressed suit.

But the atmosphere… it was not ordinary, like an extra’s parent. He seemed like someone who would be in a position akin to a hidden villain in a novel.

“…Yuuki?”

Yuuki seemed to recognize Mr. Miura, opening his mouth slightly as he stared at him.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know him?”

“Ah, um… No, not yet.”

Yuuki answered vaguely.

Mr. Miura gently placed his hand on Miura’s shoulder and politely greeted Fukuda and Yamashita in turn. His deep voice, not too rough, gave a sense of calm to the listeners.

Then he approached us.

“Is he a friend of Mako?”

With a slight smile on his lips, he asked us gently, which was quite different from his initial impression when he entered.

“Um… well, I don’t really know him that well.”

Yuuki replied as if he didn’t know what tone to use, sounding a bit nervous.

“I’m a friend.”

My words attracted Mr. Miura’s gaze back to me.

“So, you must be Kurosawa?”

Mr. Miura nodded, as if he had heard that name before.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Mako. Thank you for being close with my daughter.”

Um…

In fact, it was the other way around, but denying that didn’t feel polite, so I just kept quiet.

“My name is Miura Masao. You have a lovely daughter.”

Seeing Kagami look at him as if to analyze him, Mr. Miura extended his hand.

“Cute? What are you talking about…?”

Kagami took Mr. Miura’s hand despite her words.

For a moment, Mr. Miura looked at Kagami before turning to stand near Miura.

The atmosphere was a bit uneasy compared to Mr. Yamashita. While Mr. Yamashita gave an impression that he could crush someone without leaving a trace and toss them into Tokyo Bay, Mr. Miura seemed like someone who was aware of everything but would just smile, seemingly not caring for the troubles of those below him.

The strange thing was, if he were truly a powerful and important person, the nearby police wouldn’t have treated him like an ordinary parent.

Wouldn’t they? If he were a high-ranking officer, everyone would recognize him. The same goes for the prosecutors, and if he were a district council member, there wouldn’t be a need to explain. I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had stood up and saluted him at that moment.

However, the police were not visibly shaken by Mr. Miura’s appearance. Rather, it was Yuuki who seemed uncomfortable.

Yuuki glanced at Mr. Miura with an expression of discontent before turning his gaze away.

The next person to arrive was Mr. Fukuda.

He had a similar vibe to Mr. Yamashita. With skin a bit darker, like Mr. Fukuda, his hair was dyed blonde and styled a bit, and he wore a rather flashy purple suit with white stripes.

It was surprising how well it suited him.

However, the difference was that he had a slightly frivolous atmosphere compared to Mr. Yamashita’s heavy presence.

“Harumi, are you okay?”

“After seeing this, is that really the question?”

“Wow, you got yourself beat up pretty badly! Who did that?”

Fukuda bantered while looking at the blonde-haired kid, but his eyes were murderous as he glanced over.

“Yamashita is also here. Hey, are you still caught up in that?”

Mr. Yamashita snickered at the overtly confrontational voice.

“Isn’t it a bit rich for someone who only does thug-like activities to say that?”

“What called me a thug? I’m a businessman, a businessman! It’s all above board, you know? Hey, officer. Can you take this guy away? He might spill something interesting! I can’t believe any psycho would show up in a police station wearing a badge.”

“That’s a bit…”

The officer sitting at the table seemed flustered as he broke into a cold sweat at Fukuda’s words. Fukuda only shrugged nonchalantly. It seemed he didn’t really expect anything.

But now that I thought about it, he did wear the yakuza badge openly on his clothes.

“Mr. Miura, it’s unfortunate to meet in a place like this.”

“Mr. Fukuda. After all, this is just how things go.”

The easygoing Fukuda suddenly turned serious when he faced Mr. Miura and they shook hands.

“Mako. How have you been? And Yuuki?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I’m doing well.”

“……”

Yamashita only nodded slightly. Ever since Mr. Yamashita entered, he had been keeping his head down.

“Huh? Who’s this?”

“Oh, that one is Koto Ne, my friend. Next to her is her mother.”

Fukuda mentioned it to Mr. Fukuda.

“So you’re Koto Ne-chan? You’re cute, really cute. And next to you—”

Mr. Fukuda glanced at Kagami and then whistled.

