For Alex, this weekend was incredibly fulfilling, but for others, especially the girl who shared the Succubus Silver Mark with Madam Natsumi and Yui Obata.
—The girl who had been neglected by Alex these past few days had a decidedly unpleasant weekend.
"Makoto, you look a bit down. Are you in a bad mood?"
As her childhood friend, Kaoru Furuta keenly noticed Makoto Himegi's low spirits. The two were walking along the sidewalk by the road, which still had puddles after the rain, talking intermittently.
Normally full of vitality, Makoto Himegi was now listless and preoccupied. The childhood friend by her side was the person she had always liked.
Going out shopping and dating with the person she liked should have been a very happy thing.
Yet, she simply couldn't be happy…
What exactly does that Alex guy mean? Since he confessed to Chloe that day, saying he would cut ties with me, he actually completely cut ties!
He hadn't come to look for her at all these past few days, acting like a stranger.
He was so blatantly… Lewd to me before, doing those shameful things, yet he turned around and became completely indifferent. What a cold-hearted jerk. Makoto knew this was a good thing for her.
Isn't it for the best to cut ties with such a dangerous and terrifying existence, that lewd and shameless pervert? No need to worry about him taking advantage, no need to be cornered in a small room and groped, doing Lewd things.
Makoto Himegi kept telling herself in her mind: Compared to that kind of dangerous individual, isn't my true love the childhood friend I've always liked and had a great relationship with?
Isn't getting back together with Kaoru after cutting ties with Alex something to be happy about? Why am I in a bad mood instead?
What am I even thinking…
"Makoto?"
"No, I'm fine," Facing her childhood friend's concerned look, Makoto Himegi forced a smile and quickly shook her head. "Maybe I just didn't sleep well yesterday… On a rare weekend, I really wanted to sleep in."
"I'm sorry, if I hadn't invited…"
"Why are you apologizing, Kaoru? I agreed. It's not your fault, and hanging out with you is fun," Looking at Kaoru Furuta beside her, Makoto Himegi quietly bit her pink lip. Kaoru was a very good person.
Gentle, kind, and they had grown up playing together. There was no one better than him.
I should… Why am I thinking about that bad guy, Alex…
"Let's go see a movie next. I've already bought tickets for the one you wanted to see."
"Sure."
A boy and a girl going to see a movie together was no different from a date, but Makoto Himegi was distracted in the movie theater. Her mind was clearly not on the movie or Kaoru Furuta; she frequently zoned out.
Kaoru Furuta's attention wasn't on the movie either. He kept secretly glancing at the girl sitting next to him. Makoto, with whom he'd had a good relationship since childhood, was not just his childhood friend; he also had romantic feelings for her.
So today was a great opportunity, perhaps for a confession… Kaoru Furuta was currently struggling, looking for a good chance to confess to Makoto.
Thus, both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts, making what should have been a pleasant date somewhat awkward. After the movie, Makoto Himegi hung out with Kaoru Furuta for a while longer, and he walked her home.
"Um, Makoto…"
At the front door of the Himegi house, the kind and gentle Kaoru Furuta called out to his childhood friend, who was about to leave. He looked at the beautiful girl he had known for many years, stuttering.
He seemed to have something to say.
"Yes?"
"Makoto! I feel about you…"
"Ah! I'm sorry, Kaoru. I'm feeling a bit unwell and need to go home and take a shower quickly. Let's talk next time," Just as Kaoru Furuta gathered the courage to confess, he was interrupted by Makoto Himegi.
"Eh? Ah… O-okay, I'll tell you next time."
Waving goodbye to her childhood friend, Makoto Himegi squeezed out a smile, turned, and walked through the front door. The moment she closed the door, she leaned her back against it and sighed deeply.
Kaoru… he wanted to confess to me, right? The atmosphere at the time, and Kaoru Furuta's expression and words—Makoto couldn't have been mistaken. He wanted to confess to her.
"Phew," She pressed the back of her hand against her forehead, biting her lip. "I should be happy and excited about Kaoru's confession. Why did I interrupt him…"
It was clear that she had intentionally interrupted her childhood friend's confession.
As for why, she couldn't figure it out.
Seeing Kaoru's retreating figure through the window, Makoto Himegi checked her social media on her phone, which had no new messages. Her mood was terrible.
"Kaoru, I'm sorry…"
After dinner, the girl lay in the bathtub, soaking.
Makoto Himegi was in the tub. Hot water covered the girl's neck. The parts below her neck were vaguely visible in the water, and an enticing scent filled the bathroom.
Her hand unconsciously glided over her body, mainly over the area of the Silver Mark.
"Alex…"
"That hateful jerk! He said he was cutting ties, so why didn't he remove this mark on me?! Idiot, blockhead!"
It felt as if his fingers had reappeared, teasing and provoking her body. Makoto Himegi gave a soft moan, her cheeks flushed red. Realizing her reaction, she shook her head violently, throwing out all those chaotic thoughts.
I can't think of him. I can't think of those things. I can't…
While her mouth said I can't, her body was on the verge of giving in. It must be the fault of this mark! It's this Silver Mark that's making me so… so strange! It's all Alex's fault!
When she emerged from the bathroom, the girl's cheeks were flushed. No one would mistake it; they would simply think she was flushed from soaking too long.
However, Makoto's older brother, Gou Himegi, observed his sister's retreating figure, his expression full of hidden meaning…
Ring, ring, ring—
Makoto Himegi hadn't even dried her hair. She lay on her small bed, tossing and turning for a while before picking up her phone. She didn't know why she was calling Chloe.
Perhaps it was because there was no one else to confide in, and Chloe, her good friend who knew everything, was the only one who could listen to her.
"Chloe, good evening."
"Makoto? Good evening…"
"Your voice sounds a little strange," Makoto Himegi noticed her good friend's voice on the other end wasn't quite right. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing, I'm fine… Ugh~ Makoto, what do you need?"
"I just wanted to chat. Are you really okay, Chloe? Your voice feels…"
"I'm really fine. I… Ah!"
Chloe's moan suddenly grew louder. "Stop~ Ah… I-it'll be heard…"
Makoto Himegi: "…"
"No… Alex, Ugh—"
The sounds were completely undisguised now. Makoto Himegi's face instantly turned blood red. She violently pressed the hang-up button and pounded the soft pillow several times.
"That shameless jerk, Alex!"
How could he, how could he, how could he…
Thinking of Chloe, who had just answered the phone, being enjoyed beneath him, Makoto Himegi's expression was hard to maintain, her mood complicated.
Can't he be a little more discreet?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"I'm so angry!"
The girl lay on the bed, panting, her face buried in the pillow, motionless.
What a truly… awful weekend.