Chapter 39 Childhood Friend and Her Mother

Childhood Friend and Her Mother

Miyuki’s PoV

Sweat drenched my back. My mother had spoken with Eiji’s mother. I always knew this day would come. Fear of it had kept me looking away, running from the truth.

“…I’m sorry.”

My voice trembled as I apologized, full of fear and sorrow.

“Why are you apologizing? Do you really think you’ve done something wrong?”

How much does she know? Can I still escape? Or does she already know everything? I’m terrified—terrified of the truth.

That I betrayed him. That I made Eiji guilty. That I forced him into isolation at school.

It’s all my fault. I did this.

“Eiji-kun’s mother told me she doesn’t want you near him anymore. She asked me to get details from you. So, tell me—why did you go to a love hotel with some guy I don’t even know instead of your boyfriend, Eiji-kun? Isn’t he the one who called you before you left home?”

Oh. So my mother doesn’t know everything yet. Eiji’s mother has already punished me. She gave me a choice: confess everything to my mom or keep it hidden.

“Miyuki’s mother, please calm down. It’s my foolish son’s fault, not your daughter’s.”

Senpai’s father spoke gently, trying to intervene.

“Shut up! I’m talking to my daughter!”

My kind, polite mother shouted without sparing him a glance.

“I’m sorry.”

Senpai and his father fell silent. Even the police looked at us uneasily.

“Hurry up and explain, Miyuki! I want to hear it from you! I didn’t raise you to act like this!!”

Her anguished cry echoed through the waiting room.

“I broke up with Eiji. Kondo-senpai here… is my boyfriend now.”

My cowardly self tried once again to evade the truth, weaving lies to avoid being caught. But there’s no way I could fool her in a situation like this.

Thud!

My left cheek burned. For a moment, I didn’t understand what had happened. The force, the jolt, the sharp sting—it hit me all at once. She had slapped me.

My mother, who had always been so kind, had never hit me before. But now, she slapped me.

This was the first time I saw her so angry.

And in that moment, I realized.

She had completely given up on me.

There was no going back to the bond we once shared as mother and daughter. I knew that. And with it came a flood of emotions: sadness, self-blame, regret.

“I’m sorry…”

“Why did you betray him?!! Eiji-kun was the most important person in your life! Why, Miyuki, why would you do this to him?! Hurry up and apologize to him!”

Perhaps because of her anger, my mother clutched her chest, her face contorted in pain.

“Mom, are you okay?”

I reached out to steady her, panicking, but she pushed me away.

“I don’t know you anymore! Apologize to him, we—!”

With that, my mother collapsed. A nearby police officer rushed to help, and chaos filled the room.

Kondo’s PoV

Damn it. This is such a mess. If Miyuki’s mother had gone to Aono with her, everything would’ve been exposed.

But my ever-practical father leaned in and whispered,

“She seems to be anemic. Don’t worry—she’ll be fine once she calms down. At worst, we’ll offer her money to keep quiet. Most adults fold for the right price.”

Ah, my father—always the rationalist, always helpful. He’s so much better than Miyuki’s hysterical mother.

Now that Miyuki’s situation is under control, all I have to do is stay cautious. As long as I keep quiet until graduation, the school won’t find out. And with all the nasty rumors I’ve spread, Aono will crumble on his own.

Miyuki will cling to me even more now. Her mother, the one person who understood her best, has rejected her. If she loses Aono, her childhood friend, I’ll be all she has left.

Haha, take that, pebble! You’re destined to be destroyed—by me, my soccer team lackeys, and my new favorite toy, Miyuki.

I can’t wait to see how much fun I’ll have at school.

Ah, life is so rosy.