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 41: Kenichi Fudo - Final Act: Abandoning Myself for Revenge

Chapter 41: Kenichi Fudo – Final Act: Abandoning Myself for Revenge

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I took the brown envelope from the locker my mother had hidden and inserted a coin into the now-empty locker, locking it again to prevent others from using it.

I held the documents close to my chest and quietly returned home, making sure Kotone and my stepmother wouldn’t notice. I silently shut the door to my room.

Carefully, I pulled out the contents of the envelope—several A4 sheets of paper.

As I read them, I felt like I was about to lose myself to anger…

What was written was truly horrible, and I couldn’t imagine what my mother was thinking as she recorded it all…

Summarizing my mother’s report:

It seems that she ran into Aunt Junka by chance in town while Junkas-san was on an outside assignment as a new employee at her new job. At that time, Junka-san introduced her boss, Kanamori, to my mother, and they became acquainted.

One day, while my mother was out shopping, she unexpectedly ran into Kanamori. He mentioned having trouble with Junka-san’s behavior at work and wanted to consult my mother, as her sister. They exchanged contact information.

After that, Kanamori repeatedly asked if they could meet to talk in person, under the pretense of seeking advice. He suggested meeting up several times, but my mother felt uneasy and made excuses to decline each time.

However, one day over the phone, Kanamori insisted in a harsh tone that Junka-san had made a terrible mistake that could lead to serious trouble for the company. He pressured my mother, saying it would become a huge problem if she didn’t warn her sister. Feeling cornered, she reluctantly agreed to meet him at a hotel lounge.

But when she arrived, Kanamori wasn’t alone—there was another person with him…

They cleverly avoided getting to the point and dragged out the conversation. Eventually, they persuaded my mother to drink the coffee they had ordered for her.

By the time she realized something was wrong, she was already losing consciousness. When she came to, Kanamori and the other person… I can’t continue reading this—I’m too enraged.

When my mother threatened to report the assault to the police, they retaliated by threatening to show the photos taken during the assault to Junka-san, our family, and especially me, her son. Terrified, she was forced to stay silent, even though it tore her apart inside.

From that point on, they repeatedly blackmailed her with those photos and threats involving me. They summoned her to the hotel many times.

Each time, she tried to refuse, but they would overpower her, drugging her with something that blurred her consciousness, and then they assaulted her.

In the midst of this ongoing nightmare, my mother began to notice that something was wrong with her body. She suspected it was a side effect of the drugs they were giving her, but she was too afraid to go to the hospital. She feared that if Junka-san, our family, or especially I found out, it would cause us too much pain.

Although it wasn’t clearly stated, based on the wording and the situation, I can infer that Kanamori and his accomplice initially intended to seduce Junka-san, their new subordinate.

However, when their invitations to meals or tea were met with refusal and they found themselves frustrated by Junka-san’s strong-willed nature, they happened to be introduced to my mother.

Kanamori and his accomplice shifted their target to my mother, who was just as beautiful as Junka-san but without her strong sense of caution. 

Unlike Junka-san, who was always on guard, my kind-hearted mother, who couldn’t ignore her sister’s troubles, was deceived by them. They exploited her good nature, and in the end, she was cruelly used by those monsters, who drugged her and played with her like a toy, destroying both her mind and body.

After committing every word of my mother’s report to memory, I carefully copied the main details into her diary and then returned the original documents to the locker the next day.

Did my mother record all this because she wanted someone to find out, or was she planning to tell someone herself eventually?

There’s no way to know now…

But now that I’ve uncovered the truth, my anger and hatred have reached the point where I can think of nothing but making Kanamori and his accomplice suffer in utter despair and hell. I swore to my mother’s diary and my own hatred that I would take revenge on those monsters and started planning.

The problem is Junka-san. 

If she ever finds out about this, she will undoubtedly blame herself, thinking that her sister suffered because of her.

She might consider exposing the crimes of Kanamori and his accomplice to avenge her sister’s suffering. However, while Kanamori might be within reach, the other person is far more dangerous. There’s no doubt she would face severe retaliation, putting not only herself but also her family in grave danger.

If Junka-san were to suffer the same fate as my mother… I can’t help but picture my mother’s sorrowful face.

I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts.

I resolved not to involve Junka-san in this revenge. Instead, I started searching for a way to get close to Kanamori and, especially, his powerful accomplice without anyone knowing the truth.

After carefully considering the quickest and most effective route, I concluded that the best approach would be for me to establish strong connections with a publishing company. By doing so, I could first get close to Kanamori and then draw out his influential partner.

I decided to become a novelist, as it would allow me to form beneficial relationships with key people in the publishing world. This position would provide me with ongoing access to important figures in the industry.

However, an ordinary-level writer would only interact with mid-level contacts, like editors. To reach the editor-in-chief—or higher—and, more importantly, to get to the person backing Kanamori…

I realized I needed to become a famous and popular author, someone so well-known that the editor-in-chief would personally come to meet me, bowing their head.

