Okanoya Mitsuhiko is living happily. Meanwhile, elsewhere…
As for Kisogawa, the man who had an affair with Okanoya’s wife…
The story jumps ahead a few days after meeting Deputy Editor Kamimatsu. It was late July.
“What? Wh-what do you mean! An eviction notice for the whole complex!”
Kisogawa had been told this abruptly by the building’s landlord.
“It means exactly what it says. I want you out of here immediately.”
“W-wha-? Sh-shut up! Why should I have to move out?”
Kisogawa lived in an apartment complex, but that morning, the landlord had suddenly come to visit.
“You have no job right now, do you?” “W-well, I mean…”
He had tried to get a position at the new label established by Kamimatsu.
But he was turned down and is currently unemployed.
As he said, he has been reaching out to several other publishers, but so far every attempt has failed.
“We don’t rent our apartments to those without a job or unstable income, I’m afraid.” “Mmnh…” It was strange, though.
He hadn’t been that long since his expulsion from the Takanawa company, his previous workplace.
And yet, why did this landlord know about it?
Besides, was it even possible to be told to move out immediately after losing a job…?
…Of course, it was because the Kaida Group had their claws in him.
Kaida Kogen. The man held immense influence over Japan’s political and economic spheres, and he had come to despise Kisagawa.
His anger rippled across the entire nation.
Getting a man to vacate his apartment was no trouble at all.
“Being unemployed at your age… Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Hah!? D-don’t call me unemployed! Cut the crap!”
“Mm-hm, alright then. Please move out quickly. Sometime this week.”
“Got it! You goddamn landlord! I’ll get out of here right now!”
…And so it went with the steam was running high.
“What! What do you mean you can’t rent me a room?!”
He had come to a real estate agency in front of the station, but this is what he got back as an answer. Behind the counter, the clerk shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but we cannot provide you with a room here.”
“But why! Give me a break…”
…Naturally, it was because of Kaida’s influence.
The Kaida Group had expanded its business in various forms nationwide. They even owned a real estate group.
“You don’t have a job, do you?”
“[Redacted]! Fuck! I’m not unemployed! I’m just taking a little break right now!”
“Really? Can someone with an attitude like yours even get hired?”
The clerk let out a mocking laugh.
”…See, he’s a loser,” ”…Wow, pathetic,” ”…Can’t get a room rented because of that? He’s screwed.”
He ended up being laughed at by other customers who came to look for rooms.
“S-stop lookin’ at me, ya fuckers! I’ll kill ya!”
Kisogawa’s face flushed red with shame as he barked the threat, but… “Customer.” “What?! Who’s your customer?”
“I’m afraid we must ask you to leave.”
In the end, he went around checking a few more places after that, but nowhere would rent him a room.
“Fucking hell! What kind of bullshit is this? They won’t let me rent a room just ‘cause I’m unemployed for like a day or two?! That’s not right!”
As the sun began to set, Kisogawa walked alone through the shopping district.
“Dammit! At this rate, I’ve gotta find work ASAP…! …But before that, I need a place to stay.”
He had to move out of his current apartment by next week.
And yet, because he didn’t have a job, he couldn’t rent a room anywhere.
“Findin’ work ain’t gonna happen overnight… I just need somewhere to sleep for the time being.”
Kisogawa let out a sinister, smirked laugh.
「Well, plenty of room to spare. After all… there’s a woman in my life, ya see!»
Chuckling darkly—kuku-kuk—Kisogawa pulled out his smartphone and powered it on, scrolling through his contacts.
There were dozens of women’s contact details listed there.
«It wouldn’t matter if I lost my home! I’ve got a bunch of convenient female pigs who do whatever I say! Gwahaha!»
Kisogawa spat out those utterly despicable words, his face twisted in an evil grin. He was certainly handsome enough.
Moreover, he was quite skilled in bed, and surprisingly many women wanted to be with him.
«Just ask me, and I can get a woman to let me stay overnight with ease!»
…That was what he believed at the time.
Kisogawa picked an arbitrary number that caught his eye and dialed it.
«Ah, hey there~ It’s me. Yeah. So, could I crash at your place for a bit?» But—… «No.»
That was the response that came back through the phone.
«Wha—?! ‘No’? What the hell does that mean?!” «Die!»
Thud…! The call ended abruptly.
“Dammit… what the hell are you screaming about? Damn it, that’s why I hate women—always so quick to lose their tempers… whatever, doesn’t matter anyway. There are plenty of other girls out there!” But then… 『Sorry, no way.』 『No chance with you.』 『Fuck off and die.』
I’m working my way through the phone book from ‘A’ onwards, calling all the women… but… “Why-y-y-y is it so hard?!”
Kisogawa was hanging out at a coffee shop in front of the station.
He originally intended to settle this quickly, but things turned out to be more trouble than expected, so he ended up relocating to the coffee shop.
“Bullshit! Why won’t any of you bitches answer when I call?!” He clenched his teeth in a tight grind… kiri…
“Why?! When you were with me, you were all over me, practically melting for me! And now it’s like you’ve turned your hand on me! Damn it!”
Despite his anger, Kisogawa dialed the next woman. [Mamoru Toshiyori Rie].
”… I hate crawling to that old hag, but well, she does have money, and above all, she’s just an old lady. If a young man like me wept before her, she’d be easy as pie to fool.” But then… 『Don’t make me laugh. No thanks.』
“And?! What do you mean, why?!”
Even Mamoru Toshiyori had turned him down.
“You were all obsessed with me! You were head over heels for me! So why?!”
