RIVALS INCARNATE

Chapter Fifty-Two: Two Points Of Pressure

PRESENT, 2020 (Tokyo)

Maybe it was truly very wrong to choose and dance with Ami Komatsu so casually and nonchalantly at this very public event with so many eyes watching. 

It was very apparent that they had been getting quite more than enough attention than they have really wanted initially while Yuko Amazawa and Osamu Sato just stood from a far distance, watching them with keen eyes as well. Right, it was really very wrong and unwise, Kyouhei Kurosaki had thought grimly. He could already make out the look of displeasure from the blank unreadable expression on Yuko's face who had been staring in his direction for quite some time now. Even when he was trying hard to focus on his movements and the music playing in the background, he could not just seem to ignore her very presence. And he was even much more aware of it now than he had been at the start of the party.

"Kyouhei?" He heard Ami Komatsu called him out quite softly and endearing and he turned his attention to her, out of reflex, and smiled a little bit. He was trying to keep a straight face because there was really no reason for him to feel this inconveniently tensed and nervous around her. 

"Yes?" he said after a moment, mindlessly leading the dance on as he took a step back and turned them both around.

"Are you okay?" Ami asked with a look of wonder. Kyouhei only nodded. He tried to smile a bit more but it was quite uncomfortable. He could clearly still see Yuko from the corner of his eye and it gave him a mental recall of their particular conversation the first time they had met Ami Komatsu. She had even warned him about her and she had been very clear about telling him not to get too attached to Komatsu.

However, just as unfortunate as it had been before he could even avoid the temptation that somehow led him up to this present, he and Ami have been doing far more than occasional dancing and casual touches in the past week. In a considerable amount of time, they were actually quickly turning far more than just simple companions to something a little bit risky. He could even say that at some point, she was already treating him more like a lover than a mere company which had gotten quite a little disturbing for Kyouhei. He had been very certain when they had agreed to start their secret affair that they must keep things casual. But she seemed to think that there was actually a chance for them to develop into something more. And that was what made Kyouhei regret this all now.

Kyouhei knew that even when he was still reluctant to continue this any longer, it was pretty much obvious that everyone has completely assumed now that they were already getting quite intimate with each other. Although it had never been yet confirmed, no one in his sane mind would even think otherwise. But despite all of that, Kyouhei could still not shake the very thought of Yuko's disappointment lingering in the back of his mind while worrying about all of this.

Yuko might never really dare to comment anything about it, but Kyouhei knew she was not particularly delighted to see this kind of development between him and Komatsu as well. It was such a really very bad timing to sign himself up very willingly and dumbly for this kind of complex arrangement. Yet what could he ever really do? He was beyond helpless and extremely desperate just to finally get him out of that awful misery. He just wanted to forget all the very feelings he had been nursing for Yuko and he was too adamant to get rid of whatever that has remained after the painful rejection he had gone through.

It had been his only way to escape from all of that terrible suffering. And when he had thought he was finally saving himself from further falling into the deep, he still found himself crawling back to the shards of memories left behind. He was still so hopelessly in love with the same woman... Despite the touches, kisses, warmth, and all the pleasure he had been getting from different beautiful women he had tried to use for temporary relief, he was still stuck in this sickening obsession of chasing after Yuko Amazawa.

Something deep inside his very soul was just too fully consumed by her, and every time he would try to force himself to forget about his feelings, she would suddenly just invade his every thought and he will eventually just come running back to loving her again.

It was intoxicating and very troublesome, Kyouhei could not really achieve any kind of resolve. He was still too far from really being healed and all he could ever do is to rely on substituting someone else in place of Yuko. It was really nasty of him, and he knew he was being completely unfair to the other person, yet he just could not get himself to say it outright. He was really a coward and a good-for-nothing. He really did not deserve whatever kind of praise and attention he had been getting from anyone.

What he really was, after all, beneath that prominent status and his charming exterior, was nothing but a slimy, ugly, rotting garbage sad excuse for a human being.

He's a damn bastard.

