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 47: Youka Komada - Extra Edition: Between Affection and Resentment (Part 1/2)

Chapter 47: Youka Komada – Extra Edition: Between Affection and Resentment (Part 1/2)

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

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I am Fudo Youka. My parents passed away early in an accident, and my younger sister Junka, who is two years younger than me, and I were raised by our grandparents on the Fudo side.

The Fudo family was what you’d call a rural landowner’s family. We weren’t wealthy by any means, but the family name was something our grandparents were proud of.

I managed to get along well with our grandparents, but my sister Junka was strong-willed from the start and often got into arguments with them.

“Junka… please don’t be too harsh with Grandpa.”

“Huh? Are you seriously worried about that stubborn old man, Nee-san?”

“But, you know… if Grandpa and Grandma hadn’t taken us in after our parents died, we would’ve been lost…”

“I know that. That’s why I’m holding back this much!”

It seemed like Junka was trying to be considerate in her own way… Our grandparents were stubborn and set in their ways, but at their core, they were just regular grandparents who loved their grandchildren. So despite everything, we grew up in a relatively good relationship with them.

After I graduated from university and had been working at a regular trading company for about three years, my younger sister also graduated and found a job. Although she wasn’t accepted by her first-choice major publishing company, she managed to get a job in the publishing industry, which was her dream, even if it was with a smaller company.

One day, I was called in by my department manager, who brought up the idea of an arranged marriage.

“The person is a successful young man from another trading company in the same industry. He’s said to be promising for the future and is quite popular for his looks within the company. The meeting was arranged between the company presidents, so for the sake of the company, could you at least meet him once?”

Honestly, I wasn’t very keen on the idea, but when it was framed as being for the company’s benefit, I reluctantly agreed.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Taichi Komada. Thank you for taking the time to meet me today.”

“I’m Youka Fudo. The pleasure is mine, thank you as well.”

At first, Komada-san came across as a gentleman, and our conversation flowed smoothly. I’ve had some experience with men before, so I thought I handled the situation well enough to save face for the company…

“Eh? With me?”

Later, Komada-san called the number we exchanged and formally expressed his desire to date me with marriage in mind.

Since I had already agreed to the arranged meeting, I couldn’t easily refuse, so I accepted his proposal at the time. As we continued to meet a few more times, I began to think, “Maybe marrying this person wouldn’t be so bad after all.”

I received a proposal from Taichi-san at a restaurant with a view of the night skyline. Both Taichi-san and I were busy with our jobs during our newlywed life, and it was hard to find time for each other. When I found out I was pregnant,

“Oh, Youka, thank you! I’m finally going to be a father—I’m so excited already!”

Neither my husband nor I felt any anxiety about becoming parents for the first time; instead, we were filled with visions of a happy future. After discussing with my husband, I decided to quit my job and focus on preparing for the birth and raising our child.

After that, my husband began working even harder, saying it was for me and our soon-to-be-born child.

“Honey… another long business trip? It’s only been three months since your last one… Can’t you take it a bit easier?”

“I’m sorry, Youka! But building connections and setting up the regional office now will definitely help with my promotion! I’m doing this for you and our future son, so please understand!”

He gently stroked my growing belly before heading off for his long-term assignment at the regional office.

“Sigh… Nee-san, you need to be firmer with your husband!”

I was having lunch with Junka for the first time in a while. She had chosen a café with a terrace, considering my large belly.

“But… Taichi-san is working so hard for me and our baby…”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t allow it, no way!”

Junka got married last year as well. Her husband joined the Fudo family as an adopted son, and since our grandparents had gotten quite old, they all lived together at Junka’s house. Though Junka and our grandfather used to argue all the time, she now seems to be managing the household well as the head of the family.

“Fufu, Junka’s husband must have it tough too.”

Not long after, I gave birth to a baby boy. We named him Kenichi. His facial features resembled mine, but the shape of his head was just like Taichi-san’s.

“Youka, you did so well! He’s really adorable, just like you!”

Taichi-san rushed back from his business trip and couldn’t stop smiling as he held our baby in his arms.

“T-Taichi-san, don’t lift him up so high like that—Kenichi will get scared!”

The following year, Junka also had a baby, and we both became mothers. Whenever we got together, all we talked about were our children. Both Junka and I were truly happy.

In the midst of this, when Kenichi was three and Sumie-chan was two, our grandfather passed away. Less than six months later, our grandmother followed him. Both lived long lives, so the funerals weren’t somber events. Instead, we all shared fond memories and stories from the past.

One day, as a reward for Kenichi winning first place in the race at his school’s sports day, I was taking him to the zoo. On the way, we decided to make a quick stop at Junka’s house.

“Oh, Nee-san, Kenichi, you both came! What brings you here today?”

“Hello, Aunt Junka!”

“Kenichi? What do you call me again?”

“…Junka-san, hello…”

“Yes, yes, hello to you too, Kenichi♪”

“Junka… you’re clearly Kenichi’s aunt. What are you thinking, making him call you that?”

“Sigh, Nee-san… You know, I’m still pretty popular, right? I’m a woman, so I want to stay young and beautiful forever♪”

“…Your husband must have a tough time…”

“He’s happy about it! He’s still head over heels for me because I’m popular. Oh, hey, Sumieee! Aunt Youka and Kenichi-kun are here!”

“… And yet, you make me go by ‘Aunt’…”

“Hahaha, it’s fine, isn’t it? Is she asleep? Honestly, now…”

“Well, we just dropped by unexpectedly, so we can visit another time. We should get going—it’s almost time for the zoo.”

After saying goodbye to Junka, Kenichi and I had a great time at the zoo. I won’t admit it, but I might have been even more excited than Kenichi, despite my age!

After Kenichi started elementary school, he became friends with a girl from the neighborhood. It seems they became close after Kenichi saved her from a stray dog. Kenichi is quite a unique child—he’s good at studying, excels in sports, and most notably, he’s incredibly strong. He once easily lifted a dresser that I couldn’t even budge, leaving me astonished.

However, he didn’t always use his strength for good. There were times when, if things didn’t go his way, he would hurt others. Whenever that happened, I would look him in the eyes and scold him.

“You can’t make Shizuku-chan cry! You’re supposed to protect her, aren’t you?” “Kenichi! You must use your strength to protect others!” “Compassion, Kenichi! Always show compassion!”

But when he did something good, I would praise him with even more love than when I scolded him.

“Kenichi, you’re amazing!” “You worked so hard, Kenichi!” “You can do anything, Kenichi. You’re incredible!”

My husband was still away on business trips and rarely came home. Unfortunately, I’m terrible with technology, so I couldn’t send him photos of Kenichi via email or chat apps.

Instead, I would frequently send letters with photos and notes from Kenichi. My husband would call, sounding so happy, and talk to Kenichi for a long time. I found it both exasperating and endearing.

But then, my happy times were suddenly taken away…

“It’s a bit troubling, Kanamori-san… receiving so many calls from you like this…”

“I’m sorry, I really am, but it’s been difficult. It seems like Junka is avoiding me, and she won’t listen to anything I say.”

“Well, then, wouldn’t it be fine to discuss your concerns about Junka over the phone? I don’t think it’s necessary to meet in person to talk about this…”

“No, no, these kinds of things are best discussed face-to-face.”

“I’m sorry, but I have a husband and a son, so even if you are my sister’s colleague, I think it’s inappropriate for us to meet alone. I must decline.”

Previously, when I was out shopping, I happened to meet Junka’s boss, Kanamori-san. He said he wanted to discuss something about Junka, so we exchanged contact information. Since then, he’s been calling almost daily, asking to meet and talk.

I understand that Junka recently got her dream job at a major publishing company, and she’s likely giving it her all right now, so I want to help in any way I can. But something about Kanamori-san makes me uneasy.

But still…

“Sigh… What on earth has Junka done now?”

It was another call from Kanamori-san. Apparently, Junka had angered a prominent author, and now the author was threatening to cancel their contract with the publishing company. Both Kanamori-san and the company were in trouble because of it.

I told him I would speak to Junka and ask her to apologize, but he said that if she went in her current state, it might only worsen the situation with the author. He wanted to discuss how to approach Junka and resolve the matter peacefully.

“Understood… I’ll meet you tomorrow, Wednesday, at 1:00 PM in the lobby lounge of the Shinmei Hotel… Yes… I apologize for the trouble Junka has caused… Alright, until tomorrow then…”