NTR Kousuke

Chapter 72

Forced by Nozomi to take a break and change my mood, I sit absentmindedly on my bed, recalling various things.

I don't have the ability to see through people's true nature.

Of course, I fell in love with all my heart and tried to face it sincerely, but as a man... no, as a human, am I lacking something?

Thinking back to Nozomi from earlier, I can't help but smile faintly.

Yeah, that's right. There's no need to rush or force myself to find the next love or someone I like. As I came to that conclusion, I hear my mom's voice from downstairs,

Mama: "Kousuke! Tanaka-kun is here!"

Tanaka-kun? What's up?

"Let him come up!"

Tanaka-kun comes to my room on the second floor.

It's a room he knows well, but he doesn't come in right away?

When I open the door, there's Tanaka-kun standing there, looking down.

"What's wrong? Come in."

Tanaka-kun silently enters my room and remains quiet for a while even after coming in,

but then, as if making up his mind,

Tanaka: "...Kousuke-kun, I have to apologize to you..."

Why?

Tanaka-kun was full of regret.

The things he started to talk about bit by bit were,

that he couldn't bear to see me hurt over the matter with Satsuki.

He quickly realized I was showing symptoms similar to a fear of women.

Seeing me push myself into studying and club activities as if punishing myself was intense and hard to watch as a friend.

That's when he met Yukari Tomonaga.

Yukari Tomonaga was a girl that Kousuke-kun didn't feel fear toward.

Tanaka-kun had a gut feeling that Yukari Tomonaga could shine if polished.

Yukari Tomonaga wished to change and asked for Kousuke-kun's help, which Kousuke-kun refused, but Tanaka-kun got him involved, thinking it could be a chance for change or to overcome trauma.

Indeed, those three months between the two of them were wonderful to watch, even while filming from the side,

and it was interesting as a love story, a diet project, and a documentary...

Before I knew it, Sho had arrived too.

Sho gestures with his hand for me to stay as I am, then sits on the usual sofa in the corner of the room.

He also greets Tanaka-kun with a wave.

Tanaka-kun continues.

I thought this documentary could help Kousuke-kun overcome his trauma, be a catalyst for Tomonaga-san to change, and for me, it could be an interesting work that reveals and expresses a side of "humanity."

I couldn't see the true nature of Yukari Tomonaga...

I never imagined it would make Kousuke-kun feel this way or cause him such bitterness...

After a short silence, Tanaka-kun starts crying,

Tanaka: "Kousuke-kun... I'm sorry! This isn't something I can just apologize for, but I gave you the trigger that hurt you and your feelings... You refused at first, but I dragged you into this... I don't know what to say..."

Tanaka-kun keeps apologizing while shedding tears.

It's not your fault, is it?

"Tanaka-kun, look up. We've been together for so long, and I couldn't see Tomonaga-san's true nature either. In fact, I didn't notice even a hint of it until we were almost dating, so I was even more blind..."

Tanaka-kun doesn't even try to wipe away the overflowing tears,

Tanaka: "I believed there was potential in film works. Of course, there are likes and dislikes, good and bad. But if the actors and the author put their passion into it and work together, it can give people strength or be useful to them. I believed it could become something like that... But this time, I've lost confidence."

I urge him to go on.

Sho listens quietly.

Tanaka: "Something I made with good intentions influenced the beauty contest, swayed the students who watched it to support Tomonaga-san, affected the contest's results, changed Tomonaga-san, and hurt Kousuke-kun again."

"Isn't that just the result?"

I mean, it is, right?

Tanaka: "Even so, I can't forgive that work. At first, I thought Tomonaga-san's class was using it. But my work influenced the beauty contest's outcome and trampled on the feelings of those who were invested in it. It was used as her personal CM, betrayed Kousuke-kun, and supported the Cinderella story with that scumbag, becoming part of the Yukari Tomonaga legend... The power of the work I believed in... was wrong..."

Tanaka-kun cries, muffling his voice.

Sho remains silent.

As for me, the words I can offer...

"But hey, we made it together, didn't we? Even if it turned out like this, those three months were tough but fun, weren't they? Don't deny that. Because of your passion, Tanaka-kun, and because the work moved hearts, the documentary got great acclaim, Tomonaga-san's charm came through, and her popularity soared to the point she reached Miss Hokusho. The documentary was good, so it pushed her to stardom. Isn't that how it is? Thinking it would benefit me, her, and the work—planning it with everyone's gain in mind, Tanaka-kun, you're amazing. As a film work, it was a huge success, right? Don't look like that, hold your head high."

