I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 18

After finishing work, I stopped by a gas station to refuel before heading home to my new place.

When I got home, I set my phone alarm for 1 AM and immediately took a nap.

When I woke up at 1 AM, I had a message from Madoka on my phone, so I replied, “Sorry, I was sleeping. It’s already late, so please contact me again tomorrow,” and then I started preparing to escape.

First, gather your personal belongings, including clothes and the PC, and load them into the car.

I loaded everything I brought to the new house during the move on Monday into the car without leaving anything behind.

Next, I cleaned the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and the entrance.

With the spirit of “a departing bird leaves no trace,” I wiped the floors and cleaned the windows, and finally took a shower before cleaning the bathroom.

The family restaurant manager’s cleaning skills are no joke.

After finishing the cleaning, I changed my clothes and then sat down at the living room table to wrap up the final tasks.

With a black marker on a brown envelope sized to fit A4.

“I can’t marry Madoka after all. Thank you for everything until now. Please use the money inside for the cancellation fee of the venue. Masaki” is what I wrote.

I didn’t know the kanji for “Guess,” so I wrote it in hiragana.

Inside the envelope, I placed 500,000 yen in cash and set it straight in the middle of the living room table. I also placed the tie pin I received on Valentine’s Day alongside it.

I was considering leaving the private investigator’s report as well, but I decided against it.

A departing bird does not muddy the water behind it.

Finally, I checked the locks and fire sources, double-checked the bedroom and other areas to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, then left the room, locked the door, and tossed the key into the mailbox by the front door.

At that moment, I almost cried a little.

When I got into the car, it was already past 3 AM.

On the way, I stopped by a convenience store, bought a canned coffee and a sandwich, then headed to the Tomei Expressway interchange and went towards Tokyo.

The destination for this day is Shizuoka.

Just in case, I will head east, away from Okayama, and stay overnight in Shizuoka City on the 24th, then turn back the next day aiming for Okayama.

On the way, we arrived at Hamana Lake SA at 4:30.

Even if we head towards Shizuoka now, it would be too early for the business hotel reservation time (3 PM), so we decided to stop the car here and sleep.

Around 9 o’clock, when I woke up, there was a message from Madoka on my phone.

On this Saturday, the day before the wedding, Madoka had the day off from work, while I was supposedly on duty.

If I reply now, it will look like I’m using my phone during work, so I deliberately ignored it.

I got out of the car with a hand towel, went to the restroom and took care of my business, then splashed my face with cold water, bought a jumbo frankfurter at the shop inside the service area, ate the jumbo frankfurter while staring blankly at Lake Hamana from a spot where you could see the whole lake, and then returned to the car after a while.

Once again, I lay down in the car, dozing off as time passed, and set off again towards Shizuoka City around 1 PM.

When I got off at Shizuoka IC, it was already past 2 PM, so I headed straight to the business hotel.

On the way, I stopped by a convenience store to buy a bento for dinner. When I arrived at the hotel, I parked the car, spent a little time inside the car, checked in exactly at 3 PM, went to my room, and the day’s travel was over.