13

Soon they arrived at Ichiro's house. As Takashi stepped out of Ichiro's car, he was greeted by a large, beautifully landscaped garden in front of him. He could see the sprawling mansion in the distance, gleaming under the sunlight.

He was taken aback by the sheer size of the building. The driveway was lined with tall trees, and a fountain was centered in the middle of the garden.

"Welcome to my home, Takashi! Come on in, I'll show you around!"

"Wow, this place is huge! You must be so rich!"

"It's nothing much, haha. I'm just lucky enough to have been born into a wealthy family. Come on, let me show you around!"

'Soon this is all going to be mine.'

Ichiro led Takashi inside, and Takashi was even more surprised to see the luxury within the mansion. Chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, and the walls were lined with expensive artwork. He could feel the plush carpeting beneath his feet, and the furniture was all made of the finest materials.

Eri Nakamura is a 28-year-old female and the stepmother of Ichiro Nakamura. Eri married Hikaru Nakamura, a wealthy businessman and the sole owner of the Nakamura conglomerate.

Nakamura was a successful man, who invested money in businesses in different sectors. Nakamura Education Foundation, Nakamura Hospital, Nakamura Traders, and the list goes on.

Nakamura's first wife died while giving birth to Ichiro, Nakamura's only child. Nakamura didn't marry anyone else for 13 years, but that all changed when he met Eri.

Eri was one of the interns working for his company. Eri knew how to work her charm, and within a couple of months, she managed to completely charm Hikaru and marry him.

Eri was not only beautiful, but she was smart as well. She helped Hikaru manage his business and brought it to greater heights.

Hikaru died three years later due to a car accident, and on his will, he had evenly split all his properties into two halves. one half for his wife Eri and the other half for his son Ichiro.

Eri has been in charge of all company operations while Ichiro was still a minor, but once Ichiro turned 18, Eri would have to delegate some of her authority to Ichiro.

Eri's relationship with Ichiro had never been great. Eri tried to warm up to Ichiro and be a mother figure in his life, but Ichiro didn't like her and didn't give her a chance to become close.

Eri was standing in the doorway of her house, watching as her son and his friend walk up the path to the house. She couldn't help but admire the handsome young man who was accompanying her son.

She felt a little curious about her 'son's' friend.

Eri went over to the two boys and warmly greeted them.

"Hello there! It's so nice to meet you, I am…"

"Eri Nakamura, the current head of the Nakamura conglomerate, and one of the major reasons behind its success." Takashi completed her sentence with an excited tone.

"Oh, how do you know about me? Did Ichiro tell you about me?"

"No, I had no idea you and Ichiro were related, but how could I not know about the beautiful leader of the conglomerate that runs our school."

[I like him.]

Eri showed a little smile at his compliment. "So, what's your name, little flirt?"

"My name is Takashi Kato."

"So, what brings you here, Mr. Kato?"

"Ichiro invited me over today to play some games, and please call me Takashi." Takashi replied as he patted Ichiro on the back, Ichiro had not said a word, and he looked uncomfortable being in Eri's presence.

"This is the first time Ichiro has brought a friend home, so please come in and make yourself at home."

Ichiro grabbed Takashi and led him to his room." We will be in my room playing some games." he said in a hurry.

"Ok, you guys have fun, I will bring you some snacks."

Eri watched the two of them walk away, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit attracted to Takashi.

[He is very good-looking, maybe I should tease him a little.]

Ichiro and Takashi entered Ichiro's room. "Hey, Ichiro, what's up between you and Eri? You looked very uncomfortable around her."

"It's…nothing really, it's a bit personal, so I don't really want to talk about it."

[He is my only friend, I don't need to hide things from him, I can tell him everything.]

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me."

Ichiro's tone changed; he looked very serious. "I just don't like Eri, she married my father just for his money. She had my dad wrapped around her fingers, I could tell she didn't love him one bit and was just pretending to be in love with him."

"My dad didn't see that, he was planning on giving all of his property no MY PROPERTY TO THAT SLUT!" Ichiro was furious.

Takashi was startled by Ichiro's aggregation. Ichiro continued. "I had to do something before it was too late, I… I wanted that slut out of my life."

Takashi's heart grew heavy, he could feel the direction the conversation was heading, and he didn't like it. He secretly took out the phone from his pocket and started recording the audio.

"I wanted to kill that bitch. I waited for the right opportunity, I knew Eri was planning on going to this award ceremony, and she always took the white Rolls Royce. So the day before the award ceremony, I cut the car's brake lines."

Ichiro started to sob, "But… but I didn't know that she would fall sick that day. My father went to the ceremony in her place. I mistakenly killed my own father." Ichiro started wailing out loudly.

Takashi's heart was beating out of his chest, he never thought this situation would lead to a murder confession.

"Takashi, I need to finish what I started, you will help me kill Eri, right?" Ichiro asked with tears still rolling down his face.

'I can influence people's minds, so making someone feel sleepy and exhausted should also be possible.'

"Ichiro, you need to sleep, you are tired and haven't slept in a long time."

[I am very, tired, I want to sleep.]

Ichiro walked over to his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

"What the fuck have I gotten myself into?"