Truth

"He said he doesn't know why he loves me~"

"He said he has no idea why he loves me~~~<3"< p>

"He just can't fathom why I'm the one he loves... <3"< p>

"My Shuuichi... My darling Shuuichi... <3..."< p>

"What trick did this insincere woman do to ensnare you in her charms... OooohhH!!!! I can't take ittttt <3"< p>

Nanami joyfully mumbled into her pillow as she rolled around in their bed, reveling in the aftermath of a long, passionate night. Shuuichi was already at work, and the early noon sun illuminated the room.

A blush spread across her face as she imagined him smiling at her, just as he always did, in their golden years. The image of them sitting on a park bench, wrapped in each other's embrace, brought warmth to her heart.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! My Shuuuuiichiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!<3" she screamed into her pillow, voice filled with a mix of ecstasy and longing.< p>

"I can't wait to tell him that pig exempts us from paying rent... Maybe I can take over the mind of his boss? Make him pay my Shuuichi without him going to work...!? Then, we can live with each other every minute, every day... KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!<3"< p>

"And then... And THEN... I'll give birth to Shuuichi's baby... " She mumbled, unable to say this last sentence with a full heart.

"... I did promise him that back then, too."

"..." She silently, tightly, hugged her pillow as she reminisced of the timeline she came from.

'Look at me... I still feel like a 50 year-old woman, yet I scream into a pillow as if I was 15. And I'm in the body of my 20's...'

'I... Made my Shuuichi suffer so much. Without him even knowing about my other affairs. Imagine... How broken his heart would be if he knew about the other ones as well...?'

For a brief moment, the image of Shuuichi rose in her mind. The image of his sanity breaking into pieces after seeing his trust so cruelly betrayed by the one he loved.

'HE. MUST. NEVER. KNOW.' She thought as her breath intensified.

'... W-well... It's not like I had, or EVER will have an affair in this timeline... But... Somehow, it still feels like I'm hiding something from him. It still feels like I'm keeping a secret that would break his heart if he ever found out... Just like back then... I hate this...'

'I hate myself...' She thought as she buried her head into her soft pillow.

'If only you knew, my Shuuichi.'

'If only you knew what an evil woman you fell in love with... I just wish I was a completely different woman. Then, I could tell him all about it, while at the same time be with him with no shame.'

She then sprawled on the bed, feeling her body all over.

'This is a body that hasn't been tainted yet. This body is still a body that only belongs to Shuuichi. I'm glad... But this mind is one that knows all about affairs...'

'... I really wish I was someone else.'

[SKILL QUEST ATTAINED: MORPH!]

The game-like interface appeared in front of her eyes.

[Description: I hate myself! I wish I was someone else! Your self-hatred might have payed off! Your unsightly past and guilty conscience have given birth to the ability to morph!]

[PRE-REQUISITE: Prevent yet ANOTHER misfortune!] 

"Morph...? I could actually turn into someone else?"

"...Another... Misfortune...?"

As she mulled over the revelations, a troubling thought seized her. 'Me returning to this timeline must be the misfortune it hinted at... My sister! That despicable pig turned her into one of his playthings. He bragged once about how she stumbled upon Komata's erotic magazines, and he effortlessly dominated her. She was so pure, an easy target for him...'

Hugging her pillow tightly, she dwelled on her sister's plight.

'...It'll be okay,' she reassured herself, her grip on the pillow loosening, 'After all... Mr. Komata isn't the same person... or rather, the same thing he used to be,' a smirk of contentment spreading across her face.

"Huh? These are... Porn mags..?" Chihiro whispered to herself, crouching down to inspect the stack of magazines left outside the landlord's apartment, right next to her sister's place.

"They're so strange... I feel weird just looking at them..."

At that moment, Mr. Komata stepped out of his apartment, bumping into Chihiro.

"Uh... Uh..! Sorry-" Chihiro stammered, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. She couldn't help but notice his missing fingers.

"O-oh! Don't worry about it, young miss. Were you curious about these magazines? Please, take them. I have no use for them now."

"Uh... I... I wasn't really interested or anything!" She hurriedly replied, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"No need to be shy! It's more embarrassing for an old man like me to have these. Go on, take them," he insisted, offering a kind smile.

"....I'll take them to the trash for you, then!" Chihiro quickly decided, gathering the magazines in her arms.

"Hahaha, much obliged, young one," Mr. Komata chuckled, watching her struggle with the load.

Turning around, flustered, Chihiro remembered her initial reason for coming. 'Ah, I need to see sis! But now, I have to get rid of these without her seeing...!!' She glanced back at the lurid covers, 'But maybe keeping a few wouldn't hurt... FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. I'll just stash them at home and visit sis later. It's not like we live far.'

