Lucy × Rumi (2)
"...."
"Ah—here. Please, have this."
Rumi—no, Lucy—held out a drink she had bought herself. I took it and studied her face. Now that I was looking at her as Lucy, my mind could accept it, but my eyes still refused to cooperate. From the size of her chest to the shape of her eyes, the bridge of her nose, her lips, even her earlobes—every last detail was identical.
Even for a game world, they really can look this much alike.
That even I, with my Memory Supplement, could be completely taken in said everything that needed saying. Of course, this was a game world—things like this could happen. But that wasn't what mattered right now. What mattered was why Lucy was doing this, and how I was going to use the opportunity.
I let my gaze travel slowly over her. This might be the chance I needed to push Lucy's route forward after it had stalled out in such an awkward place.
A glance at the clock showed half past eleven. Anyone could walk into the hospital room, and that made me uneasy on several levels. Better to get outside.
"Mm... it's about lunchtime. Want to grab something now instead of waiting for dinner?"
"Y-yes? Um... that sounds nice, but about Lucy—"
"We can talk over food. Besides, what else would the two of us even talk about besides Lucy?"
"...Mm. Alright."
Lucy nodded, looking genuinely interested. It wasn't as if Lucy was all we ever talked about—but under Rumi's lead, we easily spent a good two hours just praising her sister, so it wasn't exactly a lie.
"Then let's go."
"O-okay."
I signed out a leave pass on the spot and we slipped out of the hospital. Chulhyul Hospital was enormous, with a constant stream of people coming and going, so the surrounding streets were packed with places to eat. I walked a little farther, looking for somewhere with private rooms where we could talk quietly.
"Oh, that's the café I went to with Lucy last time."
"I remember. It was really good..."
Matching my pace to Lucy's slower steps, I eventually found a restaurant with a quiet, understated atmosphere. I led her inside and into a private room in the back. Once our food arrived, we started talking as we ate.
"Mm. This is really good, right?"
"Yes. It really is..."
I watched her slowly spoon up her soup.
"Once Lucy's feeling better, we should all come here together."
"...Should we?"
"Yeah. That's how it always is with me. Whenever I find a good place, I think of Lucy."
"Ahaha..."
At the sound of her own name, Lucy gave an awkward little laugh and stuck her spoon in her mouth. The mood at the table was naturally pleasant. There was no reason it wouldn't be. Lucy and I had always gotten along.
And that was exactly the problem. Things between us hadn't gone sour—so why had she shown up dressed as Rumi? I had no idea. Without a status window, I couldn't see what she was thinking, or what kind of worry had driven her to a stunt like this.
Maybe my own abilities just aren't enough.
It would never happen, but I had to wonder—if my status window suddenly vanished, could I even keep a harem together? I needed to think this through. This was a trial and an opportunity at the same time. The reason Lucy had appeared in front of me wearing Rumi's face. She wasn't going to come out and say it herself, so I would have to draw it out of her.
"Lucy would love this flavor."
"...Yes. She would."
We kept talking over the sweet dessert that came after the meal. I made a point of bringing Lucy up as often as I could, and it was clearly working. Every time her name came up, a little flicker of again? crossed her face. The real Rumi would never have reacted like that. By now, I should have planted the idea that I talked about Lucy all the time even when she wasn't around.
"This ice cream tastes like the kind I used to eat as a kid."
"You're right. I loved this flavor when I was little, too."
"...What were you like as a kid, Rumi? You've always said you wouldn't be who you are now if it weren't for Lucy."
Rumi had never said any such thing, of course. I'd thrown it out because I'd played the original game and knew the broad strokes of their background.
"Ah... um, that's right. Lucy... she worked so hard for me."
"What kind of hard work?"
"She took part-time jobs for my sake, and she protected me from the kids who used to pick on me..."
