Chapter 4 - Inexperienced, Part 2

Yuuto's Terms of Service:

1. For 10,000 yen! I will make sure your relationship is saved according to your needs!

-----------------------------------------------

As Riko and Shun strolled toward Riko's home, an awkward silence enveloped them. Both seemed willing to speak, yet neither found the courage to break the quiet. Sensing the night might end without a word, Riko sighed and was about to speak when Shun preempted her.

"Sorry."

"...What now…? Do you have something else to apologize for?" Riko asked, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"Yeah."

"About the past…? Your behavior over the past couple of months? I'm pretty sure you already covered all that," she said, her eyes rolling slightly.

"Sorry for ruining your evening. You came out to have some fun, but you ended up going home early because of my... meltdown."

Riko chuckled, looking at him with a hint of surprise. "Does that mean you've calmed down a bit?"

"Who's calm now? I'm still shaking all over… It all still feels like a fever dream, really. I said some embarrassing stuff, you know?" Shun confessed, crossing his arms and shivering despite the lack of cold.

"Although… I do feel somewhat better, I guess. I'm just sorry it was at your expense."

Riko bit her lip, a mix of frustration and amusement on her face. "Heavens, STOP apologizing all the time. It's unattractive, regardless of what you've done, at least to me. Besides, thanks to you - this night was anything but boring. I especially liked that foreigner; he was so goofy. Oddly familiar… How did you end up paying him though?"

Shun took a deep breath, gazing up at the sky as he contemplated how to explain their bizarre connection. "He kind of convinced me into it, I guess. While I was wrestling with myself about whether to go into the mixer or not, I spilled my troubles to him, and he said he had a plan to make things right with you. So, I just kind of jumped on the opportunity. He was very weird and disorienting. I seriously thought my life was over the moment he started his so-called plan, and that I'd put myself in big trouble. But in hindsight, it's almost as if… He shouldn't have been there."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Riko's curiosity piqued as she raised an eyebrow.

"Ehhh, like… He didn't fit. It feels like the universe should have gone in a certain direction, but he kind of… Interfered? I guess?"

"OOooookaaaayy… Weird, but I'll take it," Riko responded, her voice laced with a mix of amusement and acceptance.

"Yeah. Ignore that last statement; my brain was hacked…" Shun said, chuckling awkwardly.

"Even in my so-called moment of bravery, I needed help from a stranger."

"Well, you still chose to take that risk… Doesn't that mean anything?" Riko pointed out.

Shun smirked lightly as he looked at her, and Riko chuckled in response. They both fell silent again as they continued walking, each lost in their thoughts about the night's strange yet revealing events.

As Riko and Shun stood outside her house under the starry night sky, the neighborhood lights casting a warm glow, Riko posed a question. "Well then, according to what you said… We aren't a couple?"

"...Yeah," Shun replied somberly.

"Then… I guess it means you could finally ask me out. See if I'll agree," Riko suggested, a playful tone in her voice.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Shun asked without hesitation, his expression earnest.

Riko smiled teasingly and blushed, giggling as she replied, "No." She then turned away with a smile and playfully walked into her house.

Shun chuckled. "Well, I guess that's that…?" he said as he walked away toward his own home.

Yuuto also headed home after wrapping things up at the mixer, sleeping soundly until the morning light. The sun felt unusually warm, and the morning seemed more inviting than usual—it was, after all, the last day before the weekend.

Yuuto woke up early to wash his wig and take a shower, removing the previous day's stench and stains. He even used the washing machine, usually operated by his mother, washing all the clothes in the house—perhaps as a surprise for his mother, who typically handled laundry alone.

This occasional diligence perhaps marked a single redeemable quality he possessed.

On his way to school, Yuuto mumbled to himself, "Oh, finally opening up, aren't we?" He often spoke to no one, his eccentricities well-known.

"That's why we can't have nice things… I mean, except me, of course," he proclaimed to the empty air with a sigh.

Arriving at school, Yuuto took his seat. Shun and Riko were both absent initially.

It was only during the lunch break that Shun arrived, walking into the classroom with a bright, confident demeanor, chest puffed out and smiling at everyone. He even captured some of the girls' attention, appearing like an entirely different person from just a day ago.

Yuuto watched, a mocking smirk forming on his face. As Shun took his seat, Yuuto couldn't resist commenting, "You seem so happy. Did you jerk off to those two guys drilling your girlfriend, cuck?"

"Hey." But Shun wasn't about to take it quietly anymore.

He stopped himself from taking a seat and walked right in front of Yuuto, who sat casually looking at him.

