A Story About a Girl who Betrayed her Loved One, Only to Spend her Days in Redemption, Regret, and Despair - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Turning Point

[You only need to paint…]

“That’s right…”

Today, Fuyuki continues to paint.

Despite his vacant eyes, he had a happy expression on his face.

Fuyuki felt at ease whenever he loses himself in painting. He felt fulfilled.

He could momentarily forget about the hard things.

One day, Fuyuku played a video in his studio.

It was a video of Sere’s infidelity, which he secretly recorded.

Fuyuki quickly made a rough sketch of the scene as he watched Sere and Yuudai making love.

The sight of the two, which had been so dirty and repulsive to Fuyuki, now looked wonderful to him.

Even after watching the video from start to end, Fuyuki no longer felt anything.

No more feelings of jealousy, inferiority, anger, sadness, and despair. It was all gone.

Fuyuki continued to play the video on repeat as reference to make the best painting.

“Fuyu-kun!”

“What?”

When Fuyuki came back to his senses, Sere was right next to him with swollen eyes.

Sere was biting her lips, her eyes moist, and her cheeks trembling. Fuyuki had seen Sere’s crying face so much at this point that he was tired of it.

Sere’s cheeks were stained with her tears since she kept crying on the regular.

“Please stop… The video…”

“Why?”

“It’s breaking Fuyu-kun’s heart.”

“It’s fine. I don’t feel pain anymore.”

“Ugh… But..”

“It’s nothing, now go away.”

Fuyuki continued to draw rough sketches.

The number of rough sketches increased to ten, twenty, thirty, and so on. Sere kept crying next to Fuyuki all the while.

The video kept playing mercilessly, inflicting Sere a sense of despair.

[Hey, Sere. For now I’ll concede, but marry me in your next life.]

[Okay. I’ll marry you in my next life.]

“That was a lie! I’ll marry Fuyu-kun in my next life no matter how many times I’m reborn!”

“Sere, you’re in the way…”

Sere clung to Fuyuki who maintained a blank face, she wailed and begged for forgiveness.

[Sere, which one do you like more? Me or that guy? I’ll stop if you don’t tell me.]

[Yuu-kun! I like Yuu-kun more! Ahn~~~~]

“Fuyu-kun is much better! Please believe me, Fuyu-kun!”

“Sere.”

“…Yes.”

“Be quiet.”

“I’m, sorry…”

Sere’s shoulders drooped dejectedly after being told off without a single glance by Fuyuki.

Her tears stained the floor.

Sere was completely devastated, she felt as if her heart was shattered, but the video kept playing regardless.

[Hey, Sere. Someday, bear my child. Of course, keep it a secret from that guy.]

[A baby? Sure. I’ll have your baby.]

“No, no, no! There’s no way! I don’t want Yuu-kun’s baby!”

Sere doesn’t want to bother Fuyuki. She doesn’t want him to hate her.

Despite keeping quiet after she got scolded, once again Sere cried howling and screaming as she pressed herself on Fuyuki.

She wanted to clear Fuyuki’s misunderstanding at any cost.

Finally, Fuyuki turned his eyes on Sere.

Sere flinched at the Fuyuki’s cold stare, sending shivers at the core of her body.

“Sere, if you’re going to interrupt so much, get out…”

“Listen, Fuyu-kun… Listen to me… Ugh.. Oeeeee, Guee..”

Overwhelmed by anxiety, despair and regret, Sere churned out the contents of her stomach at Fuyuki’s feet.

The sour and acrid smell filled the room instantly.

Despite the unpleasant smell, Fuyuki failed to react.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Sere apologized for the affair, the details of her infidelity, for the things she had said, everything.

“Sere, be quiet.”

Fuyuki did not give Sere any heed and maintained a blank face. He went back focusing on painting with the video as reference.

Sere gaped at Fuyuki’s side profile in disbelief.

Finally, Sere realizes that Fuyuki’s heart was broken.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry.. Ughhhh… Uaaaaaa”

Seemingly not hearing Sere who was lying on the floor crying, Fuyuki continued to paint.

