The plan for Yamasaki was settled.
That just left Yuzuha...
"Regarding Yuzuha, I'd like to share my thoughts first. I want her to see the confrontation between us and Yamasaki with her own eyes."
"So you're giving her a taste of what Tachikawa-san went through?"
It was a natural assumption for Natsumi-senpai to make. I’m sure everyone else was thinking the same thing. Tachikawa-san’s expression hardened slightly at the suggestion.
"Natsumi, let's hear Kazunari-san's story to the end," Sara-san intervened.
She seemed to sense that I had other motives in mind.
"Once everything about the Yamasaki matter is exposed, Yuzuha will have no choice but to understand how he really viewed her, whether she likes it or not. I want to force her to face reality first."
I had reached this conclusion partly because Yamasaki was pulling strings behind the scenes with Yuzuha as well, but mostly because, thanks to everyone here, we finally had a definitive plan to corner him.
"I can't quite put it into words, but I don't simply want to make her suffer. I want her to understand the weight of her actions. If she experiences pain because of that, she brought it on herself. But if she truly reflects on it... if she finally wakes up..."
Everyone listened to me in silence. I pushed forward.
"I know I'm being soft. I want to be clear—I have no intention of ever forgiving her. Never. But as her childhood friend who looked after her since we were kids... I want to give her one last chance, at the very least..."
Before I could finish, a soft, warm sensation enveloped me as I was gently embraced. It was Sara-san, of course.
"Kazunari-san, I understand your feelings perfectly. If that is your wish, I will see that it is fulfilled. Truly... then again, I suppose I fell in love with you because you are that kind of person. You should be the one to decide Yuzuha Sasagawa's fate."
(And I shall take on the villain role. In order to truly repent for her actions, Yuzuha Sasagawa must experience pain. If that is required, then that shall be my duty...)
I looked around at the others. Some were smiling wryly and others looked exasperated, but no one seemed to object.
"I didn't personally have any history with her, so I'll leave the matter to you," Nishikawa-san said.
"Same here," Hanako-san added.
"I agree. I think Takanashi-kun should be the one to decide, since he's the one who was hurt the most," Natsumi-senpai said.
"I’m with Natsumi-senpai. Though, since I was involved in this mess to some degree, I’ll probably have a word or two with her myself," Hayato added.
"...I do want revenge on that woman," Tachikawa-san admitted. "But if exposing Yamasaki's true nature results in her falling into the same despair I felt... then I'll consider us even."
"If Yoko is satisfied, that's good enough for me," Todo-san agreed, deferring to her friend. They were all accepting my selfishness.
"I've watched Kazunari longer than anyone else here—even during his middle school days," Yuji spoke up. "I know how he felt about Yuzuha, so I can understand why he can't completely cast her aside, even if the resentment is stronger. If Kazunari wants to give her one chance, I'll watch it play out this once. But there won't be a second time."
Yuji knew everything—how much I’d cared for her and how miserable my 3rd year of middle school days had been. He took all of that into account and still chose to trust my judgment.
I was truly grateful. In middle school, I thought I’d lost everything, but now I had found people more precious than I could have ever imagined.
Yuzuha, this is the last thing I’m doing for you. If you still don't wake up after this... then we're truly finished.
"So, shall we proceed with this flow?"
The general outline was set; all that remained was the execution. I didn't care about minor discrepancies; Yamasaki was finished regardless. If Yuzuha suffered as a result, she had no one to blame but herself. I’d make sure she regretted ever trying to meddle with me again.
"Now then, enough with the heavy talk. Shall we have dinner?"
Nishikawa-san made the declaration, reminding us that a meal gathering had been planned for after the meeting.
"I'm starving."
"I've been looking forward to this."
"I wonder what the place is like."
Todo-san and the others were excited. It was a famous restaurant, and Nishikawa-san had booked the entire place.
"Eri, are you sure about this?" Sara-san asked.
"Natsumi made a very strong request."
"Well, you can't pass up a chance when Eririn is involved!" Natsumi-senpai chirped.
It seemed they knew the place. They hadn't even been surprised by the limousine, but since they were friends, they were probably used to this kind of luxury.
"Um... I don't really know anything about table manners," I confessed. I figured it was better to say it now than be embarrassed later. Was everyone else okay with it?
"Oh, don't worry. It's a private booking, so we'll be the only ones there. The restaurant won't complain about the details... or rather, I won't let them," Nishikawa-san said playfully.
That was a relief. I’d heard it was a high-end place and worried I’d need a crash course before we arrived.
"But if you're going to keep dating Sara, you should probably learn eventually, don't you think?"
She had a point. We might visit places like this for anniversaries or special occasions, and I wanted to show at least that much reliability.
"Then shall we use dinner as an opportunity for a small lesson in table manners?" Sara-san offered.
To be honest, I preferred just enjoying Sara-san's cooking without worrying about etiquette, but I supposed it was necessary.
"Hehe, don't worry. Learning the basics isn't that hard. Besides, I want you to be able to enjoy my meals at home without feeling constrained..."
"Sara, the way you said that makes it sound like you're the one making Takanashi-san's meals," Nishikawa-san interjected.
Right, she didn't know.
"Yes, I am. I cook for him every day."
""""...Eh?""""
Nishikawa-san wasn't the only one who reacted. Hanako-san, Tachikawa-san, and Todo-san all cried out in shock.
"Now that you mention it... Takanashi-kun lives alone, doesn't he?" Todo-san murmured.
Wait, she didn't know either? Nishikawa-san's eyes widened.
"Wait, Sara... you don't mean you go to a man's house while he's living alone...?"
"I go to Kazunari-san's house, yes."
"""..."""
And there goes another piece of our private life. Sara-san doesn't really get flustered by these things; she just answers honestly when asked.
"Every day... cooking at a guy's house... just the two of them..."
It felt like Nishikawa-san was about to transcend to another plane of existence again.
"Wow... a commuter wife while still in high school? That's so er—"
"Hanako-san, stop right there!" Todo-san shouted, cutting her off.
Yeah, that was definitely for the best.
"Um... well, I... we haven't... you know... calling me a wife is..." Sara-san started squirming, her face turning bright red as she began to mumble incoherently.
"S-Sara-san, please calm down."
"Sigh... they've been acting like a married couple this whole time, why get embarrassed now?" Yuzuki-san muttered. I heard her loud and clear.
She had a point. My stance was that if they were happy, it was nobody else's business. Besides, I wanted Kazunari to be happy.
"Well, I'm just glad things didn't get as grim as I expected," I said.
That Yokokawa guy looked like he wanted to say something, though. He kept glancing over at me.
"Tachibana-kun, you seemed a little reluctant about the plan," Yuzuki-san noted.
It wasn't exactly reluctance, but considering what Yuzuha did...
Then again, if I thought about what would actually satisfy me, simply hurting her to vent old frustrations didn't feel right. That wouldn't solve anything. In that sense, Kazunari's desire to "make her understand" wasn't necessarily wrong.
If that was the case, though...
"I'll tell Kazunari later, but I'm going to take some independent action on the day of the confrontation."
"Eh? Why?"
(To make sure Kazunari's wish actually comes true, I'll need one more person...)