3 Goals

'Phew, that was that.' He thought to himself as he huffed on his lonesome when exiting his room, after his long facade and impressions. He took out Sendo's phone and looked at it blankly, while holding a certain CD in his other hand. The ads that kept popping on his phone stood out the most: Kendo championship in March next year, the current champion, Kendo leagues, can Kendo actually improve your lifespan... An avid Kendo practitioner through and through, that Sendo.

'Speaking of which, I need to bring him back his phone. The longer I keep it, the more pain in the ass I'll have to deal with. It's a shame, but I'll have to make do with these 500-minute flip phones for now and use the internet cafe for my website updates until I get my computer fixed. What a hassle...' Just before Yuuto placed Sendo's phone back into his pocket, he briefly glanced at the inbox and call history.

Not a single call from anybody, not even a text just asking for Sendo's wellbeing, considering he was quite the social flower. Maybe he wasn't the type to share his phone number?

'Well, it's not like I care. After all, he's just some brainless kid... I don't want to have to deal with his reasonless outbursts again, so I'll just give him his phone back. Besides, it's about to run out of charge and I don't have a fitting charger... Damn, why doesn't he use Samchong like the rest of the world?'

Yuuto strutted down the stairwell in his house, wearing his usual jet-black wig and his fake glasses, a white T-Shirt covering the rest of his torso and comfortable sweatpants. Residue of skin paler on his face with several silver hairs still attached to his neck from his previous costume.

'Time to do some more work. Aren't I the perfect example of the ideal Japanese salaryman with the overtime I do?' He thought, proudly puffing up his chest while a satisfied grin stretched on his face as he looked at what laid beneath him. Almost as if he knew he'd find a passed-out Haruto lying on the floor of the living-room.

The physical effort visible in his body. His muscles twitched rhythmically, as if they were all sore. A towel clumsily dropped next to him.

'Sheesh... If you don't properly cover yourself up after a heavy workout, you could get cold... You can't anti-ntr your girlfriend with a cold, you dumbass.'

'Still, I can tell you completed your entire workout. For such dedication to the cause, how about I reward you...?'

----A FEW HOURS LATER---------

"Haruto... Haruto... Haruto..." A soft, feminine voice, echoed in Haruto's mind. His eyes labored as they barely opened, revealing the blurred image of a mature, yet young-looking and beautiful woman nudging his body in an attempt to wake him up. It felt so real, that his nose brought to life the very fragrance of that shampoo she'd always use as he saw her image, with her smooth, dark hair tickling his nose as she moves his body. "5 more minutes... Himiko... I'll be there with you soon..." He said, his voice barely rising above that of a whisper.

"Harucuuuck.... Harucuuuuck.... Now~... Wake up now~.... It can't wait... You have to watch my sex tape with Kyoya~...."

Haruto's popped wide open. Eye gunk spreading in all directions as his eyelids spread. The blurry image of Himiko immediately disappeared, instead - appeared Yuuto with a mocking grin before him. He was, understandably, shocked and disgusted.

"I hope you slept well, cuck. Good going, actually following my instructions and completing my training. Bet your muscles all hurt like a bitch, don't they?" Yuuto added with his smug grin.

Haruto's gaze wandered around himself; he was covered with a thick blanket and laying on the couch in Yuuto's house. A sharp and loud noise of static emerging from the television of the living room which was positioned behind Yuuto. Yuuto then walked to the single couch at the side of the living room with a remote controller, after inserting a disc into the DVD player below the television.

Dreaded, Haruto recalled Yuuto's words about a sextape. "What are we going to watch!?" Still in a state of questioning his reality, he asked with his voice shivering; his gaze following the reassured Yuuto as he clicked play on the remote control - revealing footage Haruto found jarring.

Himiko and Kyoya both standing at the door, with Kyoya speaking in his phone and Himiko listening to him talk.

"W-What... What... W-what... Are...?"

"-SHHH. The good part is about to start. Just trust me on this one..." He interrupted chillingly as the video played.

Haruto looked at the video. His body was near paralyzed from the workout. He felt conflicted. On one hand, he was covered in a warm blanket, but in the other hand, he was forced to watch Himiko and Kyoya... What should he feel or do, he wondered. Rather than willingly watching the video, his head just froze still, old feelings of helplessness resurfaced and his breaths were shorter and less efficient.

"While you were out playing in the pool, my friend was out there working. Our dear Kyoya was about to take Himiko to do some hiking. Essentially, replacing you entirely with himself. My friend there stopped him, and that is what is going to happen in this video. But, that isn't why he took this video and told me to show it to you. Since Kyoya cares so much about his gym, he planted a dead rat in his establishment and pretended to be an inspector to stop their date. He called himself Haruto Sakurai."

---

"WHAT!!? Haruto!!?" Kyoya in the video questioned loudly.

---

Haruto immediately glanced at Himiko. He let out a gasp as he saw her jump as she heard his name.

---

"Haruto!? Did something happen to him!? Is he alright...?"

---

Yuuto then paused the video, just as Himiko's hopeful look peaked.

'He doesn't need to see the rest of the video.' Yuuto thought as he laid the remote control by his side.

"What... What... I... She... She reacted this much... Just from hearing my name...?" Haruto felt as if his heart was starting to beat again. As if warmth was opening its arms invitingly. He could see a lighthouse in this ocean of mist and cold.

