I Was ¥1.8 Million In Debt When the Legacy System Chose Me

Ren Kisaragi parked the Toyota Crown two streets away from his family’s home, turned off the ignition, and gripped the leather steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

He was forty minutes early.

’I’ll just walk in and say it directly,’ he thought, staring at the suburban street. ’"Mom, Mei, there are a few things about the last two years I need to clarify." No, that sounds like a tax audit.’

He adjusted his rear-view mirror. ’"I brought tea. Also, I dropped out of university two years ago and accumulated nearly two million yen in consumer debt, but don’t worry, my grandfather’s estate cleared it."’ He winced. ’That’s even worse.’

He put his hand on the door handle, hesitated, pulled it back, and rested his head against the headrest. For three minutes, he seriously considered turning the engine back on, driving back to Suite 302, and pretending his phone had lost reception.

’You’re twenty-three years old,’ Ren berated himself silently, taking a slow, deep breath. ’You’ve handled aggressive corporate auditors and high-yield interest collectors. Stop cowering in a sedan.’

In the passenger seat, Suzune shifted slightly, her cardigan rustling against the smooth leather upholstery. She reached across the console, resting her warm hand directly over his white-knuckled grip on the wheel until his fingers uncurled.

"They’re going to notice if you stare at that electrical pole for another ten minutes, Ren," she said softly.

Ren let out a tight breath, leaning back against his headrest. "I’m trying to figure out how to say this without sounding like I’m reading them a police report."

Suzune’s thumb traced a gentle circle over the back of his hand. "You don’t need a presentation. You aren’t pitching a client. You’re just going home to tell your mother and sister what happened."

"What happened is that I dropped out, buried myself in almost two million yen of debt, and lied about working a real office job for two years," Ren said, glancing sideways at her. "They still think I’ve been doing fine."

"And today they’ll learn that you went through hell, carried it by yourself, and got through it," Suzune replied, her voice firm, grounded, and entirely calm. "It’s going to be messy, and your mother is going to be upset, not because you failed, but because you shut her out. But you’re walking through that door today instead of running away."

She reached over, straightened his coat collar with a quick brush of her fingers, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

"I’ll wait right here," Suzune said, giving him a quiet, confident smile. "Take all the time you need. Go on."

Ren looked into her eyes, feeling the steady anchor of her presence settle the panic in his chest. "Thank you, Suzune."

He unlocked the driver’s side door, stepped out, and walked up the gravel driveway to face his family alone.

Before he could even step out, the front door clicked open. His younger sister, Mei, stepped onto the porch wearing an oversized hoodie, holding a mug of barley tea. Her eyes widened as she took in the gleaming frame of the Crown.

"Whose car is this?" Mei asked, holding her mug like a defensive weapon.

"Mine," Ren said, adjusting his coat.

Mei stared at him. "That wasn’t the reassuring answer you thought it was."

The inner screen door slid open, and Emiko stepped out, her hand stopping halfway through wiping a dish towel against her apron. Her eyes darted from Ren’s coat down to the shiny metallic crest on the hood. Her expression wasn’t impressed; it turned pale.

"Ren," Emiko said, her words coming fast and strained as she approached. "What is this? Is this a company car? Is it not dangerous to just drive it around."

"It is not a company car mom, don’t worry," Ren said. "Let’s go inside. Please."

The living room smelled of dried kelp and roasted tea. Ren sat on the low cushion across from the glass coffee table, his posture stiff. Emiko sat directly across from him, her hands folded tightly in her lap, while Mei leaned against the doorframe, watching him like a hawk.

"There is no way to cusion this so I will just say it. Two years ago," Ren began, staring down at his knees, "after Dad’s financial disaster ruined his business and left us stranded... I didn’t just take a temporary break from university. I dropped out completely."

Emiko went stock-still. "What?"

