"You actually noticed!?"
Yamasaki took the bait, latching onto Eri Nishikawa’s performance with visible delight, despite the fact that Yuzuha was standing right next to him. He looked genuinely ecstatic, as if he couldn’t believe his luck that he might actually have a chance with her.
In contrast, Yuzuha simply looked bewildered.
"Yes. Since I’ve never been this close to a man before, I thought for sure… but you have a lover, don’t you?"
Yamasaki hadn't lost his composure yet. He waited for her to finish before glancing at Yuzuha. He looked at her as if she were a complete stranger.
"No. She’s just a friend. It’s all a misunderstanding."
"What!? What do you mean, 'misunderstanding,' Kazuma-kun!? We’re—"
Being dismissed as "just a friend" clearly rattled Yuzuha. Her previously carefree expression was replaced by shock and frantic desperation.
"It seems there’s a bit of a discrepancy here, doesn't there? This young lady seems to believe you’re her lover, Yamasaki-san?"
When even Eri referred to it as a misunderstanding, Yuzuha’s face twisted with rage.
"I told you, it’s not! I am Kazuma-kun’s genuine lover! Who the hell are you, anyway!?"
The brunt of her anger shifted toward Eri. Of course, this was exactly how we’d planned for things to flow.
"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Eri Nishikawa. As the daughter of the Nishikawa Group President, I have a professional association with Yamasaki-san."
"The… Nishikawa Group? Wait, why would someone like that be…"
Even someone like Yuzuha knew the name of the Nishikawa Group. Once she realized she was talking to the group’s heiress, she couldn't help but understand the massive gulf between them.
"Yuzuha, let me tell you this as a friend: Eri-san is in a different league than you. Watch your mouth."
Yamasaki was double-downing on the "just a friend" narrative. At this point, there was no doubt about it—he had completely discarded Yuzuha.
"Why… why would you say that? Because I really…"
"Heh, I see. So you just deluded yourself into thinking you were lovers."
Tachikawa-san, who had been observing in silence until now, cut in for the first time.
"Y-You're that girl from before…"
Yuzuha seemed to recognize her. She glared at Tachikawa-san with eyes full of hostility.
"A woman who lives in her own delusions is just pathetic."
"True. Ah, Eri, sorry I'm late!"
Todo-san appeared, as if on cue to support Hanako-san’s jab. That meant the final preparations were complete.
"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. Looks like things are getting lively in here."
Hayato stepped out as well, his tone dripping with mock casualness. It looked like everyone was finally in position.
"Hayato-kun!! Hey, what is the meaning of this!? None of this makes sense!!"
Seeing that the person who had brought her here was now part of the group, Yuzuha lunged toward Hayato.
"Hm? I don't know what you're trying to ask, but if you have questions, I'm not the one you should be asking, right?"
Hayato brushed her off with a cold, blunt dismissal.
As more and more unfamiliar faces gathered, Yamasaki finally seemed to feel a sense of unease.
"Eri-san, what on earth is going on…?"
"They are all my precious friends. Is there a problem?"
"N-No… not at all."
With Eri herself saying that, Yamasaki couldn't find a way to object. Between Yuzuha’s unexpected arrival, the conversation we’d just had with him, and now the sudden influx of people who seemed connected to one another, he looked like he was trembling with the fear of the unknown.
"Yamasaki, don't worry about us. You should worry about yourself. Eri-san is troubled, so why don't you give her an answer?"
"Guh… Takanashi…"
As Yamasaki’s eyes darted around, desperately searching for an escape or a counter-strategy, I called out to him with pointed intent. It was glaringly obvious how cornered he felt.
"Yamasaki-san, who exactly is that person to you? Surely you weren't approaching me while you already had a lover?"
Eri finally asked the one question he’d been dreading. He was trapped. There was only one way for him to answer now.
"O-Of course not. Like I said before, she is definitely just a friend. She seems to have a very overactive imagination, and I suppose I might have inadvertently let her misunderstand things a little."
"That's not true! Kazuma-kun and I are—"
"Now that I think about it, back in middle school, I heard exactly what Yamasaki thought of you, Yuzuha. He told me you were just a plaything, and I ended up punching him for it."
I brought up that old story specifically to reinforce Yamasaki’s current lie. I wanted to emphasize the fact that he saw her as nothing more than an object for his amusement.
"Wait, Kazunari, what are you talking about…?"
"Is that true, Kazunari-san?"
