The air was heavy with anticipation as Kenta sat in a small café, nursing a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. The USB drive in his pocket felt like it was burning a hole through his jacket. Everything hinged on this moment. Once he handed over the evidence to Riku's contact at the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, Takeshi's downfall would be set in motion.
He glanced at his phone. The contact would be arriving soon.
Kenta's mind swirled with a mixture of emotions—anger, excitement, fear. His heart raced, but his face remained composed. He had come too far to back down now. Takeshi had to pay for what he had done, and Mayu—her time would come soon enough.
Just as he was about to lose himself in thought, the bell above the café door jingled. A middle-aged man in a grey suit walked in, his gaze scanning the room. He had the look of someone who had seen too much, his face worn and serious. This had to be Riku's contact.
The man spotted Kenta and made his way over to the table. He didn't introduce himself—he didn't need to. This wasn't a conversation that required pleasantries. He sat down across from Kenta, setting down a plain black briefcase.
"You have it?" the man asked, his voice low and businesslike.
Kenta nodded, pulling the USB drive from his pocket. He slid it across the table without a word. The man picked it up, examined it briefly, and then pocketed it.
"I'll take it from here," the man said. "We've been watching Moriyama's firm for a while, but this... this will accelerate things. You can expect results within a few weeks. Once the investigation opens, it's only a matter of time before the truth comes out."
Kenta's heart pounded in his chest. A few weeks. That was all it would take for Takeshi's world to fall apart. He nodded, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Good," Kenta said quietly. "That's all I need."
The man stood up, giving Kenta a curt nod before turning and leaving the café without another word. Kenta watched him go, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over him. The die was cast. Takeshi's fate was sealed, and soon, he would be forced to face the consequences of his actions.
Kenta took a deep breath, his mind already shifting to the next part of his plan: Mayu.
Later that night, Kenta sat in his apartment, his phone clutched tightly in his hand. Riku had told him that he would handle Mayu, but Kenta couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to be involved. After all, Mayu's betrayal had cut the deepest. She had been the love of his life—the person he had trusted more than anyone. And she had destroyed him without a second thought.
His phone buzzed, and Kenta's heart skipped a beat. It was a message from Riku.
"It's time. Meet me at the usual place. We'll make sure she understands the cost of her choices."
Kenta's pulse quickened. This was it. The final act. He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, his mind consumed with thoughts of how this would end.
Kenta arrived at the secluded spot where he and Riku had met many times before. It was an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a place where no one would think to look for them. The perfect setting for their twisted revenge.
Riku was already there, standing near the entrance with a calm, almost detached expression on his face. His dark coat flapped in the breeze, and his eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity.
"She's on her way," Riku said, his voice barely audible in the stillness of the night. "I told her it was important—something about Takeshi's career. She thinks she's coming here to help him."
Kenta felt a pang of bitterness. Of course, Mayu would rush to Takeshi's side, even now. Even after everything she had done. But soon, she would realize that this wasn't about Takeshi—it was about her.
"What are we going to do?" Kenta asked, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions brewing inside him.
Riku glanced at him, a sly smile playing on his lips. "We're going to show her what it feels like to lose everything."
Before Kenta could respond, a car pulled up to the entrance of the warehouse. The headlights illuminated the dark, casting long shadows on the ground. The car door opened, and Mayu stepped out, looking around nervously. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with confusion.
"Kenta?" she called out, her voice shaky. "Riku? What's going on? Why did you ask me to come here?"
Kenta stepped forward, his heart pounding in his chest. Seeing her again, standing there in the dim light, brought back a flood of memories—both good and bad. He clenched his fists, trying to keep his emotions in check.
Mayu's eyes widened as she spotted Kenta. "What... what is this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why are you here?"
"We need to talk, Mayu," Kenta said, his voice cold. "About what you did."
Mayu's face paled even further, and she took a step back. "Kenta, I—"
"No," Kenta interrupted, his voice rising. "You don't get to explain. You don't get to apologize. Do you have any idea what you've done? You destroyed me. You and Takeshi both. You betrayed me in the worst way possible."
Tears welled up in Mayu's eyes, and she shook her head frantically. "Kenta, please... I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't—"
"Enough!" Kenta shouted, his anger boiling over. "You made your choice, Mayu. You chose Takeshi. You chose to throw away everything we had. And now... now it's your turn to feel the consequences."
Mayu's face twisted with fear and confusion. "What... what do you mean?"
Before Kenta could respond, Riku stepped forward, his voice calm and measured. "You see, Mayu, Kenta trusted you. He loved you. But you betrayed that trust. You thought you could just move on with Takeshi and forget about him. But the world doesn't work that way. Actions have consequences."
Riku's words sent a chill down Kenta's spine. There was something unsettling about the way he spoke, as if he took pleasure in Mayu's fear. But Kenta didn't stop him. He needed this—he needed her to understand the depth of her betrayal.
"Riku..." Mayu whispered, her voice cracking. "What are you going to do?"
Riku smiled darkly. "You'll see."
Kenta's heart raced as he watched the scene unfold. Mayu stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. For a moment, Kenta hesitated. Was this really what he wanted? To watch her suffer like this?
But then he remembered the nights he had spent alone, broken and betrayed. He remembered the pain, the anger, the hopelessness. And he knew—this was exactly what he wanted.
Riku pulled out his phone and made a call. "It's time. Do it."
Kenta's eyes widened as he watched, unsure of what Riku had planned. But within moments, his phone buzzed. It was a notification from social media. Confused, he pulled out his phone and opened the app.
His breath caught in his throat.
There, on the screen, was a video. A private video—of Mayu and Takeshi, together. It had been leaked online, for the whole world to see.
Mayu's face twisted with horror as her phone buzzed too. She pulled it out, her hands shaking, and saw the video.
"No... no, no, no!" she cried, dropping her phone as if it had burned her. "What did you do?!"
Kenta's heart pounded in his chest. He hadn't expected this. He had wanted her to feel the pain of betrayal, but this... this was something else entirely.
Mayu fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Please, stop... please, don't do this..."
Riku stood over her, his expression cold and unforgiving. "Now you know what it feels like to lose everything."
Kenta watched, a mixture of satisfaction and horror flooding his mind. He had wanted revenge, but seeing Mayu like this—completely broken—left him feeling hollow.
"Let's go," Riku said, turning to Kenta. "It's done."
Kenta hesitated for a moment, his eyes on Mayu's crumpled form. But then he nodded, the fire of revenge still burning in his chest.
Together, he and Riku walked away, leaving Mayu to face the consequences of her choices.
End of Chapter 8