789. HypothesisNei did say that she"ll hold back from coming to my bed tonight, but.
I"m the one coming to her right now.
「 Where is she right now? 」
Minaho-neesan and Margo-san should know where Nei is from the monitoring system.
「 Second floor, in the library 」
Margo-san replied.
Library, it"s the room in this mansion where the former prost.i.tutes left their books and manga behind.
「 Nei goes there when she"s feeling down 」
「 Okay, I"ll go to her right away 」
I stand up.
「 Ah, wait for a second, Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu 」
Minaho-neesan stopped me.
「 What? 」
「 I"ll leave Nei to you. I think that you can deal with her better than we do. That"s for the better 」
Minaho-neesan looked at Margo-san.
「 Since we"re at it, I"d like to ask... 」
Huh?
「 Why is Margo not having s.e.x with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu? 」
Margo-san smiled.
「 Why do you want to know about that now, Minaho? 」
「 I think being transparent with your relations.h.i.+p with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu is for the better with Nei 」
Minaho-neesan said.
「 If Margo doesn"t want to have s.e.x with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu because you were worrying about Nei... 」
「 You know that"s not it 」
Margo-san said.
「 But, Margo takes the role of Nei"s elder sister. Isn"t that why you"re holding back your emotions for Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu when Nei"s present? 」
「 Why though? Nei knows that Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun has a lot of women before I could even make a move 」
Right. I"m having s.e.x with multiple women every day.
It"s too late for Nei to dislike the idea.
Besides, it was Nei who asked me to rape Kansenpai.
「 As Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu said earlier, Nei wants to be an elder sister. Therefore, she loves Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu and the younger sisters from the bottom of her heart 」
「 And Nei is loved by her elder sisters. Minaho, Katsuko-san, and everyone does 」
Margo-san doesn"t break her smile.
「 But we"re different from Margo, in regards to Nei. Margo, you"re special to that girl 」
Minaho-neesan.
「 It"s Margo who opened up Nei"s heart after losing her brother in Los Angeles 」
Nei"s usually bright and mischievous personality is a fake.
Nei made it up to protect her breaking heart back then.
She mimicked Kyouko-san.
The real Nei, Yasuko, is an introverted and docile girl.
「 And so, Nei doesn"t feel reluctant to watch Katsuko or the other girls have s.e.x with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu, but, she might not like to see Margo and Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu have s.e.x 」
「 Why? I don"t get it 」
Margo-san said.
「 Why would Nei not like me having s.e.x with him? If Nei wants to be closer to me than the other girls, then, shouldn"t she want me to have s.e.x with him? Have you thought of that possibility? 」
If she wants to be closer with Margo-san...
Just like how Michi watches me have s.e.x with Misuzu.
But.
「 I somehow get what Minaho-neesan"s trying to say 」
Margo-san looked at me.
「 Ychan often conceals her emotions 」
Oh, why did I not think of it?
「 If it"s with someone like Megu, who she can speak without reserve, then she"d speak, "I want to be your number one" without problems, right? 」
I said.
「 But, Nei and Misuzu both hide their true nature. They only carry out their role in that location, acting out their daily life. That"s how they were 」
Misuzu"s lived with eyes around watching her because she"s Jii-chan"s daughter.
Nei"s been confined by a criminal with a whimsy character.
Forcing a smile has become nature to her.
She suppresses her desires and emotions, and move her body as the people around hope her do.
And she"s smart enough to move the conversation to make sure that the other party doesn"t notice that she"s hiding her emotions.
She"s too smart.
「 Earlier, Misuzu shouted that she also wants to be a number one. Those were the thoughts she"s hiding deep inside her heart 」
「 I"ve seen that one, yes 」
Minaho-neesan nods.
「 If Misuzu was like that, then Nei might also be holding some more complex emotions than what Misuzu holds even though she"s showing a bright smile 」
Or should I say that because of Nei"s strong personality on the surface,
She might be holding her true feelings more than Misuzu.
