"Hey, Kazuo, what's gotten into you? You've been really sluggish lately!"
Ever since that happened, his coworkers had noticed that something was off with Kazuo. Sometimes, he would even space out for long stretches.
That wasn't Kazuo's usual way of doing things.
Seeing this, Saotome flashed a smile, baring his pearly white teeth. "If something's bothering you, talk to us about it!"
"Exactly, Mr. Kazuo. At this rate, your body fat percentage is going to drop to 0%!"
"We're partners, aren't we? If there's a problem, just tell us!"
"Actually..." Seeing how worried everyone was about him, Kazuo was deeply moved. So he told them what had happened. "...That's what happened. I'm worried that Ms. Manami might have run into some kind of trouble."
"Kazuo." Saotome seemed to realize something and cut him off. He frowned slightly, as if something had occurred to him. "I want you to calm down and listen to me. A girl who owes five hundred thousand and has a mother in the hospital wouldn't come to a fitness club."
Kazuo's heart jolted violently.
It was like being struck by lightning.
This news was a devastating blow.
"Mr. Kazuo, that girl was really cute, but it seemed like she was dating a pretty awful man...? I remember he had curly hair and a beard on his chin..."
Based on that description, the woman's boyfriend sounded exactly like the person who had demanded money from him. They couldn't possibly be twins.
"When you got down to it, if she really worked at a major company, she should've been able to pay back five hundred thousand quickly."
"At this point, there's no way to know which parts of her story were true and which were lies."
"Kazuo! You have to call the police! Even a pathetic guy with