Sara-san joined the conversation at last. She had been holding back for so long that it was starting to become painful to watch. I knew that, deep down, she wanted to let loose on both Yamasaki and Yuzuha.
"Yeah. But the story somehow got twisted into me punching him out of jealousy."
I answered her question while offering a silent apology with my eyes.
"What is that!? I never heard anything about—"
"What a noisy woman. Shut up and listen!"
Sara-san barked the command at Yuzuha. Cowering under the sheer intensity of Sara-san's presence, Yuzuha instantly fell silent. I continued the story, wanting to get this over with for Sara-san’s sake.
"Yamasaki explicitly stated that Yuzuha was a plaything. I couldn't forgive that, so I hit him."
"What… I didn't know that…"
Yuzuha looked as though she was hearing this for the first time, but Eri cut her off before she could say more.
"I see… but in our world, stories of 'playthings' are unfortunately quite common. Wouldn't you agree, Yamasaki-san?"
Taking my lead, Eri emphasized the word "plaything" and spoke to Yamasaki as if it were a perfectly normal, albeit cynical, reality of high society.
"Y-Yes. That’s right. It was strictly a casual relationship for play."
Predictably, Yamasaki lunged at the escape route, looking immensely relieved.
"…Lies… That’s a lie, right? It has to be! Hey, Kazuma-kun, you’re joking, right? Tell me you’re joking!! That’s too cruel!!"
Being explicitly labeled as a mere "plaything" was the final straw. Yuzuha broke down, screaming as the reality of her situation finally began to sink in.
"I'll say it as many times as I have to: you misunderstood everything. In the first place, did I ever once tell you that I liked you?"
"……………………Eh?"
"I never told you I loved you, and I certainly never confessed to you."
Yamasaki spoke with a cold, factual detachment. Judging by how he’d regained his composure, he was likely telling the truth.
Even I was surprised by that. Calling it "well-prepared" would be too kind—if he had intentionally avoided a confession just so he could discard her whenever he wanted, the guy was an absolute piece of trash.
Everyone else seemed to have the same thought; they all looked disgusted. However, the sharpness in Sara-san’s eyes only intensified, while Tachikawa-san seemed lost in thought, perhaps remembering her own experience.
"Eh…… eh, no… but…"
"You were mistaken. We are not dating. That is a fact. Do you have any memory of me confessing to you?"
"…………I don’t? ……Wait, I don’t… huh? Why don’t I!? I don’t!!! No, that’s not right!! We really were!! And I told Kazuma-kun I loved him so many times!!"
Judging by her reaction, it was true—Yamasaki had never actually said the words. Yuzuha grew increasingly hysterical, her voice rising in a frantic, crazed tone. But in this situation, any "I love you" she had sent his way was easily deflected.
"I assumed you meant you liked me as a friend. It was all your own misunderstanding."
The answer was so predictable it was almost boring.
"Lies, you’re lying!!!!! ……hic… I really… hic"
Yuzuha had no ground left to stand on. She finally collapsed into a fit of sobbing. Part of me felt she was pitiful, but I knew this was entirely self-inflicted.
"Well, it seems we have a conclusion. Since there was no confession, then it’s safe to say it was all her own delusion, correct?"
"Yes. So, I don't have a lover. Which means, to you, I can—"
Yamasaki was a complete and utter fool. Did he seriously think he was going to walk away from this unscathed? He was beyond delusional.
"You are… absolutely filthy. What exactly do you think women are?"
Eri’s demeanor shifted instantly. It was starting. We had made Yuzuha face Yamasaki’s true nature. Now it was time for Yamasaki himself.
"Huh? B-But… you said this kind of thing happens…"
"You seem to be just as delusional as she is. Just because I said it 'happens' doesn't mean I approve of it. Speaking as a woman, I find your behavior unforgivable."
Yamasaki began to panic as he realized his standing with Eri had just evaporated.
"W-Wait a minute! This is… um, well, it’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! It was just a figure of speech! By 'play,' I meant we were just hanging out as friends—"
"Pfft… Hahahaha!"
"What’s so funny, Takanashi!?"
I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of his excuse. I hadn't intended to jump in yet, but I couldn't resist.
"Sorry, sorry. I just didn't expect to hear an elementary school level excuse like that. Don't you realize how incoherent you're being?"
"Takanashi-kun, you shouldn't laugh. He was being serious. He gave it his best shot and came up with 'elementary school'… pfft, kuku…"
Hanako-san joined in, sensing the opportunity to needle him further. Her goal was clearly to provoke him as much as possible.
