Lianna's Secret 2
"...Why are they so late...?"
Sitting in the living room, Dario checked the clock again, his leg jiggling nervously. His wife and son hadn't come home last night. Just as he'd been about to go out to meet them since it was so late, one of the employees he'd sent over had shown up to say there was an urgent order and they'd be pulling an all-nighter.
Back when Lianna had her own shop, she occasionally stayed overnight there, so it wasn't entirely unusual. But today, Dario felt a strange anxiety creeping over him, making his body tremble unlike before. He'd even left the shop early and come straight home.
"...They said they worked all night, but they're late again today...?"
Having pulled an all-nighter, he'd assumed they'd come home early. He'd waited, thinking today they'll be back soon, but time dragged on, and his unease only grew.
"No way... No, it can't be..."
The suspicions wouldn't stop. Even though the bullies tormenting him had been dealt with, his wife seemed to have developed a subtle distance from him. And Dino's words had grown fewer with each passing day. Dino, who had become so quiet, was now saying he'd hang out with his new "big sisters" until Mom finished work and come home with her?
He understood Lianna needing to work overnight, but did Dino really have to stay at the shop too? Those bold women who were helping Dino—how had they gotten so close to him so quickly? And why had the dispatched employee who came to the house last night been wearing such revealing clothes that looked like Lianna's designs?
As suspicions flashed through his mind, the image of Lianna gazing at Sema with that strange expression surfaced. Overwhelmed by impatience, Dario shot up from his seat, grabbed his coat to go fetch his wife and son.
"It might be nothing, but still..."
He didn't want to be the kind of husband who stopped his wife from doing what she wanted, but right now, he had no choice. He was her husband and a father. Worrying about his family was only natural, right? Sure, what big trouble could happen in the city? But you never knew with people.
As he reached for the door handle with that thought, the handle turned before he could touch it, and the door swung open.
"...Got it? Hehe...♡ Oh? ...You?"
"Wh-what? Honey...?"
A bit late, but his wife and son were finally home. Before Dario could even sigh in relief that it was just needless worry, he froze in shock.
"...Going out? Have a safe trip."
"N-no. You were so late, I was thinking of coming to pick you up..."
"...? I'll come home after work, so why bother? You'd just get in the way, so don't."
Lianna and Dino brushed past him as if ignoring him, heading inside. Not just her cold attitude, but their changed outfits from yesterday were utterly bewildering.
"...Lianna?"
"...What? Something wrong?"
The heart-neck dress with straps only on the shoulders—one he'd begged her not to wear even at her shop. With the side slit so high her legs were fully exposed, she'd come home wearing that? He'd let it slide at the shop since she had no choice, but they'd agreed she wouldn't wear it outside...
Why? And the one next to Lianna right now, Dino...
"...D-Dino? You..."
"...Yeah? Oh... I'm home."
Dino kicked off his shoes with an annoyed, perfunctory reply. But his son's outfit was even more shocking than his wife's. Shiny stockings and gloves, hot pants so tight his ass cheeks peeked out, and a clinging tank top. Dino looked just like a girl, making Dario wonder if he'd mistaken his son for a daughter.
It wasn't just the clothes—the wide hips that screamed female, the subtle curve at his chest. Even his face felt different from a few days ago, so much so that Dario rubbed his eyes, thinking it was some girl who just resembled Dino.
"...Hey? Wait a minute...! Both of you...!"
"...What's wrong? We're tired..."
"No, you two! What the hell are you wearing!? And you came home like this!? Especially you, Dino, what is this...!?"
Dario grabbed them as they tried to head inside, incredulously grilling them about their outfits. But his wife and son just sighed coldly, as if he was a nuisance.
"Sigh, really... Is it weird for me to wear the clothes I made? It's not even that revealing, so why interfere?"
"Mom made it, and it's pretty, so I wore it. Can't I wear what I want?"
"Wh-what!? No, that's not it, you two right now..."
"It's just for promotion. If you're not helping, then shut up about it."
"What's wrong with Mom's clothes... Don't be such a boomer, Dad."
After snapping at Dario like that, Lianna and Dino ignored him and went inside. He had so much he wanted to say, but it felt like a wall had sprung up between them, leaving him speechless.
What the hell had happened to his family? Why were his wife and son's faces so cold? Why did they smell like unprocessed monster hide—something so unpleasant?
At a loss, Dario numbly followed them back inside.
"...D-dinner? Have you eaten?"
