My name is Kondo Shinji. Today, I stumbled upon something I never should have found.

I found my girlfriend’s DLsite account—specifically, the series she’s been selling. She always used to write edgy, hardcore manga, but none of them had ever been successful. But what I was looking at right now on her computer screen was completely different. It was deeply disturbing. What I was staring at was a fucked-up NTR hentai. Why...?

I screamed, 'What the fuck is this?!' I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

I checked her artist name and searched for it on Twitter. I found her account and started scrolling through it. The content was unbelievably hardcore... Ugly Bastard hentai, BBC hentai, Playboy-type hentai, and every single one of them was NTR. An innocent guy crying, a kind-hearted husband, or a sweet boyfriend... What the fuck is this?! At that moment, my mind shattered in two, and two versions of myself split from my body.

A-Shinji: "Jesus Christ, I knew it! You can never trust women. She’s definitely cheating on us, that fucking bitch. I hate her. Let's get the fuck out of this house. Besides, the rent here is too high anyway. Let's just pack up, move to the countryside, and open a small shop."

B-Shinji: "First of all, don't listen to this idiot. Look, Mai isn't that kind of person. She loves you. She wouldn't cheat on us. I mean, Mai is someone who struggles with depression and anxiety; do you really think she’d do something like this? She's a sweet, kind girl. Do you remember how excited she was when she read us her very first series?"

B-Shinji placed his hand on my shoulder.

A-Shinji: "Holy shit, this is exactly how NTR always starts! The overly trusting boyfriend, and then next thing you know—'I'm sorry, honey, but this guy's dick is bigger than yours, so I'm leaving you.' You'll watch that girl, who used to cry on your shoulder after getting rejected by publishing houses every single day, turn into a total slut.She'll be the kind of girl who hangs out with ugly bastards and gyaru-o douches. You really want your heart broken like that? No, non, nem, nein! We are getting the fuck out of hereAnd we are never, ever coming back. Brilliant idea."

B-Shinji glared at him.

B-Shinji: "Wait... how can you be so sure? We’ve been dating Mai for four years. Four years! Are we really going to throw all our trust in her into the trash? And she was crying on our shoulder after getting rejected by publishers. You just want to abandon her? We need to be absolutely sure. I trust Mai."

I looked at both of them.

Shinji: "Shut the fuck up, both of you."

I took a breath and kept talking.

Shinji: "When she gets back, I'm going to ask her. For now, I'll trust her. But at the absolute slightest hint of doubt, I am getting the fuck out of here."

A-Shinji: "Do whatever the fuck you want, but don't say I didn't warn you."

B-Shinji: "I trust her... Though, this is weird. Normal people don't just start talking to two different versions of themselves out of nowhere. But whatever."

The two of them vanished, and I was left alone with my thoughts. I sat there, waiting for Mai.

I kept talking to myself.

"No, Mai wouldn't do something like this. Maybe it's a friend's account or something? Yeah, that could be it. It's definitely a friend's account."

I stared into space for a few minutes, then slammed my fist hard against the floor. I shook my throbbing hand.

"Fuck! You fucking bitch, I hate you! You’re a piece of shit... a garbage writer!"

Once the pain in my hand subsided, I stared down at the floor.

"I wish I had noticed sooner. I wish I had tried to understand sooner. I hate this. Maybe if I had never met her, or if we had never moved in together... God, I fucking hate you, Mai."

I started to quiet down, sitting completely still. My eyes welled up with tears, and I began to weep softly.

About five minutes later, I muttered, "Fine. I get it. Mai isn't the person I thought she was. I'm going to confront her about everything, and then I'm getting the fuck out of here."

And so, I sat there, waiting for my girlfriend.

Mai hadn't come home yet. An hour later, the door opened. I looked at her, fully prepared to confront her, to say everything I had practiced. Oozora Mai was a petite girl with jet-black hair and beautiful pinkish eyes. She wasn’t incredibly short, but she was definitely on the shorter side. Just as I was about to speak, she beat me to it.

Mai: "Shinji! I just came up with the most amazing idea—well, way more than just an idea, the characters are already set! My main character is named Mer, and he lost his entire family. His only friend is a robotic fox named Rin. The country Mer lives in is rotting away due to capitalism, but..."

She kept rambling on, and I just watched her face. Normally, Mai rarely smiles; she’s a pessimist. But whenever a new story idea pops into her head, she describes it to me with such raw enthusiasm. Right now, I couldn't bring myself to pour my heart out. I didn't want to ruin her mood when she was this happy.

