I'm Being Threatened by My Sister's Ex-girlfriend. (GL) - Chapter 26

When Hakobe returned to the room, she froze when she saw Hakobe. Even when Hakobe stood up and said, “Long time no see,” while patting her head, she didn’t move an inch.

Ironically, her gaze was clearly tracing the outline of Hakobe’s underwear, obsessively so.

After Hakobe headed to the shower, Hakobe sat down in the chair in the middle of the room, hugging her knees tightly. The sound of the shower came faintly through the thin walls. She exhaled deeply, pressed her face to her bent knees, and then let out another heavy sigh.

“…Why now…?”

I thought the same thing.

“By the way, were you talking about me?”

“Well, I did.”

“What did she say?”

“She said it was just playacting.”

While her face was buried in her knees, she groaned, a pitiful sound that was almost painful to listen to. It was clear just from looking at her — Hakobe hadn’t let go of Hakobe, not even a little.

In a voice that sounded like it might crack, Hakobe said:

“…Even though she let you kiss her?”

“We talked about that too. I got dragged into it as well.”

Her face shot up immediately.

“Wait, you kissed her?!”

“Yeah, I did. I don’t get it. She said she does it with anyone.”

When did she become like this? It’s hard to believe that just a year and a half ago, we were living under the same roof. Did Hakobe change, or was I the one who was blind?

“Listen, I really think someone like her is…”

I didn’t even realize when Hakobe was suddenly right in front of me. She grabbed the collar of my shirt and squeezed it tightly. A soft scent of soap wafted through the air. Her slender fingers pressed against the corner of my lips. I could feel her nails digging into my skin.

Her eyes, dark and intense, stared into mine.

“Gloss marks. So what you said just now… it’s true?”

“Eh, ah—mmph!”

Something soft covered my mouth. My hand, still holding onto the sheets, tensed. The scent of vanilla filled my nose, and unfamiliar saliva touched my tongue.

“Ha… mm. Ngh.”

She sucked on my upper lip, like she was biting it. Her teeth grazed the soft skin on the inside of my lip. I heard a watery sound from the back of my head. My entire body shivered.

Her lips parted from mine.

As they did, Hakobe’s breath fell into my lungs. She wiped her wet lips on her arm. I thought my clothes would get dirty, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“…What… are you doing?”

The voice that escaped my throat was so weak, it didn’t even feel like my own. My heart was pounding loudly, and I could feel my cheeks getting even hotter.

With all the protest I could muster, I glared at Hakobe.

“That’s enough of this.”

“Shut up. Please be quiet for a moment.”

Once again, my lips were sealed. The second kiss was completely different from the first—gentle, almost like a gesture of affection.

And yet, my heartbeat was so loud, it felt like I was running at full speed. A feeling like freefalling filled my mind. It was as if I was falling into an endless abyss.

When the kiss broke, I spoke.

“───Just give up already.”

Hakobe looked down at me with dark eyes, her fist clenched. The sheets wrinkled as she gripped them tightly.

“It’s pointless. Obsessing over someone who rejected you, using someone else as a substitute—what does that even accomplish?”

Once I started saying it, the words wouldn’t stop. The softness that had been there before twisted and stiffened. Even though I couldn’t stop myself, I felt like I was drowning in the words.

“If you’re going to do something meaningless like this, if you really want to fall in love—”

Do it with me.

The crucial words stuck in my throat. I turned away, unable to say it. That one sentence felt impossibly distant.

I knew the reason. No one wants to walk down a path they know will end in failure.

Eventually, Ichika returned. I quickly took a shower, feeling defeated, and then, in a half-hearted mood, made a suggestion to both of them.

“There’s a bed, a towel blanket, and an IKEA cooling rug. Let’s decide who gets what.”

“You’re the homeowner, so I think the bed’s fine for you?”

“…No. The air conditioner’s been acting up lately, and it’s supposed to be a tropical night, so I want the cooling rug. I’ll give up the bed.”

Ichika looked over at where Hakobe was sitting. Hakobe had her face buried in her bent knees.

“Then, Hakobe-chan should take the bed. Or should we sleep together?”

Still looking down, Hakobe shook her head.

“Please, Ichika-senpai, take it.”

With that, she grabbed the cream-colored towel blanket on the floor, wrapping it around herself like a caterpillar, her voice almost a whisper.

“I’m fine with this.”

And that’s how it ended up.

The student apartment with a single room wasn’t designed for three people to sleep in. If we tried to sleep on the floor, avoiding the cluttered color boxes of discarded clothes, game consoles, trash, and streaming equipment, we’d end up so close that we’d hear each other’s breathing.

That’s why I gave up the bed. I figured if I relinquished my right to it, Hakobe would give it to Ichika.

Even if the place was miserable, I just wanted to be squeezed between them.

With the lights off, I lay on the light blue rug. The hard floor pressed up directly against me, and it wasn’t exactly comfortable. On top of that, the constant sound of rain outside was distracting.

I wasn’t the only one unable to fall asleep.

Hakobe’s face was close enough that I could almost rest my arm around her. Even in the darkness, I could tell her eyes were open.

For a while, we just stared at each other in silence.

Then, after a while, the rhythm of the breathing coming from the bed changed, and I knew that Ichika had fallen asleep.

In the dark, I sensed a movement.

The caterpillar had turned into a butterfly and was now leaning over me. Her hair, hanging down, brushed my cheek.

In the dark, it was impossible to tell the difference between blue and black.

But those always-cool eyes were glowing now, shining with warmth. Her gaze traced my outline, as if she were trying to see through the thin fabric of my nightwear.

“Don’t move.”

The voice was labored.

Rough, hot breaths brushed against my ear. Only the second button from the top of my nightwear had been undone. The fabric shifted. Through the gap, fingers slid in.

The fingertips tormented the curve of my body. My chin jerked upward. I covered my mouth with my hand. As I bit down on my voice, tears welled up instead.

In my blurred vision, I saw Hakobe. Her eyes were feverish, desperate, yet floating as if lost in a dream.

Even a fool could understand this.

Right now, Hakobe was touching Ichika in her imagination.

She had seen Ichika’s skin, seen the person she liked in her underwear.

And that’s why she lost control.

So, she stroked, pinched, caressed, and kneaded me, trying to comfort herself, attempting to fill the emptiness in her own way.

The coldness of her hand made my heart tremble. In that moment, I was just a tool to satisfy her lust—a living, breathing love doll.

Over and over, she touched me carefully, until she was satisfied. I just closed my eyes and stifled any sound.

Eventually, Hakobe let out a deep sigh, withdrew her hand from my clothes, and, with an almost apologetic manner, fastened the second button.

The passion in her eyes had already faded. In its place was a dark, hollow void.

Her lips moved.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? That you should give up.”

Her voice was flat and cold. She gripped my shoulder desperately, her nails digging into my skin. But the pain from her grip was nothing compared to the emotion I felt radiating from the girl in front of me.

“…Will you let me give up?”

I swallowed hard.

The steady sound of rain was fading from my awareness.

If I nodded here, would something start? Would I get what I wanted?

But…

I remembered the passion in her eyes when she touched me. That must have been Hakobe’s form of love—dark, base, and raw, like twisted, feverish desire.

Could I really replace that? Could I build something new from scratch to take its place?

Could I?

No.

“I’m sorry.”

There was no way. Because…

“I can’t be Ichika’s replacement.”

Hakobe lowered her gaze, her eyes glistening with moisture.

In the depths of the dark night, the rain continued to pour relentlessly. There was no sign of it stopping.