Change 1: An Unnaturally Refreshing Morning
1. It was an oddly refreshing morning. She must have slept deeply, because when Seres pushed aside the blankets and rose from bed, her body felt so light it startled even her. And perhaps because of that, yesterday's events felt even more unreal. As she replayed her memories, half-risen in bed, she unconsciously touched her lips. Netoru had forced her into an embrace and kissed her... And then what happened? Her face grew serious as she sank into thought. No matter how hard she tried to recall yesterday, it was like a film cut—there was nothing after that. She had simply come to her senses to find morning had arrived, and she was sleeping in her room as usual.
She had no idea why she'd lost consciousness at that moment, but something about it felt off. Seres had fully expected Netoru to pounce on her right there. The forceful hug, the kiss... But for some reason, when she snapped out of it, she bolted straight to the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes and checked every inch of her body. The result was shocking. Her body was pristine, without a single trace of anything having happened. Only her hair was slightly disheveled from sleep. That man really hadn't laid a hand on her.
"...Why?"
Stroking her smooth waist with her fingertips, Seres stared in stunned silence at her flawless naked reflection in the mirror. Why were there no marks at all? Had he really done nothing and just sent her back to her room? Was she not attractive enough? But if so, why force a kiss? Seres only knew about intimate relations from books, but even so, this didn't make sense. Normally, that's when...
"...Ah."
Her thoughts didn't stretch far. Her head spun as if overheated. Glancing at her reflection, Seres whipped her head away. Her expression was a mess, embarrassingly so. It might have been easier if he'd gone through with it. Then she could have dismissed him as just that kind of guy. But this left her mind needlessly tangled. Still, a small part of her felt relieved.
"...At least he's not a beast."
The words slipped out as she twisted her lips unwittingly. She had no clue what Netoru was thinking, but Seres forced a gentle smile at her reflection like always, donning her mask once more. It was a routine she'd repeated for years in the unit, so changing her expression was easy. The problem was maintaining it in front of that man—though it was pointless anyway. As long as she showed her usual self to the other unit members, that was enough.
With that resolve, she started her day—only for it to crumble soon after running into Karen. The change in Karen's demeanor compared to yesterday in the changing room was stark. She clearly seemed uncomfortable around her.
...Did I mess up somehow?
Seres racked her brain for the reason, replaying her interactions with Karen yesterday. But she found no answer. Instead, she spotted a clue: in the mess hall, Karen's gaze kept drifting to Netoru, lingering on him.
...Something happened between them yesterday too.
—I'll be waiting in my room...
The suspicion hardened into certainty when she saw Karen whispering secretly to Netoru as she left the mess hall. In that instant, only one thought struck Seres. Had Netoru told Karen about yesterday? It was just a hunch, but her heart plummeted.
2. "Why don't you ask Karen directly?"
Why did his flat tone sound so intimidating? At first, she tried to smile it off, acting like nothing had happened yesterday. But she couldn't. No matter how hard she clung to her mask, it shattered too easily. Just meeting his gaze froze her thoughts. And his sharpness, seeing through lies effortlessly, was downright scary. But she had to ask.
"...You didn't tell Karen about yesterday, did you?"
It was the ugliness and weakness she never wanted Karen—or anyone in the unit—to know. Seres wanted to be the reliable big sister to Karen and the others. If they learned about this hidden side of her...
She didn't even want to imagine it. The 393rd Unit was her precious home. She couldn't lose her place here.
Seres waited with a desperate look for Netoru's answer. At last, he let out a low sigh and spoke.
"Don't worry. I didn't say a word."
"Is that... really true?"
"Yeah, it's true."
"...Then why is Karen suddenly avoiding me? You saw the vibe between us in the mess hall."
"Beats me. Who knows? Maybe she's just in a bad mood from the overheat."
He claimed ignorance, but Netoru's face showed no trace of doubt. If anything, he was brazenly calm. He definitely knew something. Seres raised her voice without thinking.
"Don't lie. You clearly know—"
"Shh. Keep it down. The others will hear."
"...Mmph!"
Netoru suddenly clamped a hand over Seres's mouth. Despite glaring at his brazen attitude, she couldn't resist. Sure enough, a unit member passing in the hall shot them a curious, concerned glance—the mood must have seemed serious.
Dodging the gaze, Netoru whispered in her ear.
"Don't dodge like a coward. Check it out yourself. Karen wants to talk to you anyway."
And with that, as if on cue—
—Creak.
The door began to open. Somehow, Netoru had opened Karen's door.
"In you go."
Thus, Seres was shoved inside against her will.
"...Seres?"
Karen stared at her in surprise. Unprepared, Seres swallowed hard. An awkward silence hung between them as their eyes met. And behind her, the blond man just shrugged nonchalantly. Seres hated Netoru more than ever.
3. "..."
"..."
The situation felt utterly alien to Karen, who had never even bickered with Seres before. When had being alone with her ever felt this burdensome?
...Netoru, you bastard.
—Talk it out, you two.
The blond culprit mouthed that silently before slipping away like a coward. He'd probably thought he was helping in his own pushy way, but it only made things worse. Karen needed time. Time to figure out how to broach the topic with Seres. This sudden confrontation was too much.
But it had happened.
...No helping it.
As the silence dragged on, Karen sighed inwardly and looked at Seres. She'd never seen her with such a dark expression. Was avoiding her all morning such a shock? But how could she act normal after witnessing that side of Seres yesterday? Karen needed time to prepare mentally.
For now, I'll just play dumb about it.
Of course, she had no intention of telling Seres she knew. It had to stay a strict secret. Letting Seres know would only make things awkwardly between them. She hated that. Despite the unavoidable awkwardness this morning, Karen still adored Seres. The reliable big sister who always smiled warmly. She didn't want to lose that bond.
So what should she do? Her goal was simple: block Seres and Netoru's coupling as much as possible.
Karen admitted it. Completely preventing their coupling was unrealistic. As Netoru said, it would be a huge asset; blocking it outright was foolish. But... couldn't they swap for minor battles? Seres didn't need to couple with him every time.
Yeah, start there.
Having sorted her thoughts, Karen cautiously opened her mouth. She preferred cutting straight to the point over beating around the bush.
"Seres. I have a proposal. Hear me out?"
"A proposal? What is it?"
"Well... about this swapping."
"Yeah."
Thankfully, Seres seemed as uncomfortable with the silence as she was, leaning in to listen. The issue was how to propose alternating couplings with Netoru—but the stage was set. Karen explained her organized thoughts as logically and persuasively as possible, all while pretending ignorance of yesterday. It wasn't easy.
"...So, how about we alternate swaps like that?"
That was the end of it. She'd expected some hesitation or thought, but Seres replied without a moment's pause, firm and resolute.
"Karen. I can't accept that proposal."
"Why not?"
"...You know why."
"..."
Karen, about to argue, shut her mouth. —You know why, right? Seres's words echoed Netoru's from yesterday too closely. Unthinkingly, she repeated herself.
"...Are you saying I'm inadequate as Netoru's coupling partner right now?"
"Yes. It's impossible for you to replace me."
And again, Seres parroted Netoru exactly—despite showing that side of herself yesterday. Grind. Seeing Seres act tough like this, Karen felt a surge of emotion, more hurt than anger.
Why won't you be honest with me?
Karen was confident she could treat Seres the same even if she saw her true, vulnerable self. That's why it stung.