"Guh… you people…"
"In that case, Yamasaki-san, I suppose saying I was a 'plaything' also just meant we were hanging out as friends? Come to think of it, I don't recall you ever confessing your feelings to me, either."
Tachikawa-san seized the moment to join the fray. It seemed she had been treated exactly the same way Yuzuha was. He had clearly calculated his moves to ensure he always had an exit.
"What an interesting man. To think that you were clever enough to prepare escape routes, yet your judgment is so poor and your words so childish. You truly believe you can talk your way out of this? Your lack of awareness is infantile. Given how meticulously you've curated your exterior, you really are nothing more than a magnificent papier-mâché doll, aren't you?"
"…………Huh? W-What?"
Seeing that I had already stepped in, Sara-san finally let her voice be heard. Now that Yuzuha’s part was over, she didn't have to hold back. Yamasaki looked stunned by the sudden, elegant insult, seemingly unable to process being talked down to by someone like her.
Meanwhile, Tachikawa-san was delivering a follow-up blow to Yuzuha: "It turns out you were just like me, weren't you? How does it feel to be called a plaything in front of everyone?"
Realize what you've done, Yuzuha.
"My, did he even look like he had a good 'exterior' to you, Sara?"
Eri asked Sara-san with an amused expression, clearly curious about the specific choice of words.
"Please don't make me laugh. From my perspective, I see no difference between him and a hyottoko mask. Ah, but perhaps it was rude of me to compare a traditional mask to such a childish piece of papier-mâché."
"Why you, you b—"
"I wonder what exactly you were about to call my best friend?"
"Guh……"
Yamasaki finally snapped after being insulted by Sara-san, but Eri’s sharp gaze instantly cowed him. I slowly unclenched the fist I’d been holding. If he had even looked like he was going to move toward Sara-san, I would have sent him flying.
There were bodyguards—private ones Eri had brought—disguised as guests scattered throughout the room, but that didn't change my own resolve.
"Now then, I’m sure our other guests are tired of waiting. Shall we begin today’s Main Event? Yamasaki-san, I’ve prepared something truly entertaining for us. Bring it in!"
Eri shouted the command. At her signal, the doors to the venue swung open, and the crowd Yamasaki had gathered—who had been waiting in the lobby—came streaming in. At the same time, a projector was set up in the center of the room, and a giant screen was lowered onto the stage.
"W-What are you doing!?"
Yamasaki, who had been staring blankly at the scene, finally felt a surge of dread and questioned Eri. She ignored him completely. She took the microphone a staff member handed her and began her address.
"Welcome, everyone. I will offer my formal greetings later. For now, please sit back and enjoy the Entertainment Screening we have prepared for you."
As Eri made her declaration, the lights in the room began to dim. I turned to Yuzuha, who was still slumped on the floor.
"Yuzuha… watch this closely."
"…Kazunari?"
She clearly hadn't expected me to speak to her. She looked up, her voice trembling.
"See with your own eyes what kind of man Yamasaki really is."
"No, I don't want to! I can't… hic"
As Yuzuha started crying again, I was about to force her to look at the screen when Sara-san stepped in. She grabbed Yuzuha and hauled her to her feet with sheer force.
"Now you'll have a perfect view, won't you? This is simple enough for even your empty head to understand, so watch it until the very end!"
"Hic…"
Terrified by Sara-san's overwhelming presence, Yuzuha fell silent.
"I’m not staying for this farce. I’m leaving—"
Realizing he was in serious danger, Yamasaki tried to flee, forgetting all about his pursuit of Eri. But we weren't about to let him go.
As I grabbed his right arm, Hayato stepped in and seized his left.
"Don't be like that. We'll be nice and watch it with you."
"Enjoy the show. No need to be shy."
As Hayato and I mocked him, Yamasaki naturally tried to struggle.
"Let go of me! I'll call the police…"
It was time to play the card that would shut him up for good.
"You know, the mixers you run actually constitute prostitution procurement. We're about to screen the evidence of that right now. Do you really want to call the police and watch it with them?"
"!!??"
That did it. His body went completely limp, and he stared at me with a look of pure, unadulterated horror.
On the screen, the footage had already begun to play, showing the chaotic mixer revelry. A wave of murmurs and agitation swept through the newly arrived guests. Yamasaki was finally starting to realize the magnitude of the situation.
"Just shut up and watch. You’re curious about what we’ve got on you, aren't you?"
Whether he had given up or was desperately trying to think of a way out, Yamasaki didn't utter another word until the footage finally ended.