I agree too. The friend just seems too important. This is also a hunch of mine but I think that the seme kidnapped the friend and that the friend got injured trying to fight back or something. And I also think that the seme will send a picture of the kidnapped friend or tell the uke that his homie is with the seme to force the MC to go to the next visit. But that’s just speculation.
You're right, that's definitely a possibility.
I think he wouldn't even need to do anything as incriminating as sending a picture if he did - just his friend going missing like that at this point would probably be sending a clear enough message to Ah-in already, all things considered...
Or maybe the author will surprise us with something entirely unexpected. I'm already super curious - though also low-key anxious - about the next development (๑•﹏•)
This is just a hunch and I may be wrong, but the friend seems too important to me to just be killed so early in the story this easily. (Also, compared to the pace of the story until now, it somehow feels like it would escalate the situation too much, too quickly...?)
Well, at least I *really* hope so. He's pretty much the only worthwhile person in Ah-in's life right now