Come to think of it, I seem to be quite excellent at getting into womenâs hearts.
Thinking back, I always got along with the opposite gender I met for the first time very quickly.
The only exception might have been ⊠Shiho Shimotsuki.
This time, too, I followed that example and immediately became friendly with Chisato, Nakayamaâs aunt.
âChisato-san, if youâre going home, give me a lift.â
ââŠI know weâve never met before, but you act like a very familiar little boy.â
She shrugged her shoulders in exasperation, but did not shake her head.
âWell, I prefer it when theyâre a little naive, because being a little bit naive is like being a kid⊠Itâs boring when theyâre too good at listening. A kid who grew up that way is a pain to watch.â
In her mind, she probably has an image of her nephew, Kotaro Nakayama.
But still, it seems that she is not so friendly with⊠Nakayama, who is a stranger even though it is a family member of hers.
âAnyway, if you want to get in, get in. Iâm too busy to have time to chat with the kid.â
She must have finished the cigarette she was smoking. She put the cigarette butt in the portable ashtray and got into the car.
A little later, I opened the passenger side door too.
âWowâŠ, it smells like cigarettes.â
I frowned at the smell that was instantly in the air, but put myself inside the car.
Seeing me like that, Chisato breathed.
âGood grief, kids these days are so picky about cigarettes. Enough with the petty nagging. Are you going to tell me to âquitâ too, out of concern for my body?â
⊠Oh, I see.
I guess Nakayama doesnât like smoking either.
Well, it must be hard for those who are not used to it, and itâs true that itâs bad for you. Sheâs not wrong, but I was thinking a little differently.
âYou donât have to stop, do you?â
As I fasten my seatbelt, I think of my parents.
They were both smokers, too. I donât dislike the smell of cigarettes, and I donât feel as much opposition to them as Nakayama does.
âIf you can do what you want to do and die with no regrets, thatâs fine.â
Chisato-san, who was sitting in the driverâs seat, slowly turned her gaze toward me as I muttered.
The woman who had been looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow all this time, and had never tried to look directly at me properly, is now looking straight at me.
It was as if she had just recognized me for the first time.
At that moment, her face, which had been so dull, relaxed just a little.
âYou say some interesting things. Yeah, well, ⊠sure, if you die without regrets, thatâs fine.â
âClick.
Suddenly, I thought I heard a sound.
It was the sound of Chisatoâs heart being opened.
(As usual, good at getting into womenâs hearts⊠I really am a womanizer.)
I hate myself.
Having become friends in this way, Iâm sure Chisato-san will slip up.
Itâs not that I was aiming for this, but ⊠as a result, Iâve ended up preparing to achieve my goal.
I guess thatâs why Iâm the protagonist.
I feel uncomfortable abusing this trait,⊠but for now, Iâll gratefully take advantage of it.
âActually, I work for a company owned by my sister ⊠Kotaroâs mother.â
Then, Chisato-san told me many things.
She told me a lot of information I wanted to know, even though I didnât ask her.
She told me about Kotaro Nakayamaâs family.
The company owned by his parents was going under.
Chisato-san is working for the company without sleep.
That Nakayama was used to negotiate with the Kurumizawa family.
Nakayama ran away with one day left on his tutoring contract.
Today, Chisato-san grabbed Nakayama by the scruff of the neck and brought him to the Kurumizawa family.
Chisato-san is not a person who seems to talk a lot, but she was really talkative in the car.
Thanks to her, I was able to know everything.
âThank you, Chisato-san.â
âYeah, be careful on your way home⊠Ryoma.â
Moreover, she went out of her way to take me home and was really nice to me.
At the end she even forgave me enough to address me.
âWell⊠I see.â
I couldnât help but grin when I learned about the situation Nakayama was in.
It seems that he is in a rather interesting situation.
All kinds of causalities are entangled together like a circle of wisdom, and Nakayama seems to be stuck in the middle of it.
âI donât have a choice. First and last time Iâm going to help you.â
At home, I laughingly pull my mobile device out of my pocket.
I decided to break one of the chains holding him.
Hey, NakayamaâŠ, do you know the easiest way to break the circle of wisdom?
You know, you donât even have to use your head to break the circle of wisdom?
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
I called the number from the phone book and placed a call to her.
A few seconds later, I hear a voice on the phone that I havenât ⊠heard in months.
âMoshi moshi⊠Ryoma?â
Her cheeks relaxed as she spoke in a slightly one-sided accent.
I hadnât heard her voice in a few months, but I knew that hearing her voice would cheer me up.
âItâs been a long time. Sorry for the suddennessâŠMary.â
It was Mary Parker who I contacted.
She is the best way to break the circle of wisdom that binds Nakayama.
âHey, I need you to do me a favor.â
âA ⊠favor?â
âYeah. ActuallyâŠ, itâs something to do with money.â
Yes.
One of the reasons for Nakayamaâs difficulties this time was the fact that the company run by his parents was going downhill.
As a solution, I decided to use Mary.
âMoney? Sure, Iâll do anything you want?â
She instantly nods at my request.
Yes, this girl, ⊠âŠâŠ Mary, was probably born into a richer family than the Kurumizawa family.
This time, I decided to use the âpowerâ of Mary to untangle Nakayamaâs chain.
(NoâŠ, itâs not âuntangleâ but âbreakâ is more correct.)
The easiest way to break the circle of wisdom is simple.
Break it by force.
To do this, I decided to use the âviolenceâ of Mary.