NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: Pray
"..."
"Mom..."
"Dad..."
"Haruka..."
A helpless voice trembled and its owner tried to find someone in a plain room. A simple but natural white color covered the entire room, leaving another color with some space to increase this room's aesthetic decoration. Many white paper sheets were tainted with black inks as the inks represented the writer by their shapes. Musical notes, melody, and even rhythm were all well arranged. Unfortunately, these exquisite shapes were imprisoned in those crushed papers near the trashcan.
"Is anyone there?"
"..."
Of course, no one answered.
A white-haired girl glanced at the supposed-to-be-waste papers and approached them step by step. Her hand trembled and picked up one of those...Slowly but surely enough not to damage the content inside.
She opened it and saw her child labeled with the word 'Plagiarist', putting huge pressure on her mind. However, the pressure didn't come from her plagiaristic incident but directly related to the trust between her and her family members.
"Ah..."
The girl let out a sound and realized that she didn't belong there. Her previous self had died...He died at the hands of the so-called 'Homie', his best friend from childhood.
She walked dejectedly to the grand piano rented at a high price. Yet, it was so old but did its job well. Her deep sea eyes tainted with blood let out a trace of reminiscences about her journey together with it.
The room was strangely quiet as if it was an omen...
Sure enough...
"Why didn't you all believe me!? I'm your son!"
The girl watched the black-haired boy yelling and retreating to the bed. And then, the middle-aged man grabbed those papers and crushed them under his hands. He threw them into the trashcan but missed the hit. The girl could only watch their affair without interference because she knew this was what happened in the past.
The ball-like papers rolled half-dead on the floor.
"Shut up, plagiarist!! This isn't what I teach you to be!!"
They didn't even see or interact with her in this room. A nobody...An unfamiliar ghost in the Minazuki house. Her eyes turned colder and more emotionless when sticking her gaze at the middle-aged man. His majestic image also died in her mind long ago. Seeing her past pathetic self clinging to the family's affection, she wanted to touch and drag the boy somewhere far away. She felt that this boy didn't deserve such treatment.
His black eyes soon filled with disappointment while giving his attention to the two female figures at the door under his gaze. What he needed the most was the trust...Nothing else. As long as one of them said 'I believed in you', just a simple sentence would be enough for him to fight back. Depressingly, he received a cold treatment as none of them gave him that speech. Unknowingly, it became a sharp weapon piercing through the heart of a young man in his twenties.
The girl observed it silently in front of her eyes. Her fist clenched unconsciously and she closed her eyes to find her peace.
'How can I forget this?' The girl murmured inside her head...It was the initial event that made her become her current self.
She quietly watched her past unfolding once again regardless of her will. There wasn't much conversation happening but cold treatment was cruel enough to see how the boy changed. His expression gradually lost its function. She couldn't tell if he was cheerful or depressed. Nonetheless, she knew the mood of the boy at this moment...
"Hah~"
The boy sighed as he sat on the rented grand piano and put his hand on it. The notes gradually connected as a string to create a whole new melody. The argument and conversation in the room before had disappeared and been replaced by a relaxing piano that came from a whim.
The white-haired girl also found her seat and quietly sat next to the boy. And then, she listened to his playful notes and put her hands on the piano. From a single piano song to a double-play song, the girl could keep up with the boy's rhythm and even match perfectly without flaw.
"♫♫♫♫~"
The music started to take off as they deeply immersed themselves in the play. Unfortunately, there was no audience to listen to this beautiful piece in this room...Perhaps, only the two of them were the listeners.
"♫..."
Soon, everything had a stop. A single note declared that the song had been completed without going any further. The girl also retreated her hands and glanced at the boy to see his expression.
"Thank you..."
Under the gaze of a pair of black eyes, the girl just shook her head and murmured.
"No problem..."
"..."
A silent moment became a gap of time for their short conversation.
"Please, live happier than me..."
The boy finished his sentence and gradually faded away, leaving the girl behind on this old grand piano. In no time, neither the beautiful sound nor ugly speech occurred in this plain white room. His figure was no longer there...
