When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 12

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to walk in the light again.

It’s not as though I committed a crime.

But I betrayed the people who believed in me. The people who were kind to me. The one who loved me.

At first, I waited for him. Properly.

I waited for his return.

It was a large-scale expedition.

The nation poured in its budget to gather resources, pay explorers, and form an elite team.

At the heart of it was Japan’s top-ranked explorer party—“Myoujou.”

And yet, for some inexplicable reason, the leader, Hideaki Kazuno, didn’t participate.

Because his father, Akihito Kazuno, controlled the media, the public didn’t raise any complaints.

However, within the Japanese Dungeon Association, the atmosphere was different. People resented him for using an injury as an excuse to opt out.

On the other hand, my boyfriend—**no, my former boyfriend, Koichi Okita—**was forced to participate from the start.

He had no way to escape.

I remember him grumbling about it.

He carried the expectations of many.

The public, the Japanese Dungeon Association, and even the government all pinned their hopes on him.

With that kind of pressure, how could he possibly run away?

I understood that.

But… I couldn’t take it.

I was the one who confessed first.

I can still see his face when he accepted—hesitant, but smiling shyly.

Though, to be honest, he looked more confused than happy.

Between the three of us, it was obvious that Haruka was closer to him than I was.

She always stayed by his side, talking to him, playing with him.

And when I watched them, they seemed like children to me.

Even so, I still confessed to him.

Because I hated being left out.

We were supposed to be a trio—just the three of us.

If the two of them got together, I would become nothing more than Haruka’s older sister.

But if I got together with Koichi…

Then Haruka wouldn’t leave. She couldn’t.

Because she’s lonely by nature.

That was my selfish reasoning.

And yet, he accepted.

Somehow, it worked.

Of course, I was curious about romance.

So I had no problem doing things couples do.

We went on dates. We had dinners. We exchanged gifts.

I cherished the watch he gave me…

We could vent about work to each other.

When times were tough, he was there to support me.

I wasn’t the type to express my feelings honestly.

I didn’t show it in my face or my actions.

But I was happy.

And then… it was all gone.

I didn’t know when he’d return.

Or if he even would.

Haruka went with him.

After all, she was an excellent explorer too.

I was the only one left behind.

Of course, that wasn’t their fault.

It wasn’t something anyone could change.

But still…

I felt lonely.

And that’s when I met Hideaki.

He looked just as miserable as I felt.

At first, he didn’t even know who I was.

It was a coincidence that we met.

Both of us wearing the same pained expression.

We started talking.

Then eating together.

And before I knew it…

I did something inexcusable.

I knew it was the worst possible decision.

But I was so lonely that I fell into it anyway.

Meanwhile, the public’s doubts about the expedition grew stronger.

Could they really reach the 100th floor?

Would they even make it back alive?

But on-screen, Koichi looked strong.

He pushed forward alongside Haruka.

Alongside Kotone, Ayaka, and even Natsuki.

Hideaki, on the other hand, seemed fixated on Kotone and Ayaka.

Maybe he felt abandoned too.

The world mocked him for faking an injury to escape the expedition.

But he told me he had simply followed orders from the Japanese Dungeon Association’s chairman.

I had no way of knowing if that was true.

And after all the betrayals and crimes he committed, he and his father were both arrested.

I couldn’t even ask him anymore.

So I forced myself to believe it.

I saw myself in his loneliness.

And so, I continued seeing him.

But this was just an affair.

Nothing more.

Once the expedition ended, everything would return to normal.

I would take him back.

And Hideaki would return to **Kotone or Ayaka—**whichever he actually wanted.

We were just filling the void until they came back.

I convinced myself of that.

I used our bodies to drown out the loneliness.

Then, Koichi came back.

But he didn’t come back to me.

It was my fault.

I knew that.

But why did he have to know?

I resented Hideaki.

“I just blurted it out, okay? He was the one who picked a fight with me. But who cares? He left anyway. Just forget about him.”

A trash of a man saying trash things.

He had the audacity to say this after getting back together with his lovers.

Both of them.

That’s right.

This piece of garbage was dating both Kotone and Ayaka at the same time.

When I asked if they knew about each other, he begged me to stay quiet.

Unbelievable.

Then, Haruka confronted me—tears in her eyes.

“It was about Onii-chan! How could you cheat on him?! And with that scumbag of all people?!”

I only had Hideaki.

At that moment, he was all I had.

You wouldn’t understand, Haruka.

Because you were with Koichi.

But I couldn’t say that.

I couldn’t justify it.

So all I could manage was a weak excuse.

“You wouldn’t understand, you’re just a child.”

All I felt was loneliness.

“That doesn’t give you the right to choose that piece of trash!”

“He’s the scumbag who faked an injury to dodge the expedition!”

“Even a C-rank healer like you could’ve fixed that in an instant!”

I was told that wasn’t his fault.

But even if I said that now, it wouldn’t matter.

I knew Koichi hated Hideaki.

But at the time, he was the only one there.

I was tired of fighting.

So I told Haruka.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It’s over. He left. It’s done.”

SLAP—!!!

I was struck.

By my own sister.