C37

Chapter 37: A Phone Call from School — Meiko Kano Side

Sunday evening.

Meiko sat on the edge of the bed in her own room, gazing at her smartphone screen.

In the morning, she had sent the video to the agency where Suzumura belonged.

She had used a free email address prepared separately from her usual ones, ensuring neither her name nor her regular contact info was left behind.

In the subject line, she had simply typed—"The True Reality of Kokona Suzumura."

Imagining what would happen beyond that, Meiko slowly relaxed the corners of her mouth.

Sometime ago, a talent from a certain entertainment agency had a video of trouble from their student days leaked onto SNS, causing a massive uproar. At the time, it was covered on the news day after day. The agency announced they had immediately confirmed the matter with the individual, and commented regarding the video in question only that they were "verifying the facts."

Within a few days of that, the talent went on hiatus. The agency explained the reason was out of consideration for the individual's mental burden.

But, I know.

After causing such a huge uproar, that talent never returned to work the same way as before.

Meiko recalled the contents of the video she had sent that morning once more.

That video preserved the scene where Suzumura herself admitted that her confession to Tachibana had been a lie from the very beginning. Anyone looking at Tachibana's face back then would immediately realize it was no trivial matter.

With something like this, even the agency couldn't just stay quiet and overlook it.

Besides, it hadn't leaked to SNS yet.

If so, they'd surely cut their contract with Suzumura before it turned into a huge scandal.

That would be better for the agency, too.

With a feeling that everything was already decided, Meiko let out a slow breath.

Inside her head, her thoughts advanced even further ahead.

......Besides, the agency wouldn't leak the sent video outside, either. If they did something like that, they'd get dragged right into the uproar themselves. There was no reason for them to go out of their way to do such a thing.

They'd surely handle it quietly behind the scenes.

Suzumura wouldn't be able to stay a model anymore.

Thinking up to that point, the corners of Meiko's mouth relaxed even further.

A small laugh leaked out—huff.

"......Perfect."

The video she had sent.

——Kujo-kun and me, the very first joint endeavor between just the two of us.

The proof of love between me and Kujo-kun.

And——this proof of love would strike down Suzumura.

To suppress the laughter welling up inside her, Meiko pressed her fingertips to her lips.

All she had to do now was corner her little by little...

The moment she thought that, the elation surging from the depths of her chest slowly filled the inside of her body.

Meiko narrowed her eyes as if savoring that sensation.

——Just then, her mother's voice echoed from downstairs.

"Meiko!"

Annoyed openly at having her good mood interrupted, Meiko frowned visibly.

"......What is it?"

"Meiko, come down here for a second!"

Clicking her tongue quietly, Meiko stood up from the bed with her smartphone still in hand.

Leaving her room with a sullen face, she walked down the stairs.

Descending to the first floor, her mother was waiting in the living room.

With a rigid expression, her mother held out the smartphone she was gripping tightly toward Meiko.

"......For now, take the call."

Looking puzzled, Meiko accepted it and held it right to her ear.

◇

"......Hello."

The voice of a man came back from the other end of the phone.

"Is this Kano? It's Yamaoka, your homeroom teacher."

At the voice heard from the other end of the phone, Meiko furrowed her brows slightly.

"......Yes."

"I have something to talk to you about regarding the matter of the fake confession video that was verified at school."

"......Eh?"

At the unexpected words, Meiko's heart leaped heavily.

"The modeling agency to which Suzumura belongs has submitted the video to the school. The school has already verified its contents as well."

The moment she understood the meaning of those words, Meiko's heart shook violently.

The agency, to the school?

There's no way—

"Furthermore, the school also grasps that it was Kano who filmed the video. I've checked the video myself."

"......"

Meiko's throat clicked softly.

"So, first I want to confirm something. Have you already given this video to anyone?"

"......"

Meiko didn't answer.

What was she supposed to say? Words wouldn't come together in her head.

To that Meiko, Yamaoka continued in a quiet voice.

