Chapter 35: Oozing Desire

Oozing Desire

I sat blankly in the living room, watching a TV show I had no interest in.

Before I realized it, a message from Kotaka-san had arrived. I checked it.

[Your ex-girlfriend is way crazier than I expected, Senpai.]

It seemed she had met Yuna.

I only needed her to pretend to be my girlfriend, but she turned out to be more meddlesome than I had expected.

My sister warned me not to get involved, but watching her was intriguing.

Especially when Kotaka-san talked about her brother. When she spoke of him, she looked incredibly radiant.

She thought she was hiding it, but the blatant, almost overwhelming passion she harbored for her brother reminded me of Tendouji-san.

It was the craving for something unattainable.

Back then, I had placed my hopes in Tendouji-san.

I thought I might see something at the end of her journey… but in the end, the result was something I could not comprehend.

However, the path Kotaka-san was heading toward felt closer to what I sought.

Something I had believed was lost.

It was something that once seeped from the small hole Yuna had patched up, something that had smoldered within me for so long, expanding through my connection with Tendouji-san and manifesting as a song through YOUKNOW.

And yet, I remained unchanged.

I, who had never sought others, still craved something so intensely, yet I could not recall what it was, as though it had been sealed beneath a heavy lid.

And so, I pondered.

What lay beyond this lid?

Looking back now, even the hole Yuna had covered seemed insignificant in comparison.

Perhaps that was why I found myself hoping.

That Kotaka-san might be the one to give me the key to open this lid, that someone who loved her own blood relative so dearly might show me the sight I longed for.

[Fufu, this is going to be fun!]

The moment I thought that—

Something dark and nauseating oozed from the tiny hole deep within my chest.

Suddenly, I felt short of breath, and my heart pounded violently.

The world started spinning, my stomach churned, and I stumbled toward the bathroom, desperate to empty everything inside me.

Just then, my sister, who had just returned home, noticed my state and rushed over in a panic.

“Yuki, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked worriedly, rubbing my back.

A scent, different from her usual one, wafted from her.

She had met with that person today—perhaps that was why.

Suddenly, the sister beside me felt like someone else, as though she were slipping away into the distance, and a deep fear took hold of me.

Normally, she smelled fresh, like citrus—the scent I loved. But now, she exuded a sweet, melting fragrance, one that carried the allure of an adult woman, much like my stepmother’s scent.

“Don’t go.”

Reflexively, I grabbed her hand, trying to hold her back.

“It’s okay. You’re okay, Yuki.”

She reassured me, squeezing my hand in return.

Even so, my unease remained. I called out to her again and again.

“Don’t go. Don’t go. Mom.”

“It’s okay. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll always be by your side. So don’t worry, just rest now… my Yu-chan.”

As my consciousness faded, only her tender, affectionate voice lingered in my ears.

When I woke up, my sister was cradling my head in her lap, stroking my hair.

“Are you okay, Yuki?”

“Ah… yeah.”

I remembered feeling sick and throwing up in the bathroom. But I couldn’t recall why she was letting me rest on her lap.

“That’s a relief. You suddenly vomited, so I was really startled.”

“Yeah, I just felt sick all of a sudden.”

“Did you eat something strange? Or… you didn’t drink a🬀cohol, did you?”

She kept asking me questions, clearly worried.

I knew she had eaten out that evening, so I had opted for a convenience store bento. Of course, I hadn’t touched a🬀cohol. I answered her honestly.

“I didn’t eat anything strange, and I didn’t drink a🬀cohol either.”

“I see. Then, how are you feeling now?”

“I think I’m okay now.”

As I tried to sit up, my sister stopped me.

“Just lie down and rest a little longer.”

Her words made me feel a little embarrassed, but I did as she said. For some reason, I wanted to see her face—so I shifted from lying on my side to facing up.

The sister reflected in my eyes had an air of maturity beyond usual—she looked more beautiful than ever.

“Thank you, Nee-san.”

“It’s fine. You’re Yuki, after all.”

She said this as she gently stroked my head.

The soothing sensation made me close my eyes, and I found myself surrendering to her kindness.

Why is she always so kind to me? We aren’t even related by blood… There’s no real reason for her to stay by my side.

The thought made my chest tighten painfully.

Once again, something sickening stirred within me, writhing as if trying to surface.

A dark impulse surged through me, driving me forward—urging me to reach out, as if extending invisible tendrils to bind the precious person before me.

“Nee-san… I… I…”

I struggled to form the words, desperate to express my feelings so I wouldn’t defile the only person I had left. But they wouldn’t come out.

Tears spilled from my eyes on their own, blurring the sight of her face.

My sister reached out and wiped them away.

“Yuki, can you stand?”

“Yeah…”

Suppressing the nausea, I let her support me as I slowly got to my feet.

She pulled me into a gentle embrace, holding me close.

Again, a scent I didn’t recognize wafted from her.

“It’s okay. I’ll take in everything, so don’t worry, Yu-chan.”

She called me by my childhood nickname and hugged me even tighter.

Normally, such a sweet scent would make me feel sick, but strangely, it soothed me instead.

Sensing that I had calmed down, she gently stroked my head.

“Alright, let’s go to your room.”

Feeling unsteady, I let her take my hand and followed her lead.

But instead of my room, she took me to our parents’ bedroom.

She had always told me not to enter this room. Yet today, she was unbelievably kind.

“Wait here for a bit, okay?”

Saying that, she undid her tied-up hair. The person standing before me looked exactly like our mother.

“Oh, I see… Mom, you were just copying Nee-san.”

When I said that, she looked a little sad.

“Yu-chan, your clothes are dirty. Let me take them off for you.”

She undressed me, leaving me in just my underwear. Even though she was my mother, I felt embarrassed.

“My clothes are dirty too…”

Saying that, she began taking off her own clothes.

The person before me was supposed to be my mother, yet she was so beautiful that my heart pounded.

“Yu-chan, I’ll sleep with you tonight so you won’t have any bad dreams. Come here.”

With open arms, she waited for me. As if drawn in, I stepped forward.

She embraced me fully, and the sweet, familiar scent of my mother wrapped around me, filling me with relief.

“Good night, Yu-chan. I love you.”

“I… ah… I love you too, Mom.”

I wanted to say “I love you” properly, but for some reason, it felt as though something was stopping the words from leaving my mouth.

But my feelings were the same, so I told her, “I love you,” and then Mom and I lay down together on the big bed.

Wrapped in her warmth and scent, I felt my heart race slightly—but soon, I relaxed and drifted into a peaceful sleep.