“Well, well, there’s a beautiful one here. Is your husband around?”

“You think I look like I have a husband?”

Mr. Fukuda let out another frivolous whistle and looked back at Fukuda.

“Hey, Fukuda, what would you think about gaining a mixed-blood younger sister? Didn’t you say she’s cute? Koto Ne-chan.”

“Dad, are you insane?”

Fukuda stuttered.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Mr. Fukuda smiled and turned back to Kagami.

“Oh, if you find time, do drop by. I can offer a drink or two as a treat.”

Kagami smoothly took out her business card from her bag and handed it to Mr. Fukuda.

“Wow, that’s nice! Do you have an email?”

“Of course.”

Mr. Fukuda waved the card around with a smile and then stuffed it into his suit pocket, patting it as if it were a good luck charm.

I facepalmed. Yuuki gently tapped my knee with a cautious hand.

Just for reference, the more those suspicious people entered the police station, the more the blonde kid’s face and his parents turned pale. Typically, expressing someone’s face going pale would be metaphorical to some extent, but now it felt like it was ‘really’ turning blue. Were they even breathing?

And—

“Yuka!”

Then entered two people, Yuuki’s grandfather and father.

As they quickly approached us, the two caught sight of Mr. Miura and froze for a moment.

Something important was definitely going on.

I wasn’t sure what exactly, but for now, it would be better to act as if I didn’t know and wait for the right moment to ask.

They resumed walking, and this time, they stopped when they saw Kagami.

My heart raced intensely.

While Mr. Miura seemed to give that reaction because of their connection, Kagami… probably startled for a different reason.

It seemed Yuuki still didn’t have a clear grasp of who Kagami was to him.

The two came closer as if glancing over, then asked Yuuki.

“Yuuki, are you alright?”

“Please check on Kurosawa first.”

“……”

Both shifted their gaze from me to Kagami again.

“What are you looking at?”

“……”

It seemed they had lost their words at that.

Or perhaps they were observing Kagami more calmly.

“Well, since the parents are all here…”

But before Yuuki’s parents could start talking to Kagami, the police opened their mouths first.

“Shall we have a bit of a chat?”

I could see they desperately wanted to wrap up this awkward situation.

I felt a bit relieved.

*

After hearing the story, it seemed the blonde kid’s parents were quite well-off in Narita.

Just how well-off? They seemed to have an impressive network, not just in terms of money.
At first, they attempted to defend their son, refusing to be intimidated.
But—
“Hah, and?”

Kagami’s words left the two speechless.

“I can’t give you money, just because you know someone. Why should I babysit your kid?”

It was a garbage statement that even someone like me, who knew all the situation, would find outrageous. Honestly, at this point, one might appreciate Kagami’s self-sacrifice a little. Who would want to be seen as that trashy?

“Stop whining like a pathetic little brat.”

That was Mr. Fukuda speaking.

“Do you actually think it sounds right for a man to whine because he got beaten by a girl and is coming to the police? Get a grip, man. Back in my day, if a girl stabbed you in the stomach, you just laughed it off.”

Wouldn’t you die if you laughed it off?

“Besides, if Yuuki hit him, he must have had his reasons.”

Mr. Yamashita said casually.

The sight of him sitting with folded arms, dressed in a white suit, was like a stone statue.

But a moving one.

It felt as if a single wrong word might trigger him to hit you like a rock.

Furthermore, it seemed Mr. Yamashita Kai’s reputation was more well-known than I had thought, as the blonde kid’s parents couldn’t maintain eye contact with him ever since he entered the police station.

And since Yuuki was at the center of the incident, it was impossible to speak about it without mentioning him.

Mr. Miura, Yuuki’s grandfather, and father didn’t say much. They simply stared intently at the blonde kid and his parents.

Finding it hard to withstand the pressure, the two who had started out yelling like cats gradually turned into husks about 15 minutes later.

“Hey, you little bastard.”

The final blow came from Mr. Fukuda.

He pulled out a cash clip from his pocket, took out a few ten-thousand-yen bills, and threw them at the blonde kid’s feet.

“If you’re going to whine, go moan in the hospital.”

“……”

Both the kid and his parents trembled with the humiliation of being so openly belittled, but it seemed they didn’t want to end up in Tokyo Bay, as they hurriedly picked up the money before making a hasty exit.