At a glance, Nei"s encouraging me to have s.e.x with whoever, but,
The Yasuko from the back might not like it.
「 Indeed. Nei bringing Kansan in might be mentally stressing her out 」
Margo-san said.
「 In case someone has excessive stress, they act opposite of what they think. Nei"s true feelings might be that she doesn"t want Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun to have s.e.x with more girls. However, putting various factors to consider, Nei herself thought of introducing a new s.e.x partner, and acted out differently from what she first thought 」
Margo-san speaks clearly.
「 I think so too. But, Nei"s mentally balanced with her current personality, and so I believe that she"ll accept it even if Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu had s.e.x with other girls 」
Minaho-neesan?
「 Nei"s life and happiness are all centered around Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu. She"ll do anything if it"s for Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu"s sake, and she doesn"t think of monopolizing you 」
Nei doesn"t want to monopolize me.
She thinks that it won"t make me happy if she does.
There are too many beautiful girls around, and yet...
Nei thinks that she"s worthless.
Just like me.
「 Therefore, Nei will accept even if Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun has s.e.x with other girls. If that"s the case, shouldn"t Nei also turn a blind eye on me too? 」
Margo-san laughed.
「 Suppose I want t have s.e.x with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun... 」
「 No, in Margo-san"s case 」
I...
「 Margo-san, do you call Ychan "Nei" when you"re alone with her? 」
It"s common for Nei to act together with Margo-san.
「 Both happen. Her personality lets it happen occasionally 」
I knew it.
「 I think that it"s just the two of us in her family. She talks to us as Najima Yasuko, her real face 」
Yeah, if Nei and I were alone.
After s.e.x, when we"re both naked in the bed.
Nei returns to Yasuko, and we hold a conversation.
「 I"m only watching through the cameras 」
Minaho-neesan sighed.
「 Yasuko doesn"t talk for a long time 」
Nei"s real self only talks to Margo-san and me.
「 That"s the reason why I"m uneasy. To Nei, Margo"s a special elder sister, where she doesn"t need to act. If Margo were to sleep with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu... 」
Nei probably wants to monopolize me, she probably doesn"t want me to have s.e.x with other girls.
But in this family, she wants to be the elder sister for my sake.
Due to multiple factors, she"s okay with me having s.e.x with everyone.
「 Nei opened her heart to Margo. I think that comforts her 」
Despite that...
If Margo-san were to have s.e.x with me...
「 I think that she might close her heart to Margo too 」
Minaho-neesan"s worry isn"t wrong.
「 Margo, you"ve noticed it too, have you? Isn"t that why you"re not having s.e.x with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu? 」
Margo-san...
「 Fufufu, you"re overthinking it, Minaho, and Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun 」
She combed her bangs upwards and smiled wryly.
「 That"s an interesting hypothesis, but that"s wrong 」
Wrong?
「 Nei"s not that weak. And I"m not that overprotective 」
She laughed.
「 It"s going well with Nei and me because I"m facing that girl in equal terms. In that regard, Minaho looked down on Nei from above too much. Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun is an honest man, Misuzu-chan"s a courteous woman, and that"s why they can talk to Minaho even with that att.i.tude, but, Nei"s personality hates it 」
「 I-I! 」
「 No, I"m just joking. Nei doesn"t hate Minaho at all 」
Margo-san"s smile vanishes.
「 I"m not having s.e.x with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun because of the season 」
Season?
「 I don"t plan on getting pregnant anytime soon. If I want a child, then I"d ask Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu for one at that time 」
「 But, you can have s.e.x while not wanting pregnancy though 」
Minaho-neesan said.
「 That"s your opinion. I don"t need s.e.x like the other girls 」
Margo-san returns to her smiling face.
「 Are you saying that we"ve empathized with the former prost.i.tutes" opinion on s.e.x? 」
「 That"s not it. I might be the oddball. To be honest, I don"t have the urge to have s.e.x with men 」
「 But, how about trying it out? 」
Minaho-neesan suggests.
