The Inheritance Game Part 4
“This is stupid,” the young Matsumoto was the first to react once Sakurai finished reading the will. “I don’t care about the inheritance. So, I will not do it,”
Nino nodded in agreement. He also thought the same. The request was too dumb. He didn’t know Ohno Kazuki. So, it was easy to ignore the request.
“But…” said Teddy Bear. Nino glanced in his direction. The man seemed to consider the request. “Matsujun, it was Grandpa’s last wish! Don’t you want to honour it?”
“I know!” The young Matsumoto glared at Teddy Bear. Despite his initial protest, he seemed to be affected by Teddy Bear’s words. It looked like he didn’t have the heart to ignore his grandfather’s last wish. “But… why couldn’t he ask for something else? Why do we have to compete for this outsider’s love? I am not interested in him at all,”
“Well, the feeling is mutual, dude,” said Nino. He didn’t mean to say it out loud. But, the words were out before he could stop it. The young Matsumoto only glared at him.
“That’s why Grandpa gave us a year to get to know Nino,” Ohno reasoned. His tone was soft when he said Nino’s name. Admittedly, Nino’s heart skipped a beat when he heard it. It was the first time the man said his name. “Matsujun, I think we should do it,”
“Why should I do it?” said Matsumoto. “You will win, right? The two of you already know each other,”
“WHAT?” the old Matsumoto interrupted. “Is this true? This is unfair! Satoshi must have known about the will and cheated. He befriends this outsider to get a good start on the fortune,”
The thought hadn’t occurred to Nino until he heard it from the old Matsumoto. Was it possible? Did Teddy Bear have an ulterior motive for being a regular customer at the convenience store where Nino worked? Did he do it so he would get to know Nino first and have a better chance at getting the inheritance left behind by his grandfather?
No, Nino shook his head. He refused to believe so. Granted, he barely knew Teddy bear. But, he didn’t think Teddy Bear was capable of doing something like that. Why wouldn't he make any move if he came to win Nino’s affection? Furthermore, he looked genuinely surprised to see Nino earlier.
“Don’t you dare accuse my son, Junichi!” said Mamoru. Junichi must be the older Matsumoto’s name.
“It’s not an accusation if it’s true,” countered Junichi.
It wasn’t visible before but Nino sensed a hostility between Junichi and Mamoru. He didn’t think it was only because of what Junichi said about Teddy Bear.
“Papa, it’s okay,” Teddy Bear was quick to comfort his father. “It’s true I know Nino. But, it’s just a coincidence, Uncle Junichi. I don’t know about the will. Besides, I don’t think I have an advantage. We barely know each other,”
From the corner of his eyes, Nino could see Aiba’s smirk. His friend leaned closer to Nino and whispered.
“He will win, right?” His gaze was now on Teddy Bear.
“Shut up, Aiba-chan,”
“Okay…” Sakurai raised his voice, earning the attention of everyone in the room. “May I continue with the will reading?”
“There is more?” Nino couldn’t hide the annoyance in his tone. He thought they were done.
“Yes, Ninomiya-san,” responded Sakurai. Nino swore a smirk was on the lawyer’s face as he answered. “Ohno-sama left a letter for each of you,”
Sakurai took out a stack of envelopes from the file he was reading. He then proceeded to give an envelope each to Mamoru and his sister. Teddy Bear and Jun also received an envelope. The lawyer then approached Nino. Two envelopes were in Sakurai’s hand. He handed one to Nino and surprisingly, Aiba.
“I also get a letter?” Asked Aiba. He scratched his head in confusion.
“Your name was written on the envelope,” responded Sakurai.
Nino frowned, wondering why the old man left a letter for Aiba. He ignored his own letter as he was more curious to know the content of Aiba’s letter.
“You may open the letter now,” said Sakurai, returning to his original position. “The letter's content was a private message from the late Ohno Kazuki to all of you. But, if you wish, you may reveal the content,”
While the others started reading their letters, Nino decided to put his letter away. He scooted closer to Aiba, wanting to see what the old man told his best friend. But, Aiba pushed him away.
“Read your own letter, Nino,” said Aiba. He folded the letter and put it in his bag.
Before Nino could retort, Sakurai cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Is that everything?” Asked Nino. “Are we free to go now?”
“Well, it depends…”
Urgh! Why was this taking so long? And, could Sakurai just go straight to the point?
“For the last part of the will…” Sakurai began. “Ninomiya Kazunari, Ohno Satoshi and Matsumoto Jun… All three of you will have to follow me. As for the others, you may leave,”
Nino wanted to refuse the order. This must be about Kazuki’s request. He had made up his mind. He would not do it. That was the reason he didn’t want to read the letter from Kazuki. It must be another attempt to get him to fulfil his final wish.
He could see that Jun was having the same thoughts as him. But, Junichi pushed his son to go with Sakurai. And, reluctantly, Jun agreed. Teddy Bear, on the other hand, was quick to follow the lawyer. Seeing that, Nino wondered what could motivate the man to do so. He was the only one who was willing to fulfil his late grandfather’s wish. What was the reason behind his willingness? Was it because of his love for his grandfather? Or, did he want to do it to get the inheritance?
“Nino, let’s go,”
Everything happened too quickly. Seeing that Nino remained sitting, Aiba decided to take the matter into his hand. He pulled Nino to go with Sakurai.
“You may come with us, Aiba-san,” said Sakurai and Aiba smiled widely.
“Huh?” said Jun, looking dissatisfied. “I thought the last part will only involve the three of us. Why do you let this man come?”
“He can be my assistant,” that was Sakurai’s response. He began leading them away from the hall where they read the will. They were brought to a small room. Nino, Teddy Bear and Jun entered it but Aiba was ordered to stay outside. Sakurai, then, asked the three of them to take a seat while he looked into his bag. He appeared to be searching for something and looked troubled when he couldn’t find it.
“Ah, I must have left it in the hall,”
Nino rolled his eyes. The lawyer was acting weirdly.
“I will go and get it. The three of you wait here, okay?”
And, just like that, the lawyer left the room. The moment he stepped outside the room, the door was automatically closed behind him. The three of them looked at each other before hurrying to get to the door. It was locked.
“I apologized for doing this,” came Sakurai’s voice from the other side. “But, I will let you guys out of the room in three hours. In the meantime, you can get to know each other better,”
A/N: So, it seemed like Nino and Jun didn't want to participate in the game. But, will they change their mind after this? And, do you think Ohno has an ulterior motive for readily agreeing to his grandfather's wish? Is he after Nino's heart or his grandfather's fortune? We'll see.
Anyway, I hope this is okay.