[It surely is an uncomfortable read]
Many days had passed, and Kitty found herself caught in a relentless whirlwind of emotions-love, resentment, resignation. Day after day, night after night, she embraced her abuser, Mori. Sometimes it was out of love. Other times, it felt forced. Her consent had been stripped away, leaving her to accept everything with arms wide open.
She didn't completely like it. But she didn't completely hate it. She didn't completely love it, either.
Complaining to Mori about her predicament felt like throwing a drop of water into the Pacific Ocean. Useless.
This thought lingered as she sat in the gazebo one late afternoon. The maid brought tea and her usual plate of chocolate cookies, setting them neatly on the table in front of her. Kitty wasn't alone; Dazai and Chuuya were already there, casually sipping their drinks.
Kitty sat across from Chuuya, her gaze naturally falling on Dazai, who sat opposite her. He smirked, but she caught the subtle falter in his expression when she entered. Chuuya, too, hesitated before offering her a nod.
"Oh ho ho, who do we have here? Our Kitty throwing a little kitty party?" Dazai said, his tone mockingly playful. "Or is it her pity party?"
Kitty raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "And who do we have here? A suicidal maniac," she retorted, "and his apprentice."
"I'm not his apprentice," Chuuya shot back, his voice laced with irritation. "In fact, he's a third-rate martial artist at best."
Kitty shifted her attention to Chuuya, studying him intently. The intensity of her gaze made him falter, a faint blush creeping across his cheeks like that of a flustered teenager.
Dazai snorted. "So," he said, his voice dripping with mock curiosity, "are you carrying Mori's child yet?"
Kitty calmly sipped her tea. "Why does it matter to you?" she asked, her tone even but her eyes sharp.
"That man would be so proud of himself," Dazai continued, laughing. "His old swimmers still working-what an accomplishment."
The comment made her stomach twist. Dazai's humor, while expected, still unsettled her. He was a clown to most, but to Kitty, he was cruel-a man who wielded words like weapons, each one cutting deeper than the last. She didn't understand his resentment completely, but it felt personal, as though he hated her at her core.
"I know you loved being fed, dressed in expensive clothes from head to toe. You can deny it all you want, but I see through you. You liked it, didn't you? Being Mori's favorite little prize, pampered and paraded around. Tell me, how does it feel, knowing your worth is defined by him?"
"Got a beautiful girl for your double suicide, or is that still on hold?" Kitty shot back, a small smirk playing at her lips.
Dazai opened his mouth to respond, but Chuuya cut in first. "That man got one," he said, shrugging. "But the woman died, and he survived. Damn, I feel sorry for her."
The absurdity of the conversation struck Kitty as both funny and traumatizing. She let out a soft, humorless laugh as Chuuya continued.
"This guy," Chuuya said, gesturing toward Dazai, "is a pain in the ass. Did you know he once got arrested for indecent exposure?
Showed his weenie to a group of high school girls." He picked up one of Kitty's cookies without asking. "You know what he said? That they were lucky."
Dazai leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered. "What can I say? I had a wish to commit double suicide with a beautiful woman like Kitty. And yes, I had a heavy boner that day-so I acted on it."
Kitty pursed her lips in embarrassment and said
Kitty's lips twitched at the absurdity of his defense. "That's not all, Chuuya," she said, taking another sip of tea. "He even likes other men's women."
"Expected from a troublemaker like him," Chuuya muttered through a mouthful of cookie.
Kitty watched the exchange in silence, her emotions a tangled knot of unease and grim amusement. Dazai's barbs felt deliberate, as though he enjoyed seeing her discomfort. And yet, she refused to give him the satisfaction of a visible reaction.
She set her cup down, the sound sharp and deliberate. "Anything else you'd like to add, Dazai? Or is the show over?"
Dazai's smirk widened. "Oh, I'm just getting started."
Kitty met his gaze, her eyes steady and unyielding. "Then you'd better hope you've got something worth my time."