「 In your case, your first case is a trauma, that must be why you don"t want to have s.e.x 」
Margo-san"s gang-raped at age 12.
「 Aren"t you the same, Minaho? 」
「 Katsuko, Nagisa, and I were forced to become prost.i.tutes, and so we know the pleasures of s.e.x as we worked. Playing with men for money, and our bodies learned how to climax 」
Minaho-neesan said.
「 But Margo"s experience is nothing but pain, isn"t it? 」
She said, then looked at me.
「 But, I"m sure that Margo will know the merits of s.e.x if you do it with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu... 」
I...
「 I think you should try it out. As for me, my body can"t have s.e.x anymore, so I"d like Margo to know the pleasures of s.e.x. You were born a woman, try changing your life. Margo 」
Margo-san.
She smiled and looked at me.
「 That"s what Minaho said, what do you think? 」
She"s smiling, but her eyes show seriousness.
「 If Margo-san doesn"t want to do it yet, then I won"t force you 」
I don"t think that I"m good at s.e.x.
Neither I think that it changes people"s lives.
Besides, s.e.x isn"t something so casual that you can just test it out.
「 Right. I don"t think of testing it out either, I"ve got a lot I want to do for now. Therefore, that"s the end of story 」
「 Margo! 」
Margo-san ignores Minaho-neesan, who tries to continue the conversation...
「 It"s not that I hate Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun. I like you. I genuinely think of you as my brother. I love you. That"s for sure 」
She speaks to me with an affectionate gaze.
「 But, that"s why I"d like to stir up that idea that when one have s.e.x, things will go smoothly 」
That"s...
「 Although, that doesn"t mean that I think s.e.x is not okay. I believe that s.e.x is essential, and I"m sure that s.e.x creates bonds. There are girls saved because you had s.e.x with them. But, I don"t think that everything in this world revolves around s.e.x 」
Margo-san.
「 I don"t think that creating bonds and relations.h.i.+ps through s.e.x is a bad thing... However, I"m only asking, "does it always have to be through s.e.x?" There"s no man here but Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun. I think that if everyone wants to have s.e.x with you, then you"ll burst out 」
She smiled at me.
「 Do you mean to say that we depend on Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu right away when we feel mentally unstable and ask to have s.e.x for healing, and that"s not good? 」
Minaho-neesan asks.
「 I said that"s not it 」
Margo-san sighed.
「 You know, each one has their "It"s absolute, it has to be this" as their answer, right? 」
Then, she looked at me.
A calm and gentle smile.
「 I haven"t done intercourse with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun yet, but I feel a strong bond with him 」
Margo-san.
「 I think we have enough trust in each other even if we don"t have s.e.x. We"re family. We"ve always been family. Isn"t that right, Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun? 」
Yeah.
She"s right.
That"s how it is.
「 Yeah. Margo-oneesan"s a precious elder sister of mine 」
I call her Margo-oneesan naturally.
「 s.e.x is just a means to become intimate with each other, but we cannot settle everything through s.e.x. We can create bonds even without it 」
「 Yes, that"s right. Your relations.h.i.+p with me is the proof of that 」
I feel like I"m saved.
Yeah.
Margo-oneesan and I definitely have a strong bond.
Therefore, we"re family even if we don"t have s.e.x.
「 Minaho. If there"s no one like me in this family, Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu-kun will suffocate, am I wrong? 」
Margo-neesan said, Minaho-neesan;
「 Wait, you were worrying about Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu, not Nei? 」
Huh?
「 And is that why you want to keep your relations.h.i.+p with Yos.h.i.+n.o.bu platonic? 」
What?
「 I wonder? I think that hypothesis of yours is interesting though 」
Margo-neesan laughs it off.
「 I don"t simply do what I want. My highest priority is going to the US and enter the martial arts scene 」
Then.
「 I won"t have s.e.x for now. That"s all 」
◇ ◇ ◇
I head to the library where Nei"s hiding.