There was no need for him to leave the video on repeat, but Fuyuki didn’t mind, so it kept playing.

Whenever Fuyuki was painting, he felt that his mood was getting better and his heart was filled with content.

On the hand hand, whenever Fuyuki was not painting, he couldn’t help but feel depressed.

Therefore, Fuyuki continued to paint as long as his body can move, he spent his days with barely any rest.

Whenever Fuyuki’s body reached it’s limit, he took a rest in the living room.

When Fuyuki’s not painting, his mind was in disarray. He can’t get a grasp on his memory, whenever he tried to remember something, he tends to forget it.

In the end, Fuyuki became lethargic. He was unable to move his body, he’s barely conscious. He doesn’t respond not only to Sere’s voice but also to any external stimuli.

Sere couldn’t take it anymore and took Fuyuki to a hospital.

She dragged and pushed Fuyuki to a car.

Fuyuki ended up being hospitalized.

Sere, who was left alone, sat in front of Fuyuki’s house and waited for him.

She could no longer enter the house because she doesn’t have the key.

Even on days with terrible weather, Sere stayed outside of Fuyuki’s house, waiting for his return.

?

Two weeks have passed since Fuyu-kun was hospitalized.

Today, as I was idly waiting in front of Fuyu-kun’s door, my eyes met with a person passing outside.

It was Kiryuu Yuudai.

It seemed to be a complete coincidence that he found me here, he looked at me with wide eyes.

“Sere? What are you doing here?”

“… Yuu-kun.”

Yuu-kun opened the gate as if he was in a panic and ran toward me.

I’m getting goosebumps.

“Sere, why did you ignore my messages! I kept going to your house but you weren’t there…”

“Why do you care? I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“Huh? Why!”

Yuu-kun pressed closer, looking exasperated.

“What do you mean why? What’s the point of seeing you now that Fuyu-kun has found out?”

“Huh?! Why are you saying that! It doesn’t matter if he found out!”

He grabbed me by the shoulder.

His beast-like eyes. His rough breathing. I looked away from him, feeling fearful.

I backed away, shaking off his hand from my shoulder.

“Hey, you get it right? I’m sure Fuyuki will forgive us someday.”

“No…”

I wonder what he’s thinking.

He didn’t even apologize to Fuyu-kun. He came here without any guilt on his face.

I’m geting mad.

“Sere. I’m serious. I really like you… I know I made you feel bad… But please…”

Yuu-kun had a sad expression on his face, looking like an abandoned puppy.

I was surprised to see Yuu-kun, who is popular with many girls and is always full of confidence, in such a state.

Seeing him like this, I finally remembered what I have to do before Fuyu-kun comes back.

It has to be me, not anyone else.

I had forgotten something important until now.

The first step in getting back to normal. What I need to do to take an important step forward.

“Sere… I love you… Marry me… I know it turned out like this… but I promise to make you happy.”

“…… Okay. I’ll marry you.”

I fearfully wrapped my arms around Yuu-kun and hugged him.

I didn’t really want to, but this was necessary.

“Sere!”

“Yuu-kun…”

He seemed to be very happy that I hugged him, he responded back strongly while being moved.

He made a gesture as if he was going to kiss me, so I hurriedly moved away from him.

“Not here.”

“Then let’s move.”

“Not today.”

I have things I have to do.

“Why not?”

“What’s impossible is impossible. If you don’t listen to me, I won’t see you anymore.”

“Geez, I get it. I’ll wait for you. Call me when things settle down.”

I thought that he would be more forceful, but Yuu-kun gave up sooner than I expected and left in a good mood.

“Yes… When things settle down, right.”

As I watch his back moving away, I surrender to the cold sensation that I’m feeling in my heart.

“I saw you cheating.”

Suddenly, I hear a girl’s voice.

I glanced over in a hurry, there I saw a girl with a video camera in her hand, she’s leaning her upper body on the fence, looking at me.

“Kana-chan.”

Motomiya Kanade.

She is a girl who moved here to study for high school. From what I heard Kana-chan lives alone, despite living in a luxurious house.

