When Hiroshi arrived, Yoichi was sitting on a roadside bench, his hair slightly disheveled and his eyes dull, as if all the energy had been drained out of him.
Seeing his cousin like this, Hiroshi felt a heavy weight in his chest. He walked over without saying anything at first and gently placed a hand on Yoichi's shoulder. "Yoichi-kun… don't take it too hard. The truth will come out."
Yoichi slowly looked up, his eyes faintly red. "Cousin… I really didn't leak the formula."
"I know," Hiroshi replied immediately, his tone firm as he sat down beside him. "You're not that kind of person. I've known you long enough. Someone is clearly setting this up behind the scenes."
Yoichi lowered his gaze, letting out a long breath. "But right now… everyone suspects me. Even Tanaka-san…"
There was a brief silence after he said that.
Hiroshi clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. "Forget that old stubborn guy. He's just upset because you rose too fast. When the truth comes out, let's see how he explains himself."
Then Hiroshi leaned forward slightly, his expression turning serious. "But just saying we believe you won't solve anything. We need evidence. Yoichi-kun… are you willing to investigate this with me?"
Yoichi paused, clearly surprised, before a faint spark returned to his eyes. "You're… going to help me?"
"Of course," Hiroshi said, thumping his chest lightly. "We're family. If I don't help you, who will? And if you're being wronged, the Nohara family's name is on the line too."
Hearing that, Yoichi felt a warmth spread through his chest. His earlier despair began to fade, replaced by determination. He straightened slightly and nodded. "Alright. Let's find the truth."
They quickly came up with a plan.
The formula only existed in three places: Yoichi's office computer, his personal flash drive, and the physical backup stored in the lab. If they could figure out which one had been compromised, they might find their answer.
That night, under the excuse of organizing documents, Hiroshi quietly slipped into the company building. Yoichi stayed outside in the car, guiding him step by step over the phone.
Hiroshi first checked Yoichi's computer carefully, scanning access logs and file history. After a few minutes, he spoke in a low voice, "Yoichi-kun, your system is clean. No signs of unauthorized access."
"What about the flash drive?" Yoichi asked immediately.
Hiroshi checked that next, but the result was the same. "Nothing unusual here either."
Yoichi frowned deeply. "Then it wasn't digital… could it be the physical backup?"
"I'll check the lab," Hiroshi replied.
The lab was dark and quiet, illuminated only by dim emergency lights. Hiroshi located the backup document in the drawer and inspected it.
"It looks untouched," he reported. "Everything's still here."
That made things even more confusing.
If none of the known storage points had been tampered with, then how had the formula been leaked?
Yoichi fell into deep thought, trying to reconstruct every moment of the project.
Just then, Hiroshi suddenly spoke again, his tone sharper this time. "Wait… I just remembered something. Last week, someone from Daimaru Foods came to visit, right? Their sales deputy manager. He toured several departments—including yours."
Yoichi's heart skipped. "You think he might be involved?"
"It's possible," Hiroshi said. "I remember he stayed in your office longer than expected. He even glanced at your computer."
"But my screen was locked…" Yoichi muttered.
"I don't know how he did it," Hiroshi admitted, "but he's definitely suspicious."
Before they could go further, Hiroshi's phone rang.
The moment he answered, his expression changed.
"What?! Shin-chan is missing?!"
Everything else became secondary.
They rushed back immediately, calling Kazama, Nene, and Bo-chan's homes along the way, but none of them had seen Shin-chan after school.
By the time they reached home, Misae was on the verge of tears. "Hiroshi! Yoichi-kun! He's nowhere! I've searched everywhere!"
"Calm down," Hiroshi said, trying to steady her. "Think carefully—did he say anything this morning?"
Misae hesitated before answering, "He said he might go to the park after school…"
"The park!" Yoichi said immediately.
They ran there without wasting another second.
And just as they reached the entrance, they saw a small, familiar figure squatting by the roadside, drawing on the ground with a stone.
"Shin-chan!"
Misae rushed over and hugged him tightly. "You scared me to death! Why didn't you come home?!"
Shin-chan blinked, then smiled as if nothing had happened. "I was waiting for Uncle Yoichi."
Yoichi frowned slightly. "Waiting for me?"
Shin-chan took out a crumpled note from his pocket and handed it over. "An uncle gave this to me. He said you'd understand when you read it."
Yoichi unfolded the note, and as his eyes moved across the words, his expression grew serious.
It was clearly a trap.
But it was also the only lead he had.
"I'm going," Yoichi said quietly but firmly.
Misae immediately objected. "No! What if something happens?"
Hiroshi frowned as well but then sighed. "If you're going, I'm coming too. And we're not going unprepared—we'll call the police first."
Yoichi nodded.
That night, the abandoned factory stood silent and eerie.
As expected, the mysterious man appeared.
And when he removed his disguise—
Yoichi froze.
"Takahashi…?"
The truth came out quickly.
Takahashi had leaked the formula out of resentment, manipulated Tanaka's suspicions, and even hired someone to break into Yoichi's system.
When cornered, he lashed out, even pulling a knife in desperation—but Hiroshi and the police arrived in time to stop him.
The next day, everything was revealed at the company meeting.
Yoichi's name was cleared.
Kawaguchi personally apologized.
Tanaka stepped forward and bowed deeply. "I was wrong to doubt you."
Yoichi simply nodded. "It's alright. Let's move forward."
After that incident, the team became more united than ever.
Trust, once broken, had been rebuilt—stronger than before.
When the product finally launched, it became an instant success. Ironically, the earlier leak had only increased public attention, and sales soared beyond expectations.
Kawaguchi smiled, clearly pleased. "Nohara Yoichi… you really are this company's lucky star. After this quarter, I'll promote you again."
Yoichi stood there quietly for a moment before smiling.
Everything he had endured had finally paid off.
But more importantly—
He had realized something far more valuable.
No matter how difficult things became, as long as he had people who believed in him—
His family, his team… and even that chaotic little kid—
He would always find a way forward.