[Kurokawa] Everyone hides something

[Oh shit! Oh god! Oh shit! I am going to have my dick cut off for real! Why in the good damn Earth did I confirm I had feelings for the others?]

"Hehe! Silly Darling!" Although Rachel was smiling happily from ear to ear, the dreamy look on her face clearly said: " Don't worry, darling. I'm not going to cut it. I'm just going to eat it with my other mouth."

That "Darling" coming from Blondie's lips was higher than usual. And when I turned to look into her eyes, it became apparent the girl was not in her typical condition. Rachel's eyes were misty, filled with nothing except excitement and anticipation. On top of that, she was constantly licking her lips while panting lightly and clutching on the middle part of her short skirt.

Blondie was definitely in heat. In someone else's house, no less. I did not need to see her thighs rubbing against one another to come to such a conclusion. It was as if a beast had broken into this place. Obscene and, frankly, vulgar.

Unable to witness the shameful action about to unfold, my eyes darted away from Rachel to focus on getting the food read. Fundamentally speaking, I was... fond of shame play, but it was personal. Looking at someone behaving like a horny succubus reincarnate was not something I appreciated.

Rachel probably had no clue I was C's only wife, sworn under oath with this world as a witness during an apocalyptic event. It was a duty and privilege to maintain his innocence. Laura was too much of a law bidder. At this point, she still had not had her kiss. The lack of actions was somewhat understandable, judging by her strict rule-based nature and settings, yet detrimental to her progress with C. She would not take drastic measures like what Rachel would pull. Not that I was complaining. She should continue just that.

It would be better to keep an eye on Blondie at all times. That twisted succubus was always up to something.

On second thought, I should keep my eyes on all of them. It was a race, after all. There was nothing wrong with a bit of struggle on everyone's side.

"He's cute, isn't he?" The blond-haired girl brightly smiled. A sparkle of seduction laid bare in her aquamarine iris, not having even the slightest wish to remain hidden. "I have no idea what they're doing in there. But it seems fun."

"Why don't you join them then?" I followed up on Rachel's interest with a question, never once turned my face to look at her. My eyes should be following my husband constantly rather than be disgusted by her naughty debauchery.

"Well... Honestly speaking, I wanted to. Then again, Laura has been on edge after all our previous commotion. I thought it'd be best if we gave her some time to, you know, cool off a bit. It's not like she's going to do anything. That's her nature."

"...That made sense."

"I knew you'd agree, Wawa. You're smart!"

"..." At this point, silence fell upon us. Not because there was nothing left to say but because saying it would never make a difference to the blond-haired girl.

At first, I believed I should tell her to stop calling me by that name. Then, judging by the look on Laura's face earlier and her newly created pet name that, obviously, was for an animal, I refrained from an extra headache. The fact that Rachel had the audacity to call me Wawa without any hint of hesitation made it clear that she intended to do whatever she pleased, regardless of who was present. At least 'Wawa' was more or less applicable to a person, albeit the person in this case would not be more than a toddler or a baby.

Reppy, on the other hand... Well... Simply put, I felt glad I was not in Laura's shoes. Even more so, it was the first time ever I felt like that in anybody's shoes, not just the class rep's, a feat in and of itself, all thanks to a certain someone.

It was fascinating to see the changes in everyone's lives and personalities in this iteration, especially in my case. No one had died, and somehow, maintaining a relatively peaceful atmosphere spoke volumes of my husband's efforts. What the story should have been, how everyone should have behaved, little by little, changed under his unknowing influence. This...peace... this serenity in my chest and the calmness I felt within could never have been born without him.

I owed him a lot. I owed him everything.

All that I was and all that I would ever become.

Speaking of baby, what would I do in the future? In more ways than one, I was not ready for one, yet how could I deny C his duties as a husband when the time was coming? Someone like Rachel would gladly take a new position as a mother, given the chance, but it was different in my case. I was barely keeping myself alive until today. Even with the memories of my past life and the desire to be with my husband, I still did not think my mental state was ready for a new being.

It was a huge dilemma. One that kept me up at night.

