THE CRACKS I CAN'T HIDE

“Wait…”
The call connected before I could think any further.
“Where did you get my number, Hikari?”
“What are you saying, dummy?”
Her voice sounded almost amused.
“This is why I took your phone back then.”
“…You did?”
“I only changed the screen picture so Mei wouldn’t find it suspicious.”
“…So that’s what happened.”
I exhaled quietly.
“I understand now.”
“But why are you calling this late?”
“I know what Mei-san told you.”
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“W–What do you mean, Hikari?”
“She told you that I’m not free this week for work, right?”
I hesitated.
Then—
“…Yeah.”
“She said you weren’t free this week.”
“So we arranged for you to come next week instead.”
“No need to worry, Sato.”
Her tone softened.
“I already talked to her.”
“She said she’ll adjust my schedule so we can finish the work as soon as possible.”
“That’s… good to hear, Hikari.”
“Hey, Sato.”
There was a brief pause.
“Do you want to meet somewhere?”
“Just the two of us?”
My chest tightened.
“…Aren’t you very busy?”
“Let’s talk about that later.”
I swallowed.
“You’re a celebrity.”
“And I’m just someone working at a game development company.”
“We can’t just hang out like friends.”
There was silence on the other end.
Something felt off.
“Why are you talking like that, Sato?”
“We are friends.”
“So we can hang out whenever we like.”
“…Yeah.”
“We’re friends.”
But—
“You’re still a celebrity.”
“And?”
“I’m a celebrity or not, you’re still my friend.”
“And I’ll hang out with you as much as I want.”
“…Let’s talk about this later.”
My voice felt distant.
“I have some work to do now.”
“Wait—”
“Sato, don’t hang up—”
The call ended.
---
Why are you acting like this, Sato?
Hikari stared at her phone.
Something definitely happened.
And I’m sure Mei is involved.
Which means…
Mom is involved too.
If I confront them directly, they’ll avoid the truth.
So I have to act normal.
I have to find out what’s going on between them.
---
The Next Day — At the Office
“Sora.”
I lowered my voice.
“Did you talk to Rei about the situation?”
“Yeah.”
“She said she’ll talk to you at lunch.”
“Okay.”
“Then the three of us should talk together.”
“We need to figure out how to deal with this.”
---
Later — At Lunch
“Kageya-kun…”
Hoshino hesitated before continuing.
“Do you really want to make Hikari-san hate you?”
“It will hurt both of you.”
“I know, Hoshino.”
“But I don’t think Hikari has those kinds of feelings for me.”
“And even if she does…”
“If my feelings become a burden to her…”
“I’ll make sure she hates me.”
“She definitely likes you, Kageya-kun.”
“No girl remembers someone from that long ago without feelings.”
“…I don’t know if she likes me or not.”
“But I know my feelings will hurt her.”
“So I’ll make sure she hates me.”
“So… will you help me, Hoshino?”
She sighed.
“…I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“But remember—this will hurt Hikari-san deeply.”
“She’ll be okay.”
I clenched my fists.
“I know.”
“Now listen carefully.”
“My plan is—”
---
“…So that’s your plan?”
Sora leaned back, arms crossed.
“It’s a good plan.”
“But if it becomes public…”
“Won’t it damage *your* reputation?”
“And what about Rei-san?”
“I’ll make sure nothing happens to Hoshino.”
“And Sora will be there to control the situation.”
“Right, Sora?”
“…Yeah.”
“But are you really okay with this, Rei-san?”
“I’m okay.”
Hoshino’s voice was calm.
“I know Kageya-kun is a good person.”
“So I believe he’ll do this without harming anyone.”
“Thank you, Hoshino.”
“Then we’ll execute the plan slowly.”
“Hikari will be here for two more days to finish her work.”
“So we have time.”
“One day next week.”
“And one the week after.”
“But we also need to tell Mei-san.”
“This plan must stay between us.”
“If it becomes public, it could cause problems for the company.”
“…Alright.”
“But think carefully, Kageya.”
“So you won’t regret it later.”
“I won’t regret it.”
“I’m doing this for Hikari.”
---
Later That Day
“Hello, Mei-san.”
I kept my voice steady.
“Can we meet today?”
“I need to talk about something related to Hikari.”
“And please…”
“Don’t let Hikari know about this meeting.”
“…Alright.”
“I’ll meet you near the café outside your office.”
---
Mei and Kageya — At the Café
“Mei-san.”
I sat across from her.
“I’ve made all the arrangements.”
“I’ll make sure Hikari hates me.”
“So she won’t try to contact me again.”
“That’s good.”
Mei folded her hands.
“So what’s your plan?”
“My plan is—”
---
“…That’s risky.”
“And it puts you at risk too.”
“I know.”
“That’s why I told you.”
“So only we know about this.”
“No one else.”
“I’ll make sure it works.”
“And I’ll make sure no one else finds out.”
“…Thank you, Mei-san.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“This is for Hikari’s sake.”
“We’re doing the same thing.”
“Yes.”
“All of this…”
“For Hikari.”
“…Alright.”
“I’ll take my leave.”
“Thank you for coming, Mei-san.”
---
Mei got into her car.
And left.
---
Everything is in place now.
The plan will begin next Monday.
I know I’m doing this for Hikari’s sake.
But then why—
Why does it feel so wrong?
---
TO BE CONTINUED