As they left, they glared at me, but when they met Mr. Yamashita’s gaze, they bolted.

“Don’t worry.”

Outside the police station, Kagami whispered softly into my ear.

“I’ll make sure they can’t touch you again. Just watch what you say.”

“……”

So that was why we were here.

But somehow, her word ‘can’t touch you’ sounded a bit unsettling.

“…Don’t kill them.”

“Yeah, yeah, I won’t kill them. We don’t want it to be a problem, right? It would be annoying to get the government involved.”

Is that all?

“…Are you opening a bar?”

As Yuuki rushed towards me, I quickly switched my tone to polite speech.

“What I do with my life is none of your business, is it? You’re the one who said you wanted to live alone, right? You should be grateful I raised you.”

“Excuse me…!”

Finally, Yuuki exploded at Kagami’s unbelievable comment, coming over and grabbing my arm.

He then pulled me behind him to shield me.

“How can someone abandon their daughter in a place like that!?”

“Abandon? She said she wanted to live on her own!”

“What are you talking about!?”

“Must be nice you go to a good school. Aren’t you going to live like everyone else? It seems you can’t even see your surroundings.”

As she spoke, Kagami took out a cigarette.

She elegantly pulled out one, put it in her mouth, and as she searched for a lighter in her bag, Mr. Yamashita came over and lit it for her.

“Oh, thank you.”

Kagami said that and offered the cigarette pack towards Mr. Yamashita, who took one for himself while shielding the wind with one hand before lighting it up.

He seriously looked like someone out of a yakuza movie. Well, considering he was a yakuza from a light novel, that image might have been accentuated.

“……”

As I slowly stepped out from behind Yuuki, Kagami was quietly taking in the smoke, letting out long inhales before biting on the filter.

Mr. Yamashita then reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a leather wallet.

He took out a few crisp ten-thousand-yen bills and handed them to me—

Smack!

Yuuki slapped away his hand and frowned.

“What are you doing?”

Yamashita blocked me similarly to Yuuki.

“Because of you, I got dragged into this mess.”

“……”

“Don’t try to compensate with that.”

But I didn’t feel offended.

That… was like pocket money, wasn’t it?

“Isn’t that okay?”

“No.”

So it’s not okay? I see.

What should I do then?

“What’s this… this is…?”

Yamashita rubbed his eyes, glaring sharply at his father.

“This incident, I will repay with my own strength.”

Then he pivoted and ran off.

“…Huh.”

Mr. Yamashita took a deep drag and crushed the cigarette butt under his white shoes.

“…Kagami, I’m sorry, but it seems I need to follow after my daughter. We can talk later.”

“Yes, see you later.”

Mr. Yamashita took a last look at my face and turned, following the direction Yuuki had run off in.

That… wait.

Since Mr. Yamashita had said it like that, I guess…

“It’s really not a good time for a celebration, is it?”

Fukuda said.

“I think I’ll take my leave as well. It seems like my father has something to say.”

“…Yeah.”

“And you. Yuuki, was it? You fight well.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Yuuki nodded nervously in response to Fukuda’s sudden comment.

“Thanks for today. Bringing numbers is basic in a fight.”

Why does he know that?

I really wanted to ask, but I held my tongue for now.

“And…”

Fukuda looked over at Kagami.

“Auntie.”

“Auntie…?”

Kagami’s expression turned visibly irritated. This seemed genuine? It didn’t look like acting at all.

“Stop bullying my daughter. Aren’t you embarrassed? My dad treats me well.”

“You’re not even family.”

At Kagami’s words, Fukuda frowned.

“…Koto Ne-chan.”

“……”

Fukuda began again.

“Could I hear that story again in more detail later?”

“…Yeah.”

At Fukuda’s words, I nodded.

“Is there somewhere for you to sleep tonight?”

“…Not really.”

“You said you’d be alone? Sounds fun. Can I drop by later?”

Fukuda spoke openly as if Kagami could hear him. Kagami stared at him blankly while just smoking.

“About that…”

“I got it, huh? It’s a promise, okay? Alright, a promise.”

Fukuda forced my pinky to hook with his.

“See you on Monday!”

