The Shape of Happiness: A Family Crumbling Due to the Mother's Infidelity, a Wounded Middle School Daughter, and a Struggling Father Finding a New Form of Happiness. - Episode 37
In the early afternoon, a black luxury car was parked in front of a mixed-use building near the station. The driver sat inside, waiting.
Next to the glass entrance of the building, a directory sign listed the tenants. One of them read: “4F Yokoyama Finance.”
4th Floor – Yokoyama Finance Reception Area
Three men sat on sofas facing each other, separated by a glass coffee table. On one side sat a young man with long black hair. On the other side sat Atsushi, with short brown hair, and Sakuma, whose neatly combed black hair was parted to one side. Several documents were laid out on the table, and Atsushi was in the middle of signing them.
“Matsunaga-san, please sign here as well,” the long-haired man instructed.
“Alright…”
Following his directions, Atsushi signed the documents. He no longer hesitated.
“Okay, that’s all. Thank you for your cooperation. Sakuma-san, about the money…”
“Transfer it to the account I mentioned. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Please feel free to call on us anytime.”
Atsushi had taken on a massive debt of 40 million yen, even after using up his savings, to pay for the adultery settlement. He had given up. Now, he was simply going through the motions.
“With this, the settlement payments are complete. Just so you know, the interest rate is within legal limits. We don’t do illegal loan sharking like ‘Toichi’ (a predatory scheme charging 10% interest every 10 days with compound interest), so don’t worry about that.”
Sakuma’s words gave Atsushi a small sense of relief.
“Now, the next step is figuring out how you’re going to repay this debt. I’ll give you a way to do that. Follow me.”
Sakuma stood up, and Atsushi prepared to follow.
“Matsunaga-san.”
Atsushi turned around when the long-haired man called his name.
“Thank you for your business.”
He said it with a bright, beaming smile.
Atsushi let out a dry chuckle and walked out of the office. The long-haired man, still smiling, muttered to himself.
“I hope we meet again.”
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That evening, the black luxury car sped down the highway. After exiting, it entered a coastal town filled with the scent of salt in the air. Large ships were docked at the harbor, suggesting that this was a major fishing port.
(Ah, just like in manga and novels… Being put on a fishing boat…)
The situation was so cliché that Atsushi could only laugh at himself. The boat before him was nothing like the small fishing boats he knew. It was as large as a small ferry—a deep-sea fishing vessel. He could hear foreign languages coming from the ship. It seemed that many of the crew members were foreigners.
Two men approached Atsushi and Sakuma, who stood by the car. One was a muscular, tan-skinned man who looked like a seasoned fisherman. The other had a gentle smile. He appeared to be from Southeast Asia.
“Hey, Sakuma-san,” the tanned man greeted.
“Hey, Captain. Sorry for the trouble.”
“No problem. We’re always short on hands for such tough work.”
“Do you think this guy will be useful?”
The captain looked Atsushi up and down, evaluating him.
“Yeah, he should be fine.”
“Good. Hey.”
“Y-Yes!”
Atsushi flinched at Sakuma’s sharp gaze.
“Make sure you work hard. Listen to the captain.”
“Yes… I’ll do my best…”
The captain smiled and patted Atsushi’s shoulder.
“Alright, get on the ship. Hey, take him aboard.”
“Yes, Boss. You, come.”
The foreign crew member, speaking in broken Japanese, gestured for Atsushi to follow him. Atsushi glanced around the harbor as if reluctant to leave Japan, then slowly walked toward the ship.
(No matter how many years it takes, I’ll pay off my debt and start over. And then… I’ll go back for Ryoko. Ryoko will surely welcome me with a smile. So, just one more time… Just one more…)
“…That’s probably what he’s thinking.”
Sakuma muttered as he watched Atsushi’s back.
“Sakuma-san, despair runs deeper when there’s hope,” the captain said with a sly grin.
“Most of my crew are young men, you see. They get… pent up. If there’s an outlet, they’ll be more motivated to work. Of course, he’ll have to do his fair share of fishing too.”
“He’s already signed up for insurance.”
“Yes, I understand. As usual, we’ll make sure he ‘disappears.’ Accidents happen at sea. Of course, we’ll throw him a life preserver.”
“But you won’t rescue him.”
Sakuma let out a small chuckle.
The captain continued, “Imagine it—nothing but the horizon in every direction. Surrounded by water, but unable to drink. Unable to sleep. Just floating on a life preserver… I wonder how many days he’ll last.”
“A grand water play.”
“He’ll deeply regret ever crossing you. Even hell wouldn’t be this bad.”
“If he’s useful, keep him around. If you get bored, get rid of him. As long as we collect the insurance money, that’s all that matters. Just don’t let him set foot in Japan again.”
“Understood.”
The captain nodded with a smile.
Without looking back at Atsushi, Sakuma got into the black luxury car and drove off from the harbor.
The sun slowly sank below the horizon, casting a glow over the sea. It was as if it were foreshadowing Atsushi’s fate as he boarded the ship with a faint glimmer of hope in his heart.
After that, Atsushi’s whereabouts became unknown. Neither Ryoko nor Akiko ever saw him again.
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Meanwhile, the lives of Shinichi, Misaki, and Saori—who had their ‘happiness’ shattered by Akiko and Atsushi—were about to change forever…
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