Disguise And Burst Out

"Nakamura-san! I didn't quite catch what you said," Yoshishi replied, struggling to choose his words in response to Nakamura Riyao's playful tone.

Nakamura Riyao was another co-worker of Yuto and Yoshishi at Mirai Shoji. He was cheerful and always smiling, but many found his presence either annoying or, to be honest, a bit menacing.

Yoshishi felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

"Aisuke-san! I thought you were a decent guy with strong ethics, but what I just saw painted a different picture," Nakamura said, his playful tone dripping with mock disappointment.

Yoshishi stumbled over his words. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Nakamura's voice dripped with mockery as he replied, "You know, Aisuke-san, I never expected you to be the type to backstab your friends. Yuto-san is a genuinely good and hardworking person; he trusts you completely. He sees you as a brother, yet here you are— a snake in the sleeve."

Yoshishi was momentarily speechless, the weight of Nakamura's words pressing down on him like a lead blanket. Panic rose in his chest, for he was painfully aware that Nakamura, the most menacing figure in the office, had likely sensed his vulnerability—the telltale blush that had crept across his cheeks at the honey words of his best friend's wife.

"You love Mrs. Netao, don't you?" Nakamura taunted, adding a sinister edge to the smile playing on his lips.

Yoshishi quickly shook his head. "No! No! What are you saying, Nakamura-san? I would never do something so disgraceful. This must be a misunderstanding. Loving a married woman with two sons? That's something only a scumbag would do." His words came out in a rush, but deep down, he couldn't shake the gnawing truth that he was exactly what he claimed to despise.

Nakamura waved a dismissive hand, "You're lying, Aisuke-san! But that blush when you looked at your friend's wife? That doesn't lie. It reminds me of when I was a teenager and dated a girl—I used to blush just like that." A genuine smile spread across his face, nostalgia flickering in his eyes.

"I told you, it was a misunderstanding! Anyone can blush when a cute lady smiles and compliments them. It's completely natural!" Yoshishi protested.

"Oh, look at the scumbags trying to defend themselves!" Nakamura sighed.

Then, leaning in closer, he asked, "Aisuke-san, just answer me one thing."

"What?"

"Why is it that you act like a royal knight only in front of Mrs. Netao?" A devious glint in his eyes.

Yoshishi felt a wave of shock wash over him, his heart racing like a marathon runner sprinting toward the finish line. He was spiraling into a dark pit of fear and tension. No one had ever seen his knightly side except Yuto and his wife, and hearing it pointed out by Nakamura—the most menacing person in the office—made the situation all the more embarrassing.

"It's just how I behave with ladies. That's all!"

he defended himself again.

At that moment, Yoshishi had fallen into Nakamura's trap—this conversation was about to change everything in his life.

Nakamura let out a soft, sinister laugh that barely rose above a whisper, a sound laced with malice. "I've never seen you talk like that with Akujo-san. She's the most popular woman in the office—beautiful, charming, like a princess. Why doesn't she get that knightly treatment from you?"

Yoshishi stood frozen, he wished he could vanish, that the ground would swallow him whole.

But Nakamura didn't stop.

"You've inserted yourself into the Netao family's life. You always tag along, ignoring their privacy. You've turned their intimate moments into group outings, trying to outshine her husband in front of Mrs. Netao. You want her to see you as charming and better than Yuto-san. I'd say you truly are a scumbag!"

With a chilling finality, Nakamura plunged a question deep into Yoshishi's soul. "Don't you have any shame?"

Yoshishi's cover has blown up. He searched for words, but there was no defense against the truth that Nakamura laid bare before him.

"Nakamura-san, what you're saying is true. I love Sumire-san. I really, truly love her. I don't care that she's married or a mother—I love her." he confessed.

Nakamura's smile remained, as he strategized his next move. "And what's your plan now? Do you have anything to say about that?"

Yoshishi didn't hesitate to say, "I want to confess my feelings to Sumire-san. I need to hear her opinion. I know she'll likely reject me, but I want to hear her say she loves me but can't be with me."

Nakamura's smile faded, his expression shifting to one of disappointment. "That's it?"

"That's it!" Yoshishi replied defiantly.

Nakamura placed a hand on Yoshishi's shoulder and leaned in, whispering softly in his ear. The words ignited a flicker of hope and confidence within the heart of the would-be homewrecker.

"Yoshishi!" he murmured "I'll help you with that. I'm an expert at navigating relationships, but you'll owe me one. Let's just say I have my own reasons."

Yoshishi's eyes widened in surprise.