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 17: Scum File - Kotone Komada - Sudden Farewell

Chapter 17: Scum File – Kotone Komada – Sudden Farewell

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

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Kotone Komada – Sudden Farewell Arc

I stood dazed in front of my room for a while. Eventually, with heavy steps, I made my way to the living room, where my stepbrother was just finishing his salad and starting on his curry.

I sat down in my usual seat, keeping my head down. My mind was racing, and I couldn’t bring myself to pick up my chopsticks.

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

Mom asked, looking at me with concern, but my stepbrother answered for me.

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

His tone was clear, unlike the usual, as he openly confessed our strained relationship to my mother, leaving me shocked.

“Hey—!”

I tried to think of an excuse, recalling my past behavior, but before I could say anything—

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

“Yes. Ever since I started high school, Kotone-san has been avoiding me and treating me like trash.”

I lowered my head, unable to come up with an excuse as my mind raced.

“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 were enduring all that… to protect Shizuku-chan?”

Even though it wasn’t mentioned in the class chat, I had no idea that my stepbrother had endured bullying to protect Shizuku-chan…

“I think that news of it spread even to the underclassmen, and Kotone-san likely wanted to avoid letting others know we were step-siblings.”

He calmly analyzed my behavior and spoke the truth. I couldn’t find any words to respond, and my body trembled with fear.

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

My mother grasped his hand and bowed her head. However, my stepbrother shook off her hand with a disgusted expression, as if he had touched something dirty. Pulling his hand back to avoid being touched again, he continued speaking.

“But all my endurance and suffering were in vain. Yesterday, I walked into the classroom and saw Iketsuki and that childhood friend… having sex.”

““!?””

Huh? Having sex in the school classroom? That serious Shizuku-chan!?

“And to make things worse, after they were done, they used the diary my mother had bought me, the one I cherished so much, to wipe away their bodily fluids. They tore it apart without a second thought.”

“N-No… How could Shizuku-chan do something so cruel…”

My mother covered her mouth with her hand, trembling. She knew, as did I, how much my stepbrother cherished his late mother. Of course, Shizuku-chan knew that too… and yet…

“It was a precious memory from my mother, but I didn’t want to carry around something so filthy, so I threw it in the trash.”

“…”

Both my mother and I couldn’t hold back our tears as we listened to the terrible things my stepbrother had been through. My tears were also mixed with guilt over how I had treated him. 

However, his voice remained cold, with not a trace of affection toward us.

“But that’s all over as of today. I beat up Iketsuki, the one who bullied me, and told him I’d return the favor with violence every day from now on.”

“!!”

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

“Y-You ended things with Shizuku-chan… I-I see, but…”

My mother tried to reason with him, saying that violence wouldn’t solve anything, but judging by his uninterested expression, it seemed like nothing she said would make a difference.

Then, as if it were nothing, my stepbrother continued speaking.

“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.”

It wasn’t just Shizuku-chan; he had already given up on us too…

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

My mother was shocked, as expected. But there was no hesitation or warmth in my stepbrother’s expression. He looked at us with the eyes of a stranger.

“When I say ‘you all,’ 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? And Kotone-san ignored me, avoided me, and when she did speak, it was only to insult me, calling me trash. 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!” 

As my mother knelt in apology and I continued to cry with my head down on the table, my stepbrother spoke to us.

“It’s too late for that now, and I’ve already decided where I’m moving to. Oh, feel free to do whatever you want with the stuff in my room. I have no attachment to any memories involving you.”

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

“Ah, 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.”

What? A novelist? Enough savings to cover a lifetime’s income? That means he has millions?

[Ding-dong] The doorbell rang mercilessly, interrupting our confusion.

“Just as I expected…”

My stepbrother let out a small, twisted smile at the corner of his mouth. Without even checking the door camera, he headed toward the entrance.

“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.”

My mother left the living room to see what was happening but stayed in place, bowing her head nervously. I, too, quietly peeked out from the living room to see what was going on.

“I have 10 million yen. How about settling this with that?”

We were shocked by the amount, but the negotiation fell apart. 

Then, out of nowhere, a giant man—like someone you’d only see on TV—grabbed my stepbrother by the neck and lifted him off the ground. 

My mother and I were so terrified that we couldn’t move, only able to watch as it seemed my stepbrother might be killed. He glanced back at us with a sad expression, and then—

He grabbed the arm of the man, who was nearly three times his size, twisted him, and kicked him away with one hand.