Sho nods repeatedly.

But Tanaka-kun,

"Even so! I wanted to be of help to you! When Sarakata-kun and I were bullied and didn't want to go to school, we talked to Sho-kun. The ones who solved it were Sho-kun and Kousuke-kun... I haven't repaid anything to Sho-kun or Kousuke-kun! ...I'm grateful to Sho-kun. But Kousuke-kun, you saved me. Editing that riverside duel with Sho-kun for revenge, I discovered the joy of video creation for the first time. With Kousuke-kun's projects, we fought through sports festivals and cultural festivals! Seeing the friendship between Sho-kun and Kousuke-kun, Sarakata-kun and I talked about how we wanted to be best friends like that too."

Refer to the main story, confrontation (lol) series.

Sho keeps listening while fiddling with his phone.

Tanaka: "I owe you, Kousuke-kun. I wanted to be of help to you... I wanted to proudly say I'm your friend...!"

You were thinking that...!

When I look at Sho, he nods toward me while looking at his phone.

He's slow to catch on, but when it comes to manly talks, he's like a general who can read ahead.

I speak to Tanaka-kun, who's crying over his regrets,

"...Don't worry about it. Even if it ended up like this, I know you planned this project with me in mind, and I'm grateful. Sho and I feel the same, but there's no debt between us as best friends. Of course, I'd help if Tanaka-kun were in trouble. And you've done the same, haven't you? We've been together for so long and even went to the same high school. We're already best friends, so don't say such silly things."

Tanaka: "...Am I really your best friend, Kousuke-kun?"

Tanaka-kun starts crying again.

Sho finally speaks up here,

Sho: "...Three days ago, I had almost the same conversation with Aoi. Speaking out loud really is important."

"...Is that sarcasm toward quiet me?"

Haha! I laugh and bump fists with Sho.

Tanaka-kun, still crying, joins in with a fist bump.

Having stopped crying, Tanaka-kun speaks firmly.

Tanaka: "I consulted with everyone in the film club and decided to shelve this work. I also filed a complaint that this year's Miss Hokusho was unfair. The film club was too biased and guided votes with a skewed documentary, severely undermining the competition's fairness. The documentary won't be submitted to external film contests and will be discarded, as I've requested to the student council."

The crystallization of three months of blood, tears, and sweat?!

Tanaka: "What! It's like a potter smashing a freshly made bowl they don't like! I liked Tomonaga-san... As I told you, Kousuke-kun, I thought I could give her up to you. But I don't want her anymore. I can't forgive an enemy who does this to my best friend! ...I'll make sure she pays for this."

Tanaka-kun was angrier than I've ever seen.

Regarding the film club filing a complaint with the student council about the beauty contest,

Tomonaga: "(The film club) repays kindness with enmity."

With that statement, even the few supporters of Tomonaga in the film club were wiped out, and the club united in favor of stripping her of Miss Hokusho.

And according to Tanaka-kun's latest info, I learned that Tomonaga-san is already causing trouble in Class 6.

She did say she's easily influenced...

At that point, Sho brings up an old story about Kureha-san involving Tomonaga-san,

and when he talks about an episode where she sided with bullies, betraying a best friend by splashing muddy water on a white dress, Tanaka-kun and I exchange looks.

Tanaka: "Scary! So that's why she made a bitter face when picking a white dress?! How could she even choose a white dress...! Splashing cold muddy water from a dirty cup noodle container on a white dress in the middle of winter to a kid with a heart condition... That's disgusting."

"According to Tomonaga-san, she was friends with Kureha-san's friend but was too timid and easily swayed to stand up for her at the time, and she felt guilty about it. But she said the friend stopped coming to school not because of bullying but due to illness, and didn't attend at all during middle school. Now that she's at Toko High School and seems healthy, Tomonaga-san said she's relieved. That's quite a self-serving interpretation of the story..."

From Kureha-san's perspective, right? With that preface,

Tanaka-kun and I are shocked by the Tomonaga-san episode Sho recounts.

I really don't have an eye for people...