A Story About a Girl who Betrayed her Loved One, Only to Spend her Days in Redemption, Regret, and Despair - Chapter 1
Chapter 1 – Beginning
Obi Fuyuki is an art student living alone far away from his parent’s house. He has a fiancée.
Her name was Itsumi Sere.
Her brightly colored hair had always curled at the tips even though she didn’t intend it to do so.
She had big brown eyes. Thick eyebrows with charm. Glossy cherry red lips.
It was no exaggeration to say that Sere was the most beautiful girl for Fuyuki and for many people that knew her.
Sere is a childhood friend who has been with him ever since he was a child. She is Fuyuki’s beloved lover and fiancé.
Fuyuki is living a fulfilling life at his campus, although he is feeling lonely about the fact that he is in a long distance relationship with his beloved fiancé.
Fuyuki is studying in a famous university where the graduates are granted with prestigious honor.
In order to make a living as a painter in the future, Fuyuki spend his days cultivating his craft.
Because of his busy schedule and assignments, Fuyuki had not been able to visit Sere for almost a month. He decided to go back home on Sere’s birthday as a surprise.
After finishing his assignments, Fuyuki bought a birthday present and cake and went back to his parents’ house.
(I wonder if she will be pleased…)
Fuyuki looks down at his bag and let out a smile.
Sere was very spoiled. She easily gets lonely, but nevertheless she was a lovely girl.
She has excellent communication skills, is very sociable, and has an adorable appearance that catches everyone’s attention. She has always been close to Fuyuki ever since she was a child.
That’s why Sere bawled her eyes out when Fuyuki told her that he was going to an art university far away.
[No way, Fuyuki-kun. Don’t leave me.]
It was still fresh in Fuyuki’s mind at the time where he calmed Sere down as he proposed to her with a rather expensive ring, saying that he will marry her after graduating from university.
Fuyuki had no doubt that him and Sere will be happy together from now on.
“I’m home?”
Fuyuki was conscious about surprising her, so his greeting was small.
When Fuyuki bent down to take off his shoes, he saw a pair of mens’ shoes that didn’t belong to him.
Fuyuki’s parents had already passed away. He had already gotten rid of their shoes, so there was no way there were mens’ shoes that did not belong to him in his parents’ house.
Feeling that something was wrong, Fuyuki left the cake and the present at the entrance and entered the living room quietly.
Fuyuki felt the traces of Sere’s presence.
Sere’s house was just next to Fuyuki’s, but lately she was staying at Fuyuki’s house with her parents’ approval ever since she was in secondary school. This had not changed even though Fuyuki already moved out to study.
As he fidgeted around in the quiet living room, Fuyuki could faintly hear happy voices coming from upstairs.
Stealthily, Fuyuki climbed the stairs.
With each step, Fuyuki’s anxiety builds up.
The voice he heard was not only Sere’s.
He also heard the voice of a man that Fuyuki knew well.
The man’s voice was that of Kiryuu Yuudai, his other childhood friend aside from Sere.
In addition, the voices were heard in Fuyuki and Sere’s bedroom.
Fuyuki’s breathing tensed and his hands began to shake, he couldn’t help but imagine the worst.
The bedroom was slightly open. Fuyuki stood by the door listening.
“Still, that guy’s such a jerk for not coming home on your birthday, isn’t he?”
“Don’t say bad things about Fuyu-kun. He’s busy with assignments in school.”
“If it were me, I’d make time to come home even if I’m busy.”
“Ah, Wait… Mou…”
Fuyuki’s worst fear was in front of him.
The both of them were naked, cuddling each other in a sweet atmosphere just like lovers.
The two were completely careless, they didn’t notice that Fuyuki was spying through the bedroom door which was not fully closed.
(Why, Sere ……)
It was true that Fuyuki was very busy and had not been able to see her. Still, Fuyuki never failed to give Sere a call frequently.
Fuyuki talked a lot with Sere on the phone not because he was planning to neglect in seeing her, but because Fuyuki himself was lonely and wanted to hear her voice.
Sere seemed to be happy on the phone. Fuyuki felt that it was fine.
Even though Fuyuki was busy with his assignments, he made time for Sere and tried his best to balance his study and love life.
“Sere… Nn”
“Chuu…Fufu.. You’re pretty spoiled, aren’t you?”
Yuudai moved his face closer to Sere and kissed her.
Sere did not show any resistance and actively responded to his kisses.
They gradually caressed each others’ bodies and move into a deep and intimate kiss.
The sight of Sere’s tongue happily intertwining with another man’s was cruel and slashed his heart like a sharp blade.
Yuudai pushed Sere down as they laid their bodies on each other again.
Hearing his lover’s pleasure filled moans, Fuyuki left the place without making a sound.
