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 46: Final Chapter - Epilogue

Chapter 46: Final Chapter – Epilogue

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“Are you okay… Can you hear me…?”

In front of me was a man wearing a helmet and a life jacket with the Japan Coast Guard logo, performing chest compressions on me.

“W-Where am I…?”

“You’re on a Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel. We received a distress signal from a privately owned cruiser and rushed to the scene.”

When I glanced at the officer’s watch, I noticed that the distress signal had been sent at the perfect time, just as I had planned.

“Excuse me, but are you Kenichi Fudo? You’re the owner of the sunken cruiser, correct?”

“!? P-Please help me!! They tried to kill me! Please, save me!!”

I grabbed the officer’s arm, feigning panic.

“Please explain everything to the police once we reach the port. We’ll continue searching for other survivors.”

With that, they laid me down beside the deck and, along with the other crew members, took off in a helicopter toward the spot where the cruiser had likely sunk.

It’s all over… Now all that’s left is to erase the lives they’ve lived until now.

At the port, paramedics treated my minor injuries, and I gave my statement to the police.

A few months later, the wreckage of my cruiser was recovered, along with the bodies of two individuals. The analysis of the surveillance footage and voice recordings installed on the cruiser also progressed.

The investigation revealed the corrupt dealings of a prominent novelist and the editor-in-chief of a major publishing house who collaborated with him. These revelations were brought to light for the world to see.

I held a press conference to apologize for the whole incident and announced that I would temporarily refrain from publishing any of my works.

However, what was made public focused only on the fact that Minagawa had been plagiarizing the works of young authors and that Kanamori had been crushing the careers of many talented writers for his own gain.

As for me, the public was sympathetic, knowing that I had been threatened at gunpoint by Minagawa. My company received countless messages urging me not to stop publishing and to release my works as soon as possible.

What the public didn’t know was that the facts were filtered. In truth, I had calculated the time the ship would sink and adjusted the timing of the distress signal accordingly. In the mere five or six minutes between the ship sinking and the distress signal being sent, I edited the footage and recordings, removing any incriminating evidence against me. Given the life-threatening situation, the police never suspected that I could have done something so precise in such a short time.

○In Front of the Press Club at the Prime Minister’s Residence

“Minister, what are your thoughts on the incident involving novelist Fudo and the Akutayama Prize-winning author Minagawa, with whom you previously held a phone conference?”

“As a public official, I can’t provide an official statement, but on a personal level, I believe Fudo-kun showed remarkable courage. He stood firm in his convictions and refused to yield to Minagawa’s unjust demands, demonstrating the spirit of a true samurai despite his young age. However, as Fudo-kun himself admitted during his apology press conference, it was inappropriate for him to serve alcohol to the man who was operating the vessel during the dinner he arranged. The fact that it resulted in the deaths of two people is tragic. We can’t judge solely based on the footage, but it’s clear that he was very lucky to survive. It’s truly unfortunate.”

The minister’s comments, which could be interpreted as supportive of me, resonated with public opinion.

But the truth about my revenge, my mother’s death, and the other possible victims of these men had to remain hidden. I couldn’t let Junka-san and others know, so I buried the facts along with the ashes at sea. 

Maybe someday, a courageous whistleblower will come forward and expose the truth about their sexual assaults, but that’s no longer my concern.

After the incident was exposed, Minagawa’s family and associates stepped in to apologize to the public and the victims. All of Minagawa’s personal assets were donated to charity.

Meanwhile, Kanamori’s family couldn’t withstand the relentless media attention. His wife and children reportedly changed their names and moved to a remote countryside location, distancing themselves from the Kanamori name.




“Mom… it’s over…”

And then, I…

Three years have passed since then. I was reading a small article in the newspaper:

[An incident occurred in ○○ Prison where Benimaru Ryuzaki (24), who was serving his sentence, got caught in a wood chipper while processing lumber, along with several of his former associates. The bodies were so badly damaged that while it’s clear multiple people were involved, the exact number of victims is still unknown due to the severity of the injuries. In response to the incident, the warden of ○○ Prison held a press conference…]

I lost interest halfway through and tossed the newspaper onto the table.

“Onii-san… was this really the right thing to do?”

It’s been three years since I moved to a remote island in Okinawa, choosing to live a reclusive life with no connections to anyone, supported by my savings and royalties. I dropped out of high school and will turn 20 this year.

“Hmm? Are you talking about handing over the company to your father? Or about my condition?”

I survived, but shortly after the apology press conference, I was struck with severe nausea, dizziness, and intense headaches, just like before. I was rushed to the hospital, but the severe headaches caused my hair to turn completely white. The damage to my brain left me with impairments in my dominant right hand and left leg, so now I need a cane just to move around properly.

The doctor didn’t say it outright, but they implied that the damage to my brain—caused by years of violence and extreme stress—led to blood clots in certain areas, numbing the nerves that sense pain. This meant that I had become physically and mentally desensitized to damage. The natural limit, where pain would normally signal the body or mind to stop before breaking down, no longer functioned properly. The doctor speculated that this might be why I could do reckless things without hesitation.

However, when the physical and mental damage exceeded that threshold, all the accumulated stress hit me at once, leading to the breakdowns that landed me in the hospital both this time and the last.

I don’t have any regrets. I accomplished my goal, and now I don’t care whether I live or die. So when I heard the diagnosis, all I could think was, “So what?”