She’s a very pretty girl and is often asked out numerous times, but it’s well known that she already has a loving boyfriend.

Kana-chan leaped over the fence and approached me with a sly smile plastered on her face.

“What is it?”

My voice is low and cold, to my own surprise.

Kana-chan waves her hand in the air.

“Hey… let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“In exchange for not telling Fuyuki about what I just saw, let me interview you about your affair.”

Hearing that, I regained my composure.

Kana-chan is a girl who loves manga and novels, she spends most of her time creating her own.

One would think she was an introverted person because of her hobby, but in fact she’s an outdoor type, often going out and about to asking people for interviews.

“That’s not a deal, Kana-chan. Fuyu-kun already knows.”

“Ah, is that so? So you’re breaking up with Fuyuki and going out with that guy?”

“No way… Ahaha.”

Who would go out with Yuu-kun?

“But he just proposed to you.”

Kana-chan tells me while wearing a innocent expression on her face.

“Ah, that’s right-”

I answered with a smile.

Well, I don’t know if I was smiling or not.

I think I’m probably smirking.

Kana-chan looked surprised, her mouth dropped open.

“I won’t forgive you if you try to interfere.”

I tried to threaten Kana-chan, but she only laughed.

She pondered for a while. Making a gesture of touching her mouth with her index finger.

“Ah, hang on. Let’s change the deal. I’ll help you, so can I ask you for an interview right after?”

“Sure. If it’s all at your own risk.”

“Nice. Ahaha. Things are getting interesting.”

Kana-chan took my hand while she happily jumped around.

After taking a deep breath, she peered into me with her eyes sparkling.

Her beautiful face comes close to mine, I pulled away reflexively.

“I’m rooting for you, Sere. I hope everything goes well for you.”

“Thank you, Kana-chan.”

My cold heart warms up a little.

I looked up at the sky, thinking about Fuyu-kun.

?

“Ah…? Where am I…?”

Yuudai wakes up in a strange, dirty room.

It looked like a room in a rusty, old abandoned factory. He had no idea where he was.

He was stripped down to his underwear.

On top of that, his hands and feet was tied to a pole, he couldn’t move.

He tried to call the police, but for some reason he couldn’t do so.

He doesn’t undestand why he was in this situation.

His memory was blurry, he couldn’t remember much.

He pondered and thought about what happened to him up until now.

Yuudai remembered that he was going to meet up with Sere.

He doesn’t remember anything else after that. He can’t remember whether he met Sere or not.

“Sere! Sere!”

He screamed, calling for the girl he loved.

At that moment, there was a sound as if something was switched on, exhaust fans can be heard in the vicinity.

Yuudai frantically moved his gaze around his surroundings, anxious about what was about to happen.

He heard footsteps muffled by the sound of the fans.

His face turned pale from the fear, his forehead sweating profusely.

Yuudai was surprised at the two people who entered the room.

“Sere…?”

He muttered her name in a daze.

It was Sere who came.

She was dressed in a white coat, rubber gloves, and boots. It was as if she was heading out on a rainy day.

“Sere, what’s going on? What, is this…”

Sere opened one of the three containers in the corner of the room, pouring it’s contents onto a bottle.

“Sere! You hear me?!”

Sere approached Yuudai, carrying the bottle filled with the mysterious liquid.

She stared at Yuudai from above with a cold look in her eyes.

“Sere…?”

Yuudai’s instinct went blaring. His heart pounding, his breath became ragged.

Sere tilted the bottle and poured some it’s contents onto Yuudai’s leg.

“AAGHHH?!”

For a moment, he felt a tingling sensation, but right after came a sharp stinging pain.

His body jumped up reflexively, he bent backwards as much as he able to.

“Guu….Haaa… What?! Stop it! Sere!”

Once again, Sere poured more liquid onto Yuudai.

The liquid was suck into Yuudai’s body, he couldn’t move away no matter how much he struggled.

“AAAGHHHHH!!!”

He shook his body furiously, trying to drown out the pain.

Finally, smoke started coming out of Yuudai’s body.

“Stop it… Stop, Sere! Sere!”