"Sorry...Haruto...I have no ideas..."
The girl spoke softly...
"Yes, you are, Sui-chan"
Another voice interjected in her self-talk, making the girl's eyes widen in surprise. She turned around to find the familiar voice, the soft figure that had accompanied her after reincarnation.
"Hyouri, is that you?"
The girl lost her composure and desperately searched for her second personality.
"..."
As she wished, she had found the long-lost person. Hyouri...And then, she spread her hand to embrace that figure. In her mind, as long as Hyouri came back...However, her thoughts stopped there as her hand dropped with a realization hitting her brain.
If...If she loved someone, what was about Hyouri? The person she loved...not Hyouri...It would mean that she was too selfish...
"Hyouri..."
The girl called the name immediately when she saw Hyouri's figure gradually dissipating. Therefore, she immediately ran up and grabbed this figure as fast as she could...
"Iyah~"
A moaning voice intruded in the ear of the white-haired girl, making her eyes widen again. Soon, she finally recognized what happened just now to be a dream. Coming back to her senses, she needed to know what situation she was currently in.
The girl seemed to be lying on the bed with someone...
"Sui-chan, you're ecchi~"
The white-haired girl sighed a relief after knowing that the person she unconsciously attacked was her sister. Despite her sister's jokes, Suiri had no mood to say anything. She just knew her mood was bad today, so she squeezed her hand to feel better.
"Iyahn~"
Suiri gave the black-haired girl a scrutinizing look to hold this girl back. The way she moaned would cause some misunderstanding. She could only blame her mother for teaching her sister such a dirty joke.
"Good morning, Onee-chan"
Suiri murmured expressionlessly.
"How was your sleep? Is this new house comfortable?"
Maria realized her sister's discomfort after a simple joke, so she asked worriedly. Maria even forgot to feel joyful when hearing the word 'Onee-chan' from her beloved sister. Her mind focused more on her sister's mental and physical health.
"Um...Good..."
Suiri replied shortly but Maria felt that her sister was lying. However, she didn't want to step on a land mine without knowing it. After hesitating for a moment, Maria decided to tell her sister.
"Sui-chan...Did you forget our talk before? As long as you have something on your mind, you should speak out to relieve it as soon as possible"
Maria gently reminded Suiri.
"..."
Seeing Suiri holding back, Maria didn't want to persuade consistently as she waited for her sister to speak out about her problem. Perhaps, today wasn't that day. Recalling her sister's baby crying days ago, Maria's heart wrenched and throbbed painfully.
Her mental health and personality were affected by someone else's memory from somewhere. If Maria put herself in her sister's shoes, she would also do the same. What a beast family! Even your child was betrayed by all of you. There was a saying "No one is better than your family". However, in Suiri's memory, those family members had become the first ones to betray that person. Maria couldn't believe such a group of people existed in society. Maybe, they existed but she couldn't see them by any chance.
"Geez~, I get up first but can you stop taking advantage of your Onee-chan?"
Maria said.
"..."
Suiri realized her hand hadn't moved so she awkwardly pulled back and acted as if nothing happened. She even admired her shamelessness just now. It was Maria's fault when she let her do what she wanted.
"Um...Onee-chan, Thank you"
Suiri said.
"Okay, I get up first. You should also prepare to do your things today"
Maria sat up and spoke.
"Um"
Suiri nodded her head as Maria left the room quickly, leaving Suiri space to change and prepare. After all, her sister was still an Omega.
Suiri rolled her body and looked up at the ceiling. The room wasn't much different from her memory and the dream. It was exactly the same as Haruto's room. If she were in an absent-minded state, she would think that she had gone home. The furniture was placed the same. Fortunately, the musical instruments and her plushie kept reminding her that she was in a different world. Instead of the old grand piano, she had a new one, also more musical instruments like drum, guitar, violin, etc...She seemed to be the better version of Haruto.
Her wish had been achieved...If I were you, I would live differently. This is the wish she made when reading the novel of this world. This was her room but not her room.
