6.1
“...Damn.”
In the room where Naoe had disappeared from, only Kamogawa was left in tears and the food was cold.
“Don't joke with me—!”
I shouted out my unexplained thoughts.
“You're going to give me a hand one of these days, huh? Don't make me laugh...”
Once you drop out of politics, it's all over.
Once you try to make a comeback, you’ll be crushed.
“What's going to happen to us now? ...Is this the end of everything? I don't know...”
Should I have punched him first...?
No, it would’ve meant nothing to me if I had punched Naoe right there and then and enjoyed the momentary pleasure of it.
I would be locked up immediately and lose not only my political identity, but everything I’ve ever done.
In a quarrel between children, it was enough to show one's strength by punching each other.
But in this world, arm strength is only one of many weapons, and they’re weak at that.
Naoe, who appeared to be nothing more than an old man, had a myriad of weapons.
“Don't think you can get away with using them all conveniently, Naoe…”
I slammed my fist down on the tatami mat with all the force I could muster and let out my frustration.
In the end, I was just used and discarded.
In the world of politics, once you fall down, it’s hopeless to get up. The stakes are high, and that's the end of it.
“I'm finished?”
Even if I put it into words, I would never feel the reality of it.
Did he have any idea how much I’ve suffered in order to change this country—to rise to the top of this country? How much humiliation, ostracism, and contempt I had suffered?
The man was no longer of any use to me.
But if I tried to make a new move, I’d be crushed.
Naoe and I were two sides of the same coin. If you destroy him on the front end, you automatically destroy me on the other side. Until he retires or even dies, I was completely blocked from coming back.
Then... If he dies, it meant I’d have a chance to get moving again.
Should I call Ohba and have him take care of Naoe?
“I'm an idiot…”
If I make such a request, Ohba would just cut me off.
I don’t even need to think about which side would benefit him more.
“Kamogawa... you'll have to start all over again tomorrow.”
“That's... That's the only way... What are you going to do, Ayanokouji-sensei? You're not going to ignore Naoe-sensei's order, are you?”
“...I'm finished anyway. Stopping my resistance now won't change the way I'm treated. I'll quit politics and continue to run the White Room.”
“Wait a minute! I respect you, Ayanokouji-sensei! I think you’ll surpass Naoe-sensei one day, someday! Please don't tell me you're quitting!”
“This is the course of action. I can't overturn it by my own will. But you can still survive. You still have your father's influence. Continue to fight under Naoe as a politician.”
“Ayanokouji-sensei…!”
“I'm not giving up the White Room or politics.”
That was the only way.
“No matter how powerful Naoe is, he can't win against his lifespan. He'll die before we will.”
If it has to take so long, so be it.
I'll let him enjoy his short political life to the fullest.
But when it's over, I'm gonna—
I laughed and slapped Kamogawa on the shoulder.
“It's not just Kijima. When I come back to politics, I'll make his son goes up in smokes too.”
“Hahaha. When you say it, it doesn't sound like a joke.”
Kamogawa's cheeks relaxed as he wiped away his tears.
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