Chapter 114: Confession

When the two women emerged from the restroom, they immediately noticed a beautiful woman standing amidst the crowd, dressed in a light-yellow evening gown adorned with sequins. Beside her stood a young man in a finely tailored suit.

“It’s Kyoko. So, she came too,” Naoko said with some surprise. However, she quickly noticed Matsumi’s expression darkening.

Gently holding her hand, Naoko said, “Matsumi, it’s rare for us to meet so many old classmates. Let’s try to enjoy ourselves, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll control myself. I won’t lose face in front of her,” Fukuhara Matsumi replied coldly.

Seeing her friend’s restrained hostility, Naoko could only sigh inwardly. She forced a cheerful smile and led Matsumi forward.

“Kyoko,” Naoko greeted warmly as she approached the woman.

“Oh, it’s Naoko. Long time no see. I didn’t expect you to be here,” Tsumura Kyoko replied, her tone cool.

“It’s been ages since we graduated. How have you been?” Naoko asked.

“I’m fine, thank you for asking.”

Faced with Kyoko’s cold demeanor, Naoko found herself at a loss for words. Matsumi, unable to hold back, interjected sarcastically, “Naoko, it seems Ms. Kyoko doesn’t want to bother with us. We’d better not disturb her.”

“Matsumi, please don’t,” Naoko whispered.

Turning back to Kyoko, she said, “Kyoko, it’s been so long. I truly miss you. I even tried calling your phone before, but it seems you changed your number, and I couldn’t reach you. Let’s make an effort to meet more often in the future, shall we?”

“We’ll see. Oh, let me introduce you to someone. This is my boyfriend, Maeyama Gentaro. You’ve probably heard of Maeyama Trading Company? He’s the eldest son of the chairman and the future heir to the company,” Kyoko said, a note of pride in her voice.

“Hello, Mr. Maeyama,” Naoko greeted with a polite bow.

“Hello. I must say, I didn’t expect Kyoko to have such a beautiful classmate,” Gentaro replied with a smile.

“You flatter me. Actually, Kyoko is the most beautiful one,” Naoko said graciously.

“Kyoko, by the way, do you know how Tanaka-kun is doing? I thought he might be here with you,” Matsumi suddenly said with a smile, her tone deliberately light.

At these words, Kyoko’s face instantly fell.

“Gentaro, it’s a bit stuffy here. Let’s go somewhere else to relax,” she said hurriedly.

“Excuse us, ladies,” Gentaro said politely, nodding toward Naoko and Matsumi before walking away with Kyoko.

“Don’t mind us,” Naoko replied courteously.

Once they were out of sight, Matsumi smirked triumphantly. “Did you see her face just now? Acting all high and mighty just because she snagged a rich guy. If I exposed her past affairs, I’m sure her boyfriend wouldn’t want her anymore.”

“Matsumi, please stop. I know Kyoko hurt you deeply back then, but so much time has passed. Isn’t it time to let it go?” Naoko said, trying to reason with her.

Matsumi fell silent for a moment before saying, “Naoko, you wouldn’t understand because it didn’t happen to you. Having your best friend steal your first love and then watching them flaunt their relationship every day… It’s a miracle I didn’t lose it back then. Sorry, I need to touch up my makeup. I’ll be right back.” With that, she turned and walked back to the restroom.

Naoko knew she was crying. At that moment, she truly understood just how deeply Matsumi had been hurt back then.

From a distance, Naoko watched Kyoko laughing and chatting gracefully with her boyfriend among the crowd. Yet somehow, she felt as though the Kyoko before her was a complete stranger.

Unlike Naoko, who felt a bit down, the men lingering nearby, eyeing her like hawks, immediately noticed that this top-tier beauty was alone. Like piranhas drawn to blood, they swarmed around her.

Within minutes, Naoko was surrounded by a crowd of men, her hands filled with business cards they eagerly pressed into her palms. Each man tried to outshine the others, boasting about their accomplishments to win her favor. Unsurprisingly, this led to frequent clashes, and the atmosphere quickly grew tense with subtle hostility.

“I knew it. You wolves wouldn’t leave Naoko alone,” came a cold female voice from the side.

“It’s the class president!”

“Mari, you’re here too! It’s been a while,” one of the men said, his tone suddenly sheepish as he noticed the short-haired woman standing behind them.

“Of course, you’d rather I wasn’t here,” Mari retorted. She stepped into the group, adjusted her frameless glasses, and took Naoko’s hand. “Naoko, let’s go. Don’t waste your time on these predators.”

“Mari, that’s too harsh! We were just catching up with Naoko,” one man protested.

“Catching up? Sure. Let’s reminisce about how many girls you deceived back in school. Truly nostalgic times,” Mari said with a sharp, intellectual smile.

“Uh, I… Oh, right! I forgot I needed to talk to you about something. Let’s go over there,” the man stammered before grabbing another and retreating hastily.

“And the rest of you? Anyone else want to reminisce with me? I’m all ears,” Mari asked, looking at the remaining men.

“Actually, I have something to do. Naoko, excuse me. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Me too. Goodbye, Naoko, Mari.”

In less than a minute, the remaining men scattered, each mumbling an excuse as they hurried away.