"What are you girls talking about?" Said Han, clueless as ever.

"Nothing to do with you." I bluntly replied. The past versions of Kurokawa probably never cared about something like a child since they all wanted to die at Han's hands when the time was right. Chances were that many, if not all of them, were pregnant due to the adult activities and chose to end it regardless. At the very least, that was my thought.

"Ah... Okay..." Han mumbled, feeling embarrassed for eavesdropping and apparently sinking into the floor.

Rachel quickly intervened: "Anyway, I'm about to starve, Wawa. What're we making today?"

"Curry," I told the blond-haired girl behind, leering her aquamarine eyes at the knife collection with fascination. "There's too many people but little time to do anything sophisticated. My Mother can be back any minute now, and I do not want her to mess up my dinner with C."

"Gotcha, Wawa." Rachel merrily answered, showing her full support. "Good call, too. I personally hate anyone disturbing my time with my boyfriend." Her hands are already tracing the blade.

"Then, could I ask you to cut up the ingredients?" As my hand reached out to the refrigerator, I asked after an inward sigh. "You're... more experienced in handling meat than I am, after all."

Hearing that, Rachel's beautiful face lighted up. I wondered if she cared what I was hinting at. As for understanding me, I had no doubt she did. A woman of Blondie's caliber is exceptionally more intelligent and terrifying than what met the eyes. She always tried to play the muscle-headed girl, but I knew better. The only thing that seemed to be lacking was her self-awareness. On second thought, it was not a lack of self-awareness but a complete disregard for anyone else's opinion, which made it impossible to trust her completely.

Rachel still possessed that psychopathic nature in her heart. I would have to take note of that.

"Of course! Anything for a friend! I would never hesitate to help you. And by anything, I mean anything, Kurokawa." The girl suddenly switched from that ridiculous nickname she gave me to my actual name. In addition, with a snappy wink, the tone in her final sentence changed drastically, showing me a scary thought: that she would kill a certain someone if asked nicely.

I shook my head, trying to bury my thoughts down the deepest layers of my soul. It was not a good time to have my emotions leaked. "Thank you, Rachel. Some day, I will take that offer. At that point, surely you would not decline, right?"

A small smile grew on the corners of her lips. It was neither gentle nor hateful. It was professional and business-like.

Rachel's smile was... transactional.

"Of course not."

"Um... Can I also help? In making food, that is." Close by, Han raised his question.

"Sure. You can start by setting up the table. The plates are here, inside this cupboard. And utensils are over there. As for cups, you can reach above Rachel's. " Pointing at various places in the kitchen, I instructed the alleged 'protagonist' of this world.

"Thanks, Wawa. I-I mean Kurokawa." After a piercing glare, Han shut up and headed to where I was pointing.

A few seconds of peace came since everyone had something to do. Except for the sound of running water coming from my end, the chopping sound of metal hitting a board, the hummings of Rachel, and the clinking of utensils, we did not chat. That should have meant the end of things. Or rather, I would have preferred it to be so. Chit-chat and small talk were things outside of my comfort zone.

As there were but two people in a bad relationship that lived here, usually, that was how I would spend my nights at home - doing what I should be and staying quiet. Anything and everything I came up with could be and had been used to attack me. Therefore, the need for conversation never really mattered that much. Alas, thanks to him, a different, never-before-seen, and virtually impossible outcome sprouted. Those who were supposed to be at each others' throats were working toward the same goal that had nothing to do with them.

Then again, I was surrounded by hyperactive people. Knowing the characters of those involved, someone would break the silence with small talk at some point. It was bound to happen.

"Hey, W-Kurokawa, Rachel. Could I ask you something?" Interestingly, that person was Han. I was half-expecting Blondie to break the silence.

"Go ahead." Not looking up from cutting my vegetables, I responded.

"Firstly, I don't mean this to be rude, but why are you all so fascinated by C? And don't take what I said wrongly, please. I know he's a great guy and all. I'm just curious what you think about him to...you know...learn from him."

(Hold on. Let Kurokawa cook!)