"I lied," Ren admitted. His fingers tightened around the hem of his coat. "You thought I had a respectable office job in Tokyo. I didn’t. I was working night shifts at QuickMart just to make rent. To cover my living expenses, tuition penalties, and basic train passes, I started taking out high-interest consumer loans. Over eighteen months, I accumulated approximately 1.8 million yen in debt."

"Eighteen hundred thousand yen?" Mei gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

Emiko opened her mouth twice before anything came out. "You... you were drowning in debt? Why didn’t you tell us? Why did you lie about the office job?"

"Because Dad had just broken this family with his own financial blunder," Ren said, meeting her eyes. "I couldn’t bring another disaster home. I stayed at QuickMart because I was terrified of losing predictable income, and every week I kept the secret, it just became easier to lie."

Emiko covered her face with both hands, letting out a ragged breath. "You suffered alone for two years... you let me believe you were just busy..."

"I’m not finished, Mom," Ren said. "Some time ago, everything changed. Grandfather’s estate structure finally came through."

He kept his explanation strictly grounded within the legal framework he had prepared. He explained how an estate-supported initiative stepped in, providing an operational framework that allowed him to resolve his financial crisis.

"Through the estate arrangement, my entire 1.8 million yen debt was permanently cleared," Ren stated firmly. "I officially resigned from QuickMart last week and completed my final shift. Using the estate’s backing, I founded Kisaragi Business Support. I have an office. Suite 302 in Omiya. I have actual, paying clients, and I legally employ an administrative assistant, Nanami Shindo, for scheduled hours. The Toyota Crown was legally transferred to me through the estate structure."

He paused, resting his palms flat against his legs. "I’ve also been participating in a medically monitored health and weight-loss program supported by the estate. I’ve lost over five kilograms so far."

Nobody spoke. The barley tea in Mei’s mug steamed on, ignored and going cold.

Mei crossed her arms. "You went from a broke convenience store clerk drowning in debt to a company president with a luxury car... in two months?"

"It took an incredible amount of work," Ren said. "The estate didn’t just hand me success. I had to execute the work myself."

Emiko lowered her hands. Her eyes were red, and something harder had replaced the shock in them.

"You think this makes it better?" Emiko asked, her voice dangerously thin.

Ren blinked. "Mom?"

"You handled a two-million-yen debt by yourself, hid from us for two years, trusted estate lawyers and strangers before your own mother, and only walked back through that door after you had a nice car and a business card to show off!" Emiko cried out, her voice cracking with anger. "You decided for all of us that we couldn’t handle the truth! You didn’t trust me, Ren!"

"I was trying to protect you—"

"Don’t give me that!" Emiko snapped, standing up. "You weren’t protecting us! You were protecting your own pride! You didn’t want to come home looking like a failure!"

Ren flinched. He looked down at the wooden table, unable to deny it.

"You’re right." Ren’s jaw worked as he stared at the grain of the wood. "I didn’t want you to see me like that. I don’t have a better excuse."

Mei leaned against the wall, her expression a messy blend of lingering anger and fascination. "I can’t believe you hid an entire company from me. And you didn’t even bring me a souvenir in that ridiculous car."

"Mei, not now," Emiko breathed, pressing a hand to her forehead as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Actually," Ren said, rubbing the back of his neck, "there’s... one more thing I should disclose."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "What now? You bought a house?"

"No."

"Secret child?"

Ren stared at her. "What? No!"

Ren took a breath, looking between his mother and his sister. "I have a girlfriend."

Mei set her mug down on the coffee table. It clacked, too loud for the room.

"You dropped out of college, hid a two-million-yen debt, cleared it, started a company, got a Toyota Crown, lost weight, and got a girlfriend without telling us a single word?" Mei asked, counting each item on her fingers.

Ren grimaced. "When you say it like that, it sounds worse."

"There is no good way to say it," Mei replied flatly.

Emiko turned around from the counter, her eyes narrowing as she glared at her twenty-three-year-old son with fresh exasperation.

"Who is she?" Emiko demanded, her hands dropping to her hips. "And how long have you been hiding her from us, too?"