Quietly opening the front door, Fuyuki ran outside with the present and cake in his hand. He looks back once more.
The big house left to Fuyuki by his parents who chose to commit suicide.
He was deeply saddened by the fact that they have defiled the house that was filled with his precious memories.
“Kuu…”
Tears welled up in Fuyuki’s eyes.
In the end, unable to stop them, Fuyuki ran away.
?
With red and swollen eyes, Fuyuki eventually returned to his apartment, holding a hastily prepared small camera in grief.
Frustration, regret, despair, sorrow, anger, disappointment. All kinds negative emotions flooded within Fuyuki, eventually the wave receded and turned into depression.
Sere was a perfect and beautiful girl. Fuyuki was lucky to be born as her childhood friend.
Yuudai, who took Sere away from him, was a man that complimented her.
He was man that was sociable and self-confident. He has a well built, well shaped, fearless face. He was a handsome man who attracted women just by casually hugging them on the shoulder.
Ever since they were children, Sere has always been devoted to Yuudai to the point that Fuyuki developed a strong sense inferiority complex towards him.
Even though Fuyuki knew that Sere would choose Yuudai, Fuyuki could not give up on her and confessed his feelings to Sere on impulse.
Fuyuki was sure that he would get rejected, but contrary to his expectations, Sere accepted his confession with a smile on her face. Seeing that, Fuyuki promised to make her happy forever.
Fuyuki was sad to see that this was the result of his vow.
To escape from despair, Fuyuki took out a canvas and started to paint.
He had no drafts prepared.
Fuyuki just painted all night long, letting his talent and the skills he had cultivated guide him.
A bloodstained girl stood over a reddish brown rust-colored world.
Though it was far from finished, Fuyuki passed out in front of the painting that had taken shape to some extent.
?
Sere and Yuudai both live with their families.
It costs a lot of money to stay in a hotel.
In the end they chose to do it in Fuyuki’s house since his parents had already passed away and the person himself was not living in the house.
Fuyuki resolved himself.
He returned to his parents’ house during the weekend with the goal of capturing the scene of Sere’s infidelity, planning to set up a bunch of cameras in the place.
Fuyuki stood in front of the house for a while.
Fuyuki was in pain, he felt devastated to enter the unclean house.
He couldn’t stay like that forever, so he opened the front door and entered.
“Welcome home, Fuyu-kun!”
With a big smile on her face, Sere greeted while hugging it at the same time.
Fuyuki returned the hug with a cramped smile. He felt goosebumps from disgust and nausea.
“You look pale, Fuyu-kun, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, I’m just a little tired from commuting.”
Fuyuki couldn’t understand why Sere was so carefree.
Sere looked so normal that Fuyuki doubted whether what he saw that day was an illusion or a bad dream.
Sere had the same attitude before Fuyuki moved out and started to live alone, she snuggles up to him just like always.
Sere was a very spoiled girl. Did she cheat on him because she was lonely? Fuyuki thought.
Fuyuki’s love for Sere and his regrets still remain.
Anger and sadness existed at the same time, Fuyuki’s head was in a mess of various emotions.
At any rate, Fuyuki set up small cameras in his bedroom and living room whenever he sees an opening, in order to accomplish what needs to be done.
The cameras’ batteries lasted long, so Fuyuki wasn’t worried about it running out of power. The battery will probably run out the next time he came to collect them, but that was enough as long as it recorded enough evidence.
Fuyuki spent the rest of the day in a state of mindlessness.
He found it difficult to act normal, he persevered so that he won’t arouse suspicion.
But tears well up in his eyes regardless. Fuyuki threw a coughing fit.
“Fuyu-kun, what’s wrong?”
No matter how much Fuyuki tried to hide it, Sere seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with him. After all, they were childhood friends that had spent time together for a long time.
“I’m just having a little trouble on an assignment.”
Fuyuki embraced Sere as if to cover up his pain and continued to act like his usual self.
When he hugged her, Fuyuki felt a strong sense rejection as he suffered mental damage. But still he endured it with guts.
After that, Fuyuki glanced at the painting of an angel hanging in his studio with a slightly disheveled expression.
The model was Sere, it could be said that it was Fuyuki’s masterpiece.
Fuyuki thought that he would like to discard that painting eventually.
It was probably impossible to love Sere honestly and truthfully anymore.
Fuyuki crouched down and shed tears silently.
?
Sere’s affair was neither a mistake nor a nightmare.
It was cold hard reality.
For a month, Fuyuki collected evidence after evidence.
Without knowing what he wanted to do with it, the evidence slowly accumulated.
Fuyuki was in agony, pain, and in tears as he checked out all the collected footage.
More than once he thought about hanging himself or jump from a nearby building.
Fuyuki’s mentality had reached it’s limit.
