episode_0015

*

“Ugh, ugh….”

The girl lifted her head from the steering wheel, rubbing her drowsy eyes.

Had she fallen asleep while waiting? Her silver eyes, clouded with daydreams, returned to their usual ash-gray hue. They briefly scanned the car, searching for someone, only to crumple in disappointment soon after.

“…As expected, they didn’t come.”

Muttering to herself, the girl closed her eyes once more.

Leaning back against the seat, she let out a deep sigh. Her long ash-gray hair, cascading to the floor, floated ever so slightly in the air with each exhale before settling back down.

“…They didn’t even answer the phone. Sigh… It’s depressing, really.”

Despite rushing over as soon as she received the call, nothing had changed in the end.

Alone again today. Watching the happy couple from a distance, she knew she would spend another lonely night. Just the thought of it made her chest tighten and her face contort in anguish.

Come to think of it, it was always like this.

She had already anticipated this outcome. In fact, the likelihood of her niece not coming out of Dream Tree Hall with Ryujin was much higher. Anyone who knew them even a little would have thought the same.

It was already late.

Turning the car around to head home and prepare for work the next day seemed like the sensible choice. Despite her young age, she was a responsible professional. She knew what needed to be done, the positions she had to fulfill. Yet, the girl remained motionless, suppressing her plea for relief and enduring the pain.

“Hey, Professor Park? What happened to the kids?”

“……”

“Ugh… No, speak. Don’t use the speakerphone. It’s my car, after all.”

“Shut up. Be quiet.”

At such a moment, the man’s voice interjected, still managing to irritate the girl. Her eyes, half-closed, widened in anger. Unfortunately, the other party couldn’t see her reaction.

“I know I shouldn’t say anything, but seeing an unlicensed minor driving recklessly every time worries me. It’s not about the repair costs of the car you wrecked. Really.”

“I told you to be quiet. My niece hasn’t shown up yet, so I’m waiting. Mind your own business.”

“It seems like a lost cause by now… So, how are you going to explain this at school?”

“Why should I care about school matters?”

“Wait, hold on, what’s that supposed to mean…”

“Tsk.”

The girl pressed the end call button, cutting off the conversation.

She already disliked the person. Mixing words only heightened her annoyance. Furthermore, she couldn’t stand hearing things she didn’t understand.

The car fell silent once again.

Every corridor of Dream Tree Hall and the cars parked around it were brightly lit as if it were daytime, yet it was all for naught. If no one needed the light, it was as good as if nothing had been turned on in the first place.

“I’m sure… earlier, she was wearing the bunny girl outfit….”

The intelligent girl could easily visualize that scene again.

Her niece appeared unchanged, as usual. Despite being a year older, there was still a strangely immature aura about her. Clad in a large hoodie to conceal her burned body, she looked just as pitiful as ever. The mere thought of all the misfortunes and suffering she had endured brought tears to the girl’s eyes.

The issue lay with Ryu Jin, who sat beside her.

What was that bunny girl all about? Just thinking about it made my teeth chatter. Already a weirdo with a strangely developed body, the guy had wrapped himself in a bright red bunny girl outfit, revealing his chest and buttocks, and was hugging himself in his beloved nephew’s arms as if he owned the place, pretending not to notice while trembling with excitement.

Thanks to him, the girl couldn’t bring herself to utter a single word of comfort she had prepared while thinking of her nephew. Instead, she just furiously smacked her head as usual. Inside, she screamed silently in self-disgust. It was almost as if she turned around to leave because of that feeling.

“Does he… like that kind of thing…?”

“Do you need anything?”

“Huh? Uh… That bunny girl from earlier. Give me one. In a different color. Especially not red.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Before she knew it, the girl was completely lost in pointless fantasies, forgetting her original purpose.

In her imagination, she was sitting alone in a large hall rather than a cramped foreign car. A faceless attendant smiled warmly and presented the ordered clothes.

“Hmm, ugh. Seriously… Is this clothing? I’d rather be naked and devoured. It would be much more decent.”