"Yesterday, Tachibana's parents consulted with the school. Regarding this fake confession. As a school as well, the stage where we can treat this merely as something that happened between students has already passed. Depending on the circumstances, it won't end as a problem restricted just to the school. Thinking thus, we are proceeding with our response moving forward."

Meiko's fingertips pressed hard against the edge of her smartphone.

"And, regarding this video, the modeling agency Suzumura belongs to also considers the filming and transmission itself as a separate issue. The reason they submitted the video to the school is also because they want the school to verify that matter as well."

"......"

Meiko couldn't answer anything.

"Therefore, it's not just about having filmed the video. We also need to confirm how it was handled afterwards. Whether you gave it to anyone, or posted it on SNS or the like. We are scheduled to verify those aspects as a school as well."

"......"

Yamaoka's voice remained flat and detached as ever.

"And one thing has been clearly communicated by the agency. Should this video leak onto SNS or the like from now on, they are considering legal measures. Depending on the circumstances, there is also a possibility of handling it including claims for damages."

Meiko's fingertips twitched slightly.

"Kano. I'll ask once more. Have you given this video to anyone?"

"......"

There was no reply.

After waiting for a while, Yamaoka let out a quiet breath.

"......Understood. That's fine for now."

Meiko said nothing.

"However, by all means, do not pull any stunts like giving the video to anyone. You understand that this incident has escalated to the point where Tachibana has had to skip school, right? Absolutely do not do anything that would drive Tachibana into a corner any further."

There was no change in Yamaoka's voice from before.

"I have also communicated this to Kano's mother. I have asked her to properly handle things at home so that the video won't be sent arbitrarily or posted."

"......"

"Come to school tomorrow. We will properly listen to your account once more at school regarding this matter."

Telling her just that, Yamaoka hung up the call.

◇

The call disconnected, and Meiko pulled her smartphone away from her ear. Even though the screen was already dark, she still couldn't lower her hand.

A heavy silence fell over the living room, and her mother stared at Meiko without saying a word. For a while, there were no words between the two.

When she could no longer bear that silence, her mother quietly lowered her voice.

"Sit down."

Without replying, Meiko sat down on the living room sofa, and her mother sat down opposite her.

Even though it was a living room where they usually spent their time casually, right now it felt terribly suffocating. Before Meiko, who had cast her gaze downward, only a heavy silence remained.

Eventually, her mother quietly opened her mouth.

"I heard everything from the teacher."

Her mother's voice was quiet.

Remaining silent, Meiko refused to look at her mother's face.

"About the fake confession, and about the video. I've heard from the teacher what you did to Tachibana-kun, too."

"......"

"I also know that you filmed the video, Meiko."

What her mother was talking about wouldn't quite process inside Meiko's head.

"And you know..."

Tears began to well up faintly in her mother's eyes.

"Was it also... you, Meiko, who sent the video to Suzumura-san's agency?"

"......"

Meiko didn't answer.

Pooling tears at the corners of her eyes, her mother gazed at her daughter.

"......Please, talk to me properly."

That voice seeped with sadness rather than anger. Even so, Meiko said nothing.

After staring at her daughter for a while, her mother wiped away the tears about to spill with her fingertips, and slowly opened her mouth.

"You had things explained by the teacher, didn't you?"

Meiko didn't raise her face.

"What you did, Meiko, was malicious bullying. I want you to understand at least that much properly."

At those words, Meiko's shoulders tightened slightly.

"Tachibana-kun has been skipping school, and consultations have come to the school from his parents as well. This is no longer just a school problem. It's reached a point where we don't know what will happen from here on out."

Her mother placed a finger once more against the eyes she had just wiped.

"And yet, you still won't try to talk about anything, Meiko."

Her mother let out a heavy sigh once.

Then, staring straight at Meiko with tear-filled eyes:

"......Hand over your smartphone."

At those words, Meiko's shoulders gave a start.

Reflexively, she pulled the smartphone she was holding toward her chest.

"......"

Her mother watched that state without saying anything.

"This isn't something you can just brush off by saying you don't like it. This is no longer just Meiko's problem."

