C4...

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If he’s your friend, then you

must know, Ichikawa said relieved.

“Sketchy

person?”

“That guy who’s always wearing a fox (?) mask.

When he was questioned by the police around that side path, he ran

away as fast as he could.”

“Of course he would run away

when questioned by the police.”

Shimura laughed

loudly at Kusamakura’s episode that was unknown to him.

—Always

wearing a fox mask.

It must have been the same mask he picked

up for him that day. He didn’t think he always wore it. Tatsumi

couldn’t see. So just what was he trying to hide from him? It was new

to him, but if he said that, he had a feeling they would tell him even

more, so he held it back.

Once he got home, Tatsumi

collapsed into his bed. It had been a somewhat hectic day. Perhaps

using the opportunity made by going to lunch with the other women,

suddenly other coworkers started to talk to him. “Representative”

didn’t seem to be a complete exaggeration. It wasn’t just the two who

invited him to lunch, when he returned to the office, all his other

coworkers came to his aid. His loneliness up until yesterday seemed

like a lie. Everyone helping him out like it was natural, left

Tatsumi bewildered. However, the most surprising was Yamauchi. After

work today, she called him to the conference room. Being alone in a

locked room with her was honestly terrifying. A man and woman alone

together would of course invite misunderstandings, but since she

locked him in, Tatsumi couldn’t move. First thing she opened her

mouth to say to the visibly apprehensive Tatsumi was, sorry.

Since her voice was rather low, she must have been bowing her head

deeply, it sounded muffled.

—Sorry, for always bullying

you.

Yamauchi said in a trembling, but firm voice. Knowing

she really did mean him harm, as expected, pained his chest. On the

other hand, having his doubts confirmed was also fulfilling. Even so,

what he didn’t understand was why she bullied him.

—You

embarrassed me…..no, I felt like you embarrassed me, and

wouldn’t be satisfied with just a few words.

Embarrassed, she

must have meant when she grabbed his white cane. In the end, it

wasn’t settled with just a few words. He could tell from behavior

towards him that she was letting out her resentment toward him daily

because of it. However, perhaps noticing Tatsumi coming to his own

conclusions, Yamauchi told him he was wrong in a bitter voice.

—I

liked you.

—Eh!?

Tatsumi was unable to catch this

ball flying at him from an unexpected direction. Yamauchi sighed

heavily at his cruel and flustered reaction at her words that were

somewhat like a confession of love.

—At first, I just

couldn’t forgive you for embarrassing me.

—Sorry about

that.

—Stop apologizing. I’m the one at fault for pretending

to feel offended……but, you never got angry towards my cold

behavior, so that was a little funny in itself. I thought it was bold,

but……since we never had any men like that here before, it was

refreshing. It was too late to be nice to you though, so I thought of

you as a man who needed my help,and it gave me a superiority complex

and a need for control, and it annoyed me that you wouldn’t ever ask

for my help.

—When Shimura-san spoke to me, I finally came

to my decision. I wasn’t sure when I would quit, so she did me a

favor…..well, that’s not for me to say.