“Aren’t women’s clothes meant for that purpose anyway?”

“Don’t treat people like mating animals. Ugh… Well… But… If our nephew likes it, well, there’s nothing she can’t wear.”

“You’ve thought well~.” “Here are some pretty rabbit ears.” “Cute tail.” “Should the chest be more exposed?” “It might be nice to reveal the hips like the back too, right?”

“Why are they talking so much…?”

While glancing at the giggling attendants, the girl couldn’t help but smile, trying on the clothes laid out before her diligently. Hoping to be seen as a woman even a little, she also raised her carefully groomed hair to help with the tight leotard.

“Wow, it looks really pretty!”

“I-Is that so? Um… But, compared to Ryujin… the chest is… small.”

“There’s nothing you can do about the height difference. Actually, if you had breasts that size on your current physique, you’d look like a total monster, wouldn’t you? Right?” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Exactly.” “Yeah.” “That’s right.” “Whether she’ll like it or not is certain.” “Don’t just stand there.” “Show a bit more.” “It’s not difficult.” “Just lift it slightly with your fingers, show a little more like that time.” “A lot.” “Definitely.” “To the point of breaking bones.” “To the point of bursting organs.” “To the point of crushing the uterus.” “To the point of bending arms.” “To the point of twisting legs.” “To the point of blood-soaked white.” “Love.” “Love.” Love, love, love, will I be able to receive love?

“Ehe, ehehe…”

The girl felt no trace of the gloomy sense of defeat she had just experienced.

Instead, she was overflowing with energy. She listened only to the voices praising herself and laughed softly. Filling her mind with beautiful, happy, joyful, and XX-filled memories, she moved her body as if dancing according to their instructions.

“Come on, let’s go. Oppa is waiting, right?”

“It’s not oppa, it’s nephew! And that clueless, oblivious idiot of a nephew who doesn’t know a thing about my feelings!”

“So, you dressed up like this? Don’t be embarrassed. Just be like Ryu Jin. Shout out that you love without any hesitation. Ask to be held. It’s begging for you to fill the void inside me by tearing me apart and filling it with you!”

“Right!”

“Hooray!”

“Fighting!”

“I can do it! I can do it!”

“If you don’t, you’ll die!”

“You’ll hang alone on the chandelier and fall!”

“That must really hurt, right?”

“The pain is enough when it’s the first time!”

“Got it, got it! I understand enough now, so stop yelling! If I do it too, I’m a woman who can do it… This much is nothing─.”

Clink.

With high heels cautiously touching the ground, the sound of heel-less bare feet meeting stones echoed in the quietness of the deserted Dream Tree Hall. Distorted and cracked tiles twisted the silence of the school.

“-I, can do……”

Her vision blurred.

Her cheeks trembled. She couldn’t adapt to the suddenly changed background. Cold sweat, silver irises half-covered by straight-cut bangs, nervously shifted in the unfamiliar setting.

“W-where… am, I…?”

One, two. The girl’s slender fingers touched her own body.

Not the smooth leotard but the rough texture of white fabric gripped her so accurately that it sent shivers down her spine. The modest white shirt covering her chest and thighs entirely felt blandly urgent.

No more voices could be heard.

Only the touch of the unfamiliar seat of a narrow foreign car against her body. It was natural. From the beginning, she had just stayed still in that spot. Reality was just a little more time passing by.

“W-where…? Where am I? My, my bunny girl outfit…? Without it, I… can’t go see my nephew…? Then, Ryu Ji will take everything from me again… If that happens, I… I… Oh, no, no, no…!?”

Her body bent involuntarily.

She desperately grabbed the half-open car door, but that was her limit. Soon, the remnants falling by her feet and the burning pain in her throat followed.

“Cough, cough… Ugh…!”

But there was no one beside her.

The school where the girl awaited her family remained peaceful today, just as peaceful as ever. No one lost their life or got hurt—today, like yesterday, would pass through the night toward tomorrow without incident.