The group sat down in the room. Facing her daughter's bewildered, lip-biting expression, Miyajima Tsubaki spoke softly.
"Sakura, your father, Miyajima Sōsuke, and I have long since grown apart. We no longer have any real relationship."
As expected, Kazuma wasn't surprised. His suspicions had been confirmed.
After all, there had already been Tohka's example.
"Why is this happening?!" Miyajima-senpai exclaimed, clearly unable to accept it. "Did Father... cheat on you?"
She recalled how her father often failed to come home at night.
"If only it were that simple," Miyajima Tsubaki said with a cold smile. "Infidelity is the least of his faults. He is far more terrifying than you can imagine. That man is completely self-serving and will do anything for his own benefit. Sakura, there are many things you don't know—things I never told you. If I remember correctly, you're close friends with that girl from the Tosaka family, aren't you?"
"Mommy means Fuyuka?" She inadvertently glanced at Kazuma. "Why are you asking? Fuyuka and I have known each other since childhood. We're best friends—you know that."
"Yes, you are childhood friends. But do you remember the incident when the head of the Tosaka family was attacked?"
"Of course I remember. Fuyuka told me someone was plotting against the Tosaka family..."
At that moment, Miyajima Sakura suddenly realized something. Her pupils trembled.
"Mommy... are you saying...?"
"Yes. Your father was behind it."
Kazuma was utterly stunned.
So the mastermind behind the car accident and the attempt on Fuyuka's father's life was Miyajima Sōsuke?!
How classic. If the genders were swapped, it would be even more dramatic. Imagine childhood sweethearts, close since birth, turning into enemies due to family feuds, followed by a painful, abusive romance.
"How could this be----"
When Fuyuka told her about it, she had been deeply worried for her and filled with righteous indignation. After all, was the culprit really my father? Miyajima-senpai found it hard to accept.
"Of course, Miyajima Sōsuke wasn't the only one trying to deal with the Tosaka family. I'm not clear on the specifics, and the assassination attempt has already failed. Sakura, this has nothing to do with you; you don't need to blame yourself."
Hearing Aunt Miyajima's comforting words, Kazuma blinked. Actually, it hadn't failed—he had succeeded. Fuyuka's father had been killed by them, but he had reversed everything.
Kazuma said nothing, keeping his accomplishment deeply hidden.
"But I still don't understand why he would do such a thing," Miyajima-senpai said, as if she were seeing her father for the first time, questioning everything she thought she knew about him.
"Of course, it was to annex the Tosaka family's interests. Sakura, you know too little about his true nature. For profit, that man would do anything." At this point, Miyajima Tsubaki's expression shifted repeatedly, as though some words were difficult to say.
But in the end, she sighed and lowered her head. "Even sacrificing his own wife."
!!!
Miyajima-senpai's eyes widened in shock. And not just hers—even Kazuma stared in stunned silence.
"I heard that the Tosaka family had the support of powerful nobles, and even the assassination failed. He had no choice but to dream of attaching himself to someone with real influence." Mrs. Miyajima's expression darkened. "That man became involved with the eldest son of the Boeyman family, offering me to him as a gift in exchange for his support."
At this point, the dimness in Miyajima Tsubaki's eyes erupted into terrifying flames. "He wants to give me away as a gift, doesn't he? That's why I got together with Kazuma-kun before leaving—purely out of revenge."
Kazuma and Miyajima-senpai both fell silent. Was this really what the world of the nobility was like? Terrifying. But thinking about it, was it because he had saved Fuyuka's father that things had turned out this way? In the original timeline, with Fuyuka's father dead, this might never have happened.
No, that wasn't right. Given Miyajima Sōsuke's personality, it was only a matter of time.
Selling his wife for power and status—truly despicable.
And Boeyman? That man again. If Kazuma remembered correctly, the destruction of Rurikawa Tsubaki's family had also been connected to him. Not to mention the incident at St. Peak Girls Academy.
"How could he do something like that...?" Miyajima-senpai's composure shattered. Harming her best friend and offering her mother to another man—her father was truly scum.
"I'll go confront him right now!"