His love, hatred, anger, and grief towards Sere had all disappeared.
Fuyuki’s only wish was to forget everything, that was all.
He wanted to live his life painting, hopefully forgetting all the memories of Sere and the things that happened to her.
With a look of death in his face, Fuyuki continues to paint as usual.
Suddenly, he remembered the painting of an angel that Fuyuki modeled after Sere.
He placed his brush down on the desk with his face down.
“I have to finish it…”
Fuyuki muttered to himself thinking of Sere.
Now that the thought had occurred to him, Fuyuki intends to say goodbye to Sere.
After about ten seconds of waiting for her to pick up, Sere answered the phone.
[Fuyu-kun, what are you calling for at this hour?]
“… What are you doing now?”
Fuyuki tried to say goodbye, but what came out from his mouth was different.
[Nothing… Ah…]
Sere suddenly raised her voice.
Fuyuki sighed with a look of disbelief thinking that it was too obvious.
It seemed that Yuudai was with her.
Fuyuki’s heart ached even though he can’t cry anymore.
He wanted to escape from the pain as soon as possible.
[Hm, what was it again?]
“It’s nothing… I just wanted to hear your voice.”
[You’re acting weird, Fuyu-kun. I’ve got something to do. I’ll see you later.]
“Okay.”
Sere hung up while Fuyuki hung his head down.
“It hurts…”
Fuyuki clutched his chest, he stood out of his chair as he fell to the ground.
Even after such a cruel betrayal, Fuyuki still loved Sere.
“It hurts…”
[It’s all right.]
The voice of a girl echoed in Fuyuki’s suffering mind.
Her voice was soft and gentle.
The voice sounded like Sere, but at the same time it didn’t.
Fuyuki’s distored consciousness made him recall the images of Sere and Yuudai.
Sere was a perfect beautiful girl and Yuudai was a perfect handsome man.
The fact that Fuyuki, whose only ability was to paint, was able to have a relationship with Sere, even if it was just for a moment, was probably the first and last time he’s able to grab happiness as someone who was unworthy.
“Goodbye… Sere…”
Fuyuki promised to himself that we would later end it with Sere on his own terms.
?
Fuyuki decided to take a few days off from university in order to retrieve his precious home.
As long as Fuyuki could complete his assignments, he had no problems skipping. It was also a good thing that there were only a few lecutres he had to attend.
Although Fuyuki already had a lot of evidence in his hand, he wanted to end it by catching them in the act.
With this in mind, Fuyuki once again commuted to his parents’ house with the intention to fight this time.
Since Fuyuki intentionally left his apartment early, he arrived at his parents’ house around sunset.
Fuyuki rested at a neaby facility and returned home when the time was right.
There were two cameras in the house that can be remotely activated and checked in real time.
This would make sure that Fuyuki will be able to catch them.
Fuyuki felt a queasy feeling in his gut. He threw up three times in the public restroom while waiting for the right moment, shaking in anxiety and nervousness.
After 9 o’clock, Fuyuki periodically checked the camera.
Finding Sere and Yuudai chatting and eating dinner together, Fuyuki left the facility and headed home.
It was already night, Fuyuki walked helplessly down the dark street.
Seeing the familliar house, Fuyuki took a deep breath.
The faces of his dead mother and father came into his mind.
He has to get back the home that his parents had left to him, even if he can’t be with Sere anymore.
Using his key to open the door, Fuyuki entered the house.
Sere and Yuudai, who had been meeting and sleeping together at a fairy high frequency, was getting along with each other as well today.
Inside Fuyuki and Sere’s bedroom, Fuyuki once again heard their voices just like last time.
Sere’s moans, which made Fuyuki stop and cover his ears, was heard even from the first floor.
Climbing up the stairs without making a sound, Fuyuki walks to the bedroom.
The door was tightly closed unlike before, but still he could hear their voices clearly.
[Sere, which do you prefer? Me or that guy?]
[I don’t want to say.]
[I’ll stop if you don’t.]
Their voices were heard through the door.
Yuudai had already made Sere compare them many times at this point in order to lower Fuyuki’s position.
Sere, who was moaning in pleasure, responded to Yuudai and made a remark that demeaned Fuyuki.
[Yuu-kun is better..!! Aaah!]
Fuyuki’s broken heart could no longer feel anything.
He puts his hand on the doorknob and opened the door at once.
[It’s all right. I’m here for you.]
A soft voice of a girl. Once again, a voice that sounded like Sere and at the same time does not.
Strangely, Fuyuki’s uneasiness and nervousness was gone.
He was sure that he can fight now.
Fuyuki entered the room quietly through the door and firmly catches Sere and Yuudai who looked surprised.
He stared at them and said his finishing words in a resolute manner.
“Get out. Don’t tarnish my home any more than this.”