Once my work gained recognition and was praised by the public, there’s no doubt that he would try to make contact with me. After all, he…

However, if my presence is recognized by the public before I’ve established my position, there’s a high chance that Kanamori or his accomplice could crush me before I even begin to execute my plan. Moreover, if my identity as Youka Komada’s son is somehow revealed, and if Kanamori is as sharp as I suspect, he might become suspicious of me and attempt to interfere.

Even if it doesn’t come to direct interference, if they distance themselves from me and sever all connections, the path to my other target might be closed off forever.

…For the sake of revenge…

…I decided to live as an unrecognized, invisible presence, quietly building my position as a novelist and preparing for my revenge in secret. I resolved to dedicate the rest of my life to this purpose.

I would abandon my old self, becoming so inconspicuous that no one would notice me, all the while making my preparations… 

And this plan must remain unknown to anyone.

To ensure that no one else gets involved and that any self-destruction only affects me, I began isolating myself from those around me.

As I changed, even the friends I’d had since elementary school started to drift away.

My stepsister Kotone, who had always looked up to me, noticed my changes and worried about me, asking, “What’s wrong, Onii-chan?” “Why don’t you go outside and play?” “Stop playing games on the computer and hang out with your friends.” I felt nothing but guilt toward her for making her worry.

But no matter who it is, I can’t tell them the real reason, especially not those who are close and dear to me…

So, even at home, I played the part of an invisible student, spending my time in my room gathering the latest trends and information on my computer while dedicating all my efforts to writing.

By the time Kotone reached middle school, she seemed to have given up on me, or perhaps her attitude toward me changed due to her growing frustrations or simply because of her adolescence. 

She started to hurl insults at me, calling me “trash,” “worthless,” “loner,” “creep,” and telling me to “get out!” I became the target of her verbal abuse and contempt. Still, I always silently apologized to her in my heart, feeling guilty for being such a disappointment as a brother.

By then, I had already discovered the true nature of my father and stepmother, so I no longer considered them family. 

But Kotone was different—I knew I had to protect her. There was no way I could let her get caught up in my plans for revenge. Before I carried out my plan, I had to make sure Kotone would be safe.

But I’m only human, and the verbal abuse from my beloved stepsister tore my spirit apart. 

I told myself that this was the path I had chosen, and I endured it, biting my lip in anticipation of the day I would take my revenge on Kanamori and his accomplice.

At school, my existence was quickly labeled as that of a “loner,” “mob,” and “shut-in,” placing me at the bottom of the class hierarchy. The only person who continued to treat me normally, both at school and in my personal life, was Shizuku. She was my only source of comfort during those difficult times.

However, as I continued to fall apart, Shizuku’s life seemed to take the opposite direction. Thanks to her hard work, she began to achieve top grades in school. Her naturally caring and sincere personality earned her recognition from others, leading to her being chosen as the class representative and a member of the student council.

Shizuku became more fulfilled, surrounded by many friends and trusted by her peers. I was genuinely happy to see my childhood friend’s efforts being acknowledged.

But as Shizuku became busier, the time she could spend with me gradually decreased, and we naturally grew distant.

Shizuku still called me “Ken-chan” like she always had, but I made a point to call her “Himeno-san” in front of others.

Just like with Junka-san and Kotone, my pride wouldn’t allow me to drag Shizuku into the mess I had deliberately created for the sake of my plan.

Then, during my mother’s birthday dinner, I arranged for Junka-san to accidentally come across one of my novels. Since she had always loved reading and had joined a publishing company because of that passion, she was immediately drawn to my writing, partly because of her affection for her nephew.

Before long, Junka-san, using her influence, pushed for my novel to be officially published. Once it hit the shelves, it became a massive hit, appealing to readers of all ages—from upper elementary school students to middle-aged adults. In just three months, it went through six reprints, becoming an unprecedented bestseller.

The related card game became so valuable that thefts were reported, and when the story was adapted into a late-night TV anime, it achieved unprecedented ratings. The eventual movie adaptation broke box office records for animated films and became a huge hit, even being shown overseas.

At film festivals, the director and voice actors proudly walked the red carpet. When the director read my message to the fans on stage, the entire audience gave a standing ovation, creating a media sensation.

Over the two years leading up to my second year of high school, every book in the series I published became incredibly popular. The name “Kenichi Fudo” became synonymous with Japanese literature, reaching as far as overseas markets.

“Kenichi, thanks to you, I got promoted to editor-in-chief! Now I’m finally in the same position as that Baldy and free from his harassment!”

It might have been good that I was able to help Junka-san, to whom I owe so much. But every time she mentioned Kanamori’s name, my desire to kill him grew stronger, especially because Junka-san resembled my mother. I realized that I was already breaking as a person, constantly imagining how to kill him as cruelly as possible.

“Speaking of Baldy, our company president and that baldy Kanamori wants to meet with you to thank you for the consecutive hits.”

…Finally, I’ve come this far… It’s almost time… Mom.