The familiar park stretched out before Kenta, an oasis of calm in the midst of the bustling city. The trees stood silent, their branches swaying gently in the cool autumn breeze. Kenta's footsteps crunched on the gravel path as he made his way to the bench where he and Takeshi used to meet—back when they were friends.
Now, that felt like a lifetime ago.
He saw Takeshi sitting on the bench, his posture tense, his hands clenched together as if holding himself together. His suit, usually immaculate, was wrinkled, his hair unkempt. He looked nothing like the confident, successful man Kenta had once admired.
As Kenta approached, Takeshi looked up, his eyes heavy with a mixture of guilt and desperation.
"Kenta," Takeshi said softly, his voice barely audible over the sound of the wind.
Kenta didn't sit down. He stood in front of Takeshi, arms crossed, his face hardened. "You wanted to talk. So talk."
Takeshi swallowed, glancing around the empty park as if searching for the right words. "I... I know you must hate me. I don't blame you for it. I betrayed you in the worst way possible. I ruined everything."
Kenta's jaw tightened. "Yeah, you did."
"But that's not what I'm here to talk about," Takeshi continued, his voice trembling. "I'm in trouble, Kenta. You've probably heard about the investigation at my firm."
Kenta's heart pounded in his chest, but he kept his expression neutral. "Yeah, I heard."
"They're saying I've been involved in insider trading, but that's not true! I swear it's not true, Kenta. I'm being framed." Takeshi's eyes pleaded for understanding, for some kind of forgiveness, but Kenta's face remained cold.
"I don't care, Takeshi," Kenta said flatly. "You think I'm going to feel sorry for you? After everything you've done to me?"
Takeshi's face twisted with guilt and frustration. "I didn't come here for pity. I came here because I need your help. I think... I think someone's targeting me. Someone who knows about us—about Mayu and me."
Kenta's heart skipped a beat. He could feel Riku's presence looming over this conversation, the invisible puppet master pulling the strings. But he stayed silent, watching as Takeshi unraveled.
"I don't know how, but... someone's been feeding information to the firm. They've been digging into my past, and they've found things I didn't even know they had access to. Someone's setting me up to take the fall, Kenta. And I think... I think they're connected to what happened with Mayu."
Kenta clenched his fists, anger bubbling beneath the surface. The hypocrisy of it all. Takeshi had destroyed his life, and now he was asking for help?
"I gave you everything, Takeshi," Kenta said through gritted teeth. "You were my best friend. I trusted you. And you stabbed me in the back."
Takeshi winced, his eyes filled with regret. "I know. And I'll never be able to make up for what I did. But right now, I'm desperate. I don't have anyone else. You were the only one I could turn to."
Kenta's mind whirled. He thought about the night he had found out about Takeshi and Mayu. The betrayal, the heartache, the humiliation. Takeshi had taken everything from him—his future, his dreams, his sense of self-worth. And now he had the nerve to ask for help?
Rage flared in Kenta's chest, hot and consuming. He had spent months suffering in silence, broken and alone, while Takeshi and Mayu had gone on with their lives. They had moved on as if Kenta was nothing more than a distant memory, a stepping stone in their twisted love affair. And now, Takeshi was sitting here, begging for help because his life was finally starting to fall apart?
Kenta laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "You really don't get it, do you, Takeshi? You've ruined my life, and now you're asking me to save yours?"
Takeshi's face paled. "I... I know it's selfish. I know I don't deserve anything from you. But I'm telling you the truth. I'm being set up, Kenta. Someone is out to destroy me."
For a moment, Kenta felt the urge to tell him everything—to reveal Riku's plan, to lay it all out in the open. He could see the fear in Takeshi's eyes, the desperation that had once been his own. But then, a darker thought took root in his mind.
Takeshi's finally getting what he deserves. Why should I stop it now?
Kenta's hands trembled as he struggled with the weight of his emotions. His entire life had been shattered by these two people—Mayu and Takeshi. He had spent months wallowing in the ruins of his old life, consumed by rage and despair. And now, Riku had given him a way to strike back, to take control of his fate.
This was his chance. This was the moment where he could finally watch Takeshi's world burn.
He met Takeshi's gaze, his voice cold and steady. "You're right. Someone is out to destroy you."
Takeshi's eyes widened, confusion flickering across his face. "What... what do you mean?"
Kenta leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. "It's me, Takeshi. I'm the one who's setting you up. I'm the one who's making sure you pay for what you did to me."
Takeshi recoiled as if Kenta had slapped him, his face going pale with shock. "Kenta... what are you talking about?"
"You and Mayu destroyed my life," Kenta said, his voice growing louder, more resolute. "And now, I'm destroying yours. You think you can betray me, take everything I cared about, and just walk away without consequences?"
Takeshi's mouth opened and closed, his breath shallow. "Kenta, I didn't... I never meant to..."
"Save it," Kenta spat, his anger surging. "I don't care what you meant. All I care about is watching you suffer the way I did."
Takeshi's eyes were wide, his face ashen. "But this... this will ruin me. My career, everything I've worked for... it'll be over."
Kenta's heart pounded in his chest, a twisted sense of satisfaction bubbling up as he watched Takeshi crumble. This was what he had wanted—revenge, pure and simple. The power to make Takeshi feel the pain he had inflicted on him.
"You should've thought of that before you betrayed me," Kenta said coldly. "Now it's too late."
Takeshi stared at him, his face a mix of disbelief and terror. "Kenta, please. Don't do this. We were friends once..."
"Not anymore," Kenta snapped. "You made your choice, Takeshi. Now you have to live with it."
Without another word, Kenta turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Takeshi sitting alone on the bench, broken and defeated.
As he walked through the park, his heart still racing, Kenta felt something shift inside him. The doubt, the hesitation—it was gone. He had made his choice. There was no going back now.
Riku was right. The world didn't give justice to people like him. You had to take it for yourself.
And Kenta was ready to see it through to the end.
End of Chapter 6