With that plan in mind, she began her descent.

"Girly, wait a minute!" Mr. Komata called out, stopping her in her tracks.

She spun around, facing him once more.

"Use these," he suggested, placing large black bags beside the pile.

"These won't fit in your backpack, right? These bags should cover everything." With his assistance, they packed the magazines into the bags.

'W-what... Such a considerate man...!' Chihiro thought, her eyes brimming with tears of gratitude, though she was too bashful to meet his gaze.

After securing the magazines, she departed, intent on stashing her unexpected haul at home before returning to visit Nanami... Several hours later.

'...I am worried.' Nanami thought. She called to her now-servant Mr. Komata and ask if he saw her sister.

He said in full honesty what had transpired. Nanami sighed, recalling the alternate timeline.

'Well, she's a girl in her youthful adolescence... I know that all too well,' She thought as she rubbed her temples, recalling of the acts they had been 'forced' to do together in the alternate timeline.

'A terrible wife and a terrible sister, I am... The Chihiro of that timeline, now, is being sexually abused by that pig and his fellow pig friends. The me in that timeline allows this to happen, and even encourages it.' She looked at the pot as she stirred, making dinner.

'Thinking about it... I never even tried to look for a way out of it. I just... I just thought that maybe if I endured it long enough, it would go away.'

'...Ridiculous. I'm making excuses. I liked it... I liked doing it more than I liked being with my Shuuichi.'

She stopped her movements.

'...Then, what am I doing now? Why am I being so considerate now? Is it because I had my fun in that timeline? Is it because I know that Shuuichi will stay with me even when my skin wrinkles and my legs won't work?'

'...Why do I want to protect my Shuuichi so much? I could just do what I want... And use these new abilities to hide it better. That way, I could still have fun, and he won't get hurt... Right?'

'Shuuichi... You really did fall in love with a terrible woman.' She concluded to herself as she continued stirring.

'Thinking of which... Why... Why do I love Shuuichi? Do I really love him or just think that I am because I know that he will continue being there for me? After all this time... I still don't know anything.'

'Speaking of which... Why... Is the misfortune still left unresolved...?' She thought as she looked at the game interface to confirm this.

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

____Meanwhile, Outside the Aparment________

Chihiro made her way back to Nanami's apartment, her hand poised to knock. Unbeknownst to her, two men loitered near Mr. Komata's door.

"Oh? What do we have here? A pretty high-school girl," one of them remarked with a sleazy tone, catching Chihiro off guard just as she was about to knock.

Startled, Chihiro whirled around to face the source of the voice. Two middle-aged men leered at her, their intentions clear from their unsettling smiles.

"W-what...?" she stammered, her body tensing up in fear.

"Hey there, missy. Why don't you join us?" suggested one, closing the distance with a boldness that made Chihiro's skin crawl.

Retreating, Chihiro was at a loss, words failing her as the man continued to advance, his demeanor screaming danger.

"I-I can't... I'm here to see... M-my sister," she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

The man's aggressive approach left Chihiro trapped against Nanami and Shuuichi's door, his presence overwhelming as he leaned in too close for comfort. Involuntarily, Chihiro recoiled, trying to make herself as small as possible in response to the looming threat.

From inside, Nanami watched through the peephole, panic rising within her. 'I have to help Chihiro! But with two of them out there... My abilities, they're not right for this situation!' she agonized, feeling helpless as the scene unfolded before her eyes.

'So this... THIS was the misfortune it spoke about!'

Amidst her discomfort, Chihiro heard one of the men coax in a tone dripping with faux gentleness, "Ohh~ Look at this one, she's so cute. How about it, girl? Wouldn't you like us, nice older men, to show you some nice things?"

Confusion and fear mingled in Chihiro's response, "N-nice... Things..?" Her voice was shaky, betraying her uncertainty and apprehension at their proposition.

As the situation escalated, the man reached out his hand toward one of Chihiro's breasts.

"Yeah... Very nice things~"

In that instant, Nanami's heart raced. 'I need to do something—Mr. Komata, he could—'

But before she could act, a furious shout pierced the tension. "HEY!! What the fuck are you doing to her!?" The aggressive tone belonged to none other than Shuuichi, returning from work, his arrival unexpected yet desperately needed.

"B-...Big brother..." Chihiro's voice trembled, a mix of fear and relief washing over her as she recognized her protector.

The man turned, sneering at Shuuichi with contempt. "Huh? And who the fuck are you to step in?"

Shuuichi's response was swift and decisive. "It's none of your business! Back off from her, now! Can't you see she's scared?!"

