The Road to Ruin
Manager Tachibana’s PoV
I contacted someone I had known since junior high school.
Just in case, I had another route in addition to Kondo-kun.
[Hello?]
Deep voice and slow tone.
“This is Tachibana. Long time no see, Mitsuda-kun, are you okay?”
Mitsuda-kun is a friend of Kondo-kun’s whom I have known since junior high school, and Kondo-kun treated him like a servant. In case you’re wondering, I’m glad I registered his contact information.
[Ah, ah.]
Of course, he was suspended just like the other members of the soccer club. He must be in a very sensitive position, especially since he was close to Kondo-kun. So if I shake him up, he will do what I want.
“Actually, I found out something very serious. Do you remember Ikenobu Eri-san?”
[Of course, I remember her. She’s Kondo’s ex-girlfriend, right?]
“Yes. She seems to be saying that she’s going to talk to the teacher about something that never happened in order to vent her anger at being dumped by Kondo-kun.”
[What?!]
He bites.
“She says that her parents disowned her because of her relationship with Kondo-kun. She says that she can’t forgive herself for being in this unhappy situation because of Kondo-kun and that she wants to ruin her life with him. She also said that people from the same junior high school as me and Mitsuda-kun were also resentful of her and that she was going to report to the teacher that we were involved in the bullying problem with Kondo-kun…In fact, the Literature Club is now being questioned by the teachers because of her lies. What should I do? …As the club leader, I can’t even protect the members.”
By pretending to be a saint, I’m inviting pity, but at the same time, I’m inviting fear into the soccer club. If this continues, they will tremble in fear of the worst punishment that could befall them, not suspension, but expulsion.
[How…about the soccer club? Did she say anything about the soccer club?]
“I didn’t ask for details, but she said that if she was going to hell, the more people she had to go down with, the better.”
Now the fear is contagious. The members of the soccer team are surrounded by fear that they might be expelled from school, so they will be very upset.
[Damn, if she does that, we’re doomed.]
For people who already have scars on their shins. If you create fear, you can do whatever you want.
“That’s why I called Mitsuda-kun. Hey, let’s stop Ikenobu-san together. Otherwise…I can only ask you to do this.”
[Why …]
It’s this simple. If it’s this easy, I should be able to get away with it.
“I’ve had my eye on you since middle school.”
Besides, by comparing himself to Kondo-kun, I can shake his self-esteem and make him feel inferior. That way, I can easily take advantage of him.
Now, if the members of the soccer club would just make Ikenobu-san a criminal and put all the blame on her…
[I see.]
“Now all we have to do is meet her and talk to her. Can you gather other members of the soccer club that you trust? Maybe we can meet tonight?”
He readily agreed with just words. Just as planned. Now, if I can just lead him well and get the soccer team members to go wild…
All will be well. Interestingly, people move easily.
Now all I have to do is sacrifice that girl…
And so the final stage of the game begins.
Eiji’s PoV
“Eiji-senpai, what do you think of the people in the Literature Club?”
Ichijo-san asked me hesitantly.
“Do you think they are poor people?”
I gave my honest impression.
“Poor people?”
“Yes. They can’t even think of others as people. That’s why they are alone now. Even if they are doing well on the surface, they don’t really trust people, so they slip.”
Ichijo-san nods and listens.
“I think that’s why they can never find true happiness. I think they’ll never be able to talk to anyone or ask for help, so no one will reach out to them when they’re at their hardest.”
I’ve found something irreplaceable in the greatest need of my life. But I’m convinced that those people will never find the treasure I found. All that’s left is a slippery slope.
“Ichijo-san, please don’t do anything dangerous. But if anything goes wrong, I want you to know that you can count on me. I’ll definitely help you, just like you helped me.”
She just said “Yes” with a blush on her face.