The person Chisato likes is actually Mu Xiaoxiao, and the two seem to be in love.
Mu Xiaoxiao is a scumbag. He used her misunderstanding to play with her body. Though he didn't take her virginity, her body had long since lost its purity.
Even if he said the deal was void, Himemiya Makoto still couldn't let it go.
'Why did it suddenly turn out like this?'
On top of that, that scumbag Mu Xiaoxiao seemed to be involved with Kisaragi Anna too. Was he dating two girls at once? Didn't Chi-chan mind someone like him?
The heavy rain continued falling, mirroring Himemiya Makoto's depressed mood.
"Chi-chan... don't you mind?"
Taking advantage of Mu Xiaoxiao's distraction, she pulled her best friend aside to whisper.
"Mind what, Makoto?"
"Mu Xiaoxiao... he's not a good person." Himemiya Makoto gritted her teeth, blushing as she recalled the touches that guy had left on her body.
Hearing her good friend say this, Chisato felt a little unhappy. But thinking about what happened between Makoto and him, she sighed. "Xiaoxiao really is a bad guy. But it's enough that he's good to me."
Seeing Chi-chan's happy, bright smile made Makoto's chest ache. She scratched her hair irritably. "What about other women? Like that Kisaragi Anna... Maybe he'll abandon you someday."
"No." Chisato touched the Incubus Pattern on her body, her eyes gentle. "With this, I'll never be separated from Xiaoxiao. Even if he tries to get rid of me, I'll keep clinging to him."
She added firmly, "I'll always be with him!"
'A terrible, obscene mark... and you treat it like your most precious treasure, Chi-chan? You're hopeless. Completely hopeless...'
Whoosh——
Rainwater hit the trees and flowers lining the concrete path, slid down leaves, and splashed onto the ground. The fountain in the square rippled, circles spreading outward.
Himemiya Makoto spent the afternoon in a daze.
Colorful umbrellas dotted the playground and paths. Standing at the teaching building entrance, Himemiya Makoto slung her bag over one shoulder and held her umbrella in the other hand, gazing at the gloomy sky and heavy rain.
The air was thick with humidity and cold.
Her gaze passed through a few insignificant students and landed on a blue umbrella. Under it, not far ahead, were the figures of Mu Xiaoxiao, Chisato, and Kisaragi Anna.
They were crowded together.
"Wow, Anna-chan, tilt the umbrella closer! Raindrops keep hitting my neck—it's so cold~"
"If I tilt it more, I'll be the one getting wet. No way."
"Waaaah, gyarus are evil!"
"What's wrong with gyarus? I've loved them since I was little. By the way—" Kisaragi Anna giggled. "My skirt got cut shorter on purpose. It's a little short now."
"I'm telling the teacher!"
"Chi-chan! I was just messing with you, and you're going to betray me?!"
"You two." Mu Xiaoxiao in the middle laughed at their antics. "Since you love playing so much, how about we just put the umbrella away?"
"Eh?"
The next second, the umbrella above them lifted, exposing them to the open sky.
"Ah! Mu Xiaoxiao, I didn't bring a change of clothes!"
"Xiaoxiao, stop right there!"
Watching their hazy figures run through the rain, making crisp, playful noises, Himemiya Makoto's expression grew duller. She silently gripped her umbrella handle. Her shoes splashed water as she shifted her weight.
Suddenly, she understood. Perhaps her attempts to persuade Chisato, to speak ill of Mu Xiaoxiao—weren't really about saving her friend from evil clutches. The real purpose... was that she envied Chisato.
'No! How could I be envious? That guy Mu Xiaoxiao is a pervert! Being with him is awful! How could I envy Chi-chan?!'
She shook her head violently.
'This kind of thinking is too ridiculous.' Himemiya Makoto quickly pushed it aside, calmed herself, and walked home in silence.
"I'm home."
She opened the door, placed her umbrella in the stand by the entrance, and checked her phone while changing shoes. LINE was empty. No new messages.
'Chisato and Kisaragi Anna both went with Mu Xiaoxiao... So they're staying at his house again? Should I message? Tch. Why would I ask?'
Frustrated, she shoved her phone back into her pocket.
'Don't think about it. Chi-chan's fine, and I'm finally free of him. That's good, right...'
"Free of who?"
"Wah!" Himemiya Makoto jumped, startled. She patted her heaving chest. "Nii-san. It's nothing."
Besides her parents, Himemiya Makoto's household included an older brother.
The man before her was Makoto's brother. From the looks of him, he was a rather sturdy, squint-eyed man with a Showa-era hairstyle. Anyone who didn't know him might mistake him for a sports student.
His strong build and bulging arm muscles suggested his physique was no worse than Mu Xiaoxiao's.
"I'm going to my room."
Himemiya Makoto brushed past her brother and headed upstairs with her schoolbag, leaving only her retreating figure. When she was younger, she'd been close with her brother. Along with childhood sweetheart Yoshida Kaoru, the three often played together.
But after entering high school, her relationship with her brother had grown distant. They rarely spoke.
Naturally, Himemiya Makoto didn't know what her brother thought about her... When she went upstairs and returned to her room, she didn't notice the covetous gaze behind her.
Of course, others might not notice either—his eyes were always squinted.
---
Back in her room, the girl threw herself onto the bed. She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and stared blankly at the ceiling. She didn't know how long passed. Her expression flickered. Slowly, she slipped her hand under her skirt...
---
The next day, Himemiya Makoto went to school as usual.
It seemed everything that happened had been just a dream. Mu Xiaoxiao didn't come looking for her again. No more lunch breaks in abandoned classrooms.
Her campus life had returned to normal, just like before.
Attending class. Breaks. Chatting with Chisato. This should be a good thing—escaping her connection with Mu Xiaoxiao, knowing her friend wasn't being bullied.
She should be happy... But though Makoto's face looked relaxed, deep down, she felt a persistent worry. A sense of gains and losses.
Like something had been hollowed out. Empty.
Especially when she saw Chi-chan constantly gravitate toward Mu Xiaoxiao—eating lunch together, flirting... Even their time together diminished. Makoto's attention kept drifting to Mu Xiaoxiao and those two girls.
Whenever she saw Chisato and Mu Xiaoxiao's intimate postures, her heart grew uncomfortable.
Days passed like this. Himemiya Makoto's mood grew duller.
What was happening?
The girl, who'd lost count of how many times she'd pleasured herself, muttered behind her blindfolded eyes.
'Could it be... I'm lonely?'