That Half-Finished Drink Was Lethal— What Happened When I Left My Bottle Behind in a 1:4 Male-to-Female World - 34

Chapter 34: This Sentence Feels Wrong — The Printing on the Side of a White Box

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Hikari Ichinose’s POV

Something was wrong. Something was definitely, absolutely wrong. Dribbling across the gym floor alone, that was the only thing I had been thinking about.

Squeak, squeak.

The sound of my sneakers echoed through the empty gymnasium.

Today, too, Yuu-senpai didn’t show up.

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The first time I felt something was off was three days ago. Even when practice time came, Senpai didn’t appear.

(How unusual…)

I thought. Yuu-senpai always came here, whether it was raining or he was exhausted. He was the most “serious” person I knew.

(Well, maybe he’s just feeling under the weather.)

That was my first thought. But he didn’t come to the next practice day either. Then, the following day, a RINE message arrived.

『I was wondering if I should seriously continue with basketball, but I’ve decided to quit after all. Thank you for sticking with me until now.』

I read it over three times. Then, I put my phone down and stared up at the ceiling.

(…Senpai is quitting basketball?)

Impossible. I could say that with absolute certainty. I knew how serious he was about basketball. I knew the look of his back as he refused to stop even after scraping his knees diving for loose balls. I knew the sight of him punching the wall alone behind the gym after we lost a game.

(There’s no way he’s quitting out of his own volition.)

It was definitely wrong. I stared intently at the RINE screen. The phrasing was just different.

When Senpai said thank you over RINE, he always wrote “Arigatou gozaimasu.” Formal and polite. That was just the kind of person he was, even to me, his junior.

『Thank you for sticking with me until now.』

Those weren’t Senpai’s words.

(…Someone else sent this.)

In that instant, one face flashed through my mind. The jet-black sedan that appeared in front of the gym at night. The woman who called Senpai’s sweat “filthy” and disinfected him with a spray. The person who pushed him into that car and whisked him away into the darkness.

Rin Asami .

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The next morning, I opened my laptop. I typed into the search box:

“Asami Rin Advertising Agency”

It was a hit. A feature article on the major advertising agency “Crosswing.” An interview in a trade paper. A spread in a business magazine. The face in the photos in the articles was the same one I saw that night. A perfect suit. A cold smile.

The headline read: “Youngest Team Leader Ever Appointed. The New Generation Ace the Industry is Watching.” I found the company’s location immediately. Prime real estate in the heart of the city. Even the address for the headquarters building was listed on the official site.

(What time does she usually get off work?)

I searched again.

“Crosswing standard working hours clock-out time” 

I hit a site called “Taishoku Kaigi,” a corporate review and reputation site. Using the search function within the site, I tapped out “Crosswing” on the keyboard.

“Let’s see… ‘Despite being a major firm, the salary is high and it’s an easy environment to work in’… the overall rating is huge!!”

The overall rating was a maximum of five stars.

“Maybe I should apply for an interview here too… no, wait, it’s about the clock-out time.”

As I scrolled through the reviews, I found the information I was looking for.

“There is almost no overtime. You can go home at five in the evening,” it said.

“Work harder! Even my part-time job makes me work later than that!”

(F-for now, I’ll start stakeout at 4:30 PM.)

I tied my ponytail back tightly.

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I parked my bike in front of a convenience store across from the headquarters building. The time was 4:30 PM. From the convenience store’s eat-in space, I could see the building’s entrance. I bought a bottle of warm tea and waited, sipping it slowly.

Five minutes passed.

Thirty minutes passed.

(…Any moment now.)

Exactly at 5:00 PM, a familiar silhouette emerged from the building’s entrance. A tight suit. A perfect posture. Asami Rin.

(There she is…!)

But for a split second, I froze. Even from a distance, I could tell. Her face was different than usual. The face I saw in front of the gym was a perfectly managed smile. Cold, calculated, and somewhat doll-like.

But the Rin-san right now was different. How should I put it… she looked “alive.” Even though it was the time of day when she should be tired from work, her step was light. She was looking at her phone with a small smile playing on her lips. It was the face of someone going to see a person they care about, I thought.

(…To see whom?)

Deep in my chest, something turned cold. Rin-san started heading toward the parking lot next to the building, but then she suddenly stopped. Then, she crossed the road. Her destination was the convenience store. To be precise, the very convenience store where I was staking her out.

(Eh…! This is bad!)

Reflexively, I hid in the magazine section. I tracked Rin-san’s movements through the gaps in the shelves. Rin-san grabbed a basket and walked through the aisles without hesitation.

Bento. Two.

Salads. Two.

Pudding for dessert. Two.

(..Two.)

Everything was for two people. My heart grew heavy with a creeping, foul premonition. Rin-san headed straight for the hygiene products section. Because of the angle of the shelf, I couldn’t see what she put in the basket. But Rin-san’s expression didn’t change.

No hesitation, no shyness. Simply, as if it were a matter of course. She put something in her basket and headed for the register.

After finishing her purchase, Rin-san came out of the convenience store door. I peeked my head out from behind the cover of the magazine section.

Rin-san passed by as we crossed paths. In that instant, my gaze was sucked into the open mouth of the plastic bag she was carrying. It was just a flash.

Bento containers. Pudding cups. Men’s underwear in a package. And…

A small box. The numbers “0.01mm” were clearly printed on the side of the white box.

(…C-c-c-c-con-con-condoms!?!? And the thin ones!!!)

The feeling left my legs. Inside my head, the scattered pieces of information connected into a single, worst-case scenario.

Meals for two. Men’s underwear. 0.01mm. The place she was returning to with such a lively face.

Someone was there.

(…Senpai.)

“Miss, are you going to buy that magazine?”

The clerk’s voice brought me back to my senses. I realized I was death-gripping a magazine.

“…Ah, s-sorry, never mind…!”

I shoved it back on the shelf, confirmed that Rin-san’s back had vanished into the parking lot, and bolted out of the store. The cold night wind hit my flushed cheeks. My smartwatch was vibrating.

Beep beep.

【Warning: Heart rate has exceeded 175. Please rest—】

I took a deep breath… Then another.

(C-calm down, me. …Nothing is set in stone yet.)

But the cold sensation in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t go away. Rin-san was already heading to the parking lot. I hopped onto my bike.

(I have to go save Senpai.)

(…Because that’s the only thing I can do right now.)

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