We were left speechless by what we had just witnessed. The boy named Iketsuki and his father, who had come to our door, were now pathetically kneeling before my stepbrother, begging for forgiveness.

My stepbrother handed a piece of paper to Iketsuki-kun’s father. “5 billion yen!?” he exclaimed in shock.

After whispering something to them, my stepbrother walked away without even looking back, seeming completely relieved as he disappeared somewhere.

My mother quietly closed the front door, ignoring the slumped Iketsuki father and son and the unconscious giant man by the large car outside. She returned to the living room and asked,

“Kotone, did you really treat Kenichi-kun that badly in this house?”

I couldn’t say anything. I just lowered my head.

“Because of you, this whole mess happened… What if the neighbors find out about all this…? And Kenichi-kun, too—making that much money as a student and hiding it from his parents… If you’re talking billions, that kind of money needs to be managed by family…”

Right after Ken-nii left, my mother and I tried calling and messaging him countless times, but he didn’t read any of them, and no replies came. 

My mother called my father, but he didn’t answer right away, which only made her more frustrated.

“Ugh! Why isn’t he at the company housing at this hour!?” she grumbled at her smartphone.

As for me, I tried calling Shizuku-chan, but there was no answer on her end either—just endless ringing. Giving up, I tried calling Ken-nii again, but then I heard my parents arguing loudly in the living room.

“How could you raise your son like this!? He just cut ties with the family on his own, blamed everything on Kotone, and left us like we were beneath him! I never thought he could be such a selfish brat!”

My mother was yelling at my father over the phone with an ugly expression on her face, one I had never seen or heard from her before. Just a little while ago, she had been desperately pleading with Ken-nii not to leave, but now she was spitting out insults.

I couldn’t hear what my father was saying in response, but my mother just kept going.

“Anyway! How am I supposed to face the neighbors now? I’ll be too embarrassed to even step outside! You need to talk some sense into your son! After all, I’m just the stepmother!”

She abruptly hung up the phone, slammed her smartphone onto the living room sofa, and stormed out, forcefully slamming the door behind her with a loud BANG!

Just as I picked up my mother’s smartphone to move it to the table, I heard a loud crash from the living room where the family altar was. Something had shattered. Clutching the phone in my hand, I rushed to the living room, only to find my mother smashing and stomping on the portrait of Ken-nii’s late mother, the frame broken on the floor.

Her appearance was monstrous, completely out of control…

“Kotone~ What are you looking at? This isn’t a show! Honestly, he’s in high school, and yet he clings to his dead mother like this… Ugh! It’s so annoying! So, so annoying!!”

Leaving my mother in her fit of madness, I fled to my room, slamming the door shut behind me with a loud BANG! and collapsing to my knees.

“M-Mom… This can’t be real… You couldn’t have said that…”

‘Kenichi-kun’s late mother must have loved you very much. But I love you just as much, if not more.’

‘Your mother was a wonderful person. That’s why she’ll always hold a special place in Kenichi-kun’s heart. You don’t need to forget her; you should just remain as you are.’

I found myself recalling the time when Ken-nii’s mother had passed away while he was still in elementary school, and the first time my mother and Ken-nii met during the meetup. But now, I couldn’t clearly remember the expression my mother had when she spoke to him back then… it was all hazy.

Ding—the smartphone in my hand buzzed with a new message. Startled by the sudden loud noise, I froze. The phone screen lit up in the dim room, casting light on my face.

Hiroshi♡: “Hey~ When are you coming to the club again~~? I’m so lonely~~ When you do, I’ll be waiting for you~ And after that, let’s go to a ho-te-l together~😉”

What… is this? At the top of the screen was a picture of a young man with flashy, dyed hair. My mom was kissing him on the cheek in the photo…

(Isn’t this… a host? No way… Is my mom spending money on a host? And… cheating? This can’t be real…)

Up until now, I had always trusted my mother completely—she was kind, supportive, and reliable. And I had resented my brother, hating him and treating him like a nuisance.

But now, faced with this crisis, I finally understood. Ken-nii was the most normal one in our family. He was someone who could sacrifice himself to protect others—kind, sincere, and the person I should have trusted all along.

But there was no time for regrets. I tried calling Ken-nii again. “The number you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time…”

“…” I quietly lowered the phone to the floor, wrapped my arms around my knees, and cried in regret.

That day, I lost my family, my brother… because of me. And this was the beginning of the collapse of our family…