This problem was a bit complicated...Their images wer still haunting her and acting as a shadow inside her heart. However, that wasn't the case. The familiar voice...Did Hyouri come back? She had no ideas...
Suiri also got up and prepared herself. She thought just lying there couldn't help her anything and it even made her more depressed.
She came to the unfamiliar but familiar bathroom to do her daily routine. Washing, brushing, applying skincare, and her basic needs...
"I'm home..."
Suiri looked at herself in the mirror and said.
She felt ironic instead. The indescribable feelings that she couldn't find word to fit its definition. Plus, she couldn't even tell her family about it. If she revealed too much, her family in this life would do something outrageous. It would be better to keep it for herself. Besides that, she didn't want to overreact and exaggerate this problem because the house didn't have anything wrong.
After cleaning herself up, Suiri opened a closet to find her clothes. Luckily, Mitsugu-nee had been transferred to take care of Suiri and her mess. Therefore, the clothes were all arranged the same as her old room.
She bent down and picked up her underwear. Unlike the authentic girl, who would pick whatever she liked for convenience, even the cost resulting in mismatching sets, Suiri was obsessed with wearing the same model and design.
After putting on a combo of black underwear, Suiri had to pick up a tight athletic uniform reluctantly. She had to do so although the laziness in physical exercise had rotten at her core.
To reduce the calories she had consumed last afternoon, she had no choice but to compromise to follow her promise. If she said something like 'promise is made to be broken', she couldn't think of what kind of punishment Sasaki would give her.
Suiri quickly changed her clothes and stepped out of the room.
"Mariri, I miss you too much~"
The purple-haired girl acted coquettishly toward the black-haired girl. Her fiancee had graduated and been busy in business lately. The time they spent together was greatly reduced. She was like a little obedient wife waiting for her long 'wife' to come home. She felt lucky because today was the birthday of her youngest sister-in-law. Maria and Shiori had to adjust their schedule to empty their hands on this day to celebrate.
"I know, I miss you too, my princess"
Maria said straightforwardly without blushing, causing someone's face to turn even redder than usual. The mint flavor entered Miwako's gland and her nostril as her heart melted quickly like a muddle of mud. She felt spoiled...This was what she should have deserved when being with the previous scum fiancee. Perhaps, he was a scum so it couldn't be helped.
The two of them cuddled on the sofa, giving huge jealousy to a blond figure, who was watching from a distance. Charlotte just woke up this morning and caught the pair of couple showing off their affectionate love. Her heart felt sore but she regained her mind soon...
"Maria-senpai, Miwako-senpai, where is Sui-chan?"
Charlotte looked left and right but found no figure of a certain white-haired girl. She couldn't suppress the urge to find and have a clear talk after her impulsiveness. Her crush avoided her constantly, giving her an insecure feeling. Especially, there was an existence that could threaten her wandering in the same home.
"Geez~, you just open your eyes and your first question is 'Where is Sui-chan?', really, Charlotte?"
Maria frowned and stated her displeasure. She knew that Charlotte was her sister's simp but...Maria was worried about Charlotte as she was afraid of her sister's relationship turning into a toxic one. After all, she knew the exact reason why Suiri closed herself in the past. Nevertheless, she was also afraid that Charlotte went too deep to be able to extricate herself on time. If her sister turned to love the Otonashi girl, wouldn't Charlotte be hurt the most?
"Oh, Sui-chan is jogging outside with Mizuno-san and Otonashi-san"
Miwako pondered in Maria's embrace and said.
"Eh!?"
"Why am I the only one left alone?"
Charlotte exclaimed.
"Blaming your late schedule, Char-chan"
Maria shrugged as if it wasn't her business. She had helped Charlotte enough so she couldn't be too partial. Her sister's heart could be gained or not was Charlotte's matter. It was like a test of whether Charlotte could be a competent alpha for her sister.
"Oujo-sama, Miwako-sama, Shinonawa-sama, the breakfast has been ready~"
A maid walked into the guest room and said.
"Thank you, Mitsugu-san, let wait for the trio to come back"
Maria nodded and said politely.