Yuudai desperately pleaded in tears.

“Hah… Ha…. Haaa….. Gu… Why are you doing this?! Please, Stop it!”

Sere folded her arms and pulled the bottle away.

“If Yuu-kun is alive… Fuyu-kun won’t feel safe.”

“Huh…?”

“If Yuu-kun is alive, Fuyu-kun will remain scared.

He’s afraid that I’ll cheat on him again.

As long as Yuu-kun is alive, we can’t go back to the way we once were.”

Yuudai didn’t understood what Sere was saying.

“Why.. You said you loved me… ”

“I was addicted to the feeling of immorality at the thought of betraying Fuyu-kun, I was just saying whatever.”

“You said I was better, that it felt better with me! You said so yourself!!”

Yuudai rattled his restraints and yelled.

“Of course it feels better with Fuyu-kun.

You misunderstood, Yuu-kun. Fuyu-kun is better than you.

He has better technique, he lasts longer, he makes love to me all night long. He has the right size and shape. We were so compatible.”

Sere crouched down and stared into Yuudai with a look of insanity in her eyes.

“It felt so good to be with Fuyu-kun. I was so happy.

The reason why I felt good from Yuu-kun was because of the immoral feeling of betraying Fuyu-kun. That’s all.”

Sere tilts the bottle and spilled a large amount of the liquid onto Yuudai.

“GYAAAAAGHHHHH!!”

The smell of something burning wafted in the air.

Yuudai convulsed and thrashed about in pain. The ground around him was also damaged by the liquid. He almost fainted from the agony.

The pain was so intense that he made a mess on himself.

“Stop it, I’ll apologize!! I’ll pay you money!”

“I won’t stop.”

Yuudai screamed with his face crumpled up after hearing Sere’s merciless words.

“So you got caught cheating. Everyone cheats all the time! Why do you have to be so uptight about it!”

“Killing Yuu-kun by my own hands, hurting and tormenting you will prove that I don’t love you.”

Sere poured more of the bottle’s contents without hesitation.

Finally, the liquid splashed onto Yuudai’s face.

Yuudai’s screams echoed throughtout the room.

No one heard his cries for help.

?

“Ugh, this would’ve sucked if we couldn’t turn off our sense of smell…”

“You don’t have to help me.”

Sere and Kanade were covering Yuudai’s corpse with soil.

The soil looked out of place in the factory. Sere’s crime would surely be discovered if someone checks it out.

However, if left long enough, the corpse will be decomposed without a trace due to the soil’s special properties.

“I’ve always wanted to try disposing a corpse…”

“You’re a weird girl.”

With the shovel they prepared beforehand, they covered up the corpse with the soil as fast as they can.

Despite being an accomplice to a murder, Kanade’s attitude was the same as usual.

“I’m sorry, Kana-chan…”

“Eh? For what?”

“For helping me with this.”

“Ah, no biggie! I’ve always wanted to witness a murder. I also got some good footage. It was worth getting my hands dirty.”

Kanade glances at the video camera on the floor.

The video recorded in it was irrefutable evidence to the murder that took place. If the police get their hands on it, imprisonment was inevitable.

Even though Sere was at risk of getting convicted, she was determined to show Fuyuki the scene of her crime.

Obviously, Kanade was not caught in the video. Sere also had no plans on ratting her out if she gets caught by the police.

“If Fuyuki calls the police, it’s over. But well, aside from that, there’s no chance of us getting caught. It’s the perfect crime.”

“That’s right… I was surprised at how well it worked.”

After finishing up on burying the corpse with the soil, the two of them placed a blue tarp over it to hold it in place.

“And done. All that’s left is to lock up the factory.”

Wiping the sweat from her forehead with a fresh smile as if she just had a good workout, Kanade prepares herself to leave.

Sere also quickly got rid of the murder tools and left the factory with Kanade.

“All right, time to go home. Let’s meet up in a month.”

“Okay…”

The two of them got into a car and head home.

“Kana-chan…”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Thank you, for helping me.”

“You’re welcome. Err I mean, thank you too. It’s been a really valuable experience for me. I’ll put it to good use.”