“It’s what I heard from [Nojiri].” “Nojiri…? No-jir-i…”
Even with the name in front of me, I couldn’t recall her face.
On the other end of the line, Juugan heaved a sigh.
“Remember, the second most beautiful girl in the editing department? Your other mistress.”
“Ah! Ah! So it’s that bitch!”
“You only recognize women by their faces and tits. You’re really a piece of trash. Why would I ever… aaah.”
Juugan’s words set my teeth on edge, but Kisogawa spoke up.
“So what about that girl!?”
“I heard it from Nojiri-san. You… sleep with a stranger and then just dump her like trash.”
Even when he was cheating with Juugan, Misae, or Nojiri…
He would pick up any attractive woman he saw and bang the living daylights out of her.
“Nojiri-san has a wide social circle, so I found out about it that way. …You’re really trash. You should just die.”
“W-W-What’s wrong with that? One time is no big deal, okay?!”
“Maybe to you, sex is just like watching a sport. But for a woman… it’s a vital ritual.”
“Hah?! What are you blabbering about, some fairy-tale nonsense from an old hag like you?!”
Twelve-Kane let out a long, weary sigh.
“That attitude is exactly why the girls you screw end up hating you. I’ve heard things, you know. Apparently, you got kicked out of your home and are now harassing women left and right.” “H-How do you know that…?”
“Some of the women you hit on were acquaintances of mine or Ms. Nojiri’s… Damn it, what a waste of time.” Twelve-Kane chuckled smugly.
“It’s common knowledge by now that you’re a hollow piece of trash who has nothing going for him except his face. Why would anyone let garbage like you into their house?”
“S-Shut up! You’re just an old hag! A dried-up crone!”
“I’m giving you this advice out of the goodness of my heart. As long as you view women as mere means to an end, you’ll never have any success with them for the rest of your life. No matter how pretty your face is.”
“Tch! Shut up, trashy bitch! Listen well, and listen good! I am…!” And just then. “Hey there, sir?”
Poof. Someone snatched his smartphone from his hand.
“W-What the?! …W-Wait, you’re that…”
There she was, a girl of breathtaking beauty wearing a name tag that read Ina. It was Akari Ina.
Akari said with a bright smile.
“Hey, this is a café, so please keep your phone calls to a minimum. Everyone else is being disturbed.” A perfectly valid point.
Looking around, the other patrons looked annoyed, furrowing their brows. “Ah, umm…”
“I think it’s unacceptable to think of women as bitches or old hags behind their backs. That’s probably why you keep getting dumped, no?”
Akari placed her smartphone on the table. She looked down at Kisagawa with cold eyes.
“Oi, what do you mean?! Don’t you dare give orders to me, mister!”
Kisagawa flew into a rage and lunged to strike. Akari remained calm… Whack! “Huh?” “There.”
She grabbed Kisagawa’s arm and, using his own momentum, threw him.
With a violent crash, Kisagawa slammed onto the floor on his back.
“Good thing I had Ichika teach me some self-defense.”
Only then did Kisagawa realize that it had been Akari who had thrown him.
“…Hey, handing out flowers to a girl?” “…That guy is seriously the best”
“…And being thrown by such a frail little girl? What a shame.”
Kasuga’s face turned bright red as he growled.
“Fucking hell… you’re getting cocky, aren’t ya!”
Kasuga grabbed a nearby chair and stood up.
Just as he was about to throw it at Akari… “Sanrō. Let’s do this.” “Roger that, miss.” Thud!
A powerful impact struck Kasuga directly in the face. “Hmpf…!”
A brutal punch slammed into his face.
Crack! His nose snapped.
He spun around and collapsed.
Standing there was a massive man who looked like he had walked straight out of Terminator. “Rusian!”
“Akari, I apologize for the commotion. I only came to have some tea…”
Writer Rucia Hiratake had come to this café, accompanied by her bodyguard, Mikinaga Saburo.
Seeing Akari raise her hand in response, Mikinaga intervened and delivered a single, decisive blow to Kusunoki.
“H-My nose… my, my proud, beautiful face…”
Watching the tears fall down Kusunoki’s cheeks, Saburo spoke with a sigh laced into his words.
“Look, I don’t have a grudge against you or anything. But since you started by throwing a punch yourself, consider this full payback.”
“Goddammit… for calling me a piece of sludge…”
He staggered to his feet, glaring at Saburo with pure hatred. But then— CRACK!
…Saburo’s fist embedded itself squarely into the wall right next to Kusunoki’s face.
“Haa…” Kusunoki collapsed where he stood.
Saburo’s single strike had completely obliterated a section of the café’s wall.
And so, too, had it crushed Kusunoki’s will to fight.
“Sorry, but I don’t show mercy to anyone who lays a hand on that young lady or her friends. Honestly… I don’t go easy on scum like you who hit women.” Saburo pulled his fist out of the wall as he spoke.
“Ughhhhhhhh!”
Tears streaming down his face, he let out a pathetic wail as Kiso stepped out of the café. And… the instant he did…
“Hey there, mister, got a sec?” “P-Police officers!?”
Before he knew it, multiple police officers had him pinned down and shoved him into the back of a patrol car. “No one filed a report though.”
“But that’s weird, right!? No one called the cops!”
“Right, right. We’ll hear all about that at the station, okay?”
…With those words, Kiso was taken away into custody.
Needless to say, he had been brought under control by the Kirita Group because he had raised a hand against Kirita’s daughter’s friend.
…But that was hardly going to be the end of the retribution for Kiso.