Mitsugu-san knew her place so she left the room and came to the kitchen to kill time. Maria and Miwako returned to their world after a long separation, leaving Charlotte's sulking expression.
"Mariri, did you find Sui-chan's weirdness yesterday?"
Miwako asked her fiancee.
"Um...Since entering this house, her expression was quite pale so I asked her this morning whether the house is good"
"But she hid it again"
"Geez~"
Maria felt a headache. Her sister's cowardness was no longer strange in Maria's eyes. However, she understood and could only wait for her sister to be open again. After Suiri's crying out of her emotions, Maria thought Suiri would return to being a normal child. She didn't expect that just getting over a problem, another problem occurred.
"Senpai, can I know the specific situation?"
Charlotte asked after a moment of silence. Previously, she knew Suiri had something but she didn't tell her.
"Sorry, Char-chan, you have to gain her trust on your own. You will know the reason."
Maria replied.
"You know, Charlotte...As an Omega myself, Omega's emotion was extremely sensitive so I can't help you"
Miwako said in an apologetic tone. Recalling the fallout between her and her former fiancee, she knew her emotions could have broken out if it weren't for the comfort of another Alpha, Maria-sama. She also felt grateful to Suiri. At first, Suiri should have been her enemy. And then, her 'enemy' unilaterally exposed the face of the person she once loved wholeheartedly. As a result, her 'enemy' brought another awesome Alpha, who was superior and respected her under her gentle and manly manners. Therefore, Suiri was no longer an 'enemy' but her future sister. Suiri also helped her know the joy of being on the stage. Watching countless eyes looking up at her, she knew the wider world instead of being narrow-minded toward the only person in her life. She began to learn how to respect and value herself.
"Okay, I understood"
Charlotte returned to her sulking and stinky expression. However, her best friend's words were still lingering in her mind. In a romance story, the childhood friend character never wins...She knew Suiri first, loved her first, was the first person to discover Suiri's mental state, and the person, who tried hard to give Suiri happiness. She was always first...Yet, she thought it was unfair when another person tried to snatch Suiri away. The confession had done...She waited for this girl's reply.
Soon, the door at the entrance opened, revealing the three figures.
"We're home..."
The trio said simultaneously while covering their bodies in sweat.
"Oujo-sama, good job~"
Sasaki smiled gently while Suiri was panting heavily. On the other hand, Sakura didn't have any problem.
"You killed me"
Suiri said grudgingly.
"Fufu~"
Sasaki covered her mouth and smiled again.
"Hoshiyuki-san, I didn't expect your stamina to be like a banana"
Sakura joked, making Suiri's face darken. 'Did a banana eat your whole family?'. Suiri retorted in her mind. Why did you compare me to a banana?
"Sorry fu~...for being a banana...Fu~"
Suiri emotionlessly spoke while panting. Seeing her crush's relationship getting better with another woman, Charlotte gritted her teeth and suppressed her jealousy inside her heart. In the next second, a hand put on her shoulder as she saw Miwako shaking her head, hinting at her not to show her ugly side because of jealousy.
Sakura had gained a discovery. Another similar point between Suiri and her teacher was their scumbag in exercise. Until now, she didn't see anything wrong with Suiri. Yesterday, the pale face and her strange reaction were just her imagination. However, this discovery didn't help much because she foreknew this world.
"Welcome back, you all take a shower first and then have your breakfast later"
Maria said.
Since gaining a new fiancee, Maria's siscon sickness had been somewhat neutralized. As for how many percentages, it was just a trivial number. Behind the scene, Miwako's cold eye had been stuck on Maria, reminding her not to exaggerate a problem when seeing her sister. Moreover, they were somehow restrained in their natural interactions because of the outsider existence, Otonashi Sakura.
After finishing her shower, Suiri changed her clothes again. Then, she heard.
*Knock knock*
Suiri had a premonition in her heart as she knew who wanted to find her this time. She adjusted her clothes subconsciously due to her feminization. She opened the door and didn't find anything surprise.
"Charlotte..."
