Drip... drip... drip...
Visible water droplets fell from the heavy gray-white clouds, hitting the ground with tiny, crisp sounds that reached Sawamura Asato's ears.
"It's raining again..."
He looked up at the oppressive, churning gray sky as faindrops landed irregularly on his thin cheeks.
The cold liquid slid down his face, the constant chill seeping through his skin, stimulating his exhausted nerves after an all-nighter shift.
Because of the nonstop rain these past few days, he naturally carried an umbrella in the bag slung over his shoulder.
The rain grew heavier.
He pulled out the umbrella Akane had packed for him, opened it, and blocked the rain that had already dampened strands of his hair.
Yawning tiredly, Sawamura Asato quickened his steps toward his apartment building.
As time passed, he got closer to home.
More and more familiar faces passed by.
"Huh? Isn't that Sawamura-san?"
A full-time housewife from 1006, holding a black umbrella in one hand and a trash bag in the other, greeted him in surprise.
"Ah, Kuroda-san."
Seeing it was a neighbor, the man smiled and nodded.
People in their middle ages often have poor sleep quality.
Kuroda-san, who hadn't slept well all night, had obvious exhaustion on her face.
Seeing what looked like Sawamura Asato just coming home, she murmured in confusion:
"Shouldn't you be at home?"
Not understanding why she said that, Asato tilted his head:
"Huh?"
"I just got off work, Kuroda-san. Why would I be home?"
"..."
After those words, Kuroda's gaze toward Sawamura Asato instantly turned strange.
Pity, annoyance, regret... it left the man completely bewildered.
Before he could ask, Kuroda-san, with a conflicted expression, looked left and right, confirming that no one else heard their conversation, then whispered to Sawamura Asato.
"You should hurry home and check."
With that said, she walked away quickly.
?
Asato, meanwhile, turned to look at the mysterious neighbor, stood frozen for a moment, then his eyes widened in disbelief.
'No... no way... I must be too tired and imagining things... Akane... Akane isn't that kind of person... damn it, damn it!'
Even though he kept comforting himself in his mind, the neighbor's strange reaction still made him overthink.
The urgency in his heart left no room for the pouring rain as he folded the annoying umbrella and sprinted toward the apartment building.
Click—
Fumbling with the key in panic, Sawamura Asato half-bowed, panting heavily, ready to step inside.
But...then he noticed the pair of men's shoes on the entrance shoe cabinet—shoes that didn't belong to him.
Looking at them, the last shred of illusion in Sawamura Asato's heart shattered instantly... before he could react.
Vague, lewd sounds began pouring from the bathroom inside, drilling straight into his ears.
Like a siren's soft moans, the tender, lascivious noises tangled and ravaged his eardrums, not igniting his anger—instead freezing his body stiff.
His mind started involuntarily conjuring scenes that had either already happened or were happening right now.
Against the wall... on her knees... head bowed... legs lifted... hips thrusting...
Living room... bedroom... kitchen... balcony... bathroom...
White trembling from fear... black throbbing from excitement...
His own girlfriend, showing expressions of uncontrollable pleasure because of another man.
Countless pieces of knowledge he knew flooded his mind, displaying images and scenes he couldn't accept.
Perhaps because the stimulation was too intense, when things reach an extreme, they reverse...
As soon as he thought about them, Sawamura Asato's long-dormant desire finally stirred.
The heck...
Fists clenched tight, head bowed low, rainwater dripping from his soaked bangs gathered under his eyes and fell drop by drop onto the front of his pants, soaking a small patch.
He didn't know how long he stood at the door before finally, he heard a voice from the bathroom, apart from the water sounds.
"No... no... already..."
"Then... drink..."
The conversation was muffled, only two sentences, but to Sawamura Asato, who had been listening intently, it was perfectly clear.
At the same time, he knew exactly who was in the bathroom.
His girlfriend's big sister... Ayumi.
His girlfriend's lifesaver... Sasaki Fuyumi.
He didn't want to know how they ended up in his house, in his bathroom... or where his girlfriend was... he wanted to know none of it.
The only thing he cared about was... why... why was he getting soft again...
Why?
Just why?
Shouldn't he be happy and relieved that his girlfriend hadn't betrayed him?
Why... why... why was this happening?
Looking down at the pants Akane had ironed perfectly smooth for him, Sawamura Asato's eyes were full of confusion.
He wasn't given much time for self-doubt... Because the next moment, the sound of the doorknob turning exploded in his ears.
He jerked his head up to see his girlfriend, wearing blue pajamas, walking out of the bedroom, yawning.
"Haa~"
Covering her small mouth with her hand, Akane let out a tired yawn.
These two kept him up half the night... finally quieted down for a bit, and now, first thing in the morning, they started again in the bathroom... did they not know she was still home?
Grumbling endlessly in her heart, complaining about her big sister... and the person bullying her big sister.
Akane rubbed the tears from the corners of her eyes and noticed her boyfriend standing at the entrance.
"Huh? Asato, you're back."
"Why are you so wet? Didn't I put an umbrella in your bag? Come in quickly and change clothes. What if you catch a cold?"
She hurried over to her boyfriend and took the bag off his shoulder.
The latter quickly hid the expression of someone doubting his entire life.
Then glanced at his girlfriend, who looked slightly tired but otherwise normal, putting on an awkward face and looking toward the bathroom:
"Um... Akane, what's going on? Why..."
"Ah? Oh, that..."
A shy flush appeared on her fair little face as Akane stammered for a moment, then whispered.
"Actually... I'm not totally sure... probably big sis and Fuyumi are together now... we were drinking last night, they fell asleep, then... couldn't hold back..."
"Don't... don't talk about that.
Go back to the room and change clothes quickly. I didn't say you could come out, so please don't come out, okay."
Not wanting to discuss the embarrassing topic anymore, Akane took Sawamura Asato's bag and pushed him into the bedroom.
Bang—
After glancing at the tightly closed door, the man quickly changed into clean clothes.
Then he locked the door, bent down, and pulled his diary out from under the bed.
Sitting at the desk, he opened to a blank page and wrote.
Date: June 3, xxx6
Weather: Overcast rain
This morning, I almost misunderstood that Akane had cheated on me.
When I found out, I felt very hurt, very angry.
But I didn't rush in and beat that man up... I don't know why. I just kept thinking why Akane would betray me when I treated her so well.
While thinking about it... listening to the sounds coming from the bathroom... I unconsciously started imagining Akane being violated by that man in all sorts of ways.
Scenes that should have been humiliating and rage-inducing... yet I got hard.
It's been years. I've tried every method, taken every medicine, but only imagining my girlfriend Akane being fucked by another man made me react.
I know it's strange... but it doesn't matter.
Ayumi was always just a tool for me to recover anyway.
Even if the usage is different from what I planned... as long as it allows me to recover, it's fine.
The plan needs to change.
He stopped writing, closed the notebook, then stuffed the diary back under the bed slats.
...