Kanade glances at the passing scenery in a good mood.

“You really are weird.. Kana-chan.”

“Real~ly? I think Sere is more unusual though…”

“Ahaha, Well… I guess so.”

The both of them became silent for a while.

“I hope you can get back together with Fuyuki.”

“…Yes.”

“If things go well, let me interview you again. As your thanks for my assistance.”

“Okay…”

A month had passed since they had returned to their daily lives.

Word of Yuudai’s disappearance spread quickly. Of course the police got involved.

However, Sere and Kanade were never caught.

?

Three months have passed since Fuyu-kun left.

During that time, I have been waiting for Fuyu-kun every day despite the cold weather.

Sometimes Kana-chan came to see me, and we chatted a little.

One day, a car stopped in front of the house.

It was a black, square car, the type of car I don’t see very often.

I stood up in anticipation.

I kept staring at the car without blinking, wondering if it was a temporary stop or if someone was getting out.

The car opened and a familiar figure got out from it.

Tears instantly welled up in my eyes at the sight of the familiar person.

The person who got out of the car was without a doubt Obi Fuyuki.

Fuyu-kun came home.

I ran to him desperately, almost tripping myself.

“Fuyu-kun!”

He looked at me surprisingly, but then turned his face away.

I felt a slight, needle-like pain in my heart, but I didn’t pay it any heed.

I took Fuyu-kun’s hand and placed it on my chest to warm it.

“Welcome home, Fuyu-kun…”

“Sere…”

Fuyu-kun looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.

“So that’s Sere…”

The car door was slammed with a loud bang.

A beautiful woman came and stood next to Fuyu-kun. She forcefully pulled Fuyu-kun away from me.

I stepped back and gaped at her, my lips trembling.

She was wearing a black ladies’ suit. Her glossy black hair was cut in a shoulder-length bob. Long eyelashes, full double lids, and dark brown eyes. She was as beautiful as Kana-chan.

She’s taller than Fuyu-kun, with an ample bosom and wide hips. Her body was slender and toned.

I bit my lower lip, feeling that I was inferior to the woman in front of me in every way.

“Who, are you?”

“What? I am Fuyuki’s new lover.”

“Huh? Fuyu-kun is my fiancée!”

“Are you an idiot?”

Unlike her beautiful and cool appearance, she has a foul mouth.

It must be some kind of joke that she’s Fuyu-kun’s lover.

I lifted up my eyes and tried to argue with her, but Fuyu-kun stepped forward and protected her.

“Sere, listen to her.”

“F-Fuyu-kun…?”

Seeing Fuyu-kun standing besides the mysterious woman, I had a bad feeling in my heart.

“Listen carefully. I am Fuyuki’s new lover.

A s?l?u?t? like you should just go away and get along with your cheating partner.”

“W-Wha…”

A bold statement. I was at a loss for words.

Fuyu-kun didn’t do anything to correct her.

“Fuyu-kun… Why….?”

“Let’s end this now, Sere.”

I felt my blood draining from my veins.

My vision blurring from the edges.

“Even if we start over, we’ll just be both in pain for a long time. I want to live my looking forward. I’ve decided to start a new life with Matsurika.”

“Why… No….”

I bursted into tears and clung to him.

Fuyu-kun only looked sad and kept his eyes down.

“Sere, you should live on with Yuudai.

Let’s forget about each other.”

“That kind of thing… I don’t want to.. No..”

Fuyu-kun and the woman named Matsurika walked past me and headed to the house.

“Goodbye… Sere…”

“Don’t go, Fuyu-kun!”

I ran after him, but my legs won’t move as it supposed to and I fell down on the ground.

I tried to get up quickly, but my body won’t respond.

I desperately reached out my hand for Fuyu-kun’s back as he slowly drifted away from me.

“Fuyu-kun!!”

Fuyu-kun disappeared into the house alone with Matsurika without look back at me.

With a click, the front door was locked.

There was no way for me to open the door now.

I slumped down and burst into tears.

I keep crying at the door until my throat broke and lost my voice.