I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 34

After looking down for a few seconds, they raised their head again and began to speak.

“The trigger was a typical scout. It was around spring of my third year in college when I went shopping alone and got scouted. I think it was in Sakae, Nagoya. Back then, I used to get hit on a lot and always ignored it, but this time they were so persistent and annoying that I glared at them. Usually, when I glared at people who hit on me, they would give up. But this scout started talking even more enthusiastically, saying things like, ‘That expression is perfect for this! You could make money just with that face!’ Even then, when I tried to ignore them and walk away, they forcibly handed me a business card and said they wanted me to contact them once, even if I wasn’t interested in the adult industry.”

“I wasn’t planning to contact you, but something was bothering me, so I didn’t throw away the business card and tucked it into my planner. I forgot about it right away, but then job hunting started, and the stress began to pile up. At first, job hunting wasn’t going well at all, and I was just getting more and more anxious. Up until my second year, Masa-kun was always by my side, so I didn’t feel much stress, but when I started job hunting in my third year, the time we spent together decreased, and I started feeling nothing but stress. And then, at that time, my part-time job as a tutor got canceled

“There’s just so much going on, I can’t keep up.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Back then, I had so much going on one after another that I think I was pretty overwhelmed. So, during that time, while I was writing down my job-hunting schedule in my planner, I found a scout’s business card that I had received at some point. I had already been let go from my part-time job, and even if I tried to find another part-time job now, I wouldn’t be able to take many shifts because I was job hunting, and even if I wanted to rely on my parents, I had started attending driving school around that time, and my parents were covering the costs for the driving school and my recruitment suit, so I couldn’t ask them for more help. Because I was struggling financially

“But hey, if that’s the case, you could have just consulted me, right? If it was for Madoka, I would have handed over my entire bankbook!”

“Yeah, I think I should have consulted you when I look back on it now. But at that time, I thought it was absolutely not an option. You know how they say, ‘Money is the root of all evil’? If we were married, we could have talked about money matters, but we were just a couple without any promises for the future. I was afraid that lending and borrowing money would create a rift between us. I really didn’t want to rely on Masa-kun for money.”

“Even so, if it comes to that, I’d rather go to a brothel.”

“Besides, I think I was also being stubborn.”

“Seriously? Towards me?”

“Yeah. Masa-kun, you hardly did any job hunting and still had your job lined up, right? Even when everyone around was struggling with job hunting, you were always taking it easy at your own pace, and I think I was stubbornly trying not to rely on someone like you.”

“I see… If you put it that way, I can’t really say anything more.”

“Of course, that’s just my ugly jealousy and envy, and Masakun didn’t do anything wrong, okay? But with the stress from job hunting and getting fired from my tutoring job, I had no room to breathe, and I think my thoughts got all messed up.”

“So, does that mean the environment and timing were stacked against us?”

“But in the end, it was me who decided to work at that shop. I know for sure that hurting Masa-kun was my own mistake.”

“Listening to your story, it’s not so much shock as an overwhelming sense of frustration. I know it sounds like I’m just complaining, but I really wanted you to consult with me, and I think there were countless other ways to relieve stress. Even if it sounds like a nagging lecture now, I chose my job thinking about marrying Madoka, continued working while enduring various things for the sake of our marriage, was recognized at the company, and became a store manager earlier than most of my peers. I saved money with marriage as my top priority. I’m not saying Madoka should have done the same, but hearing this now, I can’t help but feel a difference in our mindsets.”

“I’m really sorry about that. I made a lot of excuses, but I couldn’t keep up with the changes in the situation and my own naive thinking. On top of that, my pride was so high that I avoided relying on Masa-kun, and in the end, I tried to handle everything on my own, which led me down a strange path.”

To be honest, I can’t help but think, “Really?” about the treatment at the store.

I’m not a kid either, you know.

I think I understand that the world isn’t that easy.

But, given Madoka’s appearance and personality, it seemed “possible.”

Anyway, I think Madoka spoke without holding anything back.

The rest is up to my resolve.