The V-tuber Who Became Obsessed With Me

Chapter 98: You can’t trust your grandfather

"You can’t trust your grandfather."

I closed my eyes.

"Is that why you called?"

"What makes you think I’ll believe anything you say after everything you’ve done?"

"What makes you think your grandfather is going to let Ethan walk away after everything he saw tonight?"

The question landed harder than I expected.

"He promised me."

"My grandfather said Ethan would be fine as long as he kept his mouth shut."

Kuro let out a dry laugh that quickly dissolved into a cough.

"You’ve known Ethan longer than I have."

His breathing grew heavier.

"So answer me honestly."

"Do you really believe he’ll stay silent?"

I opened my mouth.

Nothing came out.

Because I already knew the answer.

My thoughts drifted back to college.

Not to one specific day, but dozens of them.

The first-year graphic design student who had been cornered by a group of seniors after submitting work they wanted to steal.

Most people had walked past.

Ethan hadn’t.

He had stepped between them without thinking twice, even though there were four of them and only one of him.

Another time, a lecturer humiliated one of our classmates during a presentation, tearing apart her work until she was fighting back tears.

Everyone sat quietly.

Ethan had raised his hand.

Not to argue.

To tell the lecturer that criticism didn’t have to come at the cost of someone’s dignity.

He’d lost participation marks for it.

He never complained.

And then there was Susan.

The day she’d publicly accused me of having something to do with Felix disappearance.

The whispers.

The stares.

The way the room seemed to shrink around me.

Everyone else had looked away.

Everyone except Ethan.

He had stood beside me without asking whether the rumors were true.

Without asking for proof.

Without caring what people thought.

That was who Ethan was.

He couldn’t watch someone suffer and do nothing.

Even when it cost him.

Even when it put him in danger.

"I’ll make sure he doesn’t say anything," I whispered, though the words sounded hollow even to me.

"You’d better."

His voice cracked.

"I don’t have much time."

The barking was louder now.

Close enough that I could almost picture the dogs weaving through narrow streets.

Then voices.

"There!"

"He couldn’t have gone far!"

"Check the alley!"

Kuro inhaled sharply.

"They’re closing in."

My heartbeat quickened.

"The police?"

"I slipped away before they transferred me."

There was the sound of metal rattling, followed by a muffled curse.

"I got lucky once."

Another harsh breath.

"I won’t get lucky twice."

The confidence that had always defined him was gone.

Kuro sounded like a man who knew he was running out of road.

He lowered his voice until I could barely hear him.

"Listen carefully."

"This isn’t just about Ethan."

"It isn’t even just about me."

"It’s about Felix."

Every muscle in my body tensed.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

"What about Felix?"

"Tengu told me what really happened that night."

I shut my eyes.

"And why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth?"

"Because you’ve seen what your grandfather is capable of."

His answer came without hesitation.

"You know who Katsuro Arashigumi really is."

I remained silent.

He continued before I could interrupt.

"Raina, your grandfather has been lying to you."

"No."

I cut him off immediately.

"The man threatening me about honesty is the same man who threatened to finish Felix off if I didn’t cooperate."

My voice hardened.

"The same man who kidnapped Malcolm’s wife."

"You expect me to trust you?"

"I threatened Felix because I needed you to react."

Frustration seeped into every word.

"And Rhonda..."

His voice faltered.

"I never intended to hurt her."

"I took her because Malcolm would never have testified otherwise."

"He was terrified."

I laughed bitterly.

"Terrified of who?"

"My grandfather ? , You see i was the one who threatened Malcolm to leave the city . So if he’s terrified of any one it’s me "

Silence answered.

Long enough that I wondered if the call had dropped.

Then Kuro spoke again, quieter than before.

"Is that really what you believe?"

Something in his tone made my stomach tighten.

Not arrogance.

Not manipulation.

Disbelief.

"There are things Katsuro never told you."

"So many things."

"And there’s a reason Tengu had to die before he could speak."

More shouting echoed in the background.

The barking erupted again.

Closer.

Much closer.

"Stop!"

"He’s heading toward the bridge!"

Kuro’s breathing became ragged.

"I don’t have time to explain everything."

"So listen."

"If you remember only one thing from this conversation..."

"Ask your grandfather what really happened to Felix."

A loud crash exploded somewhere near him.

Glass.

Or metal.

I couldn’t tell.

He didn’t stop talking.

"And ask him about your father."

My thoughts came to a violent halt.

"My father?"

For a second I forgot about Ethan.

Forgot about Kuro.

Forgot about everything except those two words.

My father.

The last time I’d seen him, he hadn’t looked back.

Ojiisan had handed him a bag filled with money.

I had stood beside them in silence while he accepted it.

He never argued.

Never begged to stay.

He simply said goodbye , climbed into a taxi, and disappeared from my life.

I had thought that was the end of our story.

I never knew where he’d gone.

I never tried to find him.

And Ojiisan had never spoken his name again.

"What does kaito ishigami have to do with any of this?"

Kuro didn’t answer immediately.

When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Everything."

The word hit me harder than I expected.

Before I could ask another question, someone shouted so loudly that I jerked the phone away from my ear.

"There he is!"

Footsteps pounded against concrete.

A dog barked almost directly beside him.

"Move!"

Another voice yelled.

Something crashed.

Kuro cursed under his breath.

"Remember what I said."

His breathing was uneven now.

"If they catch me..."

He stopped himself.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"When they catch me..."

His voice steadied in a way that frightened me more than panic would have.

"Don’t let Katsuro tell you another lie."

The line erupted into noise.

Shouting.

Footsteps.

A sharp thud.

Then...

Nothing.

"Kuro?"

Only silence answered.

"Kuro!"

The call had ended.

I stared at the dark screen for several long seconds before lowering the phone into my lap.

My mind refused to settle.

Ask him about Felix.

Ask him about your father.

The words repeated themselves until they drowned out everything else.

Was this simply one last attempt to turn me against my grandfather?

Or had Tengu really told Kuro something before he died?

I didn’t know.

I wasn’t even sure what to believe anymore.

And then another thought forced its way to the front of my mind.

Was Kuro okay?

Had they caught him?

Despite everything he had done to me...

Despite the kidnapping.

Despite the lies.

Despite the threats.

I found myself hoping he had escaped.

Because if Kuro was telling the truth...

He might be the only person left who knew what had really happened.

Then Ethan’s face rose in my mind.

His expression inside the warehouse.

The confusion.

The betrayal.

Kuro had been right about one thing.

There wasn’t a chance Ethan would stay silent.

If Ojiisan believed Ethan had become a liability...

Then every second I wasted sitting in this room brought him one step closer to danger.

( to be continued in next Chapter)