My Childhood Friend, Who I Made a Promise To Spend the Future With, Dumped Me... But Ever Since I Started Dating a Beautiful Girl From School, My Childhood Friend Has Been Acting Strange - Episode 34

Toma Suzuki was deep in thought.

It was because the man standing before him had spoken to him.

The man appeared to be about a decade older than Toma. His well-tailored suit and confident demeanor suggested he had extensive social and professional experience.

“You’re the classmate of Saori, right?”

“Uh, yes… that’s right.”

Caught off guard by the sudden interaction, Toma hesitated, unsure how to respond, and simply nodded.

“So, you came here too?”

“Yes…”

With nothing else to say, Toma could only reply with uncertain nods.

“Did you come to see Saori by any chance?”

“No, that’s not the case.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yes. I just came to participate in the event.”

“I see. Well, Saori has told me a lot about you. If you have some time, would you mind having a little chat? Only if you’re okay with it, of course.”

“Alright.”

Feeling awkward about rejecting the offer outright, Toma reluctantly nodded.

Now, Toma was walking alongside the man through the event venue.

The event was bustling with energy, making it difficult to navigate through the crowded walkways.

“By the way… how did you come to be involved with Saori?”

Toma cautiously asked the man walking beside him.

“Saori’s family asked me to date her with marriage in mind. That’s how our relationship started.”

“I see.”

“And you? What’s your relationship with Saori?”

“We were just childhood friends.”

“You ‘were’? Does that mean you’re no longer that close?”

“That’s right. Saori said a lot of things to me, and after that, I decided to cut ties with her.”

“I see… I don’t know the full details of your relationship, so I won’t pry any further.”

The man furrowed his brows slightly, then shifted his gaze elsewhere, as if checking out different areas of the venue.

“Um… Yoshizaki-san, why did you come to this event? Did Saori invite you?”

Yoshizaki was Saori’s significant other. Toma was trying to gauge how much information Yoshizaki knew.

“Not quite. I’m actually the one who booked this venue. I also oversaw the implementation of various systems for the event. I’m here today as a regular attendee to make sure everything is running smoothly.”

Despite dating Saori, Yoshizaki seemed like an ordinary person—nothing like Saori, who had a more domineering way of speaking.

Still, organizing an event of this scale wasn’t something just anyone could do. Toma instinctively sensed that Yoshizaki must have considerable experience and accomplishments.

“I see. Wait, if you booked the venue, does that mean you work for a company?”

Toma continued probing.

“Yes. I currently work at CyberTask. But I used to be with a different company before being headhunted by one of CyberTask’s executives.”

Yoshizaki spoke plainly, with no intention of hiding anything.

“With the rise of online businesses, my previous company struggled to expand in that field due to its corporate policies. But ever since I joined CyberTask, things have been going well. If this event is successful, I’m on track to become an executive myself. Also… dating Saori was one of the conditions set by CyberTask’s CEO.”

For the first time, Toma learned about the circumstances surrounding Yoshizaki and Saori’s relationship.

Even so, he wished Saori had been honest from the start instead of handling things in such a forceful manner.

But even if this was the truth, Toma had no desire to rekindle their old friendship.

His sister, Emi, wouldn’t want him to reconcile with Saori either.

“So, which booth do you want to check out? Since I helped set up the system, I can explain things to you. Feel free to ask anything.”

Yoshizaki offered, maintaining a composed and friendly expression.

“Anything, huh?”

“Yeah, anything.”

If Yoshizaki worked at CyberTask, then this was the perfect chance to ask about a certain virtual streamer.

“Excuse me, just to confirm… do you know a virtual streamer with a penguin-like avatar?”

“Ah… I think I know who you’re talking about. I don’t remember all their names, but I have a good idea.”

“So you do know them!”

“Yeah, but why are you asking?”

Yoshizaki tilted his head in curiosity.

“It seems that someone from CyberTask is using an avatar that belongs to someone I know—without permission. I wanted to learn more about this.”

“What? I haven’t heard anything about that. If it’s true, it’d be a serious issue. Do you want me to look into it?”

“Well, I’ve already tried contacting the company multiple times, but I haven’t received a proper response. That’s why I came here. I heard there’s a consultation booth at this event.”

Toma gestured as he explained the situation briefly.

“I see. But if someone really is using an avatar without permission, that’s a huge problem. I’d like to hear more about this. Do you mind if I stick around and help?”

“That would be really helpful, thank you.”

As they were talking, two familiar figures approached from ahead.

It was Suzuha Kamiya and Tsubaki Sakurada.

“Senpai, who’s this?”

Tsubaki asked, noticing Toma walking with the man.

“This is Yoshizaki-san. I just met him, and apparently, he’s the one who arranged this event.”

“Wow, that’s impressive!”

Tsubaki looked at Yoshizaki with admiration.

“By the way, Yoshizaki-san is also going to help us with Suzuha’s avatar issue.”

“Really?”

Suzuha looked relieved to finally have someone she could talk to properly.

“I’ve already heard the basics from Suzuki-san, so I think I can assist you all.”

“That would be a huge help. Thank you so much!”

Suzuha bowed deeply in gratitude.

“Alright, I’ll contact the headquarters now.”

Yoshizaki pulled out his phone and started making a call.

“They said they’ll prepare a special room for us to discuss this matter privately. Let’s head there together.”

With his extensive experience as a professional, Yoshizaki quickly took action, ensuring that the situation progressed smoothly.

The three of them followed Yoshizaki as he led them toward a private meeting space arranged by CyberTask.