Shinji: "Alright, sounds like a good story. Let's eat first, though. Are you hungry? I made rice and curry. Spicy curry, just the way you like it."

She wrapped her arms around me and looked up into my face.

Mai: "You really are the best boyfriend ever. God, if I didn't have you, I’d die. Seriously, I’d just kill myself in the most painful way possible... so painful that, well... just don't die before me, okay?"

She had a bright smile on her face as she said those words.

Shinji: "Don't talk nonsense. And stop talking about death at your age."

Mai just smiled back.

Mai: "Okay, let's eat!"

We set the plates, and I brought over the food. After serving it, we began to eat. I looked across the table at her.

Shinji: "Where were you until now? I mean... I was just curious."

Mai scooped up a spoonful of food, kept eating, chewed, swallowed, and finally spoke.

Mai: "I was with Yayoi and Takeshi. You know I told you, I was helping them move. I mentioned it to you before. It’s only been a week, but they’re finally starting to settle in. Takeshi wants to hang out with you sometime, by the way. You know he doesn't have many friends in this city."

Tanaka Yayoi was one of Mai’s close friends from high school. She was a serious, spectacled girl who didn't joke around much. Just like Mai, she aspired to be a mangaka. When I had met her the previous week and asked what she was writing, she told me she wrote romance, adding that she didn't want to share any of her series until they were completely finished.Yayoi was a serious girl who didn't talk much. Her boyfriend,Katsuki Takeshi, on the other hand, was incredibly talkative. He had dyed silver hair, a slightly intimidating aura, and gave off a distinct delinquent vibe. He was a tall, handsome guy with a bit of a tan. He was, quite literally, someone who looked like they had stepped straight out of my girlfriend's NTR hentai.

I gritted my teeth. Takeshi had opened a cafe here. Takeshi was the problem. It was all because of him. I was clenching my jaw so hard it hurt. Suddenly, my girlfriend squeezed my hand and looked at me.

Mai: "Are you okay? You look pale. Is everything alright?"

I took a breath.

Shinji: "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

Everything is wrong, you piece of shit, I thought to myself. Everything is fucking wrong.

Right at that moment, the doorbell rang. It was the landlord. He was a heavy, balding man in his fifties with a disgusting, slimy smile.Our landlord was Hirano Kouichi. We had been living in this house for two months now. Compared to the high rents in this city, this place was incredibly affordable. My girlfriend was the one who had found it. This was actually the first time I was seeing the landlord in person during our entire stay.

Mai stood near the door. 

Mai:"Hirano-san, welcome! Are you here for the rent?"

The man took a slow breath, his mouth stretching into a wide, intimidating grin.

Koucihi :"Yes, for that... and for the other thing that lowered the rent, Mai-chan."

The other thing? What the hell is the other thing? I thought. Suddenly, A-Shinji materialized right next to me.

A-Shinji: "That fucking bitch! It's the Ugly Bastard tag! She’s cheating on us with the landlord, I knew it! Punch this creep right in the face and let's run!"

Then B-Shinji appeared.

B-Shinji: "Hold on a second, it could be something else. Besides, if it’s something perverted, why would he ask for it while we're right here?"

A-Shinji: "Because Mai wants to hurt us, you idiot! Oh my God, just open your eyes, you moron!"

I clenched my fist, preparing to smash Hirano's face in. Just then, my girlfriend quickly brought the rent money and a drawing from the room—a really sweet-looking drawing. She handed them to the man.

Koucihi smiled warmly. 

Koucihi:"My goodness, this is beautiful. My daughter is going to love it. Thank you so much." He then looked over at me. 

Koucihi:"You must be Shinji-kun. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Your girlfriend is incredibly talented. Well, I'll be taking my leave. Take care of yourselves."

My girlfriend waved goodbye to Hirano and closed the door. I stood there, completely frozen, unable to process what had just happened.

Shinji: "What... what did you just give him?"

Mai turned to look at me. 

Mai:"Oh, that? His daughter is training to become a kindergarten teacher or something, so he asked me for a drawing that kids would like. He’s actually a really nice guy. He lost his wife two years ago and lives with his daughter and son."

I froze.

B-Shinji: "I told you so! I told you so!"

A-Shinji: "Shut the fuck up. Whatever. We still have Playboy-kun to worry about. We still can't trust her, no matter what."

Mai touched my hand. "Come on, let's get back to eating."

As she walked back into the kitchen, I remained standing alone in the hallway.

Shinji: "I'm choosing to trust you... so pleas

e, don't let me down," I whispered, making sure she wouldn't hear me.