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

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Chapter 33: The Prelude to the Fall of the Komada Family

“Chief Komada, you have a call on line two!”

I picked up the receiver and pressed the button for line two, where the light was blinking.

“Hello, this is Komada from the second sales department of XYZ Trading Company.”

It was the end of the month, and I was swamped with paperwork, so I held the receiver between my shoulder and ear, continuing to work as I answered the call.

“This is Namiki from J**B Credit. I’m calling to inform you that your credit balance has been overdue for three months.”

“What!?”

The sudden news made me drop the receiver from my shoulder. I quickly grabbed it and brought it back to my ear.

“We’ve sent several reminder letters to your home, but since we haven’t received any response, we decided to reach out to you directly at your workplace.”

“W-Wait a minute! I transfer around 150,000 yen to the card account every month! There’s no way the balance could be gone…”

“I’m sorry, but the day after your deposit from XYZ Bank, the full amount was withdrawn. By the time we attempt to withdraw, there’s no remaining balance.”

(This can’t be happening! The mortgage and utility bills are paid from a different account… How could we not manage with 150,000 yen!?)

“Sir? Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes! I’m sorry. So, how much is overdue? I haven’t seen the reminder letters since I’ve been away on business.”

“Is it alright if I tell you over the phone?”

“Yes, please.” I grabbed a nearby notepad to jot down the amount. “…!? What!?”

“We kindly ask that you make the payment by the due date. Thank you for your time today.”

I quietly placed the receiver back on the cradle and looked at the note I had just written down, my hand trembling.

“1,886,400 yen…”

That day, I left work without doing any overtime and rushed home. I called my wife… no answer… no answer… What’s going on!?

With no other choice, I called Kotone… Come on, pick up… still nothing… click

“Kotone!”

“Step-father… what is it? Why are you calling now…?”

Her indifferent tone only made my frustration grow.

“What do you mean, ‘what is it’!? Where’s your mother? What’s she doing!?”

“Hey! Don’t shout at me on the phone… you’re so loud…”

“Don’t tell me I’m loud! Where’s your mother!?”

“Mom’s out… She hasn’t been coming home until late at night lately…”

“What!? I’m working hard, coming home exhausted, and she’s out late, having fun!? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Ugh, like I said, that’s a problem between you and her. Why are you yelling at me…?”

“Listen up! You better hear me out! Your mother has been wasting money on the house card, and now we’re nearly 1.9 million yen in debt!!”

“That’s not my problem… I didn’t create that debt. Like I told you, it’s an issue between you two. Just because Mom racked up some debt doesn’t give you the right to take it out on me…”

“You and your mother are both curses! She spends money like it’s nothing and spirals into hysteria, and you—you drove your stepbrother to the brink and forced him out of the house! Kenichi was a thousand times the person you’ll ever be!”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that! You’re no saint yourself!”

“It’s the truth! You think I wouldn’t find out about—”

“Saki Yamaoka”

“—…What?”

“You think I didn’t know? Don’t underestimate me! I know exactly what you’ve been up to!”

“W-Wait a minute—where did you…”

“I’m done talking to you. Discuss the money directly with Mom!”

[… Click! Beep Beep]

How did she find out… Who told her… Kenichi? Was it Kenichi?! That bastard broke his promise to me!!!

Fueled by anger, I tapped Kenichi’s contact and hit the call button… Damn it! … Damn it! … Pick up!! … [Click]

“Hey, Kenichi! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? And who the hell are you?”

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m your father! And how dare you spill everything to the family!!”

“Oh, it’s the worthless old man. Long time no see, huh? So, what’s up today?”

“Don’t ‘what’s up’ me! How could you tell the family about Saki!?”

“Well, it was bound to come out sooner or later, right? Haha.”

“Y-You…! Does my misery make you that happy?”

“Listen, let me make this clear. When Mom was suffering from her illness, you took advantage of her condition to cheat with your current trash of a wife. You were so busy with her that you didn’t even show up when Mom was on her deathbed. Then, to top it all off, you blew through Mom’s life insurance to pay off the debts your trashy wife racked up with her host club, leaving us without a proper funeral or even a name on her gravestone. I’ve never thought of you as a father, not from the start. Why would I protect someone like you? You should be grateful you’re not dead yet.”

“You… how dare you…!”

“Oh, by the way, Saki-san should be home soon. Don’t you two have an important conversation to have?”

“You… you little—”

“I’m home~! Sorry, the hospital was really busy. I’ll start making dinner now~!”

“Pfft, hahaha, so yeah, good luck with that.”

[Click! Beep Beep]

“Oh? Were you on the phone with someone?”

“N-no, well, I… uh, yeah, I was just talking to my daughter… It’s been a while since we last spoke.”

As I said that, Saki, still wearing her apron, jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly.

“Guess what, it looks like it happened!”

“…What? Dinner’s already ready?”

“Pfft… Fufu, nooo, silly! I meant the baby! We’re having a ba-by~!”