--Saturday, September 5, 2172
"Tomoko… Can we talk for a moment?"
"Sure…" Seeing the seriousness in Momo's expression, Tomoko finally answered in a more serious tone. Momo soon added in a grave voice.
"Alone."
"… Alright, I'll wait for you outside." Tomoko replied after a short pause, then walked out with a calm stride.
[Don't be too hard on her, Tomoko.] As she left, Tomoko heard Shino's voice echoing in her mind, so she quickly responded in a calm but firm tone.
[It's not about being hard or soft, Shino, and you know that. Nothing I said was a lie. If Momo, the legal wife, doesn't integrate into this relationship properly, we're going to have a lot of problems in the future.]
Upon receiving Tomoko's telepathic message, Shino could only remain silent, acknowledging that she was right. Although no one would admit it, there was a certain discomfort with Momo among them. A discomfort that became especially evident when they looked at the ring on Momo's finger.
Although it wasn't as if Kai treated them all exactly the same, there really weren't many differences in how he treated them. In the things that mattered, Kai always made an effort to give them the same or something equivalent to all of them. Even so, there were subtle differences that gave away his preferences.
If she had to rank them, Nemuri and Keiko would most likely be almost tied for first place, being the people Kai trusted the most. Meanwhile, in second place was, without a doubt, Momo, since, although she was the person Kai possibly trusted the least, she was the one he spoiled the most.
The armor, the ring, the gadgets, the Accomplice upgrades, and the like generally went to Momo first and then to everyone else. Although it wasn't 100% of the time, and the difference was a couple of days or a few weeks at worst, being that there were so few differences in the way he treated them, it stood out. Not as much as the preference for Keiko or Nemuri, but it stood out.
The thing is, although Kai's preference for Keiko and Nemuri was much more evident than for Momo, none of them really felt uncomfortable about it. They all understood the logical reasons why Kai trusted them more, and, beyond that and perhaps more importantly, they all felt like true sisters to them and trusted them completely.
Sharing their most vulnerable moments with the others had created a camaraderie and understanding that left them completely secure. They knew that neither Keiko nor Nemuri would try to displace them, and they also understood that Kai's reservations were due to their morality as pro heroes. So, they could become closer to him at any time if they wanted to.
But this, unfortunately, did not happen with Momo. Her status as legal wife, Kai's slight but evident preference for her, and her refusal to join them made them feel insecure about the future. Little by little they became more strangers than sisters, and it was only a matter of time before that blew up in their faces.
…
As Shino let out a long, melancholy sigh, Momo returned to the dressing room to take off her dress, at which point, Shino and Nejire looked at each other with visible concern. After a few moments, Nejire pursed her lips and, gathering her courage, turned around to go to Momo's dressing room, but at that instant, Shino's hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her.
Confused, Nejire turned to look at Shino, who shook her head with a calm expression, then commented in a low voice, almost a whisper.
"Let's trust them."
"…Okay…" Nejire murmured a reply with a not very convinced pout, at which Shino smiled helplessly.
…
After a few moments, Momo came out of her dressing room again in her workout clothes, holding her dress in one hand and her phone in the other. After leaving the dress on one of the nearby racks, Momo looked at Nejire and spoke in a calm voice.
"Nejire, I sent you a message with the corrections for my dress. Could you take it for me?"
"Sure."
Nejire nodded, while on her face you could see she was holding back from saying something. For her part, Shino looked at Momo and commented with a warm smile.
"I'll take care of the neckline."
"Thanks." Momo replied with an equally warm smile before walking with a firm and steady step toward the exit.
Once Momo closed the door to the room, Nejire and Shino were silent for a few moments. But soon the silence was broken by Nejire, who looked at Shino and asked, visibly insecure.
"Do you really think they can fix it?"
"Although they aren't the closest, I know Tomoko cares a lot about Momo, so let's hope so…" Shino replied in a soft tone as she began to unzip her dress. Nejire sighed softly before commenting in a soft voice, likewise unzipping her dress.
"I know Momo also cares a lot about Tomoko, but I highly doubt she's willing to have sex with all of us…"
"…"
Shino let out a soft, long sigh before falling silent and finishing taking off her dress with an expression somewhere between worried and thoughtful. A similar expression to Nejire's, who also took off her dress. Then, they went together to deliver the three dresses and explain the specifications.
…
…
…
Upon leaving the room, Momo looked all around the bustling place, at which moment Nemuri, who was being fitted for a dress, pointed to a door with a reassuring smile. Momo nodded towards Nemuri with a firm expression, then did the same towards Yumiko, who looked at her a little worried. Immediately after, Momo walked towards the door and left the room.
Quickly, Momo walked down a hallway until she finally found a balcony, where she could see Tomoko. The future mother was leaning on the railing, looking down with a calm and thoughtful expression, while her beautiful hair fluttered softly in the air, making her look like an ethereal and melancholy fairy.
