[Kurokawa] No longer afraid.

[Because a pyramid houses a dead man, what else? And I am on thin ice here.] 

Breathing out heavily, C thought to himself. 

"Anyway, let me thank you all once again for listening to my selfish request." After clearing his throat, my husband lightly bowed. "I'm sorry for why I can't say we needed everyone since that would violate Kuro's secrecy."

[I expected the class rep and blondie to follow. The real one, also most important, was Han. I do not want my mind wiped out by not having him near. And if something happens, well, I can throw him into Kuro's Mother's face. No idea what will happen, though. Kurokawa always finished her event before he arrived. At least with Rachel around, the guy will not die.] 

Rachel hugged C's arm tight between her chest: "It's fun going on a trip with someone you love!" 

As a direct rival, Laura retaliated by doing the same thing: "Of course, it would be much better if there were just the two of us. Like how a normal relationship should be."

I thought they looked adorable clinging to C like that. But since our position was vastly different, there was no need for me to bicker with those two girls. 

"Don't worry, master. I won't be a bother to you! As long as I can learn your ways, I'm all good!" Han glanced at C. "Anyhow, this is a great field lesson! How you manage to find the balance between Laura, Rachel, and Kurokawa is something I must know! That's not good anymore. That's GOATED!"

"Honestly, Han, tell me when you do find it. Trust me when I say I'm also clueless." 

"That's why you're the boss. It comes so naturally to you! It's like...an instinct at this point." Han raised his thumb. "An ultra instinct!"

"..." 

[Just shut the hell up! You will get your fill eventually! Remember that A's little sister is lurking around the corner for you. When that happens, good freaking luck, pal!]

"Oh! I have one more question." 

"Please don't."

"Not for you, master, but for your girls." 

"..."

[Kill me.]

"If Rachel said you were a family, who is the wife? The first one, I mean." 

[YOU DAMN IDIOT!]

"Me." Rachel raised her hand happily.

"I am." Laura bluntly said.

"I am his betrothed." And I, not giving up my rightful position, finally spoke. 

Funny enough, the girls inside the carriage answered Han and glared at one another simultaneously. Instantly, the air shook violently, and cold sweats formed on the two guys' foreheads. If glances were knives, there would have been a blood bath in this place.

"Han..." Wiping his face, C turned his head toward the other guy. 

"Y-yes?" The guy was clearly shaken. Traumatized, even. 

My husband roared: "Could you please shut up? For five minutes?!" 

"YES, S-SIR!"

After a few minutes of intense silence from everyone, letting the sound of the sky train run amok, Han asked: "W-where are w-we h-heading, though?" His words were all over the place. That blockhead clearly wanted to redeem himself by changing the topic. 

"My place." Before C could reply, my answer was already out. "We are going to my Mother's house to meet her. And before you ask another question, let me tell you now that this will not be what you think it is. There will not be any fun and games. Instead, things will get chaotic."

Somehow, I needed to take the lead from this point onward. Having C be my spokesperson was great, but this was the one thing I had decided to face. My desire to change would be nullified if I continued to stand behind my husband. As an equal, I would love to stand by his side more than anything.

It was unfortunate that this topic popped up. But since I would need everyone's specialties when the situation called for, some explanation was adamant.

C quickly looked at me as if saying: "Are you sure you want to do this?" To which I returned his thoughtful gaze with a reassuring nod. 

"I hope it will not escalate up to that point. But if it does, please lend me a hand in...subduing my Mother. She tends to get violent when things are out of her control." 

"Subduing your Mother? Is that not a little too extreme?" This world's favorite child gasped.

[I can not say I feel great about this...Sadly, there seemed to be no other way. With her...current condition, I doubt ordinary reasoning would work.]

After my weird request, a frown formed on Han's face. While C was not showing his emotions on the surface, the voice inside my head told me otherwise. The only people not affected by that were Laura and Rachel, as they clearly did not care one bit. In a different world, I would have the same expression as Han if a classmate asked me to do things to their mom. In this one, Han's feedback was the odd one out. 

Nonetheless, this was only the first step of this journey.

[Honestly, I have no idea if we are doing the right thing. What we can do now is to trust Kuro.]

Thank you, dear husband. That meant a lot to me. Truly!

"This burned scar." I lifted my bang, showing the horror that lay underneath. "This is the first time anyone besides C sees it. It is also why I must take precautions by inviting you all."

The look on Han's face became worse: "Did your Mother do this to you? Why would she do such a thing?" 

"Because I was not good enough." The words came out of my mouth like nothing.

"Kuro!" C was about to launch himself up before me. But before he could do so, my hands were already on his shoulders, pressing him down on the bench. "Kuro, that's not true." His voice was tender. He was afraid I would fall into the abyss of self-deprecation again. 

I looked at my husband and shook lightly. Even though my appreciation for him was grand, I knew more than anyone that this was me in total control. At this point, I was not trying to deceive myself. Merely truth was being spoken. 

"I was never good enough in her eyes." Then, my voice cut short for me to look at everyone deep in the eyes, except for one person, of course. "By the end of this evening, there is no guarantee what Mother will do to me as I am about to break out from her control. There is a chance, albeit small, that she will blame my mistakes on you guys. She may even attack you all. Because of that, I must be honest with you and warn you beforehand." 

I left my place in front of C and walked further ahead, trying to find a location where I could see everyone at once. "I apologize for not saying this sooner. You are all free to do whatever you want. But please, lend me your strength." 

"Wait. Wait. Wait. I'm confused." Han waved his hand. "If you knew all this beforehand, why didn't you report it? That looked like it happened so long ago, then why didn't you..."

"Han! I thought I told you to shut up! You know NOTHING about her!" Once again, C's anger manifested. This time, he did not hold back. "Stop making assumptions in your head!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Staggered, Han stumbled with his words.

My husband pointed a finger at the other guy: "You're definitely thinking if she called someone for help, she wouldn't have gotten into such a bad place. Am I right? That if she asked someone to do it for her, then she wouldn't suffer as much, right?" 

"I...I..."

"She wouldn't have had to suffer for that reason. But did you think about the consequences if Kuro did?" C's hands clenched. "What would happen to her life? What would happen to her Mother? Yeah, after reporting, Kuro's day will become nice and dandy? Fuck NO! She would have suffered because of something else!" 

It always came to such a question. Why did you not do this? Why did you not do that? It was as if the person asking never considered the circumstances that led to that action. For someone who did not have to endure such a fate, it would be exponentially simpler for them to ask that question. Standing from the moral high ground, they could start bombing the victims with questions without giving a second thought. 

"I am not asking for an argument, Han Som." My protagonist walked toward me, followed by the other two girls. "You have no clue how hard Kuro worked and is working. The last thing I want is for her to become a target of victim blaming because that is easy for you to say."

But I did not bother with Han.

"C, it is fine." I then looked over Han's place. "My Mother is the only relative I have, Han. She is my Mother. Flesh and blood. She gave birth to me. And even when every day of my life living with her is hellish, I can still not sever that soul connection between us two. She is the only worst thing I've got that is real in my life!"

"I'm sorry, Kurokawa. I'm so sorry..." 

I inhaled: "It's alright. That said, it would be easier if you understood the whole picture. Would you guys hear my story out?"

No one said no, so continued, I did.

"Let's start from the beginning."