"Hahaha~ Sorry, Sensei. I completely forgot I was holding a cola."
Ritsu gave him a deadpan look. This guy seemed awfully happy about it. Looking down at the cola stains soaking into his sweater, he frowned and said,
"I'm going back to my room to change. Let's just meet at the restaurant later."
"Okay. I'm really sorry, Onizawa-san. Shinichi was being too reckless."
"It's fine."
Ritsu waved it off. Before leaving, he glanced at Kogoro, who was still sound asleep.
He couldn't help thinking,
'This old man is incredible. How can he sleep through this much noise? I'm honestly jealous.'
...
Back in his cabin, Ritsu took a moment to look around.
He had to admit, the Hatamoto family renting out an entire luxury cruise ship for just a handful of people was absurdly extravagant.
After changing out of his stained clothes, he reluctantly pulled on a black turtleneck sweater.
Instead of heading straight to the restaurant, he first washed the cola stain out of his beige sweater and hung it up in the room to dry.
Only then did he leave.
As he headed toward the dining hall, he noticed a suspicious figure lingering outside one of the cabins.
Ritsu immediately stopped and quietly hid around a corner. For some reason, he felt like a mantis stalking a cicada while unaware of the oriole behind it.
Although...
Why was he hiding in the first place?
"Heh. You scratch your cheek whenever you're embarrassed. You're exactly like someone I used to know."
Gozo's voice came from inside the room.
The ship's soundproofing was terrible. There were several meters between them, yet Ritsu could still hear the conversation.
Though perhaps the old man simply had a powerful voice.
Inside the room, Takeshi froze. "Huh? Grandpa, what do you mean by that...?"
"Are you still going to keep pretending?"
Gozo's tone suddenly turned sharp. "That habit is exactly the same as your father, Zaijo Isamu!"
Takeshi's eyes widened in shock.
Seeing his reaction, Gozo sneered. "Did you really think changing your family registry records would fool me?"
"I've known for a long time that you infiltrated the company and got close to Natsue in order to avenge your father."
Takeshi unconsciously took two steps back. He had never imagined his carefully crafted plan would be exposed.
"Speak!"
"What exactly is your goal?!"
His goal?
Takeshi lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly.
At first, he really had wanted revenge for his father. At first, he really had intended to use Natsue.
But he knew the truth.
His feelings for Natsue were no longer manipulation.
He genuinely loved her.
If Gozo hadn't exposed his identity, Takeshi might have forgotten his original purpose altogether.
"What do you want? Money? My life?"
Gozo stared at him.
"What? Nothing to say?"
When Takeshi remained silent, the old man snorted. "Hmph. Go back and think it over. I hope you'll give me an answer before we reach Tokyo Harbor."
Takeshi bit down hard on his lip. Without saying another word, he left the room and quietly closed the door behind him.
His expression was dark. His mind was in chaos. In his current state, he couldn't face Natsue.
It would be better to return to his room and calm down first.
Hearing the door close and the footsteps fade away, Ritsu determined that the hallway was empty.
He could finally step out.
Unfortunately,
The moment he took half a step forward, the cabin directly across from Gozo's opened.
"...?"
A young man in a gray-blue suit cautiously poked his head out.
After carefully checking both directions and confirming nobody was around, he slipped over to Gozo's door.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked.
Ritsu blinked.
Gozo's room was certainly popular today.
"Come in!"
The authoritative voice immediately made the young man lower his head. Acting timid and submissive, he entered the room.
The moment Gozo saw his grandson behaving like that, his irritation surged again. Taking a sip of tea, he forcefully suppressed the anger building inside him.
"What do you want?"
Ichiro gathered his courage and raised his head. "Grandpa, I want you to cancel Natsue and Takeshi's wedding."
Without warning, he shouted, "I can't live without Natsue!"
The old man had only just managed to calm himself down. Now his anger exploded all over again.
Crash!
Gozo smashed his teacup onto the floor. His beard practically stood on end.