I wear only a bathrobe and slippers, making flapping sounds.
Should I change clothes before going to her?
Well, I guess this one feels natural.
It"s too late for me to try to show off.
Now then.
Click.
I opened the heavy door to the library.
Oh, this room is really filled with books.
There are some old VHS tapes around, but...
「 Yo-chan, what"s up? 」
Nei"s sitting on the floor, grasping her knees in the tiny corner of the room.
「 Hm, I want to see Ychan 」
「 Why? You"re done with Megu-chan? 」
「 Yeah. Tsukiko"s managing them now 」
I sit down next to Nei.
「 Well, weren"t you watching? 」
Through the cameras.
「 Yeah. Well... 」
Nei brings in a strange-looking robot doll.
「 What"s that? 」
「 Oh, this one"s from this room 」
This room?
「 I think there were children in this mansion even before Megu-chan 」
Children of the prost.i.tutes.
「 Look, this one"s an old toy, it"s probably from the "80s 」
Nei moves around the robot.
「 I don"t know if it was a child born here, or a child of a prost.i.tute, but... But, it was before s.h.i.+rasaka Sousuke took over the brothel. I think we"ll know about it if we ask Morimoto-san, the clerk of Kuromori tower 」
Morimoto-san"s living with his wife in one of the houses surrounding the mansion.
He"s retired now and only comes to the mansion when Minaho-neesan calls her.
「 Look, this one"s deformed 」
Nei bends the limbs of the robot toy.
She opened the toy inside and stored it in the head and limbs.
「 Oh, so you can do that? 」
But.
「 So, what"s this? 」
The transforming robot looks crooked.
Now that she mentioned it, the robot has a strange color.
The face is colored green, but the body is pale, light brown.
「 This is an Iwa 」
Nei looked at the group of light brown crooked and transformed robot toys.
「 Iwa? 」
「 Yeah, Iwais.h.i.+[1. Also, read as Ganzeki] superman 」
Ganzeki Choujin?
「 Err, it becomes a rock from a robot? 」
「 No, no, that"s not it, The rock transforms to robot 」
Err.
「 Ganzeki Superman Ma.s.s Rock, I got curious, so I looked it up on my phone 」
I-I see.
「 Look, when Transformers robot toys were famous, these were the products of other makers 」
「 Oh, the robots that transform to cars and stuff 」
「 No, no, the transformers in the early days weren"t reusing vehicles like Microman"s Microrobot series, or diamond clone Car robots, they transform to various electronics. Cameras, pistols, walkman, microscope 」
「 And the rival company started selling rocks transforming to robots? 」
「 Hmm, that"s the part I don"t understand 」
Nei takes out the head of the robot and puts it back.
「 This rock superman thing is launched as various types. It has both the good and evil groups 」
「 Oh. then it was popular? 」
From how I look at it, it has an eerie design.
「 Well, they didn"t sell at all 」
「 Ah. I knew it 」
「 But, since it didn"t sell a lot, the remaining ones sell for a high price in online auctions, but 」
「 So, this is premium? 」
「 Not at all 」
「 I knew it 」
「 It wasn"t famous back then, and it"s neither popular nowadays 」
I guess.
「 But, this rock superman is much better. 」
Nei takes out another toy from the bookshelf.
「 This one"s rock superman Ruby-man 」
What?
What"s with this transparent red, strangely shaped robot?
The face is something gross.
「 This is the concept where the robots transform to jewels 」
Nei transforms the robot toy.
「 Okay, done 」
Eeeeeh?!
「 What kind of gemstone is this? 」
「 I know, right! 」
It"s turned to some distorted shape.
I can"t see the jewel at all.
「 And that"s the reason why these jewel superman something didn"t sell either 」
I knew it.
「 If you can"t tell what it is, it"s much better to stay as the robot 」
Nei returns the toy to its former look.
Then.
「 Yo-chan. Sorry
She whispers.