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It only took her just five minutes. Just five minutes, to finally break and give up. She realized she already had enough of it. Excusing her presence from Osamu, Yuko Amazawa just suddenly turned to leave without turning back and walked her way out of the event hall as she headed straight to the hallway leading to the restrooms.

It had been quite very hard to keep a straight face while watching the very woman Shin loved so much in the past be held by the same arms of his mortal enemy. Yuko just could not take it anymore and she eventually decided she actually needed some fresh air to alleviate her anger and frustration. She was just about to push the sliding door leading to the women's restroom when a tall burly man had suddenly blocked her path and stopped her from her tracks. Yuko moved back and looked at the unwanted company and when she met his eyes, she felt the coldness and wariness invade her entire body.

When Kyouhei Kurosaki finally let go of Ami Komatsu after a long round of dancing around, he quickly excused himself to take some rest and went his way back to where he had last seen Osamu and Yuko standing beside each other. Ami Komatsu had also told him that she was going to talk to some of her acquaintances first and he was just beyond relieved to finally let her be. He was sauntering his way to the very corner of the hall when he suddenly noticed that Osamu was all alone, though he was actually talking with someone Kyouhei immediately recognized to be a part of the business society. He briefly frowned and looked around through the crowd, searching for a familiar brunette in an emerald green dress but he could not find Yuko anywhere. Resolving that she might have taken flight outside the hall, he quickly took a detour and went straight to the exit doors.

As soon as he walked out to the hallway, he turned and immediately caught sight of Yuko Amazawa standing not that quite far but was accompanied by somebody else. The man who was with her stood with his back turned on him and he could not quite get a good glimpse of what his face looked like. But one glance at Yuko who was facing his way gave him an instant alarm that the man was not really making her feel comfortable at all. And with not much reservation from his impulsive nature, Kyouhei found himself striding down the hallway and interrupting whatever that had been going on between Yuko and the unknown man.

"Excuse me," he said but his voice had been raised out of his control and both Yuko and the person standing near her turned to look at him, with equal startled faces.

"Is he bothering you, Amazawa-san?" Kyouhei directed the question at Yuko who was now looking at him with a bewildered expression. She did not really expect him to pop out of nowhere. Even when he was most certainly trying to help her get away from this situation, she really did not need his help at the very least. She could still handle it all by herself. However, she knew way better than to make this all more awkward so she quickly moved towards Kyouhei's side and gave the man a steady smile.

"I'm sorry but I don't really have time at this moment," she briefly told the man who looked a little displeased to be interrupted from speaking with her. "But if you really like to talk about the matter you just offered, you can just set an appointment and we can meet at my office."

Yuko instinctively opened the handbag she was holding in her arm and pulled out a silver card from a case to give it to the man. Then she smiled again, "I would be very much welcome to accommodate you with your concern, Mister...?"

She trailed, she did not actually realize that he still had not even introduced himself to her yet. Kyouhei watched her from the side and he was frowning but Yuko tried her best to ignore him at the moment.

"Ebisu," the man answered, his voice clipped and cold. Then he nodded as if to acknowledge the request. "Then I will just reach out to you through this, Ms. Amazawa."

"Thank you," Yuko replied politely and bowed at the man, out of courtesy, "And it's nice meeting you, Mr. Ebisu."

"The pleasure's mine, Miss Amazawa," Ebisu returned the bow and for a brief second, he turned to glance at Kyouhei and said, "It's nice seeing you here too, Mr. Kurosaki. I'll take my leave now."

Kurosaki only bowed back, and tightly smiled as he watched the man walked away. His face went serious as soon as he disappeared into the doors leading to the event hall.

"What did he say to you, Amazawa-san?" Kurosaki found himself asking, curious and concerned because he was actually suspicious of the man. But when Yuko did not say anything to him, he turned to look at her and found her staring at him.

"Why are you asking?" she eventually countered, as soon as their eyes met. And breathing a heavy sigh, Kyouhei gave her the very answer she actually needed to know.

"He's a member of the Upper House," he said to her, his eyes barely blinking, "And he's one of the toughest competition we might have to face for the Prime Minister post. So tell me, Amazawa-san, what did he exactly say to you?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------next chapter: Chapter Fifty-Three