"I'd appreciate it if you could just fuck off."

"Oh my? I was just concerned. Concerned you'd never get the chance to do that—"

"You seem to be very interested in what's happening with me lately, considering you were listening to every conversation I've had in class with Riko and these two these past few months, without walking away. Are you obsessed with my life or something? I wouldn't be surprised if you stalked me, too."

Yes, yes, and yes.

As Shun made those claims, students from around the classroom who chose to stay in class during break began whispering amongst themselves, nodding in agreement.

"Well don't talk right next to me, it's your problem. I just happened to hear it, I won't move from my seat for anyone. Besides...'Fraid I have no more drama to follow, considering yesterday they both rammed her relentlessly. Did she break up with you yet?" Yuuto uttered casually, his eyes wide with feigned innocence.

"You..!!"

"Oh, wait! She didn't because she doesn't want to hurt your sorry ass with a break-up, so she's gonna wait until they destroy her—"

Shun slammed his hands on Yuuto's table powerfully and looked him deep in the eyes, startling the entire class with the force of his action while Yuuto remained unmoved, casually meeting his gaze.

"You talk about her like that, one more time… I'll beat the living shit out of you," Shun said quietly, his voice thick with warning.

Yuuto smirked. "Grew some balls, haven't we?"

"It's none of your business. Leave me and her alone. I warn you." Shun's voice was stern as he turned around and sat in his chair in front of Yuuto.

Yuuto couldn't resist teasing, his shameless pride swelling. "Seriously now. Something good must've happened since yesterday. You seem uncharacteristically high-spirited," he commented with a tiny smirk.

"What is it to you?" Shun retorted, irritation clear in his voice.

"A drama show unfolded before my eyes for a while. The least you could do is share some details. I might want to use some of it as fapping material for my website," Yuuto uttered shamelessly, disrespecting the actual owner of the website.

"You won't be able to use anything. Riko and I made up, and I managed to stop them," Shun stated firmly.

"Lies. YOU, stopped them all by yourself? You're not fooling anybody," Yuuto replied, raising an eyebrow triumphantly.

"You followed me? How would you know?" Shun challenged.

"I have a brain that works properly. I've been here for the past couple of months. It was really entertaining, witnessing all this pathetic drama unfold in front of me. Matter of fact, everyone here probably feels the same," Yuuto said, as some people who overheard slightly nodded in agreement.

"There is absolutely no way someone like you gained courage out of nowhere and became a big guy instantly. Real life isn't that convenient," he claimed while casually gesturing at Shun.

"You know nothing. She was about to be stolen from me, but I took her back! I SAVED her," Shun asserted, his voice filled with a desperate conviction.

Yuuto looked at him solemnly, his thoughts racing. 'Does he think he's some kind of Netorare hero? Look at this guy, trying so hard to justify his existence in this miserable world… He's still the same wimp, just now holding a paper shield. He puts up this front whenever someone strikes his weak spot…'

'I guess he's human after all. He didn't learn everything I wanted him to from that experience. People learn best from pain… Should I have let those guys have their way with her in front of him just so he could understand?' Yuuto frowned slightly behind his glasses.

'...No. That is not the way I chose.'

"Well, it doesn't really matter who helped you back then."

"NOBODY DID!! I DID EVERYTHING! I TOOK A RISK, AND SAVED HER ALL BY MYSELF! ONLY I COULD SAVE HER!" Shun exclaimed, his voice just loud enough for Yuuto to hear but not loud enough for others.

Yuuto pondered silently, 'He was so lucid that night. What happened for him to be like this? Oh…'

'He's still… Afraid, probably. Since there wasn't really pain to learn from, he didn't absorb the lesson. He probably thinks he has to keep up this tough guy facade from now on, to protect himself and the people he cares about.'

Yuuto sighed, imparting a bit of unsolicited wisdom. "Let me tell you a secret, most depressed people don't have the strength to realize something important on their own."

Shun looked puzzled. "?"

"Remember how I have a doujin website that sells doujins for 500 yen each? They even get delivered to you in paperback if you order—" Yuuto started to explain.

"I don't want to hear your shitty website advertisement…" Shun interrupted, clearly annoyed.

"Just hear me out… A lot of those doujins feature Netorare themes. If you don't know what it is, it's basically cuckoldry—mostly about how a girl gets swayed by someone who's good in bed rather than sticking with her long-loving partner," Yuuto continued.

Shun's face contorted in anger as he clenched his fists.

"And you're telling me this… why? Let me guess, I'm the guy who gets cucked, and Riko's the one who gets swayed? That it represents relationships in real life or something? That sex is all that matters—" Shun speculated bitterly.