Meiko answered nothing.

"The school has also asked us to properly handle things at home so as not to increase the damage any further."

Her mother's voice trembled slightly.

"As long as you won't tell the truth, Meiko, I as a parent cannot just sit by and do nothing."

Wiping away the remaining tears around her eyes, her mother stared straight at Meiko.

"I'm not taking this away as a punishment. As a parent, I'm stopping you so that you don't hurt anyone any further."

Her mother extended her hand toward Meiko once more.

"So, hand over your smartphone."

Meiko didn't move for a while, but eventually slowly handed over her smartphone.

Her mother accepted it.

"......We'll decide about other matters after consulting with your father."

Saying that, her mother dropped her gaze to the smartphone in her hand.

◇

Returning to her room, Meiko closed the door behind her with her back.

Forgetting even to lock it, she stood frozen in place. She should have understood what her mother had said to her, yet inside her head it wouldn't shape into meaningful sense.

After a while, Meiko walked unsteadily to the bed.

Thinking she had sat down, her strength gave out completely right then.

Laying her body down, she gazed blankly at the ceiling.

Even trying to think about something, her thoughts cut off midway. It felt like something was spinning around and round inside her head, yet she couldn't even grasp what it was.

It was just a sensation as though only her physical body had been left behind there.

She didn't even know how much time had passed.

Eventually, her dry lips moved slightly.

"......Why... did it turn out like this...?"

The muttered voice was far fainter than even she expected.

For a while, Meiko didn't move, continuing to stare at the ceiling. Something heavy had sunk deep into her chest, and every time she breathed, it gradually spread wider. Even though she thought she had to think about something, her head wouldn't work properly. Only the question of why things had turned out like this remained without disappearing.

Why...

No matter how much she thought, she couldn't advance any further than that. Until a little while ago, she hadn't even imagined something like this could happen. She never thought a day would come where she'd be blamed by Mom like this and have everything about herself denied.

"It wasn't supposed to... turn out like this...?"

The moment she voiced it, the depths of her chest grew painful again.

No... It wasn't supposed to end in a conclusion like this.

The more she thought that, the hotter the backs of her eyes grew. Forgetting even to wipe away the tears streaming down her cheeks, Meiko gripped the sheets with her fingertips.

"I... tried my best..."

The gripped sheet made a crumpled sound.

...Tried her best.

She thought properly, she acted properly. And yet, why did it turn out like this?

Only that question spun around inside her head, leaving nothing but pain deep in her chest. She didn't even know what she herself wanted. Only the desire to have someone understand her grew larger bit by bit.

"......I just... I just wanted to be together with Kujo-kun..."

When she uttered those words, it felt as though what had been tangled up deep inside her chest until now took on a tiny bit of shape.

That's right... That was all it was.

She liked Kujo-kun, she wanted to be together with Kujo-kun all along—it should have been just that.

Leaving her cheeks wet, Meiko stared blankly at the ceiling.

"......I only acted for that sake..."

This time, it was too faint to even become a voice.

And yet, only those words repeated over and over deep inside her chest.

She only acted for that sake.

It was supposed to be just that.

The depths of her chest constricted once more.

Why do I have to go through something like this?

Why is it always just me...

The more she thought, the more the pain swelled up. Before she knew it, inside Meiko, how much she was suffering had grown far larger than what she had done.

Tears streamed down her cheeks once more.

No one understands me.

That thought swelled quietly inside her chest.

Meiko slowly raised her body.

With her vision blurred by tears, she looked all across the room.

No matter where she looked, there were photos of Kujo.

As if tracking those figures with her eyes, Meiko cast her gaze around over and over.

Within her tear-blurred vision, the last place her eyes stopped was her favorite photo of Kujo.

When Meiko stared intently at that photo, the pain that had been constricting her chest until just a moment ago loosened up just a tiny bit.

Looking at that face, for some reason she felt like it would be okay.

If it's Kujo-kun... he'll surely understand me.

Meiko's lips trembled faintly.

"......Help me... Kujo-kun......"

Pity me.................. poor me.