"...Not really hungry... Dino. Want to try the tea Sema gave us?"
"Yeah, Mom! It's yummy!"
"R-really? ...Then, me too..."
Lianna and Dino exchanged glances and smiled happily—unlike the cold looks they'd given him. That expression felt truly like a family. To outsiders, they might even look like mother and daughter, so intimate.
Lianna started brewing what looked like tea from Sema, not even glancing at Dario, pulling it from the bag she'd brought.
A brief silence while the water boiled. Across from him, Dino sat as Lianna prepared the tea. Dario agonized over what to ask first. Was it because of their bizarre indifference toward him? He had so many questions, but his mouth wouldn't open easily.
"Here, Dino. And... you too."
"Ah, y-yeah... Thanks, honey..."
The strange-colored tea with an odd aroma was set roughly in front of him. A nauseating scent that made his head throb. As Dario lifted the cup and sniffed, wrinkling his nose, his wife and son across from him savored it with ecstatic expressions.
"Haa... What a lovely aroma...♡ My heart's racing, but I feel so relaxed... Right, Dino?"
"Yeah♡ Slurp...♡ This thick, throat-coating feel♡ So good♡"
Watching their faces, Dario grimaced and took a light sip. The bitter, fishy taste nearly made him gag; chills ran through him as he set the cup down.
"...This is supposed to be good? Really...?"
"You don't get tea at all, do you?"
"Dad must have weird taste buds. It's so good."
What was this feeling? Overnight, his family felt like strangers. He wanted to ask so much, to demand what they were thinking. But the unpleasant smell dizzied his head, his body felt drained for some reason... He just couldn't bring himself to speak rashly to them.
"...But what's with these flowers?"
"Oh, these..."
The lush, flashy bouquet on the table—the one Dario had bought yesterday to apologize to Lianna for making her go to the shop on the weekend.
"Y-you... You went to the shop because of me on your day off, right? I felt bad for tiring you out, so I got them as a gift..."
"...Oh. Right. Speaking of which... Don't call me to your shop anymore. I'm busy enough with my own."
"Wh-what? Honey, that shop is just a hobby..."
"I've got backing from Sema and even the lord. It's obvious I should focus on my shop over your little neighborhood place, right?"
"What!? That shop is the Moren family business, passed down for four generations..."
"It's just a place selling mass-produced, ordinary clothes. What's so great about it? Right, Dino?"
"Yeah. Mom's shop is way better. The lord and big sisters are customers."
"Wh-what!? Honey...? Dino...? What are you even..."
What had he just heard? The Moren shop dealt in sturdy, comfortable clothes for ordinary people. Dario had always taken pride in making clothes for the masses. Yet his family's reaction made his head spin.
He knew his wife's shop catered to a niche elite, while his served the many—that's why Lianna had been considerate. Dino had always said he respected his dad for working for the people. So why were they dismissing his shop like it was worthless?
As Dario trembled in shock, the two finished their tea, set down their cups, and stood from the table.
"We're tired, so we're off to bed. Oh, and starting tonight, I'll be sleeping with Dino."
"Wh-what...? Why...?"
"He's had a tough time lately. As his mom, I need to comfort him like you wanted."
"W-wait. You two, we still need to talk..."
"We're tired, so later... Oh, and clear those flowers off the table. They get in the way of the tea's scent... Come on, Dino."
"Okay, Mom♡"
Ignoring Dario, Lianna and Dino headed upstairs, their backs exuding a strange allure. He had so much to ask his wife and son, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to stop them.
Just one day. In that single day, his wife and son felt like entirely different people. The two he'd just been facing felt like terrifying women he dared not defy, and that realization was utterly bewildering.
"...What happened... to my family...?"
Why hadn't he been able to ask anything? Why did he feel fear toward his own wife and son?
They'd only been at Sema's shop for a day. Could that alone change people so much?
That vicious-looking beastman who'd made him uneasy somehow. Imagining him with his family sent a chill of disgust through Dario's mind.
"...I need to check this out..."
Certainty hit him. That ferocious-looking Sema had done something to his family. He didn't know what, but who else could make them change so suddenly?
If... that beast had done something to the wife and son he loved...
"...That monster's an adventurer... and runs various businesses..."
Trembling, Dario resolved to find out what had happened to his family. Faces of a few people who might help flashed through his mind.
No evidence, but his hostility toward that monster grew in his chest. Praying his worst suspicions weren't true, the parched Dario gulped down the now-cold, tasteless tea.