"Listen all the way…" Yuuto urged.

Shun paused, giving him a questioning look. "?"

Yuuto elaborated, "Sex matters, sure. And if that happens to a girl in real life, she might get swayed… But wouldn't you, if a cute, sexually experienced girl made blunt moves on you and was actually good at said moves?"

"That's..! I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH MYSELF IF I WENT ON WITH IT!" Shun exclaimed, his voice laced with distress.

"Precisely. You might feel good momentarily. If that cuckold-maker ever goes through with it while she's in a relationship, whether with you or someone else, she might also feel good temporarily. But think about it for a second, what's next for them? For those who get swayed? Do you really think she would live a happy life with someone who sees emotional-based relationships as nothing more than a hindrance to their next orgasm? Do you really think she, or anyone else that's sane, would want to be with a person like that, joyful for the rest of their life, just because the person is good at sex?"

"...!!! But… But… Why'd she… Or would anyone else go with it, to begin with!?" Shun asked, grappling with the unsettling concept.

Yuuto delved deeper into the harsh realities of manipulation. "There's a reason players are called players. They play the game of seduction like a sport they've trained for, using real people as their training dummies. They exploit your vulnerabilities, whether through coercion or persuasion, targeting your body and mind's weak points due to their experience. Eventually, your body reaches a limit and breaks, quite literally. You enter a trance-like state, similar to the heavy eyelids before sleep, but it's more intense, and you're forced to enjoy it. This happens because humans are wired to mate—it's a powerful survival instinct. So yes, in one way or another, Netorare is very real, and anyone can be swayed if their defenses are down. Anyone, that is, except me."

Shun frowned, looking down in defeat. "Then… What's the use in trying… If all it takes is some jerk with experience to break it all?"

"Then be a jerk with even more experience," Yuuto replied.

"Seriously now…"

Yuuto chuckled. "What do you want me to say? Sex is important. It's why there are dozens of best-selling books on the subject. If you're surrounded by people targeting your girlfriend, be better—not just in bed, but overall. There's even a saying: 'If you can't score, go to a whore.' You know, to get some experience." Yuuto smirked, having just made up the saying.

He sighed. "The act itself will feel like heaven… But mark my words, the repercussions may not emerge the next day, or even a month later, but they will come. When they reflect on what they did or what was done to them, the guilt, the remorse, the sadness, and the self-hatred from enjoying the physical company of someone other than the one they truly love will hit hard. They'll spiral into despair and depression, becoming a shell of who they were because of all the self-loathing. Eventually, these people often end up choosing other flawed partners if they leave their first exploiter, not because of the sex, but because they believe they don't deserve better. It takes a strong person to forgive themselves for betraying their innermost feelings for fleeting pleasure."

Yuuto made his point with a touch of cynicism. "Of course, any of this only matters when your partner actually cares about you and loves you truly. I mean, look at Gonny Djep's ex-wife."

Shun looked pensive. "... It sounds… like the cheaters or those who get swayed have it a lot worse than those who get cheated on."

"Mostly, yeah. Although it may never seem that way at a glance. Or to the side getting netorare'd," Yuuto responded, offering a different perspective.

Shun fell silent, absorbing the information.

Yuuto continued, "... And the fact that cuckold-maker was with you for a year—means that you did something right. You did some type of stuff people write books about… Focus on that while you look for your courage."

"That way... you won't feel so threatened by everyone and be forced to put up unnecessary fronts to defend yourself or the people you love."

Shun's eyes widened in realization. "Damn, do selling doujins make you a genius or something?"

"I just know that I can think, unlike you, retard," Yuuto quipped.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.... Okay," Shun sighed, a laugh escaping him despite the situation.

"Say, uh…" Shun began again.

"...?" Yuuto looked at him curiously.

"You always sit alone during breaks and eat by yourself," Shun observed.

"What of it? Are you mocking me, perhaps?" Yuuto's tone was defensive.

"Look… I just want to—" Shun tried to continue.

"Let me guess. You want to introduce me to an online class about socializing, such a lame attempt, I guess that's to be expected from—" Yuuto interrupted, ready to dismiss whatever Shun was suggesting.

"For the love of..! Let's just eat lunch at the same time!" Shun blurted out, cutting through the tension and offering an olive branch.

Yuuto sighed, "I cannot. I won't eat at the same pace as you. I have my own pace of eating and I can't bear to just exert my efforts to match it to somebody else, even if requested from a charity case."

"For… Are you—... I'm going to open my lunch and eat, whenever you eat," Shun responded determinedly.