Recently, when I visited my mother’s grave, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was that report she left behind a curse meant for me?

“Kenichi, you’re amazing.”

Those words made me believe that I was someone special, capable of avenging my mother’s unjust death. 

That belief drove me to become a novelist, to gain the power and influence necessary to eliminate those who stood in my way, and ultimately, to fulfill my mother’s desire for revenge.

“Kenichi, you’re amazing.”

Curse or not, it doesn’t matter. I have no intention of blaming or lamenting my mother. The fact that I accepted the curse and acted on it was entirely my own choice.

But if I hadn’t seen my mother’s report, if I hadn’t known the truth about her death, perhaps I could have led a peaceful life with my childhood friend and stepsister.

Well, there’s no point crying over spilled milk, no matter how much you whine…

As I was lost in thought, I noticed Sumie-san looking at me with a worried expression, one that increasingly resembled my mother’s. I smiled and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Besides, it’s not like I’m completely unable to move. It’s a bit inconvenient, but if it gets too tough, I could always hire some help.”

“In that case, after I graduate from college, I’ll move in with you officially and make it my permanent job!”

I had bought a house on this remote island, away from everyone, set up a family grave for the Fudo family, and reburied my mother’s remains there, all so I could live out the rest of my life quietly, close to her grave.

But whenever there’s a long holiday, Sumie-san finds some excuse to visit, saying she’s checking in on the Fudo family’s representative, and ends up staying to help out with various things. Even Junka-san seems to be encouraging her, perhaps for amusement, as she recently called and said, “Take good care of my daughter, lol.”

(Maybe, for someone like me who’s just a shell, being stuck with a little chick clinging to me is just what I deserve…)

I was awkwardly checking emails from Junka-san and her husband on my phone, still not used to using my left hand, when I glanced over. Sumie-san was sitting beside me in a hammock, busily exchanging messages with someone. I caught a glimpse of the screen from the corner of my eye…





Hime: [Looks like today’s the day.]

Kurohitsuji: [I see, it’s finally happening]

Hime: [I’ll be going now, Kurohitsuji-chan]

Kurohitsuji: [Got it, Hime-chan.] 

Hime: [Well then, goodbye.]

Kurohitsuji: [Goodbye.]

Sumie-san, startled by me peeking over, quickly hid her phone and gave me a playful smile.

“Heyyy~! Peeking at a girl’s phone? Now you’ll have to take responsibility, Onii-san~!”

“Sumie-chan, is your social media account name ‘Kurohitsuji‘?”

“Nope, it’s not. That’s just the account I use for gaming. But since the person I used to play with won’t be around after today, I’m planning to delete it~”

…That’s right, they’ll be gone from around you, Onii-chan.

Because I’ve kept my feelings for you all this time…

I fell for you the first time Aunt Youka brought me to your house, when I saw you at the front door.

I felt jealousy and envy when I found out you had a stepsister named Kotone (the worthless one).

From that day in the park when you and Kotone (the worthless one) saved me, I couldn’t see anyone but you, Kenichi-san…

I wanted to be your number one, Kenichi-san, especially after I visited Kotone (the worthless one)’s room and overheard you talking with your childhood friend (the scum) next door.

I wanted you to keep only me by your side, ever since that day you saved me from the car crash…

So I decided to eliminate them all.

The worthless former stepsister who looked down on you…

The scumbag former childhood friend who tormented you…

The trash Iketsuki who bullied you and trampled on your dignity…

And then, I’ll make you mine… my beloved Kenichi-oniichan, all mine.♡

“…”

Kenichi Fudo – Final Act: END

[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]

The End

PS: After the postscript, I will post the extras of the three main character sides as needed, if you would like to read them.

Thank you for your patience up to this point.

Postscript: Notice of Epilogue and Side Stories

Thank you so much for reading “Blackmailed Over My Childhood Friend.”

This postscript follows the main story, so if you haven’t read it yet, please be aware of spoilers.

First, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported my work. Thanks to your support, it reached first place in the Romance genre’s weekly and monthly rankings and even achieved a peak of 8th place overall.

We’re also approaching 2 million PVs, and I’m amazed that my work has reached the top of its genre.

After this postscript, I will be posting side stories from the perspectives of the three main characters. If you’re interested, I would be delighted if you read them.

I’ve received many comments, both supportive and critical, as well as reports of typos and errors. I’ve read every one of them.

Due to the nature of the story, I decided not to reply to comments as they would inevitably reflect the author’s own perspective. I apologize to those who didn’t receive a response despite taking the time to share their thoughts.

The story of Kenichi Fudo’s revenge comes to an end here.

This work wasn’t intended as a grand statement on the issue of bullying or to speak on behalf of the victims. That was never my intention.

I simply wondered what would happen if someone who had been bullied reached their breaking point and sought revenge in a world without morals. That curiosity is what led me to start writing this story.

Some of you mentioned in the comments that you hoped Kenichi could find salvation. How did you all feel about the way it ended?

Although the main story has concluded, I plan to post side stories from the perspectives of the following three characters:

Youka Komada 

Junka Fudo 

Sumie Fudo

If you’re interested, I would be grateful if you could check out the side stories as well.

Thank you so much for all your support. Once I’ve finished writing the side stories, I’ll return to working on “Country Prince” and a new project, so I hope you’ll enjoy those as well.