Benjiro and I looked each other straight in the eyes.
We understood that phone call was something important.
He nodded and tilted his head as if he were a detective.
Answering the phone, he said, "Suzuki-San, what's going on?" His tone was akin to an actor playing a role in an action movie.
He was completely immersed in the part. It's also understandable.
Benjiro was a budding acting talent when he was young.
The reasons for why he stopped are still unknown.
Benjiro put the phone on speaker mode so I could listen too. "B-Benjiro," she said.
"Benjiro-Kun, do you remember what I told you last time?"
Her voice was slightly trembling and whispered, as if she didn't want to be discovered.
"Yes, I remember perfectly," Benjiro replied with a determined air.
"W-Well… I saw that boy who was with Ema again. He was with a gang of criminals who enjoy tormenting and bullying some guys at our school. He's one of them,"
Suzuki-San said.
"I overheard them talking, and this person named 'Chiko' mentioned Ema several times, saying he wants her all to himself. Right now, I'm hiding behind a corner at school."
Here's why Suzuki's voice was shaky. She was eavesdropping and she was afraid of being discovered.
When I heard her words, I was blinded by anger, and my first thought was to go there and brutally beat this 'Chiko' just for saying such a thing about my Ema.
I was really furious and pissed off at that moment.
Benjiro noticed the tension in my body and placed his hand on my shoulder as if to say, "Calm down, anger gets us nowhere."
"Suzuki-San, that's okay. You can go." Benjiro said with a decisive tone.
"Alright, I'll leave now." Suzuki-San replied, hanging up the phone.
Benjiro turned his gaze towards me and began to speak as he put his phone back into his pocket.
"Fumihiro, Suzuki-San is also helping us, as you can see. She decided to investigate first." Those were his words.
"I understand. And why did she decide to help us? And most importantly, how long has she been stalking Ema and this guy?" I asked, still angry about what I had heard.
"Are you sure you want to know, Fumi?" There was something Benjiro didn't want to tell me.
"Well yes, I need to know. Suzuki-San has always been a shy and reserved girl, I don't understand why she's doing all this." I replied.
"W-Well... The answer is that..." Benjiro began to look around the room, scratching his head.
"Benjiro?" I said.
"Well. Suzuki-San confessed to me that she's been in love with you for over a year." He replied, looking me in the eyes.
"..." I remained silent, shocked by his statement.
It took me five minutes to process what Benjiro had told me.
"Um. Benjiro?" I said, with an embarrassed tone.
"Yes?" He replied calmly and composedly.
"Do you realize the gravity of what you just told me?" I asked, with a nervous smile.
"Yes," Benjiro nodded in acknowledgment.
"Well, I'm already in a relationship, you know?" I was shocked.
"Yes. And Suzuki-San hopes that your relationship will end.
That's why we can trust her," Benjiro smiled, giving me a thumbs-up.
He was clearly envious of the fact that she was in love with me.
**Haruka Suzuki. One of the most prominent beauties in our school. The daughter of a wealthy businessman. Everyone admires her for her long, white hair and blue eyes. But not only that, for her perfectly balanced body in all the right curves; she has often been suggested for beauty contests, although she always refuses. Despite her popularity, she's an extremely shy and reserved girl, which is why she doesn't have many friends. The only people she talks to are me, Benjiro, Ema, and another girl named Kazuha. We use to refer to her as -San as a playful way to joke about her dream to be a teacher in the future.**
As I processed Benjiro's revelation about Suzuki-San's feelings for me, a wave of mixed emotions washed over me.
On one hand, I felt flattered by her affection, but on the other hand, I felt guilty knowing that I couldn't reciprocate those feelings, especially considering Suzuki-San was fully aware of my relationship with Ema.
"Benjiro," I began, struggling to find the right words.
"I appreciate Suzuki-San's support, but she knows about Ema and me. I hope she understands that my relationship is important to me. I don't want to lead her on or give her false hope."
"Well, Fumi. I shouldn't talk to you about these topics but… as i said, she is just doing this because she loves you deeply and she doesn't want you to suffer for a girl who doesn't deserve you."
This time, Benjiro's tone was really calm and serious.
I felt guilty.
How did she fall in love with me? I literally did nothing for her except talking and giving some help with her issues.
I couldn't reciprocate her feelings… but in another life, maybe.
Benjiro, what if she's actually sabotaging my relationship with Ema?" I asked, feeling upset.
Benjiro shook his head, saying no. "No, Fumi. Suzuki-San is doing this for your own good," he replied again calmly.
"Huh? What? For my own good?" I thought. This whole situation becomes heavier after each passing moment.
"Benjiro… what do you mean?" I asked.
"It's not the first time Suzuki-San has seen something like this, and before talking to you about it, she wanted to make sure 100% of this thing," Benjiro seemed even more sincere than usual this time.
I began scratching my head. By now, I didn't understand anything anymore. Soon I would lose the ability to think for myself altogether.
"And let me understand, when did you find out that she's in love with me?" I asked.
"Well, exactly two weeks ago. She told me crying that she couldn't bear to see your girlfriend disrespect you anymore and that you deserve better. She couldn't bear to see you cry," Benjiro replied, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"I don't even know who to believe, Fumi. But we can trust Suzuki. I don't want to believe that Ema really betrayed you, but at the same time, I'm sure there's a situation unknown to you." Said Benjiro, removing his hand from my shoulder and starting to look around.
I didn't respond to what he said; I simply nodded silently, accepting the situation. Suzuki was in love with me. More sources were suggesting that Ema had betrayed me. Ema had been acting strangely. Benjiro was telling me to stay calm. Too much information for my student brain to process.
"Don't worry, we'll come out victorious," he said, smiling.
One thing, however, didn't add up. Benjiro, if I recall correctly, had said he was devastated by Kanna, but the last time at karaoke, they were walking together, both happy and smiling, as if nothing had happened. Out of pure curiosity, I decided to ask him about it.
"Benjiro, can I ask you a small question?" I said with a serious tone.
"Yes, brother," he replied proudly.
"You told me about the situation with Kanna. But can you explain why before karaoke, you were both walking normally as if nothing had happened?" I asked calmly and seriously.
Benjiro let out a strange sigh, as if I had asked a very uncomfortable question. He began to look around, searching for a possible answer to give me.
"Uhm… uh… how should I say… it's complicated…" he stammered.
After a few tens of seconds, he gave up.
"Okay. I ran into her on the street, and my stupid heart was happy. I'm a hypocrite, I know, but I couldn't help it. Despite everything she's done to me, it was as if my heart had instantly forgiven everything in a moment. I messed up but…" Benjiro's voice was cut off by the sound of Benjiro's phone ringing.
He looked at his phone and saw Suzuki's name again.
"I have a bad feeling, Fumi," he said, looking at me.
"Oh God…" I sighed, as a terrible state of anxiety engulfed me.