"According to my friend, taking this video and calling himself Haruto while spoiling Kyoya's plans with his girlfriend had 3 major goals." He spoke, a stern tone took over his voice as he stared at the image the video was paused at, closely examining it as he sat on the couch.

Haruto wanted to avert his attention to Yuuto, but he couldn't stop staring at Himiko's face. Even though it's been just about two days since he last saw her, he didn't realize how much he had missed her.

"First. To gauge Kyoya's reaction to you. From what I can tell, he still sees you as an active threat, even though he doesn't really say it. That means, he knows you still possess a considerable amount of power when it comes to Himiko."

Haruto's eyes sparkled as he closely examined her image in the TV, tracing the outline of her body with his gaze.

"Second. To gauge Himiko's reaction to you. She misses you. Still. That means there's still a lot of room for maneuver and that Kyoya's control wasn't completely established. In summary... Anti-NTR is... 100% doable."

Haruto's lips were beginning to stretch as tears welled up in his throat...

"Woah there, I'm not done, cuck." Yuuto added while looking intensely at Haruto.

Haruto's eyes were finally averted and turned to Yuuto.

"Didn't you listen to me? Kyoya sees you as a threat. And that guy is a professional. A professional sees an inexperienced manchild as a threat, haven't you got a clue what that means?"

Haruto looked down as his brows furrowed.

"It means... That if I didn't have you or your friend... Wait... What do you mean, a professional? Even if you mean that he's an experienced womanizer... Calling him a professional is a bit..."

Yuuto's muscles loosened as he gazed at Haruto.

"Yeah... This brings me to the third goal. That is, to keep you motivated and strong enough to withstand the truth about Kyoya." He got up from his couch, taking his time with every movement, and walked toward the TV with another, ominous CD in his hand. Haruto's smile withered as his heart froze. What could be so bad that even Yuuto would behave this reserved?

"Shame... I wanted to just reward you for your first-day effort. But something like this can't wait. You need to know now." He inserted the disc into the DVD player and sat back down on the couch, pressing the play button on the remote control.

Haruto waited... And waited... Yet just static was shown on the television, yet the play button clearly indicated that the disc was playing...

And then, the sound of a phone call being picked up.

"Update me on our progress," A voice Haruto found insanely familiar echoed through the TV, tinged with impatience. Haruto mimicked his tone with his body language as he roughly identified the tone, mixing it in his head with the context Yuuto provided about the truth.

Kyoya responded with a calm yet self-assured tone, "She's nearly under my thumb, Mr. Narukami. It's a delicate process, and I don't want to mess it up. You'll have your results."

Narukami's voice grew irate, "I've put good money into your gym and your operation. I didn't do it so you could dally around!"

Kyoya countered, "Quick results aren't always lasting results. You should know that."

Narukami's anger was palpable. "You don't get it, do you? I want that boy to suffer! He took away my wife, my happiness! Now he thinks he can just move on with some beauty by his side? A woman who was meant for ME!"

Sighing, Kyoya replied, "I comprehend the depths of your pain, Narukami. I'll make sure he pays for everything."

With a venomous spit, Narukami hissed, "He's no son of mine. That boy lost all rights to call himself my son the moment he took her from me. Fail me, and it won't just be your gym that's at stake. Remember, I can destroy your reputation with a snap of my fingers."

Kyoya, undeterred, retorted, "Threats can go both ways, Mr. Narukami. You'd do well to remember that. Just ensure my funds are uninterrupted, and I'll get the job done."

There was a tense pause before the line clicked dead.

The room was deathly silent, with only the hum of the TV static filling the void. Haruto's eyes were wide, the color drained from his face. His very foundation had been shaken, and the weight of the revelation bore down on him.

In one fell swoop, he had learned the truth: his father, the very one who left when he was merely a young boy, had orchestrated the very chaos in his life. He felt a vice grip around his heart, the pain nearly unbearable.

A rush of emotions cascaded through Haruto - anger, betrayal, confusion, but above all, an overwhelming nausea. He had always known there was a great rift between him and his father ever since he left, but to learn that it ran this deep was something else entirely. He could feel his stomach failing his guts as a nasty feeling of a wretch rose in his throat.

Yuuto watched Haruto closely, gauging his reaction. He knew the impact of the revelation would be significant, but he had underestimated just how profoundly it would affect Haruto.

With trembling hands, Haruto pointed at the TV, voice shaky, "Is... is that truly my father? Why...? Why would he do this?"

Yuuto sighed, "People have their reasons, Haruto. Some more twisted than others... Your father's being your happiness and, the lack of his own, mostly. Blaming you for something you had no control over somehow fills the void in him. Just as spending time with Himiko fills yours."

"The extra purpose in showing you this, is in a way - letting you know that no matter what or how you did things, Kyoya would have found his way to you eventually. Really, you just shortened the inevitable process. Not initiated it. So, in a way, the blame doesn't fall entirely on you. It still would've been delayed for a very long time if you were just honest."

The room felt cold and oppressive as Haruto tried to process the weight of it all. The path ahead seemed even more uncertain.

'Well... Now I gotta think how to cheer him up again-' Yuuto mentally sighed.

"I'm... Okay," Haruto broke the silence, his voice wavering but defiant.

"Oh?" Yuuto raised an eyebrow, looking over to him.

"...Because... you accepted my money, right?" Haruto said, trying to lighten the mood, referencing Yuuto's words this morning.

Yuuto's lips curled into a smirk. "Heh, you're learning."