However, it's also possible that my understanding isn't comprehensive enough.
After all, he Inari has indeed changed his view of Haruko quite a bit, and doesn't believe that this guy he sees, who is stupid, clumsy, and incredibly cowardly, is faking it.
He pays more attention to details.
Coincidentally, some things in the details don't make sense.
At this moment, the door to the monitoring room was knocked twice.
Inari turned back to look and saw Ichiko, wearing an apron to cover the bright red marks, walking in. "How is it?"
Inari turned sideways to make space, pointing at the monitor. "The cause is that Haruko went to that yellow-haired girl to get money back. The hostility in the yellow-haired girl's eyes was quite obvious, but Haruko was too cowardly and still let the other person into the house."
As for the result, it goes without saying.
The surveillance couldn't record the sounds after they entered the house, only occasionally one or two bursts of laughter could be heard.
"Ichiko, what do you think?"
Inari pulled up a chair, sat down, and thought.
Ichiko suppressed a hint of anger in her eyes, exhaled a long breath, and said, "Haruko probably wanted to pay you back, which is why she went to Lala for money, but I didn't know Haruko actually borrowed so much from her!"
That was seven thousand!
Over three years, it might not seem like much, but Haruko's family was poor to begin with, and she's so thin now because of early malnutrition.
But who knew, what Inari cared about wasn't this point. "What I mean is, how do you see Haruko's contrast?"
Ichiko was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"I won't beat around the bush." Inari adjusted the surveillance, stopping at the scene where Haruko shrank her neck in fear and entered the door with Lala and her followers.
He said, "We learned earlier that Haruko was willing to risk her life for you, even being hostile towards Sento in various ways, and for a while was even hostile towards me. But after interacting with her, you and I both know she's so weak. So where did she get the courage to confront Sento? Who gave it to her?"
"You know, if you hadn't stopped Sento in the basement last time, something would have probably happened to Haruko, right?"
Ichiko lowered her head, as if thinking, and nodded gently.
Her amount of information was different from Inari's.
She knew very well.
Haruko's courage came from her!
Haruko is a yandere; she becomes impulsive and lacks reason regarding matters related to herself. Perhaps it's precisely because of this that she dared to confront Sento, even ignoring her identity.
But when it comes to Lala...
Inari added, "There's another very important question. Although I've been considerate of your feelings and haven't asked, I still can't figure out how Haruko kidnapped you. You could easily subdue her with one hand, right?"
"Uh..."
Ichiko lowered her head and was silent for a moment.
"As for the kidnapping, that was my fault." Ichiko sighed and explained the situation at the time. "Didn't I owe Sento a favor because of the last incident? He insisted I attend a dinner party with him. I figured it was just showing up and having a meal, so I agreed."
"After that, Haruko found me and said she knew she had done wrong before and wanted to mend our relationship."
Inari nodded. "Okay, and then?"
"Then she said that as an apology, she even bought me coffee." Ichiko sighed. "I didn't think much of it at the time and listened to her. What happened after I drank it, I don't know."
"When I woke up, I was already locked in the basement."
A few strands of beautiful hair fell from her temples, sliding down her cheek.
Because she was looking down, a bit of her bangs covered her eyes, making it impossible to see her gaze.
The sunlight shining on her from outside the window gradually faded.
Ichiko continued, "As for the courage to confront Sento that you mentioned, Inari, it should be something I gave her..."
"You?"
Inari was a bit taken aback; this was something he had never thought of at all.
"Yes." Ichiko put her hands behind her back, raised her head, and smiled helplessly and affectionately. "She's done a lot in the past two months, but I've never blamed her, not even once. Whether it was you or Sento, I was always trying to persuade, wasn't I?"
Inari was stunned for a moment, as if he recalled something.
Indeed, whenever he disliked Haruko before, Ichiko would always try to mediate.
"So that's it..."
He murmured at the corner of his mouth, and the doubts in his heart gradually unraveled.
It was her tolerance that gave Haruko courage.
Inari looked at Ichiko again. "Then about her being bullied..."
Upon saying this, Ichiko immediately clenched her fists.
Anger appeared in her eyes.
Staring intently at Lala on the monitor, "I know this yellow-haired girl. She was a delinquent in high school, her grades were terrible, and she bullied the weak everywhere to feel important."
"Before, she also bullied Haruko, but after I beat her up twice, she got scared."
"After that, she didn't appear in front of me."
"I originally thought she was keeping the peace, but now it seems she's been retaliating against Haruko behind her back for a long time!"
"And I was completely unaware of all of this."
Ichiko's tone gradually became guilty. "Before, when Haruko came home, she occasionally had scrapes. She was always clumsy, so she said she fell, and I didn't think much of it."
"She would smile foolishly and tell me not to worry. At the time, I just thought she was very sensible and really good."
"Now it seems those injuries were from being bullied."
Inari took a light breath. "Then why didn't she tell you all along? That yellow-haired girl mentioned seven thousand over three years; she was bullied for three years?"
"Maybe she didn't want to involve me?"
Afraid of getting hurt herself, afraid of being bullied like her, so she hid whatever harm she suffered, came home, smiled foolishly and said—I'm fine, don't worry.
Thinking back carefully, all she showed me were smiles!
Ichiko took another look at Inari, who was in surprise, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "Also, maybe because of these things I didn't know, Haruko developed some psychological issues, and then was further influenced, which is why the events of the past two months happened."
As soon as she said this, Inari suddenly understood.
This way, everything made sense.
No wonder he felt that the difference in Haruko's personality before and after was so great; it turned out there were so many hidden details he didn't know.
Thinking again of the large pool of bright red on the floor when he just entered the room, Inari sighed in his heart.
It seems he had misunderstood Haruko.
The faint suspicion that had still existed was instantly dispelled.
He should go back and persuade Sento. Haruko is also a pitiful person.
Seeing that Ichiko was a bit down, Inari comforted her, "Although the process was a bit complicated, the result is good in the end, isn't it?"
"Haruko isn't like she was in the past two months anymore. She's become normal, hasn't she?"
Reconciled with Ichiko.
Reconciled with himself too.
The only one left is Sento, right?
But hearing these words, Ichiko felt a pang in her heart. "Yes, she's become... normal."
Her smile was a bit strained, and her eyes revealed a hint of unease.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Inari said, "Regarding those who bullied Haruko, how do you want to deal with them? How about I do it? I'll investigate them thoroughly and make them disappear."
The thunderous methods of a large family.
Sending a few people to Siberia to plant potatoes was simply too easy.
However, Ichiko shook her head.
The anger in her eyes was no longer suppressed. "Inari, you've already helped me a lot, so I won't trouble you further. They dared to treat Haruko like this, I will personally teach them a lesson!"
Thinking of Haruko's heartbreaking cries when she was afraid of losing her just now, Ichiko couldn't help but clench her fists.
No one can bully my Haruko!
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"