Then he shouted that and walked away.

From a distance, Mr. Fukuda waved at us—more precisely, at Kagami.

Next to him was a bright red Lamborghini Murcielago.

What a real rich family.
I wonder if they’ll be shocked when they come to my place?

“…Kurosawa.”

Then Miura came over with his father.

“About the story we heard earlier…”

“…I’ll tell you at school on Monday.”

As I said that, Miura nodded with a stiff expression.

“I’m sorry for not looking out for you.”

“…No.”

I quickly shook my head.

“You haven’t done anything wrong.”

But my words seemed to further prick Miura’s conscience.

Miura gripped my hand tightly as if trying to hold back tears.

After looking at me silently for a moment, she forced a bright smile and said,

“Well then, see you the day after tomorrow.”

“…Yeah.”

I had no choice but to answer her like that.

“…You said Yuuki, right?”

“…Just Yuuki is fine.”

“Yuuki.”

Miura nodded and then bowed slightly to Yuuki.

“Uh, uh oh?”

“Thank you for watching out for Kurosawa while I wasn’t able to. Even though we’re in different classes…”

“N-no, um…”

Yuuki seemed incredibly flustered, his face turning bright red.

“I’m just doing what a friend should do.”

“Friend.”

Miura nodded.

“That’s right. Because we’re friends.”

“…Kurosawa.”

“……”

When Miura looked me straight in the eye, Kagami silently stared at Miura’s face.

“I know that intervening in someone else’s family affairs can be very unpleasant. However… as a mother, could you be a little more conscious?”

“…Huh.”

“Kurosawa is trying hard. Even in that situation…”

Miura had bowed her head slightly, but then looked back up at Kagami.

Her gaze was intense, so strong that it seemed to go beyond her glasses.

“I-If you don’t leave Kurosawa alone, I’ll somehow—”

“I’m already leaving her alone.”

But Miura’s words were blocked helplessly by Kagami.

“I’m telling you, I’m already leaving her alone. So what do you want?”

“……”

“She’s going to school just fine and is reportedly working hard, right?”

“But—”

“Like you said, getting involved in family matters is unpleasant. I’m the head of the house. I’ll take care of it, so could you just step back, friend?”

“……”

Miura shuddered but didn’t back down.

I gently grabbed Miura’s arm.

“It’s okay.”

“…Kurosawa.”

“It’s really okay.”

“……”

Miura bit her lip.

“See you the day after tomorrow at school.”

Once I said that, Miura finally nodded.

Then she walked away, keeping her head low, heading towards her waiting father with some distance.

Mr. Miura stared at Kagami with a piercing look but said nothing as he turned to follow his daughter.

And—

“Kurosawa Kagami, is it?”

Yuuki’s grandfather approached.

“Kagami? What a nice name. A mirror reflecting the divine. How remarkable.”

“……”

Kagami turned her body towards Yuuki’s grandfather.

“So what? It’s not that uncommon?”

“True, but I think it’s a bit significant for a name held by someone following a trending religion.”

“……”

Kagami bit down on the cigarette, glaring straight at Yuuki’s grandfather.

“So what?”

“Well, I don’t mean to meddle too much. I understand why a head of a household would feel uncomfortable hearing about their family affairs from others. But, Ms. Kurosawa. Times have changed quite a bit, haven’t they?”

“……”

“The age of sacrificing children—”

“Pfft.”

Kagami scoffed.

“Is that a story for you to tell?”

Yuuki started to get agitated, but Kagami ignored him and continued speaking.

“Once again, I’ll say, I never told my daughter to do those things. She just does it on her own. I don’t know who pushed her, but—”

This time, Yuuki’s grandfather stopped speaking.

“Well, if you want to do something specific with that kid, then go ahead. It’s not my place to interfere.”

“Ms. Kurosawa—”

“Tch.”

Kagami clicked her tongue.

“What’s so good about defending that kind of failure?”

Yuuki tried to step forward, but I grabbed his arm.

Seeing me shake my head, Yuuki trembled but suppressed his anger.

“Handle it on your own. Just don’t drag me into it. Got it?”

Kagami said that with a heavy dose of sarcasm and turned her back.

“……”

Yuuki’s family stood silent for a while, merely gazing at the receding back of Kagami.

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