“━━I understand Mother Teresa’s blessed words that the opposite of love isn’t hate, but indifference, but I completely disagree! The opposite of love is definitely hatred!”
The drops of water slowly fell from the transparent bag hanging on the IV stand, traveling through the tube and into the patient’s arm. Multiple needle marks remained on his arm, conveying the weight of his long battle with illness.
Two people each sat beside the bed, next to their sleeping master. The patient’s breathing was faintly audible, shallow yet filled with a will to live. An oxygen mask covered his face, the exhaled breath fogging the inside.
Amidst this scene of a critically ill patient lying before them, Akina’s smile was eerily radiant.
“My family had their company’s money stolen by someone they trusted, and they ran away~”
Indeed, that story was written in the [Diary]. From there, Akina, the president’s daughter, had fallen from grace.
“When we caught him, he had already gambled all the money away~, and his excuses were hilarious~. He said, ‘I wanted to use this money as seed money, multiply it many times over, and repay the Nanjo family!’ Isn’t that just ridiculous~?”
Though a smile graced her lips, a cold light dwelled in her eyes. I couldn’t say anything to that strange expression where a smile and anger coexisted.
“That guy is living a life where all his needs are guaranteed in the detention center, even without money, while my family had to borrow from loan sharks, and I was on the verge of selling my body~. Seriously, this country is too lenient on perpetrators~
━━They should just die.”
Akina’s expression became as blank as a Noh mask, and her hands clenched with the force of a vise. However, noticing that her mask of a smile had crumbled, she quickly put on her usual smile.
“Ah, sorry~. That’s why I think the opposite of love is hatred~. If you’re betrayed by someone you trusted, you’d hate them that much~. The opposite of love being indifference is just a pretty platitude from those who have never truly been betrayed~”
For Akina, betrayal was something she couldn’t forgive more than anything. A crack had appeared in her perfect smile.
“This is the second time for me, but unlike the first time, that scum won’t receive any punishment~? He toyed with us as he pleased, and now he’s still enjoying peace without knowing anything~? While our true savior is on the verge of death~. I wonder if everyone is thinking about this situation~? Even after hearing all this, don’t you want to kill him~?”
“That’s…”
Unforgivable. I don’t want to be involved with him ever again. I’ve even blocked him on LINE, and I plan to ignore him even if we meet face to face. I’m done with family gatherings too.
━━More than anything, I hate him so much I want to kill him.
However, when it comes to killing, ‘common sense’ sides with my reason. I shook my head, and my eyes met with Reon and Shino. I could see the same hesitation in their eyes as well.
“Haa… Is that all~?”
Akina, with a straight face, showed us a cold and contemptuous expression. Her gaze was filled with irritation and disappointment more clearly than words.
“I’m a little disappointed~. Is that all the feelings you all have for Satoshi Iriya-kun, no, Satoshi-sama? Is the gratitude you feel only enough to be held back by common sense and rules~? Well, if that’s the case, then so be it~”
“Huh?”
Akina, exuding a bewitching allure, gently approached the face of ‘Satoshi Iriya’. While letting out a sweet sigh, her lips were drawn to the skin peeking out from the gap in the bandages, and her tongue quietly licked it.
“What are you doing!?”
I couldn’t help but stand up and protest to Akina.
“What do you mean? It’s a sign of loyalty~”
“A sign of, loyalty…?”
Akina brought her face close to ‘Satoshi Iriya’s’ face. Her eyes held a tenderness as if cherishing him.
“I thought there were only scumbags in this world~. But, only Satoshi-sama saved our lives without asking for anything in return~? Love isn’t enough. Don’t you think he’s such a wonderful person who’s worth risking our lives for~?”
Akina’s cheeks were flushed, and her breath touched his ear.
“If there’s a god in this world, then for me, Satoshi-sama is it~. So, that’s why━━━”
Then, she silently raised her upper body, and as if a dead doll had started moving, she unnaturally twisted her neck and looked at us with a blank expression.
“I can’t forgive that scum even if he dies. Not only did he mess with us, but he also became an enemy to Satoshi-sama.”
Then, she smiled and looked at us.
“I wholeheartedly agree with the harem~. Satoshi-sama is not someone I should monopolize alone, and I want everyone who was in the same situation to be happy~. But, that’s why━━━”
She became expressionless again.
“Are you all okay with enjoying peace while the man who risked his life to protect us is becoming unhappy~?”
Akina’s words seemed to probe our hearts. It was as if we had been presented with a fumi-e right in front of us. The tension of being forced to choose tightened the back of my throat.
“…Akina is right.”
The first to respond was Reon.
“…It was always Iriya, no, Satoshi-sama who protected me from my awful mother. It’s thanks to Satoshi-sama that this heart of mine is still beating.”
Reon gently touched ‘Satoshi Iriya’s’ right hand as if cherishing it. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and she looked at him with moist, alluring eyes. Reon, who boasted the most beauty in the school, was enveloped in a bewitching atmosphere, and that heat spread to us, raising our body temperature.
And then━━━
“I want to send that bastard who stole all his achievements and toyed with my heart to hell. Ethics? Laws? Those universal values have never protected me even once.”
Her eyes, swirling with a frigid gale, reflected the thing that should be killed.
“…I also pledge my loyalty.”
The next to respond was Shino.
“Because I was an illegitimate child, I was shunned by my stepmother and half-siblings. I was nothing more than a tool for a political marriage. Yet, I was a coward who didn’t have the courage to run away…”
Shino, who always maintained a dignified attitude, suddenly began to talk about her circumstances and the weaknesses she had hidden.
“For me, high school life was nothing more than a moratorium to postpone my engagement with a detestable fiancé… I had half given up on the idea of a prince charming.”
A look of resignation could be seen on Shino’s face.