"Tomoko…"
Momo called out in a somewhat nervous tone, which made Tomoko turn to look at her with a calm smile on her face. As the wind tossed her silky hair, Momo took a deep breath before bowing 90 degrees and speaking in a firm and sincere tone.
"I'm really sorry; I know what I said was out of line, but it's what I really think."
Momo's statement echoed loudly across the wide, elegant balcony, at which point a stronger gust of wind violently tossed the hair and clothes of the pair of beauties. But while Momo held her posture firm, Tomoko used her right hand to keep her dancing hair from reaching her face and remarked in a calm voice.
"… I thought you'd say the exact opposite."
"I thought about it…"
Momo replied in a somewhat subdued tone. Tomoko let out a subtle nasal laugh before turning back to her original position and commented in a soft, reflective voice.
"But you realized that lying didn't make sense because the real problem isn't that…"
"Yes…" Momo whispered her response as she straightened up to look at Tomoko, who, with her back to her, spoke calmly.
"… They say that the truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you… Although it hurt, it's clear that you're right. This baby I'm expecting is a mistake, and Kai is too young to be a father…." Tomoko made a short pause to turn and look at Momo, at which point she added with slightly narrowed eyes.
"But in this family there are many things that are wrong, and we all play dumb, so why does this one affect you so much?"
"…" Momo fell silent looking at Tomoko, who, after a few seconds, began to walk towards her slowly while speaking in a calm tone.
"Although a baby is a big responsibility, we have the money, the time, and the willingness to take care of it. Besides, Kai, although young, could be said to be more mature than me and has a more developed and successful career than anyone 20 or 30 years older than him, being famous and respected as both an engineer and a blacksmith. The baby doesn't represent any problem or limitation for Kai's life, so the answer is obvious. The one who is really bothered by this baby is you."
Tomoko finished speaking in a slightly colder voice, standing in front of Momo, looking her directly in the eyes. Momo let out a long, heavy sigh, then returned Tomoko's gaze and asked in a somewhat heavy tone.
"You know Kai as well as I do, so tell me, did your pregnancy really not affect him?"
"… You're not denying that it bothers you." Tomoko replied in a slightly evasive tone. Momo nodded before commenting firmly and with a hint of anger.
"More than bothering me, it makes me feel insecure. I've even thought about stepping aside so you can marry Kai and give that baby a home. But I've also seen Kai. He's far from being as calm and confident as he appears. And yet, all of you, instead of wanting to support him and make things easier for him, only think about your own satisfaction, and that bothers me."
Tomoko opened her eyes with a hint of surprise but quickly returned to her serious and firm expression and replied.
"… Human beings are selfish creatures, and even more so are women in love. Is Kai having a bit of a hard time assimilating it? It's obvious, expected, and completely acceptable, but we are his women. We gave ourselves to him body and soul without reservation, and he in return promised to make us happy. Besides, it's not like Keiko and Yumiko demanded something crazy from him. They simply didn't want things to change, that's all. Is that too much to ask?"
"… But we got him into this… We should be more understanding…" Momo opened her eyes slightly surprised before replying in a more subdued and docile tone. Tomoko talked back in an equally less aggressive tone.
"… Yes, but he accepted, and it's not like he doesn't enjoy it… Almost all of us gave him our virginity, and we are all successful beauties with whom he can do whatever he wants… How many men in the world can enjoy something like that…?"
The pair of beauties soon fell into a thoughtful silence as they looked at each other with somewhat complicated expressions. Although neither of them expected much from the talk, it turned out to be truly enlightening. Although they hadn't spoken in the kindest way, hearing the other's perspective caused their animosity to cool down considerably.
"… Kai is a lucky man… Maybe that's why he has to put up with a little more…" After a few moments, Momo whispered as she looked at Tomoko, who whispered back.
"… Maybe we should be a little more understanding… He never really sought this relationship; we provoked it…"
Tomoko and Momo looked at each other in silence again with somewhat strange smiles, somewhere between bitter and understanding, until finally Momo commented in a reflective tone.
"I didn't have to take off my clothes to understand what you were thinking…"
"Certainly it wasn't necessary…" Tomoko nodded in a similar tone. Momo bit her lower lip slightly before asking a little hesitantly.
"Is it possible that… maybe… we could understand each other and be 'sisters' without having to take off our clothes?"
"… Is it really that unbearable for you, Momo?" Tomoko asked in a slightly guilty tone, at which Momo nodded heavily.
"… Yes, it is… I love you girls; I really do, but my body is something I only want to give to my Kai… The truth is, I don't even understand myself… It's really not shame or insecurity… I just want to keep my intimacy sacred… I'm not against passion or abandon… But the love of my life is only one, and I only want to give my body to him…"
As she spoke, Momo's voice began to fracture until finally her eyes filled with tears and her voice turned into a sob. But Momo quickly bit her lips hard to contain her emotions and looked with tearful eyes at Tomoko to announce with visible pain.
"… But if giving that up is necessary for this relationship to work… I'll do it…"
***
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