I Was Blackmailed Into Accepting Bullying Using My Childhood Friend as Leverage, But When I Found Out My Friend and Bully Were Together, I Abandoned All Compassion and Swore to Take Revenge with Everything I Had - Chapter 06: Unnecessary Things Are Meant to Be Discarded

Chapter 06: Unnecessary Things Are Meant to Be Discarded

Note: This work contains depictions of violence and sexual content, but it does not promote any of these actions.

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Leaving my former stepsister behind in front of my room, I sat down in the living room to have dinner.

She didn’t appear in the living room for a while, seemingly stunned in front of my room. It wasn’t until I had finished my salad and started eating my curry that she finally entered, her head hung low. 

She quietly sat diagonally across from me at the table, not touching her food, just staring down at her plate.

Noticing her odd behavior, my former stepmother leaned in and asked with concern,

“What’s wrong, Kotone? Aren’t you hungry?”

Seeing her worry, I decided to explain in her place.

“Oh, stepmother, Kotone-san probably just doesn’t like eating with me anymore~.”

I said it with a cold laugh, and both Kotone and my stepmother stared at me in shock.

“Hey—!”

“Kenichi-kun? What do you mean? Did something happen between you and Kotone?”

Since I had already moved on from everything, I calmly told her the truth.

“Yes. Ever since we started high school, Kotone has been avoiding me, treating me like trash.”

Hearing this, Kotone looked like she wanted to say something, while my stepmother seemed uncomfortable and hesitated before asking me cautiously,

“Kenichi-kun, it seems like you might have an idea why things aren’t going well between you and Kotone. Would you mind sharing?”

“Yes. Actually, ever since I started my second year of high school, I’ve been severely bullied.”

“!? B-Bullying?”

“Yes. It was by Iketsuki-kun and his gang from my class. They threatened me, saying they would go after that childhood friend, Shizuku, and used that as leverage to beat me up, extort money, and humiliate me in every possible way.”

“Y-You mean… you endured all of that to protect Shizuku-chan…?”

Ignoring my former stepsister, who muttered to herself with her head down, I continued.

“I believe the rumors even reached the underclassmen. That’s why Kotone-san made sure no one knew we were step-siblings, distancing herself from me at school.”

My former stepmother, looking at Kotone with sad eyes as she trembled, reached out and took my hand, bowing her head.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Please forgive her. I’m apologizing on her behalf… I’m truly sorry.”

Gently, I pulled my hand away from hers and continued speaking.

“However, all my patience and endurance were wasted. One day, I walked into the classroom and caught Iketsuki and that childhood friend having sex.”

“”!?””

“And to make it worse, after they were done, they used my diary—the one my mother gave me—as a rag to wipe themselves off.”

“That… that’s terrible… Shizuku-chan did that…?”

“That diary held cherished memories from my mother, but I didn’t want to carry around something so filthy anymore, so I threw it away.”

“…”

For some reason, my former stepmother and stepsister both started crying.

“But that’s all in the past now. Today, I beat Iketsuki and his lackeys to a pulp and told them I’d pay them back every day from now on, with violence.”

“!!”

My former stepmother looked at me in shock, while my former stepsister buried her face in the table and cried even harder.

“Oh, and I’ve also severed all ties with that girl, who treated me like trash.”

“Shizuku-chan… I-I see, but… Please, think this through! Violence won’t solve anything! You could ruin your life if you keep going down this path…!”

This former stepmother is useless too. She’s saying all the right things now, but she ignored the fact that something was clearly wrong with me for over a year. Now she’s apologizing on her daughter’s behalf because it’s her fault? Laughable.

So, since she didn’t know anything, it’s only her daughter’s responsibility? And what? I’m supposed to just accept being beaten up and robbed without fighting back? What exactly is she going to do for me?

In the end, she’s just worried about her reputation and wants me to keep quiet and endure it. She’s just as much trash as my former stepsister.

But honestly, I couldn’t care less anymore.

I decided to tell them something that would cut this pointless conversation short.

“Oh, and by the way, starting today, I’m cutting ties with all of you as well. I’ll be leaving this house by the end of today~.”

My sudden declaration of leaving and severing ties shocked both my former stepmother and stepsister. They were visibly shaken.

“W-Wait… does your father know about this!?”

I shook my head and sighed.

“When I say ‘you,’ I mean my father too. None of you realized how miserable I’ve been in this house, right? And if my father didn’t know because he was too busy with work, then can you really call this a family?”

Unable to argue against my logic, my former stepmother fell silent, and I continued.

“And then there’s Kotone-san, who has ignored me, avoided me, and when she did speak to me, it was only to insult me. I don’t need a sibling like that, so I’ve decided to cut ties from my end. From today on, you’re my ex-stepsister, ex-stepmother, and ex-father~.”

“P-Please, Kenichi, reconsider… From now on, I’ll face things properly and try to be a better mother! Please, I’m begging you!” 

My former stepmother pleaded, bowing deeply before me, while my former stepsister remained crying with her head on the table.

“It’s too late for that. I’ve already made arrangements for a new place to live. Feel free to do whatever you want with the things in my room. I don’t need any memories from you people~.”

Panicked by my sudden declaration of severing ties and rejecting our family connection, my former stepmother asked desperately,

“Wait, where are you going to live? And what about money?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention. Before I started high school, I debuted as a novelist. My aunt is acting as my guardian, and I’ve already saved up five times the average lifetime earnings of a salaryman, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

[Ding dong!] The doorbell rang as I was speaking.

(Just as I expected…)

Without even checking the door camera, I opened the front door. Standing there was a middle-aged man with an imposing presence, bowing slightly. Behind him, I could see Iketsuki, looking frightened, along with a large man carrying a big suitcase.

“Apologies for disturbing you during dinner. I’m Ryusei Iketsuki’s father. I’ve come to personally apologize for the trouble my foolish son has caused you, Komada-san.”

From the back, my former stepmother peeked out but, upon seeing my expression, remained silent and simply bowed her head in greeting.

“An apology? There’s no need for that. I’m not asking for one. My plan is to make Iketsuki-kun feel the humiliation and pain I’ve endured, but a hundred times worse~ Ahaha.”

When I laughed, Iketsuki started trembling uncontrollably. His father sighed at the sight and said,

“I understand how you feel, Komada-kun. We didn’t come here expecting forgiveness for free.” 

The large man behind him unlocked the suitcase and opened it.

“There’s 10 million yen here. How about settling this matter with a financial agreement?”

I reached out and casually flipped through the stacks of money. Seeing this, Iketsuki’s father grinned smugly, thinking he had won.

This family is just like their son—trash. The father is no different.