Hōjō Suzune hurried into the hotel. Only when she was sure she wouldn't be in Shiratori Seiya's line of sight did she finally slow her pace. She stared blankly at the crystal chandelier above her for two seconds, recalling the question she had asked before getting into the car: 'Did Seiya know you before he started dating Saori in middle school?'
It felt as if a stone was lodged in her throat, making her suffer painfully and unable to utter a sound.
Hōjō Suzune knew Shiratori Seiya had a girlfriend from the first moment they met. But she hadn't met her, and since she hadn't, she simply pretended the person didn't exist, automatically blocking their presence from her mind. She told herself over and over again that she was the first to know Seiya, and the first to fall in love with Seiya; everyone else came later.
It was precisely because of this that Hōjō Suzune was able to remain rational when Shiratori Seiya was dating her sister. Even when she saw her being intimate with Seiya, she could comfort herself, 'The one truly fated with Seiya is me.'
Therefore, the only person who could end up with Seiya could only be her. After all, the path of love is always full of thorns, and only those who can laugh last are the true winners.
I was here first.
Hōjō Suzune had always used this to deceive herself. Before, at school, she hadn't seen any connection between Seiya and the name Hasegawa. Over time, she truly convinced herself and ignored Hasegawa Saori's existence.
However, the day before yesterday, on the way from Kyoto, her sister suddenly brought up that person's name. Hōjō Suzune's memories, which she had already thrown into the trash, were picked up again by her sister and presented before her. The gauze covering her heart was torn away, and Hōjō Suzune was forced to accept reality, reluctantly acknowledging Hasegawa Saori's existence, but still unwilling to think about the fact that she had dated Seiya.
Unfortunately, reality was much colder and harsher. Hasegawa Saori was not only Seiya's first love; Seiya had even promised to marry her. In the car just now, she didn't ask Seiya if it was true, partly because the timing wasn't right, and partly because she already had some idea of the answer. She could originally comfort herself with the 'first come, first served' rule, but even this last shred of dignity was about to be torn away by Hasegawa Saori.
Bitter emotions spread through her heart. Hōjō Suzune bit her lip and clenched her fists. Suddenly, she turned her head, her gaze shooting like an arrow straight towards where the car had been parked earlier, her tear-filled eyes brimming with resentment. After a long while, she finally walked towards the elevator.
...
Beep.
She swiped her card and entered the room. Unlike the expected darkness, the room was lit with soft lights, clearly indicating someone was inside. Hōjō Suzune lowered her small face and saw a pair of high heels on the shoe cabinet by the door.
She frowned, leaning one hand against the wall, stepping on the heel of one shoe with the other foot, and shaking her small leather shoes off naturally. She was too lazy to arrange them neatly, so she slipped on her slippers and walked quickly into the room.
Hearing her footsteps, the girl who had been leaning over the desk stopped writing and turned to look at her. Hōjō Shione held her pen against her smooth chin, her eyes scanning her sister's face. She curled her lips into a slight smile and said, "Suzune, you're back so early? I thought you were going to stay at Seiya's house today."
Hearing her words, Hōjō Suzune's lips twitched. Unlike her usual retort, she looked at her with a calm expression and said, "Didn't you say you were going to the company? From the looks of it, you've been back for a while."
As she spoke, Hōjō Suzune's gaze shifted slightly downwards. After a moment's thought, she said, "You knew all along, didn't you?"
"Huh?"
Noticing the unusual expression on her face, Hōjō Shione blinked, then turned her chair around and said, "Knew what all along? I didn't lie to you. I did go to the company for something this afternoon, and I'm not as idle as you think, Suzune..."
Then she reached out and picked up a music textbook spread on the desk, shaking it at Hōjō Suzune as she continued, "Nee-san is still in school, after all, and finals are approaching, so I have to prepare for exams."
Even a debuted artist has no privileges in university. In fact, someone as famous as her would not only receive much attention from teachers, but if she failed her final exams, it might be exposed online the next day as 'XX Agency's famous artist failed university exams,' and combined with recent concert incidents, it would become even more serious. The pressure of public scrutiny weighed on her like a second skin.
Hōjō Suzune glanced at her without speaking. This room had an inner and outer chamber. Hōjō Shione slept on the outer bed, and she slept inside. She took off her shoulder bag and hung it on the rack, then turned to go into the inner room to rest.
