"Good afternoon, Miss Toyokawa."
The following afternoon, Rin met a cold-faced Sakiko at a quiet cafe. Her amber eyes were like knives, looking ready to skewer him.
She sat down across from him with a thud, her mouth a tight, downward line.
"Actually, I wanted to explain what happened last night."
"Did you spend all night worrying about the Toyokawa family's retaliation?" Sakiko asked coldly.
Hmph... a pervert who makes a girl hand over her panties at night, now he wants to make peace?
"I've already spoken with your grandfather. He told me he's entrusting you to my care. You can call him and check if you don't believe me."
"...?"
Sakiko nearly choked. He spoke to Grandfather!?
Before she could process it, Rin adopted a serious, professional expression and continued.
"Have you noticed that Mutsumi is ill?"
"Eh?" Sakiko, still reeling from the mention of her grandfather, let out a confused, cute little sound. "Ill?"
"Yes. Dissociative Identity Disorder." Rin gave her a summary of Mutsumi's condition. "She's stable for now. I call her other personality 'Mortis'."
Sakiko's expression shifted rapidly as she digested the information.
"Are you saying the photos and everything from yesterday were just Mutsumi's delusions?"
"No, they weren't delusions... Don't give me that look. They weren't delusions, but they weren't reality either." Rin's face darkened, and he began to lecture her like a stern father.
"Mutsumi is your childhood friend. You've grown up together. Do you have any idea how much pressure you've put on her?"
"...."
"Your sudden, cold departure from the band crushed her. She's been absorbing all of Soyo's pressure at school for you. She said she 'never had fun in a band' just to share your burden. She thinks she's the reason the band fell apart after you left."
"...."
"You promised to be a shared destiny, but you hurt everyone because of your own pride. Even if you didn't want to admit you left the manor, you could have made up a reason to make them feel better... Did you ever truly think of them as your partners?"
"...."
Looking at the tears welling up in Sakiko's eyes, Rin let out a sigh.
"I don't know why Mortis said those things, but Mortis was born to protect Mutsumi. You hurt Mutsumi and buried her in stress. Mortis is likely acting out to get revenge on her behalf."
"...."
"Last night, I rejected you when Mutsumi wasn't looking specifically to protect her. I promised her I'd let you join the band, but if you keep playing 'House,' you're just going to hurt her more."
Sakiko listened in silence. She had no idea she had caused Mutsumi so much pain. She didn't know what face to make.
She didn't doubt Rin's words—assuming he wanted something from her.
If he actually had blackmail material, there was no reason to tell her the truth. If he didn't, there was no reason to expose his own lie. Neither logic held up unless he was telling the truth.
Taking a shaky breath, Sakiko finally spoke.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know she was suffering that much. But what does Mutsumi... no, what does Mortis want to achieve by saying those things?"
"She probably wants me to threaten you. That's why I asked for your panties last night," Rin said smoothly. "Back at the Ring cafe, Mortis was flirting with me with her feet. During the live, she was pulling my hand onto her ass. She wants you to think she's my slave. That's why I played along."
This triggered a new doubt in Sakiko. Why would Mortis choose this method for revenge? Sakiko could understand a physical fight or verbal abuse, but a sexual revenge fantasy didn't sound like something the innocent Mutsumi would ever think of.
She'd known Mutsumi her whole life; she was a blank slate. Mortis wouldn't know things Mutsumi didn't. It was obvious who the teacher was.
"You... you've done those lewd things with Mutsumi!?"
Sakiko's gaze sharpened again, but this was exactly what Rin wanted.
"I have," Rin admitted without hesitation. "Mutsumi's disorder stems from being seen as 'Minami Mori's daughter' instead of herself. When I met her, her parents had already agreed, but I insisted on her personal opinion. That made her fall for me. Mutsumi is cute, she was proactive, and I'm a man."
Rin maintained his serious facade.
"It was her first time, and because I'm... well-endowed, she couldn't handle it and let Mortis take over. Can you imagine? The quiet, doll-like Mutsumi begging me to 'grass-feed' her? That's how I found out about the split."
The lack of detail only made Sakiko's imagination run wild. Her face burned as she visualized Mutsumi begging for it.
"Mortis's revenge plan is to have me 'grass-feed' you too. Mutsumi wants you back to your old self, and Mortis wants to humiliate you for the pain you caused... and here we are."
The protagonist of Sakiko's mental image shifted from Mutsumi to herself. Her face turned even redder.
Why couldn't Mortis use any other way!?
Why... why does the revenge have to be so lewd!
Sakiko was torn. She wanted to make it up to Mutsumi, but the idea was too shameful.
I'm still a virgin! How can I do something like that!?
On the other hand, she was terrified for Mutsumi. What if the repressed emotions caused a total mental breakdown?
The conflict was agonizing.
After a long time, Sakiko looked at Rin.
"What... what do you think we should do?"
"I asked a doctor. You can't fix personality disorders with pills; you have to resolve the trauma. The best way is to satisfy Mortis's desire. Miss Toyokawa, you're worried because you're a virgin, right?" Rin's lip quirked into an invisible grin.
"How about this: we put on a performance in front of Mutsumi. It'll be very explicit, and I'll see everything, but I promise I won't actually cross the final line. What do you think?"
"..."
It was a compromise.
Sakiko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine."