"Hah... hah..."
A pale-faced Hatsune gasped for air. The sound of the running water from the bathroom felt like the ticking clock of a death sentence.
Earlier, caught up in the atmosphere, she had blurted out a litany of perverted thoughts. Now that she had calmed down, her brain was trembling... What the hell did I just say!!!
There's no going back.
There's no going back...
Never again...
Even if Sakiko didn't say anything, she must be disgusted by how perverted she was.
The more Hatsune thought about it, the more panicked she became. The more she thought, the more she wanted to run away—run to a place where Sakiko could never find her and continue living her dark, miserable life.
The moment the water in the bathroom stopped, Hatsune instinctively stood up to flee. But the next second, Rin Ito grabbed her and pulled her back onto the sofa.
A moment later, Sakiko emerged from the bathroom, dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. Her cheeks, flushed pink from the steam, looked incredibly adorable. Hatsune, however, kept her head bowed, too terrified to look up.
Rin Ito gently patted Hatsune's head. After a brief shudder, Hatsune blurted out in a panic.
"I-I'm sorry, I... I'll quit the band. I... I'll never appear in front of you again... Ugh!"
For saying such things, Rin Ito gave her a sharp flick on the forehead.
"W-Why?" Sakiko was equally embarrassed... Now that she had calmed down, her brain was also trembling.
"It's my fault you ended up like this. I... I know what your life was like before. It's all my fault that you and your father had to..."
"It's fine! He... he's already helped me think things through." Sakiko took a deep breath, gripped Hatsune's shoulders, and looked at her earnestly. "When you all joined the band, I said we were a community of shared destiny. You... haven't you already entrusted your life to me?"
Sakiko's slightly chuunibyou speech almost made Rin Ito burst out laughing, but Hatsune looked deeply moved.
"Let's write off the past. Let's write off all the misfortune and regret that surrounds us. Forget everything, pretend it never happened. I will bring you back to the Toyokawa family. I will give you your rightful status."
"That kind of thing... is impossible. It can't be done... It won't be allowed..."
"Who told you it wouldn't be allowed!?" Sakiko abruptly cut Hatsune off. "Don't underestimate my resolve!"
"Exactly, exactly." Rin Ito nodded in agreement. "Sakiko is going to become a God, after all. How could a trivial matter like this stop her?"
"!!!!!" Rin Ito's words instantly made Sakiko blush furiously. Her chuunibyou lines sounded cool when she said them, but hearing someone else repeat them was pure public execution.
"A-Anyway!" Sakiko raised her chin, raising her voice slightly in embarrassment. "From now on, just leave everything to me!"
"Including your repressed desires?" Rin Ito teased.
"T-That's a no." Sakiko averted her gaze. "A-At most, it'll be like before... y-you can give her my underwear."
"N-No need."
Sakiko's words made Hatsune blush deeply as she hurriedly declined. It wasn't that she didn't like Sakiko... she wasn't a total pervert, after all. At most, she'd just crawl on the floor calling Sakiko's name.
Her previous perversion was caused by extreme repression. Now that all her secrets were out, Hatsune felt a sense of relief. Having confessed all her pent-up frustrations, the slate was wiped clean.
"I-Is that so? If you don't need them... that's for the best." Sakiko twirled a strand of hair by her cheek and spoke softly. "If you feel stressed... it's okay to talk about it, you know."
Although she was terribly embarrassed, considering it was her grandfather's mistake, Sakiko still felt guilty toward Hatsune.
"I-If possible... when you guys have a party, let me hide in the closet... Yeah, that would be fine." She paused before hastily adding, "I... I just need to watch from the sidelines, that's enough. Yeah, just that is enough."
"Eh? EEEH!???"
Sakiko blinked, looking at Rin Ito in utter bewilderment... Even though she had participated in parties, this kind of fetish was a bit too avant-garde for her.
"Tch, tch, tch... Is just watching really enough? Don't you want Sakiko to tell you how good it feels when I fuck her?" Rin Ito looked at Hatsune with a playful smile. "Don't you want Sakiko to look at you with utter disgust and call you a pervert?"
"!!!!"
Imagining the scene Rin Ito described, Hatsune's breathing grew heavy.
"I knew it. You definitely have a cuckold fetish, Hatsune."
"A c-c-cuckold fetish?" Hatsune looked at Rin Ito blankly, while Sakiko also cast a confused glance.
Although Hatsune had been very repressed, her actions were previously limited to solitary masturbation. she rarely read online doujins or novels. If Kaede were here, she would definitely see that Hatsune's NTR stat was a deep, bloody -70 at the very least.
While Rin Ito's training certainly played a part, with her level of repression, she probably would have developed a cuckold fetish even without his intervention.
"Simply put, it's a fetish where you get aroused by watching the person you love being with someone else... There are all sorts of fetishes in the world, and whatever it is, it's perfectly normal... Of course, this particular fetish is a bit dangerous. If it's not properly guided, not only will it remain unsatisfied, but it might lead to even more severe repression."
"I noticed it when we first interacted, otherwise I wouldn't have brought Sakiko's panties to test you. Want to try exploring it a bit?"
"Eh? I... I don't know..."
A helpless Hatsune looked toward Sakiko. She had these desires, but she lacked the knowledge; she didn't understand it at all. In fact, today was the first time she had even heard the term 'cuckold fetish'.
Sakiko's gaze wandered. If Hatsune liked someone else, Sakiko wouldn't care. But the problem was, Hatsune liked her.
What if she became too repressed and attacked her? Or worse, developed psychological issues like Mutsumi?
Pursing her lips, a blushing Sakiko offered encouragement... I'll just leave it all to him!
"If you're stressed... letting it out is a good thing."
"Th-Then..." Hatsune swallowed. "Let's... explore it then."
Rin Ito took out his phone, asked Ichika for the QR code to their 'Cuckold Alliance' group chat, and sent it to Hatsune.
"There are some girls in there with similar interests to yours. Once you get home, you can join the group and chat with them."
"Ah... th-thank you."
Hatsune nodded blankly, while Sakiko hesitated to speak. The same thought crossed both their minds... He actually has a group chat for this!?
No wonder he's so experienced!
However... since he was so experienced, leaving Hatsune's issues to him should be fine.
Snapping out of party mode and returning to normal, Sakiko quickly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which... when we played together in the past, which parts were Uika and which parts were you, Hatsune? Ah... the one who watched the stars with me was definitely you, right?"
"Mmh!"