Watching her uncharacteristically silent actions, Hōjō Shione narrowed her slender eyes, let out a light laugh, and asked, "What's wrong, Suzune, you're so unhappy?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Hearing her noticeably off-kilter tone, Hōjō Shione didn't care. Instead, she stroked her chin with the hand holding the pen and said, "Let me guess, you ran into Takahashi Mio?"
Hōjō Suzune didn't speak, directly taking off her jacket and white socks. Her pinkish-white toes stretched out, glistening under the light. "Oh, so you met Hasegawa Saori?"
Suzune's action of taking off her socks paused involuntarily. Seeing this, Hōjō Shione smiled and said, "How was it? Did you ask Seiya? Sister said she wouldn't lie to you."
This sentence might have seemed fine normally, but at this moment, Hōjō Suzune found it grating. She felt a sudden tightness in her chest and finally couldn't hold back.
She straightened up, threw the socks she had just taken off, and said coldly, "Stop pretending! You clearly know I've always liked Seiya, and you've known for a long time that he decided to marry that savage, but you deliberately waited until I came to Tokyo to tell me. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You clearly know you're useless, you know you're nothing in Seiya's eyes now, that's why you thought of having me come over..."
With that, Hōjō Suzune took a deep breath.
She clearly wasn't finished and continued, "And don't pretend to be doing this for my own good. When you were dating Seiya, why didn't you think of giving him up? Selfish is selfish, but you have to act so hypocritical. Look at how weak you are. Should I buy you a turtle shell? You can just wear it when you go out to see Seiya from now on. That way, whether you see that savage or that snobbish vixen, you can just shrink inside, you coward!"
Hōjō Suzune finished in one breath, her small chest heaving up and down, glaring resentfully at the girl sitting in the chair. The words hung in the air like shattered glass, sharp and glinting.
However, even after being scolded like this, Hōjō Shione still maintained a calm expression. She unhurriedly picked up the socks her sister had thrown on her lap, wrapped them in a contract on the table, and tossed them into the trash can.
After doing all this, Hōjō Shione leaned back in her chair with a relaxed expression, her arms crossed, and stared at her sister's reddened eyes, saying unhurriedly, "If you insist on thinking of me that way, then so be it. But no matter what, isn't it a good thing for you that you can come to Tokyo and see Seiya now? If you waited until next year when you come to university, and Seiya and they completely solidify their relationship, would you be satisfied, Suzune? Didn't you always say I was useless and liked to hog things? How come now that you have a chance, you're taking it out on me? Doesn't that make you seem useless too, Suzune?"
Hearing this, Hōjō Suzune raised her hands to cup her arms, her fair neck bobbing as she swallowed her tears. She turned her head to face the wall and snorted coldly, "Hmph, I'm nothing like you."
Hōjō Shione nodded indifferently, musing, "Perhaps. Anyway, right now, there's no difference."
"You!"
"Don't get angry yet." Hōjō Shione waved her hand, lifted her slender legs, placed them directly on the bed and tucked them under the quilt, then looked into her sister's eyes and asked, "Suzune, let me ask you, do you still think Seiya is the same as the one you knew before?"
...
Hearing her words, the girl's cherry lips trembled. She subconsciously wanted to retort that of course he was the same. But at this moment, having just met Hasegawa Saori, knowing he had promised her marriage, and was also dating that vixen...
The Seiya she remembered had always been very devoted; he would never do such a thing. Hōjō Suzune truly wanted to know what had happened to him, how he could have changed so much in the blink of an eye, making him somewhat unfamiliar even to her.
Seeing her silence, Hōjō Shione smiled contentedly and said, "See? Now you can't figure out what he's thinking either, can you?"
"As if you understand him..." Hōjō Suzune mumbled.
Hōjō Shione heard her clearly but didn't retort. Instead, a relieved smile appeared on her face as she said, "I don't understand either, but I think someone must know his current situation better than you or I do."
Hōjō Suzune frowned. Although she had just implicitly admitted that she didn't quite understand the current Seiya, such words could only be said by herself. Even hearing her sister say them, she still felt a bit unconvinced and directly asked, "Who understands Seiya better? Is it that Hasegawa Saori? Don't be ridiculous. If she really understood Seiya, he wouldn't have broken up with her then."
As her voice fell, she kicked the foot of the bed somewhat defiantly, continuing to mumble, "Perhaps that savage forced Seiya with violence to marry her, or she's like you, playing the victim to get Seiya's sympathy..."
