NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
On a Thursday, thanks to a canceled lecture, my university classes ended early, and I had no part-time job scheduled, giving me a half-day off. As luck would have it, Chiaki-san’s schedule aligned with mine, so we ended up spending the whole afternoon together in my room.
“…So, how’s it going?”
“What is?”
“That part-time girl’s stalker, of course. It’s been about a week since you started helping out. Has there been any movement on that front?”
Chiaki-san, fiddling with her phone and a snack in hand, suddenly asked this. From the look on her face—full of dissatisfaction—it was clear she still hadn’t come to terms with the situation.
“Your mood swings are something else, you know? Just a moment ago, you were happily humming while messing around with your phone.”
“Of course I was in a good mood. Today I get to spend more time with Haruto-kun than planned. And recently, you don’t say anything as long as I finish the chores, so I’ve been relaxing here without issue. Since I didn’t have much else to do today, I was enjoying a nice, slow date at home.”
“Some of that is a bit misleading, but fine. So, why suddenly bring up Kondo-san now?”
“Because I remembered it midway! I was all happy thinking how great it was that our schedules matched up, and then I suddenly realized that lately, *your* schedule has been weird. That pissed me off!”
“Are your emotions on a rollercoaster?”
“Wouldn’t you get annoyed too? I mean, that girl is using my boyfriend for her convenience! And on top of that, she’s been flirting with you, right? Who wouldn’t be like, ‘Huh!?’ at that?”
“Don’t just go around declaring me your boyfriend.”
I can’t let that one slide. If I ignore it, she’ll happily build a fortress around that claim.
The whole “home date” thing? I let it go because it was just her interpretation. Yes, she’s here a lot and for long hours, so I thought, “Fine, I’ll compromise.” But don’t confuse hanging out in my room for extended periods with being in a relationship. They are *not* the same thing.
“Still, I’m the one closest to you, Haruto-kun! We’re somewhere between lovers and a married couple! Some random high school girl isn’t even in the picture, and dragging you into something dangerous is absolutely outrageous!”
“You’re really committed to this fantasy, huh?”
She’s trying to put herself in a position even higher than a lover. That’s some audacity. Her mental resilience must be made of steel. Then again, she was a stalker, so of course, it is.
“Anyway, let’s toss the whole ‘lover’ thing in the trash.”
“Can’t you at least set it aside gently? Also, don’t you think *you* are being too stubborn? What about our relationship, Haruto-kun?”
“We’re acquaintances.”
“At least call us friends!”
Not long ago, I might’ve categorized her as a friend, but now I can’t bring myself to call someone who lies about their identity my friend.
“Back to the main topic. There’s no real progress with Kondo-san. I’m just escorting her home after work.”
“…What about the stalker?”
“Sometimes he’s there.”
“He *is*!?”
Unfortunately, yes. The only good thing is that it’s not every time.
“Because of that, I’ve started riding a bike to my part-time job.”
“…Why a bike?”
“It’d be a nightmare if they figured out where I live and showed up at my house.”
“Ah, I see…”
Since confirming the existence of the stalker, I immediately changed my mode of transportation to protect myself as well. After walking Kondo-san home, I speed off on my bike, taking winding routes to make sure I lose anyone following me before I head home. I also take similar precautions when going to work.
You can never be too careful about these things. Especially since Chiaki-san comes over here too.
“It sounds more serious than I thought. Are you okay…?”
“For now, yeah. But the stalker is still lurking, so I have to keep escorting her.”
“This is way more dangerous than I expected! Don’t you think you should just leave it to the police?”
“Well, I’m not an expert, but I feel like they’ll start getting involved soon.”
“Really!? When!?”
“I don’t know exactly, but with things getting this sketchy, I think they’ll move eventually…”
During the initial consultation, the police said they would increase patrols, but honestly, that doesn’t seem like enough anymore.
Even with me walking her home, the stalker has still followed us multiple times. If this keeps happening, it could escalate to something truly terrible.
“I managed to get footage of the stalker recently, so hopefully that’ll push the police to take more action. I mean, I hope.”
“You got footage!? How did you manage that?”
“Well, thanks to a certain someone, I already had hidden cameras, so I gave one to Kondo-san.”
“…This ‘certain someone’ wouldn’t happen to be me, would it?”
“Glad you’re aware.”
You never know what life will throw your way. I never imagined the hidden cameras I used during Chiaki-san’s stalker days would be repurposed like this.
To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever use them again, so it was a bit surprising. Kondo-san was equally surprised when I handed it to her. She almost misunderstood my intentions, but after explaining a bit about Chiaki-san, she accepted it.
I narrowly avoided being labeled a creep, but the downside was Kondo-san started showing even more interest in me. That was unexpected.
In retrospect, I feel like I have way too many connections to stalkers. I mean, how often do you deal with stalkers back-to-back like this? Is my life cursed?
“Anyway, this whole thing might be resolved soon if they arrest the stalker.”
“Because of the footage?”
“Who knows? I don’t know if the footage will count as evidence. I’ve heard that hidden camera footage might not hold up in court… but at least it’ll give the police a reason to act, right?”
What happens next is beyond me. The police might bring the case to a swift close, or they could continue dragging their feet.
For now, I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Of course I am. It’s also a hassle. But since I’ve already taken on this responsibility, I can’t back out now. Kondo-san’s mom even asked me for help.”
That happened on the first day I walked Kondo-san home. Her mother came out and bowed deeply, practically in tears, apologizing and asking for my assistance.
After that, I couldn’t exactly say no.
Since the stalker already knows where she lives, quitting my part-time job wouldn’t change anything. And given the seriousness of the situation, I can’t just ignore it as an older acquaintance of hers.
I have to see this through. Running away now would leave me with a guilty conscience. I refuse to live with that kind of regret at my age.
I’ll stick it out until this is resolved. Plus, since I started walking her home, there’s a good chance the stalker has marked me as well. That’s another reason I can’t back down.
“…I’m really worried about you…!”
“Thanks for worrying. I’m genuinely happy about that, so let me express my gratitude.”
“And I can’t stand that this part-time girl introduced you to her parents!”
“You just ruined the mood.”
Couldn’t you hold that back a little? I was really starting to appreciate your concern, but now you’ve thrown it all out the window.