"Start fresh. That's the only thing you can do now. And remember..."
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE!
...
What was that? Where am I?
I noticed Hina unconscious on the bed. From the looks of it, I think we were at a LOVE HOTEL! I still have no clue whatsoever, about why I'm here, but for some reason, I don't feel uneasy or guilty anymore.
I dressed up her tidily and waited till she started regaining her senses. In the meanwhile, I texted a certain someone.
'You have baggage at HOTEL...'
I closed my flip phone and pulled out a drawer in our room. From the AVs I've watched, there's always a pack of it somewhere here...Ah, there it is. I took out the packet and light it up...
Huff! What a pain!
He sure is running late.
A soft voice faintly mumbled.
"I didn't know you smoke."
Hina was slowly regaining her consciousness.
"Well, clearly they're a lot of things you don't know about me."
"Isn't this the part where you're supposed to ask me how am I feeling?"
"Is that what an assailant is supposed to ask his victim about?"
"I've clearly been under the wrong impression about you."
"You got that right."
"Not only from the beginning but even after what happened when you were gone."
"From when I was gone?"
"There was a guy who was watching us all this while. I noticed him a few times during our date. I first walked it off thinking that it was just a strange coincidence and that he wouldn't be interested in a delinquent's girl. But when you weren't there, he showed up. He wanted to talk to me about you since I was desperate to find you. And in that moment of weakness, I took his bait, and before I knew, he drugged me, and violated me, and made me his woman. At first, I didn't know what was going on, but slowly, as I was building some resistance to the drug, I pretended that I was still under its spell. And one day, he suddenly showed up along with my half-brother. And as my brother sat down, he started violating me in front of him. I was supposed to cry out and ask him to help me. But, I was silent, taking it in, but my face expressed that it was unpleasant. I wanted him to save me. 'Stop it.' That's what I wanted to hear, but guess what?"
"..."
Knowing the suffering she's been put through, I didn't need her to elaborate the details any further. But, I wanted to play along and see where it goes to. You can never be too confident.
"He was even worse than the guy that violated me. 'That's not right. You're supposed to do it that way.' He was instructing his mate to break down his, own half-sister. Granted we never spoke to each other, and yet. This is what I had got. And after that, when I was numb, and out of energy, I was put on the bed. I thought he'd violate me too. But he didn't. In fact, he had other plans."
"So, this is my half-sister? Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Oh well. What can we do? It's the mistake of that pathetic father of ours. Though, I'm surprised. That kid and your mother have saved you from my clutches so many times. I wondered how much time and energy I had to expend to silence you for good. But then I thought, you were the problem. Not your existence. If you were to be ruined, then there wouldn't be an issue. And so, here we are. I thought you'd be different. But at the end of the day, you are nothing but a whore who craves drugs."
I took on the slurs he had to throw up on me while being so weak, and in an exposed state, where I had no clothing on me. I felt his every swears to prickle my skin. It was like I was being pierced by sharp objects. I was a defenseless girl. And upon more, a girl who was tamed and deemed to be a pet. I was taking it all in since there was nothing I could do. But after that...
"That being said, I still have use for you. You love that boy, right? What was his name again?... Uhm...Ah! Naofumi. Forget about him, you can never get him, for he's already taken by another woman. And that woman so happens to be my girlfriend, who is deemed to be my future fiance and later my better half. But I'm a stingy guy. I want to be the only one for my woman. I want to be her everything. And I believe that you'll help me with this."
A woman who's mine, and I'm hers?
He approached close to me and looked me in the eye, before pulling switching on the remote. There was a recording of you and my mom in her office. Of you encroaching her space, and later the both of you kissing, on a loop. It should have broken my heart, and it did. But something felt off. I wasn't completely under their spell. And he was very perceptive of that. So...
"Well, considering that he was able to get to your mom, I'm pretty sure me, with the DNA of that stupid father, can get to her, and tame her.
Tears rolled down my eyes. He took that as a response.
"But you wouldn't like that, would you? My mother wants to get rid of all 3 of you. But I'll spare the both of you. That's why help me end him..."
And here we are...I'm surprised you saw through me in an instance. I was sure that you wouldn't have noticed me one bit.
I slowly climbed on the bed and crawled towards her. She closed her eyes and pulled herself together. That alone was enough to reflect upon the abuse she was inflicted upon. I slowly lifted her upper body, and embraced her, while placing an arm on her head.
"You've done well. I'm sorry, for not being there with you."
She cried out a lot. She let out all her pent-up feelings. She didn't want me to leave her. But that was too late. As I had come to the realization that we were set up from the very beginning. This was supposed to be the fitting end for me. But the fact that there's someone who's in danger haunted me. And because of that, I had to start fresh.
I informed Kyouko-san about this, while Hina was fast asleep.
I confirmed that the person I had called upon had come to pick her up.
What followed was something tragic, and it's safe to say that I was the center of it all. And my hard work paid off. There was no going back now. As everything was set in stone.
FEW DAYS AFTER THE HOTEL INCIDENT...
As I was entering the school, as a different person now. I was near the shoe rack, in a packed crowd, eyes fixated on me, as usual, since the past few days. They were wary of me. I heard some heavy footsteps from the entrance.
The hallway was quiet. It was time...
A loud voice filled up the quiet hallway.
"NAOFUMI KATSUKI, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR THE ASSAULT OF YOUR FELLOW CLASSMATE, DRUGS, AND FOR THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF RYOUSUKE KAGANAKI!"
THAT'S IT! THE FINAL NAIL TO THE COFFIN! WITH THIS, HINA SHALL BE ALIVE, AND LIVE A LONG LIFE!
...
2029!
THUNDERSTORMS!
A LONG LIFE! THAT'S WHAT WAS DESTINED FOR YOU, WASN'T IT? THEN WHY? TELL ME HINA, WHY ARE WE HERE?
WHY WAS I THE ONE THAT ENDED YOU?
HINA SATORI [1996-2028]