Hearing her say that, Hōjō Shione couldn't help but narrow her eyes. She had always known her sister was quite intelligent, with both emotional and intellectual intelligence. Although she had caused a big fuss at school over the unfair allocation of places in the wind ensemble competition, that was just because she was unwilling to conform to the atmosphere.
Even when they were in high school together, she didn't seem to study hard, yet she consistently ranked at the top in every exam, capable of striving for first place with just a little effort.
Although her personality could be described as somewhat unpleasant, she knew that many people at school liked her. Perhaps God compensated for her lack of height and figure by enhancing her emotional and intellectual intelligence. However, she hadn't expected Suzune to so directly guess the reason Hasegawa Saori could stay by Seiya's side.
"What are you looking at? I'm not a mung bean; why are you staring at me?" Hōjō Suzune saw her sister staring at her with a solemn expression again, immediately knowing she was probably up to something, and said directly, "Who understands Seiya now? If not that savage, are you talking about that gold-digging vixen?"
Gold-digging vixen?
Hearing her sister's nickname, Hōjō Shione blinked, then felt it was indeed appropriate and couldn't help but let out a giggle. Then she said, "That's right, her. She and Seiya didn't have any feelings before, but she can continue to date him even after Seiya promised Hasegawa Saori. I think she definitely understands Seiya better than I do, after all, I couldn't even make him change his mind..."
As she spoke, Hōjō Shione lowered her gaze, a bitter smile playing on her lips.
Seeing her like this, Hōjō Suzune felt no pity at all. She was the same herself, and truly had no mood to sympathize with Shione, urging, "And then? You want me to ask her? Do you think she'll tell me?"
"Well, that depends on your ability, Suzune. You're best at getting information, and she's not very smart, with a straightforward personality much like yours. If you want to see her but can't bring yourself to ask, I'll help you arrange it..."
Hearing this, Hōjō Suzune stopped speaking, seemingly acquiescing. However, she lowered her eyes, feeling something was amiss in her heart. She lifted her face, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and looked at Shione with a puzzled expression: "Are you that kind?"
"..."
Meanwhile, Shiratori Seiya drove Saori home, carrying the oden and skewers he bought on the way upstairs. Perhaps because of the cold medicine, he was particularly sleepy now. He felt that even if he went home, he might not be able to cook for Saori, so he decided to buy dinner at a shop he passed.
At first, when he suggested this, Hasegawa Saori looked unwilling, pouting and staring at her fingers, looking quite sulky. Shiratori Seiya thought she was complaining that he wasn't cooking for her. However, upon closer inquiry, he learned that she felt useless because Seiya was sick, and she could only buy dinner, not fulfilling her duty as a fiancée. She even volunteered to cook for him.
Shiratori Seiya refused without thinking. He had never seen Saori's cooking skills, nor had he heard her mention practicing. He estimated she would at least confuse sugar and salt. If she made some kind of dark cuisine, after he ate it, let alone whether his cold would get better, it would be good if he didn't end up in the hospital.
...
After returning home and finishing dinner, Saori's bottom seemed glued to the sofa. No matter how Shiratori Seiya hinted, she didn't move. Finally, he just told her to go home. Saori then turned to look at him, said 'Oh,' and then rattled off a string of excuses, like 'I can't leave sick Seiya alone at home,' and 'taking care of a sick husband is a wife's duty.' She even went as far as to say, 'Saori can't cook, but if I can't even protect Seiya, then there's no meaning in my existence.'
Shiratori Seiya looked at the pleading expression in her eyes, knowing that if he didn't let her fulfill her wifely duties today, she probably wouldn't go home. After eating and brushing his teeth, Shiratori Seiya felt too tired today to take a bath. However, as soon as he got into bed, Saori brought a basin of foot-washing water. She genuinely knelt on the floor like a little wife and meticulously washed his feet.
Hasegawa Saori's hair was unbound, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders onto her plump buttocks. She washed his feet very carefully, not even missing the spaces between his toes. Shiratori Seiya noticed her sparkling, clear eyes under the light, and felt that Saori was truly as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
The darker side of his mind couldn't help but generate the desire to thoroughly defile her, to see Saori flushed and disheveled on the bed, to see her utterly weak and disheveled, at his mercy... He wanted to see her kneeling before him, her delicate, jade-like back exposed, constantly begging him...
Scene after scene flashed through his mind until Saori called his name. Shiratori Seiya snapped back to reality, surprised by the sudden desires he had felt. It seemed ever since that nocturnal emission, he had been acting more and more strangely. The fever from his cold seemed to amplify every thought, every impulse, making them harder to control.