"You useless fool! You actually think Natsue would choose someone like you?!"
Pointing toward the door, he unleashed a barrage of questions.
"What can you do? What qualifications do you have to make demands of me?"
"I must've lost my mind. A toad dreaming of eating swan meat!"
"Grandpa!"
Ichiro's voice rose desperately. "I heard everything just now!"
"Takeshi is Zaijo Isamu's son! He approached the Hatamoto family just to use Natsue!"
Gozo slammed his hand against the table and shot to his feet.
"Shut your mouth! You Good-for-nothing!"
"Get out! You and your worthless father are exactly alike! As long as I, Hatamoto Gozo, am alive, stop dreaming!"
"If you want to marry Natsue, try again in your next life! Now get out!"
In a fit of rage, he grabbed an ashtray from the table and hurled it toward the door.
It struck Ichiro's hand. The sharp edge sliced through his skin, drawing blood. The ashtray shattered on the floor.
And perhaps something else shattered along with it.
Normally, Ichiro would have clutched his hand and cried out in pain.
He had always been timid.
Always afraid of pain.
But not today.
Without saying a word, he lowered his head, turned around, and left.
Watching the mess in the room, Gozo frowned deeply.
"Hmph. At least he didn't start bawling. What a headache."
"One after another, they all make this old man worry."
"What a disgraceful family."
Ichiro should have heard those muttered words. But the anger consuming him had already drowned everything else out.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
'If Grandpa dies... then I'll have a chance to marry Natsue.'
That's right.
'Kill Grandpa. Kill Grandpa, and I'll finally get the woman I love.'
With a dark expression, Ichiro pulled a pair of white dust-free gloves from his pocket.
Then he began walking toward the ship's storage room.
Naturally, Ritsu had no intention of letting events spiral beyond his control.
He quietly followed behind.
When Ichiro entered the storage room and began searching for a weapon, Ritsu immediately stepped forward and shut the door.
Bang!
The sudden sound startled Ichiro.
The room plunged into darkness. Panicking, he gripped a kitchen knife and began swinging it wildly.
"Who's there?! Who is it?!"
Ritsu had already activated the night-vision function in his glasses. Stoicly, he watched the frantic man flail the knife around.
Then he said coldly, "If you stop now, I can pretend I never saw anything."
Ichiro froze.
The unfamiliar voice caught him off guard. Squinting into the darkness, he tried to identify the speaker.
But no matter how much his eyes adjusted, he couldn't see where the person was. Or who they were.
"Who are you?"
"Does that matter?"
Ritsu's voice remained calm. "Hatamoto Ichiro, are you really planning to kill your own grandfather?"
"That's none of your business!"
Ritsu raised an eyebrow. Actually, it very much was his business. As a police officer, preventing murders whenever possible was part of his job.
If he weren't currently on vacation, he would have already pulled out a pair of handcuffs and arrested him.
And if he didn't think the man could still be reasoned with...
He probably would've punched him unconscious and let him sleep until the ship reached Tokyo Harbor.
"Even though I don't really understand what it feels like to love someone..."
Ritsu spoke slowly. "You want Natsue to be happy every day, don't you? Do you honestly think she'd be happier with you than she is now?"
"Of course she would!"
Ichiro immediately shouted back. "You heard everything earlier, didn't you?!"
"Takeshi only approached Natsue to avenge his father! He can't make her happy! He doesn't love Natsue at all!"
"Only I love her!"
His eyes widened with near-manic intensity.
"He doesn't love Natsue! Only I love her! The only person who can make Natsue happy is me!"
'This guy is seriously unwell.'
Ritsu couldn't help thinking that. It seemed the articles he'd read online were right after all.
Love was a double-edged sword. Used correctly, it could bring happiness. Used incorrectly, it could destroy both the person you loved and yourself.
Ritsu stared into the darkness and asked quietly,
"Hatamoto Ichiro..."
"How long are you going to keep lying to yourself?"