I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 24

Three years have passed since I moved to Okayama, and I turned 30.

I was mixing Mikawa dialect, Okayama dialect, and standard Japanese, and I couldn’t even tell what dialect I was speaking anymore.

I would occasionally think of Madoka, but as time passed, those memories began to fade into the past. Even when I remembered, I no longer felt uneasy; instead, I could think with a calm heart, “I hope you forget about me and find happiness.”

As for me, I’ve been single the whole time.

I’ve been making noodles at the shop all the time.

There are no such things as encounters.

I’m saying this to act tough, but the truth is, I’m just scared.

It’s not like a phobia towards women, but when I think about being deceived and lied to after believing for over ten years, I can’t help but think that if I start a new relationship, I’ll just be lied to and deceived again. The thought of getting hurt deeply in another romantic relationship scares me.

And then, I told myself, “I have no right to have a girlfriend or get married after the terrible way I treated Madoka,” and by admonishing myself, I was deceiving my cowardly self.

And now, I have people who are like family to me.

The people at Narita-an who took me in and are taking care of me.

I’m deliberately pretending not to notice, but the boss and the landlady are trying to set me up with Yuko-san. And even though Yuko-san hasn’t explicitly said anything, she seems to have feelings for me. Since we’re together all the time, it’s impossible not to notice, but I keep ignoring it anyway.

They took in someone like me, whose identity is questionable and unknown, not only giving me work but also welcoming me as if I were family. I feel deeply grateful for this, and since I want to continue on the path of a craftsman, I am very thankful that both of you think of me this way.

But, this is something I can’t respond to.

I am a fugitive.

It’s no different from a marriage scam.

If they knew my true nature, the captain, the landlady, and Yuko-san would surely be disappointed.

So, I’ll just work as an employee.

Repay the favor by working.

This is all I can do.

It’s scary to be betrayed by someone close to you, but now it’s also scary to be disappointed by someone close to you.

I think it’s ironic.

Being deceived, deceiving others, and as a result, being betrayed and disappointed is terrifying.

This autumn, a local Okayama TV station offered to feature Narita-an in a gourmet program.

Although it is only broadcast in Okayama and Kagawa prefectures, it is a locally popular program that introduces popular restaurants in the two prefectures every week, and a book compiling the restaurants introduced so far has even been published.

Naturally, if this program features it, the number of customers will increase.

The store’s popularity will also increase.

It’s a big opportunity for the store.

An offer came from that TV station.

The head chef and the proprietress were positive about giving an interview.

Yuko was also really into it.

However, I was the only one who wasn’t enthusiastic about it.

Even though it’s a local program, you never know where they might find out about you if you appear on TV.

That said, I couldn’t let my personal circumstances as just an employee ruin such an opportunity, so I decided to go ahead with the interview.

I even thought about confessing everything from the past, but I got scared of being kicked out of this place as a result, so I decided to just hint at it and talk a little.

Breaking off the engagement and running away, making sure not to be found by not only the former fiancé but also the parents.

If found, I might be taken back or get into big trouble again, and that’s what I’m afraid of.

There is a possibility that it could also cause trouble for the store.

So, I told the three of them that being on TV is not good.

The three of them were quite nonchalant, saying, “I thought it would be something like that,” and it was decided that during the TV interview, they would ask not to show me on camera.

During the actual interview, they never pointed the camera at me, and when we all watched the broadcast later, I wasn’t shown at all.

Even though it was a local program, the impact of being featured on television was immense.

From the day after it aired, the place was bustling every day, especially at lunchtime and in the evening when the number of customers increased, and there were even lines forming outside the store, with many people coming from outside the prefecture.

Fortunately, the self-service restaurant had a good turnover of customers, so it was rare to keep them waiting for hours and inconvenience them, but we were short on staff and ingredients, to the point of closing the curtain before the closing time.

In the end, we decided to hire new part-time workers and change the kitchen refrigerator to a larger one than the current one.

Additionally, we started receiving more coverage from gourmet magazines and local publications, and our business continued to thrive.

And the following autumn, Yuko got engaged.

The other person seemed to be a high school classmate, and when they came to greet me on the store’s day off, I also joined them. They appeared to be a serious and sincere young man.

I don’t have any siblings, so by this time, Yuko-san felt like a younger sister to me. In front of my fiancée and everyone else, I ended up crying alone. The boss and the landlady laughed at me, but Yuko-san cried along with me.

It seems that the wedding is planned for around next summer, and until then, she will continue working at the store as usual. After getting married, she will continue as a part-timer, working only during the day.

However, good fortune often brings misfortune.

When good things and auspicious events continue, the opposite can also happen.

For me, it should be said, “Finally, it’s time to pay the tribute.”