"Sakura! It's useless. Don't waste your energy. Besides, the Boeyman family is very dangerous; the farther away you stay from them, the better." Mrs. Miyajima gently bit her lip. "Let me take revenge on him. That's enough."
If she could become pregnant, that might even be a good thing.
"When I saw you, Sakura, bringing a boy home, I had that thought." She didn't regret what she had done with Kazuma; it's just... "Sakura, I'm sorry."
"Mommy..."
The anger had vanished from Miyajima-senpai's face. All that remained as she looked at her mother was heartache and sorrow.
"Um, Aunt Miyajima," Kazuma said, breaking the heavy silence. "Actually, Miyajima-senpai and I aren't dating, so you don't need to apologize at all."
The atmosphere instantly shattered. Now it was Miyajima Tsubaki's turn to be stunned. She stared blankly at the two of them. "Ah! You're not dating? Then why did you two—"
Miyajima-senpai shot her junior an exasperated glare before blushing. "It's a long story. And, Kazuma! Even if we're not dating, you're still Fuyuka's boyfriend!"
She couldn't bring herself to meet her mother's gaze. The beautiful blue-haired girl awkwardly looked away and huffed at Kazuma.
So her daughter's behavior yesterday really had been influenced by that monster?
"Is that so? Then Sakura, you need to work hard to win him over. Kazuma-kun is a very good person—you shouldn't let him slip away." As she spoke, Miyajima Tsubaki licked her lips. "Especially his body. It's unbelievable for a high school student. The vigorous body of a young man, Mommy truly felt it. It was wonderful."
...
...
...
Indeed, Kazuma's 'that' was terrifying—anyone who saw it would be astonished. But Mommy, aren't you being a little too open about this? Miyajima-senpai felt incredibly awkward.
"Mommy, what's so great about him? You 'ate' him so easily, even though last night I..." Miyajima-senpai's voice grew softer and softer, her muttering lacking conviction. As for Kazuma, the center of the conversation, he had already adopted a deadpan expression.
"That's not the point right now, Sakura. Your mother is about to be handed over as someone's plaything."
...
Miyajima-senpai froze, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation. She stood up anxiously. "Then let's run away! Leave this place!"
"No! That would only drag you into this, Sakura. As long as you're safe, Mommy is already satisfied."
Aunt Miyajima shook her head with a gentle smile.
"Aunt Miyajima, is that really true?" Kazuma mercilessly exposed her lie. "You're lying, aren't you? Besides your anger, you're also afraid—afraid of what will happen to you, and saddened by the future awaiting you."
"You're very uneasy right now, aren't you?"
Mrs. Miyajima fell silent. Kazuma's gaze seemed able to see straight through her, piercing directly into the depths of her heart. She forced a faint smile. "No such thing, Kazuma-kun. You're mistaken."
"It's not a guess. I can hear your heart."
"What?"
"I can hear the voice deep within your heart," Kazuma said.
[Wish List (Miyajima Tsubaki): Is there anyone who can help me?]
"You're crying out for help in your heart."
Kazuma blinked.
Aunt Miyajima's wish was different from Tohka's. It wasn't revenge, nor was it a desire to be with him, which was why it hadn't appeared until now. Although she truly did hate Miyajima Sōsuke and was filled with anger toward him.
What she genuinely longed for, deep down, was for someone to save her.
"Aunt Miyajima, it's okay to say it."
Aunt Miyajima was stunned. She hadn't expected Kazuma to say that—to read her innermost thoughts so precisely, as if he had reached into the very depths of her heart. She wavered, no longer able to control her expression. Her heart trembled violently, and her eyes reddened. "I..."
She wanted to deny it, but the words changed of their own accord as they reached her lips. "I really am afraid. I'm worried, and I desperately wish someone could help me... I'm sorry..."
"Aunt Miyajima is very honest, isn't she?" Kazuma looked at her seriously, a gentle smile on his face. "I have heard your plea for help. Don't worry, Aunt Miyajima—I will help you."
Miyajima Tsubaki lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression.
"Kazuma-kun, you really are... truly incredible..."
If at first it had only been about revenge, about giving up everything, then now Mrs. Miyajima found herself falling even deeper.
That heart was uncontrollably shaken, gradually succumbing.
*****
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