“Mmmm”

 

What the hell?! So suddenly?!

 

“Haaah hahhh…”

 

“…Sorry, let me catch a breath”

 

“Hehe~”

 

“Why’d you do that so suddenly?”

 

“…”

 

“Yurika?”

 

Ahh that face and expression. She turns away from me when I try making eye contacts. She’s hiding something.

 

“Ah?! K-KOICHI HAHAHAHA S-STOP I’LL T-TALK HAHA STOP”

 

I tickled her to make her confess. Yurika's body and skin are extremely sensitive, so even when I touch her, she begins to laugh sometimes. Sensitive skin may also be a source of weakness, and of course, her vulnerability is being tickled.

 

“Tell me what you’re hiding…” I told her in a sad tone.

 

“It’s n-nothing”

 

“…”

 

Usually when I tickle her, she confesses immediately. If she doesn’t speak then that means, it’s really something she doesn’t want me to know.  

 

“Say Yurika, you never told me anything about that Yushi or how you ended up living like that… It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about him but at least tell me how that happened…”

 

“Hey Koichi… Do you promise you won’t leave me after I tell you?”

 

“I… I want to promise, but I can't guarantee it… So many things have happened since we broke up, and I'm not sure how I feel about you anymore... But whatever it is, I swear I'll listen all the way through!"

 

“…You really have changed a lot. In a good way of course”

 

She said it for the second time now. I still don’t understand the meaning behind those words, but whatever it is, it made me blush a little.

 

“You see… After I woke up in the hospital that day, I saw my sister.”

 

Her sister is most likely the one I've mistaken of for cheating. Though I feel awful, I haven't considered how I can make amends to her. I understand that doing something like that is unacceptable, but I'll do everything I can to make her even slightly happier.

 

“She tried pampering me to make me feel better and bought me a lot of gifts.”

 

“Hoh, you’ve got a nice sister.”

 

“No! She wouldn’t do something like that. She’d never do something like that. That’s why I suspect that everything was planned out by her… I don’t know why she did that but because of her I ended up being sold.”

 

“…S-sold?”

 

“Yes… I was sold while I was pregnant to that guy named Yushi.”

 

“Why would she do that…?”

 

"My mother died of illness, my father and sister were not with us at the time since they were on a trip together." 

 

“Mhm…”

 

"When my father and sister arrived home... By that time, my mum had already passed away. They blamed it all on me for not properly caring for my mother, but the fact is that I tried, but my father did not leave money for medications. I left home after to live alone because if I stayed there, they would just torment me."

 

“For years, the only reason why they haven’t touch me was because you were always there to protect me. But after you left, they took that opportunity to make my life miserable.”

 

Once again, I realise I just made an innocent person’s life hell. If I was more aware, then she probably didn’t have to go through all of this…

 

"Yushi is an acquaintance of my father's. He didn't used to look or act like that. My father owes him a large sum of money, which he is unable to repay. Yushi was a nice guy, so he made a deal with him that if he gave him one of his daughters, he'd erase the debt."

 

“I see… It’s starting to add up.”

 

“Of course, both father and sister hated me and wanted to get rid of me for a long time now. When you left, it was a perfect opening for them to take me away.”

 

"At first, Yushi took me to his house and gave me a warm welcome. However, he began to act differently and eventually revealed his true nature. He began to drink and use drugs. The house used to be extremely lovely and neat, but it has now devolved into a pig hole. Because I was pregnant, Yushi didn't touch me. But once I finished delivering the babies, he began to abuse me in a variety of ways..."

 

“W-what kind of abuse…?”

 

“I… Koichi-kun, I hated it... He rapes me and then abuses me physically and mentally. I attempted a number of different ways to kill myself but remembering that the kids are yours makes it impossible for me to leave them alone. But it's because of that that I'm able to leave that place and be with you once more... So… Please don't abandon me again..."

 

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to her words. She wraps her arms around my hip and buries her face in my chest. I could hear her sobbing since she is unable to talk anymore. To make both of us feel safe, I securely wrap my arms around her body, waiting for her to calm down.

 

"I had the feeling that my sister, Fuyuka, had everything planned out from the start. There's no way she could meet your bestfriend by chance and have an affair the day before our anniversary."

 

"I see... That's reasonable."

 

"However, do you believe your friend, Jin, is also involved?"

 

"I have ended my relationship with him after accusing him of betraying me. However, I see no reason for Jin to assist your sister. He could simply get rid of me if he wanted to, so why would he do it in such a terrible way? The Jin I know would never do such a thing, therefore he may have just fell into your sister's scheme."

 

“Hmm, there might be more to it, but for now let me rest…”

 

She said so in a giggly manner and wrap her arms around my neck. Her face got closer and closer, I began to get nervous, but I let her do as she please.

 

“Ah! Hold on Yurika.”

 

I held her shoulder to stop her from moving closer.

 

“Hm? Why’d you stop me… Do you hate me after all?”

 

“No, it’s not that. There’s something that’s been bothering me.”

 

Because I was distracted of her story, I forgot the main question I was going to ask.

 

She tilted her head in confusion and I almost laugh because of her cute, clueless expression.

 

“Aren’t you mad at me, or bothered by me?”

 

“Huh? Why would I be? I got to be with Koichi, so I’d never be bothered.”

 

“B-but… I broke your mother’s ring…”

 

Yes, 10 years ago on the last day I saw her. I broke her treasured ring that she values so much.

 

“Ahhh that ring. Do you think I’m a fool?”

 

“W-what…?”

 

The looks in her eyes changed. Before, she was looking at me like a cute pup, but now she’s looking down at me as if I were a fool. I got a little irritated from it, but I wanted to know the reason.

 

“I do treasure that ring. I treasure it so much that I don’t even let anyone know the location of it. Even I forgot where I put it.”

 

“B-but I broke it…”

 

“Dumbo Koichi. That was obviously a fake.”

 

“A f-fake…?”

 

I was so taken aback by the abrupt revelation that I felt dizzy.

 

"I made a fake one and put it in the box. Knowing you, I expected you to attempt to use the ring as a reason to hurt me. That's why if I put a fake one in and if you ever break the ring, you'll feel a little more accomplished and fulfilled, while I stand to lose nothing."

 

Ahaha… I felt like I'd been duped the whole time. I know she isn't lying because Yurika has always been smart ever since middle and high school. She is very good at manipulation as well as in other areas in the strategy field. The aim was to harm her, but she had previously devised a counter-plot to deflect mine. She has much too much knowledge about me. I'm not sure if this is a good or terrible thing... But now that I think about it, if she's this smart then wouldn't she have notice her father's and sister's plan? Something isn't right but I don't want to think too much about it. I'll just ask Hatsuko later.

 

“Anyways… Can I kiss you now?”

 

Probably she felt the mood was getting weird, so she tried changing it.

 

“You don’t even need to ask…”

 

She gave me a bright smile before her face came closer again.

 

BOOM

 

The door suddenly burst open.

 

“MAMA WE FINISH!”

 

Ahaha… I look at Yurika and found her very dissatisfied. She moved closer to my ears and whisper.

 

“…Next time I’ll get you.”

 

She bit me on the ear and got off my lap. She then proceeds to move to the kids. M-my face was as hot as a furnace. My head began to sweat, as I slumped back on the couch.