She called the other party's name.
"Do you have a minute, Sui-chan?"
Charlotte intertwined her hands and rubbed them nervously.
"Um..."
Suiri nodded her head because she knew their relationship was unknown. They weren't either lovers or friends.
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday..."
Charlotte apologized nervously. She was afraid of being on Suiri's blacklist. However, with their time together, she knew Suiri wouldn't do so. After all, her confession was the first one that didn't get rejected immediately.
"You know...I mean you don't know what love is...so I thought..."
Charlotte stuttered as she couldn't find a word to excuse her action.
"It's just lust..."
Suiri interjected, making Charlotte's face paler.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Charlotte again kneeled and hugged her face.
Suiri thought so when Charlotte rode on herself. She didn't sense the kindness of Charlotte that she had taken it for granted when they were together. Charlotte's eyes at that time were like she wanted to eat her clean without bone left. If it weren't for Charlotte's weak psychology, she wouldn't dare to think about what happened next at that moment.
Suiri knew she was also the one at fault. Because she didn't give Charlotte, her 'heroine', a clear answer as she did in the past, it led to this disaster...After all, she somehow felt the same as Charlotte when she was in love with her 'childhood friend' in her past life. She once had countless fantasies of being together with Erika, dreaming of the cozy home and their children.
Hence, she felt guilty...She didn't know if she loved Charlotte. From the beginning, the purpose of keeping Charlotte by her side was because she was afraid of the plot in the novel. Unknowingly, she had taken everything for granted.
"Please, don't hate me, don't reject me..."
Charlotte spoke out, just putting Suiri in a dilemma. If Suiri felt pity for Charlotte and went out with her, would she be happy? This question had been on her mind whenever she saw Charlotte's loving eyes.
"I don't hate you..."
Suiri said.
"I'm also sorry for not giving you the answer..."
"It's just I don't know what feelings inside me are..."
Suiri closed her eyes and said. If Charlotte went to date someone, would she feel sad?
Suiri felt at a loss. Somehow, she felt as if she would lose something important to her. Being pampered by Charlotte through the past few years, Suiri couldn't be helped but feel a headache. She and Hyouri were too cruel to use a young maiden heart of Charlotte to protect themselves.
Charlotte looked up and let out a smile of relief. She felt she had a chance again.
Seeing Charlotte's bright smile, Suiri was helpless when she realized that she had just drawn a new cake for Charlotte to linger in this relationship.
"If...I love someone else, what will you do?"
Suiri asked Charlotte not to drag this girl into the pond of toxic. She didn't want to be a trap girl taking everything for granted and refused her love.
Listening to Suiri's question, Charlotte's bright smile froze as she thought of it.
What would she do if she were the loser?
She hated to admit it because she didn't think of this outcome.
"Sorry...Charlotte, I don't want you to experience that worst because you deserve better. After all, 5 years aren't a joke"
For the first time, Suiri had lengthened her sentence in one go.
"..."
Charlotte remained silent as her head lowered. In the next second, she smiled brilliantly and said.
"I will withdraw and we will be friends again although I know it's impossible..."
"..."
Suiri didn't know what to say next.
"Thank you, Charlotte...For letting me know that..."
Suiri murmured in a low tone.
"But, I still have a chance, right? I will do my best to make you fall in love with me like my declaration before!"
Charlotte clenched her fist and yelled out her determination.
"Let's have breakfast, Sui-chan~"
Charlotte smiled and walked downstairs, leaving Suiri alone. In fact, Charlotte had hidden everything behind that smiling facade. She almost cried out loud when she thought she had to attend Suiri's wedding with someone else. Even her M bloodline couldn't stand the NTR genre. She needed to go somewhere to calm down her emotions.
She prayed...
Her heart also prayed...
Charlotte prayed to non-existent beings for her long happiness...
She wanted to be Suiri's compatible and competent Alpha so no one could say she didn't deserve Suiri.
Like the determination in the original plot of the novel when Charlotte wanted everyone not to judge their harem relationship, she would do her best to gain Suiri's heart with the same determination.