“Mari, finally! I’ve been waiting for you forever,” Naoko said with a mix of relief and exasperation.

“The editor-in-chief needed something last minute, so I got held up. Has Matsumi arrived? I haven’t seen her in over two years.”

“She’s been here for a while—oh, there she is.”

“Talking about me behind my back?” Fukuhara Matsumi said with a playful smile as she walked over.

“You’re Matsumi? You look completely different,” Mari remarked after giving her a scrutinizing look.

“I’ve become much prettier, haven’t I? But you, on the other hand, haven’t changed at all. Come on, those glasses are so outdated. Why not switch to contacts like I did?” Matsumi teased with a laugh.

“I’m used to them and can’t be bothered to change. By the way, here’s your payment for this month,” Mari said, pulling a check from her pocket and handing it to Naoko.

“Thank you,” Naoko said, slipping it into her wallet.

“Naoko, are you working for Mari’s magazine now?” Matsumi asked curiously.

“Yes. I have more free time these days, so I help them with translations and writing articles,” Naoko explained.

“Enough talk. I haven’t eaten yet. Let’s head in and grab something,” Mari interjected.

As they followed her, Naoko whispered to Matsumi, “I’m sorry about earlier, Matsumi.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault,” Matsumi replied with a smile, squeezing Naoko’s hand reassuringly.

The dinner was buffet-style, with an impressive variety of food. Thanks to Mari, nicknamed the “Wolf Repellent” during their school days, no men dared approach them, allowing the three to eat in peace.

Suddenly, they ran into Kyoko and her boyfriend, Maeyama Gentaro.

“Oh, it’s Naoko! And the class president, too. What’s this? Did your boyfriends not come, or do you still not have any?” Kyoko said with a sly smile, holding a wine glass in her hand.

“Kyoko, you’re drunk. I apologize for her behavior,” Gentaro said, looking slightly embarrassed.

“I’m not drunk, Gentaro. By the way, Naoko, we haven’t had a proper chat in ages. Let’s go outside and talk, shall we?” Kyoko suddenly suggested.

“Are you okay, Kyoko?” Naoko asked, a little worried.

“I’m fine. Come on, let’s talk outside. You all stay here, this is something between Naoko and me,” Kyoko said, suddenly grabbing Naoko’s hand and leading her toward the balcony.

Just as Fukuhara Matsumi wanted to follow, Mari stopped her. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

On the balcony, a refreshing evening breeze blew toward them, gently lifting the hems of their skirts.

“Naoko, do you know? Sometimes, I really hate you,” Kyoko suddenly said, turning around lightly.

“Kyoko, I don’t understand what you mean,” Naoko said, quite surprised.

“In school, although you hid it well, I knew you were from a wealthy family. You’re beautiful, your family is rich, and there were so many boys chasing after you. What is it that you didn’t have? Do you remember Tanaka? Fukuhara Matsumi’s boyfriend, the one I took from her.”

Looking at her, Kyoko continued, “Mari’s a real fool, actually, Tanaka liked you all along. He only started accepting Mari after you rejected him. Once I found out the truth, I immediately broke up with him. I won’t be anyone’s rebound.”

“Kyoko, why did you do that? Do you know how much it hurt Matsumi?” Naoko said, her voice shaking.

“Why? I don’t know, maybe I just couldn’t stand seeing all those men fighting over you. What’s so special about you? You’re just a little prettier than others, but you always act so high and mighty. It really disgusts me. But whatever, in a short time, I’ll be the wife of the heir to Maeda Trading Company. After that, I won’t have to see those disgusting men at work anymore. As for you, I hope I never have to see your face again,” Kyoko said, throwing her glass on the ground before storming off.

Watching her retreating figure, Naoko suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

Almost instinctively, she pulled out her phone and dialed the familiar number.

Mari and Fukuhara Matsumi came over, with Matsumi being the first to speak. “Naoko, are you okay? What did she say to you?”

“It’s nothing. Kyoko was just drunk. Let’s go back inside,” Naoko said with a smile, walking back toward the main hall.

“Naoko…” Matsumi tried to ask again but was stopped by Mari.

“If she wants to talk, she’ll do it in her own time. Let’s not pressure her,” Mari said calmly.

Matsumi looked at her and reluctantly nodded, following her back into the hall.

Matsumi noticed that ever since her talk with Kyoko, Naoko seemed distracted. She had tried to ask her several times, but Mari had stopped her each time, which left her feeling frustrated.

Suddenly, a waiter approached and asked, “Excuse me, is Ms. Hasegawa Naoko here?”

“I’m here, is something wrong?” Naoko lifted her head to respond.

Seeing her face, the waiter paused for a moment, and after a while, he said, “There’s a Mr. Gennai outside asking for you.”

“What?” Naoko stood up in surprise.

“Naoko, what’s wrong?” Matsumi had never seen that expression on her before.

“He… he’s here for me,” Naoko said, feeling a little embarrassed, then quickly ran toward the door.

“Could it be her boyfriend?” Matsumi asked, watching her retreat.

“Naoko has a boyfriend?” Mari asked, puzzled.

“Let’s go see,” Matsumi said, already pulling Mari toward the door.