“━━But, I’ve finally met him. A wonderful person I want to serve even if it means opposing the Touno family.”
Looking straight at us, she snuggled up to the lying ‘Satoshi Iriya’. And then━━━
“That’s why, that scum who stole Satoshi-sama’s achievements and is living carefree… I will absolutely kill him. No matter what it takes. I will chase him to the ends of hell, and I will definitely…!”
Shino was so terrifying that she seemed capable of cutting down a person with just her words. Her voice was low and restrained, but it had a sharp, resonant quality.
“So, what about you~?”
Akina asked me, the one who was left.
“…The reason I was able to work hard at my gravure job was all for him. I didn’t really want to do it, and I wanted to quit every day. I wanted to run away.”
The inorganic lens of the camera and the eyes that stared at me from behind it were frightening. It was terrifying to have my exposed body spread to the world.
But, that was all I could do, since I had no other talents. I thought that if I became famous, he would only look at me.
━━Reality was harsh.
Even though I literally put my body on the line.
I was constantly threatened that I would be fired if I didn’t do well, and I was told that I had to do a pillow business to sell. Not only my body but also my mind was gradually being driven to the edge, and I was eventually cornered.
When I was feeling hopeless, thinking that I might not be able to leave anything behind and become prey to the world, he came to me. He spent a lot of money for me, who wasn’t selling well. I was able to reaffirm my love.
I loved him. I adored him. I really would have given everything.
That’s why━━━
All the strength drained from my body. I decided to speak my mind as my heart dictated, while still hanging my head.
“━━I agree with both Akina’s theory and Mother Teresa’s words. However, I think both are lacking. The opposite of love is hatred, and the opposite of love and hate is ‘indifference’.”
━━Ah, I feel like I’ve finally become my true self.
I shed my common sense, reason, and ethics, and all the unnecessary things were stripped away.
“Put yourself in Satoshi-sama’s position. He has always given us ‘love’, but we have continued to return ‘indifference’?”
The pretense of volunteering has a beautiful ring to it. Selfless acts of kindness, people throwing themselves into conflict zones and impoverished areas with the pure desire to save someone. Their figures are like that of ‘angels.’
But can it truly be called ‘selfless’?
The act of saving someone comes with the reward of gratitude. This creates a sense of satisfaction. For students, it raises their internal evaluations, and for celebrities, it earns them the reputation of being ‘good people.’ If they are featured in the media, their social status skyrockets even further.
Above all, they receive the irreplaceable reward of having saved someone.
No matter how many pretty words are used, there is always a ‘give and take’ involved. This is the essence and law of the world. Everything operates on the basis of equivalent exchange.
However, Satoshi-sama, a reincarnated individual from a higher world, is different.
No matter how much he dedicates himself, all his achievements are stolen by that fool, Yuto Sano. He receives no gratitude or recognition. And in the end, even his desire to ‘live’ is trampled upon, and he is mercilessly sentenced to ‘death.’
He lived to be robbed; that was the life of Satoshi Iriya.
“It was painful, wasn’t it? It was agonizing, wasn’t it?”
Before I knew it, a single tear traced a path down my cheek.
My body wouldn’t move. It was as if my entire body was tightly bound. The smartphone I was holding slipped from my powerless fingers and hit the floor with a thud.
It’s okay. We will definitely color your life for you.
But before that—
“So, let’s make him experience the same thing as Satoshi-sama. The pain of being ignored, betrayed, and robbed of everything. And then—”
The three of them were surprised by my words, but they soon smiled.
“…That’s a good idea. I’m sure he thinks he can continue our past relationship. But how can we inflict the pain of being robbed?”
“It’s simple, but if we show him us being with Satoshi-sama, won’t he go crazy with jealousy?”
“But isn’t it difficult to show that to him?”
“Then, how about we make Satoshi-sama go to the same university as us?”
“Huh? Does that mean we’ll use the Shinonome family’s power to get him into our university? I don’t want to cause Satoshi-sama any unnecessary worries.”
It would be a problem if he mistakenly thought that the ‘World’s Compulsion’ was still in effect. We can’t give him strange doubts and cause him pain when he’s finally been freed.
“Don’t worry, after checking Satoshi-sama’s computer, I found that he had applied to and passed the entrance exam for the university we’re going to. It seems his faculty is the same as his as well.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“It’s perfect for showing him an NTR scene.”
“That’s right. If I could be greedy, I would have liked to take classes next to him, though.”
I know it’s a selfish wish, but there was a tinge of loneliness.
“Fufu, at this rate, he won’t be able to complete the university entrance procedures in time, and he’ll be forced to repeat a year. Satoshi-sama wouldn’t want that, so let’s ask the hospital to send the entrance-related documents to him.”
“I’m getting excited for spring! Oh, right, about how to kill him—what do you think?”
After a beat.
“F-fufu, Sakurazuki-chan, you’ve gone quite mad, haven’t you! But,”
“It’s getting interesting how similar our thoughts are. I was planning on doing the same thing.”
“That’s right. There’s no other way, is there? To make him taste the pain of Satoshi-sama.”
We are characters born from the same tragedy called LoD.
There’s no way to resist, no way to escape.
Is this way of thinking unethical?
So what?
What good is morality?
It didn’t save us.
Our only comrades in this world are the three of us and Satoshi-sama.
Everything else is rubble, nothingness, fragments of a broken world.
“Ahaha…”
A sense of omnipotence enveloped my entire body, and we entrusted ourselves to our beloved savior. Around him, it was as if an alluring incense had been lit, filling the air of the hospital room with a sweet and rich aroma.
My heart melts and trembles with the joy of touching my beloved.
I want him to wake up soon. I want him to seek us.
And then—
“—We’ll be waiting?”
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