Chapter 65: Chapter 24

Suzune woke slowly in the quiet confines of the guest room, the morning light filtering softly through the blinds. Gently, she covered her eyes with her arm, her mind still in disarray.

At this moment, her thoughts was a dizzying kaleidoscope of images from the previous night—not just the shattering, intimate moments with Seijirou, but the unsettling, vivid memory of what she had hear through the door of her mother’s room.

She frowned, trying to reconcile the conflicting emotions: the profound guilt over her own actions and the startling, confusing realization that she hadn’t been disgusted by Seijirou’s infidelity, or rather, Seijirou’s very own affair with her own mother.

In a disturbing twist of psychology, the sight of him with another woman—even her own mother—had ignited a strange, potent thrill.

All those times seeing Seijirou with another woman, with her sometimes even helping him, had somehow taken root, blossoming into a complex, unanticipated fetish she was only just beginning to process.

She sighed, pushing the heavy thoughts away, and carefully slid off the bed.

But the moment her feet hit the floor and she attempted to take a step, a sharp, searing pain shot up through her lower body.

She hissed, biting her lip against the sudden agony. Every muscle in her core protested, and the physical remnants of losing her virginity came crashing down on her with brutal clarity.

"God," she muttered under her breath, grimacing. "I hope this only happens for first-timers."

If this happens every time she had sex, she would have to restrain herself in the future.

Her walk downstairs was an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle as dhe moved like a newborn colt, trying to disguise her discomfort as she walked towards the kitchen, following the faint scent of coffee and sizzling bacon.

She finally reached the kitchen, where Seijirou sitting on a chair before the table, already dressed in a fresh shirt, nursing a steaming mug of coffee.

Her mother, Aiko, stood by the stove, focused and efficient, watching the sizzling bacons with her ever present impassive look.

Seeing the two of them in this domestic tableau—Seijirou relaxed, Aiko managing the breakfast with quiet authority—Suzune couldn’t help the thought that flashed through her mind: they truly looked the part of a settled husband and wife, a mature couple starting their day.

The familiarity of their interactions, despite the hidden truths, was unsettlingly perfect.

She almost slapped herself for thinking that.

God, what has gotten into her?

Seijirou spotted her first, a lazy, charming smile curving his lips as be lifted his mug slightly in a casual salute.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Did you manage to get any rest?" he greeted her, his voice low and entirely normal, betraying nothing of their intense shared experience hours earlier.

Aiko turned from the stove, her blue eyes sharp and analytical as they swept over Suzune, taking in her slightly flushed cheeks and the subtle stiffness of her posture.

"Take a seat, Suzune," Aiko instructed, her tone brisk as she put all the cooked bacons on a platter. "The school called. Classes are suspended for today."

Suzune paused, her stiff walk forgotten for a moment. "Suspended? Why?"

"The incident with Basuta and his cult last night has led to an administrative lockdown," Aiko explained, not looking up. "They need to sort through the police reports and the mess he made."

Suzune’s eyes brightened instantly, the pain momentarily forgotten.

No classes?

"Yes! That’s amazing!"

The thought of avoiding the pop quiz in Modern Literature was a far greater relief than the entire cultist drama of the vice principal.

With her energy suddenly renewed by the reprieve, she practically shuffled the last few feet and sat down at the table, deliberately scooting her chair closer to Seijirou’s side.

She leaned in slightly, resting her chin on her hand, and immediately began filling the silence, launching into a stream of animated talk about random, inconsequential topics.

Seijirou smiled, listening intently as Suzune talked about the ridiculous drama in the online gaming community, a new trending meme, and pretty much anything to fill the space and anchor herself next to him, all while her mother silently continued to prepare their breakfast just a few feet away.

*

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After breakfast, which Suzune had dominated with her buoyant chatter while Aiko maintained her usual calmness, observing everything, Seijirou finally decided to bid his farewell.

He stood just outside the door of Aiko and Suzune’s house, as he nodded politely towards them.