"Not gonna lie, that's kind of suspicious, cuck. I completely understand why you'd want to stalk the likes of me. Kind of surprised nobody's done it sooner. But I'd ask you to stop before you commit the crime. Since you definitely cannot do the time," Yuuto shot back.

Shun's thoughts wandered to a strange comparison. 'This weirdo motherfucker reminds me of that asylum escapist from Zimbabwe, who I'm pretty sure is Japanese.' His blood boiled with the memory, but he also recognized a strange calmness that followed their interactions. 'Well… They're both similar in that… I feel calmer somehow after talking to them. And if it's about terms like being an outcast or a weirdo… Am I any better?' He reflected on his own behavior and the bold claims he made in front of Yuuto.

"Sakurai, can I eat lunch together with you?" Shun asked bluntly and calmly, cutting through the usual classroom noise with a question so straightforward that not even Yuuto could misunderstand.

For once, Yuuto looked at someone, at a loss for words, his usual blank expression wavering as the sun rays reflected off his fake glasses. This time, however, the sun wasn't blinding; he could see clearly.

".... Oh. Uh… I… uh… Uhm… Well… I… don't exactly have the authority to prevent you from sitting at your desk and eating when I do, I suppose."

"...." Shun waited for any further objection.

"..." Yuuto remained silent.

"... Alright then. Don't mind if I do," Shun said casually as he quietly turned his desk to face Yuuto's, calmly unpacking his bento onto the desk, sitting down, and starting to eat after thanking for his meal.

Yuuto began to do the same, starting to eat shortly after without thanking for his meal, his expression unchanged.

"So.. Do you make a lot of money selling those doujins?" Shun inquired casually.

"Yes. A lot. Probably more than you'll make in a lifetime of your worthless life," Yuuto replied casually, fully aware that all the money made goes to the creator of the doujins anyway.

"Ugh.. Harsh, but wow. And is it true that—...."

The lunch break stretched on, becoming the longest one Yuuto had ever experienced. Shun engaged him in conversation as one might with any other human—asking questions, responding, and making innocuous comments about his favorite manga and anime. Yuuto, on the other hand, responded only with a barrage of cynical and negative remarks. Yet, Shun persisted in the conversation, seemingly unbothered by Yuuto's harsh demeanor, which Yuuto found peculiar given how fiercely Shun had defended his pride just moments before.

Yuuto hadn't considered that his own words might have struck a deeper chord in Shun than any bravado rooted in fear could have.

"You know… She could be getting drilled right now, despite everything you did for her," Yuuto remarked, testing Shun's reaction.

"...Are you trying to make people hate you or something?" Shun replied, his smile awkward yet maintaining a calm demeanor, piquing the curious scoundrel's interest in his response.

"I know. But it doesn't matter anymore… No, more like it shouldn't… I still care about her, and it bothers me a lot that she isn't with me, which makes me very sad. But what she does and who she's going to be with from now on is up to her. I need to accept that what I did that night wasn't to get her back to me. It was to make it right with her… Of course, I'm going to try and be her friend... But if it doesn't work out, I need to accept it and grow up instead of embarrassing myself again," Shun explained, his grip tightening on the chopsticks.

"I have to if I want to move on from this," he added, a note of resolve in his voice.

Yuuto's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.

'...Can some humans learn without excruciating pain after all, then?' he pondered silently.

"I see," Yuuto said, allowing a slight smirk to cross his face.

'Then those 2,500 yen weren't tossed into the trash after all,' he mused, acknowledging Shun's growth.

As Yuuto lay on his bed at home, his father's recent question echoed in his mind: "Have you made any friends in school?"

"Friends… Huh?" Yuuto pondered, perplexed. "Now, why would that guy sit and eat with me, despite my clear disdain and relentless insults? It can't be something unrelated to pleasure, right?"

The concept of "friendship," "camaraderie," and "kinship" flitted through his mind as he considered the unusual behavior. Yuuto clapped his hands twice, arriving at a sudden conclusion. "Alright, I have my answer," he declared to the empty room. "It's because he's a masochist! So obvious… Why didn't I think of it sooner? So dumb…"

Indeed, the words had traversed his mind, crossing safely from one ear to the other without any impediment.

TO BE CONTINUED!! ANTI-NETORARE MAN'S STORY IS JUST BEGINNING!

AUTHOR HERE!!!! :D

I thought about Yuuto's story for years in my head. I thought it was too cringy or too much to be made public. It was a fanart about NTR I've recently seen that triggered the living hell out of me so much that I just had to publish it. I don't regret it one bit! Majority of how I feel is thanks to you, readers!