"None of your damn business what girl I'm gonna fuck—!" He called, approaching him with ready with a punch. But Shuuichi was quicker. He quickly dropped his bag and socked him up his chin. He dropped to the floor like a log, falling on his back.

With the first aggressor lying unconscious on the ground, Shuuichi wasted no time in addressing the second man, who had already started frantically knocking on Mr. Komata's door, seeking an escape or perhaps assistance.

"And you! You're with that scumbag, aren't you? Get over here!" Shuuichi's voice boomed with fury as he marched towards the man, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him against the wall.

"Hehe, you're screwed now, buddy. We know the landlord, see? We'll have the cops on you so fast, you'll be behind bars before you know it!" The man jeered, thinking he had the upper hand, just as Mr. Komata's door swung open.

"HUH!?" Shuuichi couldn't hide his surprise, turning to face Mr. Komata.

"Is this true, Mr. Komata?!" he demanded, seeking clarification.

"The only ones I'm calling the police on are you two lowlifes!" Mr. Komata barked back, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"WHAT??!?" The man's smirk faded instantly, replaced by a look of sheer disbelief.

"S-Stop messing around, Komata! Help me out here!" he pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Mr. Shuuichi, hold that bastard against the wall. I'm dialing the police right now! How dare they harass you girly here!" Mr. Komata didn't hesitate, his actions clear and decisive.

"Komata!??!?!?!?!?!" The man's plea turned into a cry of utter disbelief, his scheme unraveling before his eyes as Mr. Komata stood firm, ready to protect his tenants and uphold justice.

The police arrived. With the testimony of Komata, Nanami, Chihiro, Shuuichi and some of the neighbors, the two were escorted to the police station and were arrested on the spot. The police were curious of Komata's missing fingers, but he told them he lost them in an accident.

'He... My Shuuichi... Didn't hesitate. He didn't hesitate to risk getting hurt over the likes of us...' Nanami thought, staring at him in awe as he escorted Nanami and her sister into the house.

[MISFORTUNE PREVENTED! Ability GAINED: Morph!]

'Who cares about that now...' Nanami thought as she saw the prompt notifying her of the new ability she received thanks to Shuuichi's efforts.

Later that evening, after ensuring Chihiro was safe and sound at her own home, Shuuichi returned to the apartment he shared with Nanami. The ordeal of the day had left its mark, but they found comfort in the sanctuary of their shared space.

"Are you okay, Nanami-san?" Shuuichi's concern was palpable as they settled into bed together.

"...It was scary. But I'm glad it all worked out. Thank goodness you got here when you did, Shuuichi-san."

"Yeah. I gotta admit, I was a bit worried when he claimed to be friends with the landlord. Lucky for us, Mr. Komata is on the right side," Shuuichi confessed, wrapping his arms around Nanami, their warmth mingling under the blanket.

"....Yeah. He is decent, I suppose." Nanami said.

"...What would you have done if they really were friends?" she ventured, her curiosity piqued despite herself.

'Why am I even asking this? Shuuichi has already done so much. He put everything on the line for Chihiro...' Her thoughts swirled as she clutched the bedsheet.

"I'd have dealt with him too. It was about Chihiro, after all."

"...We could have been thrown out... Your reputation, your job at risk, Shuuichi!" Nanami's voice was laced with worry.

"Chihiro means more than my job, Nanami-san. We would've figured something out. But I couldn't stand by and let Mr. Komata or anyone else harm Chihiro over something like my job!" His conviction was clear, his words filled with an unwavering resolve.

'My~...' She thought, bursting into a small chuckle.

"What?" Shuuichi's confusion was evident as he sought to understand her sudden laughter.

"Nothing, it's just..." She paused, her smile broadening as she met his gaze.

"Such a boring response," she teased, her voice soft but playful.

"...Huh?! Is that a bad thing?" he asked, his bewilderment clear.

"No," she reassured him, gently shaking her head. "It's just so like you, Shuuichi."

"...You think I'm boring?" There was a hint of vulnerability in his question.

"Yeah," she affirmed, her fondness for him unmistakable. Leaning in, she bridged the gap between them with a tender kiss.

"My boring Shuuichi <3"< p>

In the quiet embrace, a wave of contentment washed over her, coupled with an underlying current of sorrow. 'I want this to last forever,' she found herself wishing silently, her heart aching with the bittersweet tang of reality.

'But... I know. Deep down, I understand what's coming. One of these 'misfortunes' I'll face... It's going to be about you crossing paths with that woman from the red-light district.'

With this heavy thought looming in her mind, she tightened her hold on him, seeking solace in his warmth.

'But until that moment arrives... Let me savor the comfort of being close to you.' Her heart clung to the present, cherishing every second of their shared peace, even as the future threatened to cast its shadow over their happiness.