"I’ll be going now. Thank you for the meal, Miss Korukawa," he said smoothly.

Suzune immediately sprang up, her previous stiffness miraculously forgotten in the excitement of seeing him off.

"You can come over frequently, Seijirou! We have no classes today, so maybe later?" she pressed, her eyes wide and hopeful.

Aiko remained silent, standing rigidly behind her daughter. She didn’t move, her figure standing straight and still, her eyes—those piercing blue eyes—fixed entirely on Seijirou, holding a depth of warning and disappointment that Suzune was oblivious to.

Warning him to not show any signs of their affair, and disappointment that he couldn’t stay further.

Seijirou noticed the look Aiko was sending him, but decided to ignore it in favor of meeting Suzune’s gaze with an easy smile.

"I will visit from time to time, Suzune. Don’t worry," he promised vaguely, acknowledging Aiko with a brief, almost imperceptible dip of his chin.

Then, with a casual turn, he walked towards the front gates and let himself out.

Suzune watched until the gate clicked shut, and his back have completely disappeared from view before she sighed, a pleasant, lingering warmth spreading through her chest, and immediately turning towards her mother, her expression suddenly serious.

"Mom," Suzune started, fidgeting slightly with the hem of her shirt. "Can we talk? Just for a minute."

Aiko’s face remained impassive, but she raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrow, a silent acknowledgment of her daughter’s unusually solemn request.

She nodded curtly, leading the way to the living room, her face looking confused, but her posture demanding an explanation, wanting to know what her daughter wanted to talk to her about.

Meanwhile, as Seijirou walked down the street, already checking the notifications on his phone, the familiar, sharp ring of a new message broke his focus.

It was from his mother, the notification displaying her official-sounding, formal name.

The message read: "Are you well, Seijirou? After that whole fiasco with Vice Principal Basuta and the police presence last night, I was quite concerned. Do let me know if there were any repercussions."

Seijirou immediately tapped out a quick reply. "I’m fine, Mother. Basuta was pathetic and dealing with him wasn’t that troublesome. The police just took statements. Nothing for you to worry about."

He paused, considering adding more, but decided against it.

Almost instantly, the reply came back: "That’s a relief. Your father, however, is beside himself with joy. He’s already using this ’heroic’ incident of yours—taking down a cult—to bolster his own political power for the upcoming election cycle. It’s already in three minor papers."

Seijirou smiled wryly, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement.

Of course, he did. His father, despite already being a powerful figure in local politics, still never missed an opportunity to leverage whatever it is that can help him to his political rise, no matter how petty or sincere the initial motivation.

Before he could send another sarcastic reply, he received another message, "Your father was sufficiently pleased with what you’ve done that he asked me to send you a token of his appreciation, a gift so to speak. He couldn’t come himself, as you know how incredibly busy he is with the new campaign strategy."

A gift, huh. Seijirou typed, intrigued. "What’s the gift? That H2 I was asking about? Or the Hayabusa? Or the Grom? You know I love Grom, I’ve been asking it for a long time."

Unfortunately for him, his mother’s reply was maddeningly evasive. "You will know tomorrow. I will come myself to visit you and bring it to your apartment. Rest assured, it is something your father believes you will absolutely love. I’ve already made arrangements."

Though genuinely curious, Seijirou understood the game. Pressing for details would only be met with more veiled non-answers.

He sighed internally, then typed a polite closing. "Understood, Mother. Thank you. Please take care, and I will wait for you tomorrow."

Welp, now he needed Suzune’s help in cleaning his house. His mother would scold him if she saw how messy it was.

The final message he received made him stop walking and stare at his screen, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"You should look after yourself more, Seijirou, and not let that girl, that Suzune, do all the hard work for you."

He shook his head, sending a reply agreeing to his mother. But would he really stop relying on Suzune? No way. He’d be a mess without her.

He tucked the phone into his pocket, deciding not to continue this conversation as he knew his mother would continue nagging at him.