Rumi's—no, Lucy's—face grew steadily redder. Of course she was embarrassed. She was sitting there reciting her own good deeds out loud. She was starting to struggle with the words, so I cut in.
"So you trust Lucy a lot, then?"
"Yes. I do."
"And Lucy feels the same way about you, right?"
"Of course. Completely. I trust her with everything."
She nodded so hard I almost laughed. That last part had been a little too eager. I kept my composure and put on a regretful face instead.
"Then why didn't it work out...? I guess I'm the problem after all."
"Huh?"
"The three of us hanging out together. You said you and Lucy were of one mind—that you could talk her into anything, that she'd never refuse you. But it still didn't work out. So it has to be me, right?"
The moment the words left my mouth, Lucy's pupils started to tremble.
"Th-that's not—it wouldn't be that. It couldn't be your fault, Ho-yeon. It's probably me..."
"Your fault, Rumi?"
"No, um... Lucy's... Lucy's the problem."
Her reaction was adorable. She looked completely lost as to how she was supposed to answer—which was fair, since that was exactly the kind of question I'd asked.
"Lucy? Didn't you just say Lucy couldn't possibly be the problem? So what's wrong with her?"
"Uh... um, well..."
Watching her flounder, I found myself thinking. Lucy's performance really was almost perfect. You could argue that was obvious, given they looked identical—but looks were one thing. Speech patterns were much harder to fake. And yet we'd talked through an entire meal without her slipping even once.
The real Lucy had a higher voice, talked more, and used casual speech with me. She'd kept up the complete opposite—Rumi's soft, polite register—without a single mistake. Even for twins who knew each other inside and out, was that actually possible? Everyone had their own verbal tics. Hiding them was genuinely hard.
Which led me to a thought I couldn't quite shake. Maybe this quieter manner was closer to Lucy's original personality. The original game never went into much detail about the twins' past, but I knew they'd had a hard childhood, and that Lucy, as the older sister, had taken care of Rumi through all of it. Had that changed who Lucy was?
I filed the thought away and put on an apologetic face.
"Sorry. I wasn't trying to blame either of you. If it came out that way, I apologize."
"No, no! That's not it at all!"
Lucy waved both hands and shook her head. It wasn't a fully satisfying answer, but I had learned something. Lucy didn't hate me, and she didn't hate Rumi. She still liked us. She liked us, and she was doing this for some reason I hadn't uncovered yet. If I wanted to find out what that reason was, I was going to need a stronger prescription.
"Shall we get going, then?"
"Yes. I'll walk you back to the hospital."
"No. We're going to a motel."
"...What?"
"We promised, remember? Dinner, then a motel. Don't tell me you forgot."
"Th-that's not it... I'm just worried about you. You're still a patient..."
"Come on. I'm fine."
I twisted and stretched to show off how healthy I was. Dismay flickered across Lucy's face.
"B-but still... shouldn't you be resting...?"
"Rumi. You said you'd keep your promise this time, no matter what. Are you going to break it again today?"
We'd never made any such promise, but I pressed her anyway, and layered on a faintly disappointed look for good measure. Lucy, who loved Rumi, would never be able to refuse.
"......I'll go."
Her heart was pounding. Lucy's head felt packed with clouds. This was a first for her—a room that was somehow both cramped and spacious, a big television against the wall, towels folded neatly on the bed. The motel was upscale enough to have a Clean Magic Circle installed. She had never come to a place like this alone with a man. And the man in question thought she was her little sister.
The hiss of the shower filled the room. While Lee Ho-yeon washed up, Lucy sat on the edge of the bed, clutching her head.
I have to tell him the truth. But... can I say it now? What do I do?
It was already far too late. Getting swept up in the mood and coming this far was her own fault, but the conversation had long since passed the point where she could refuse. She didn't even know what kind of promise Ho-yeon had made with Rumi, and blurting out Actually, I'm Lucy! the moment he suggested a motel would have been absurd.
Lucy berated herself for not seeing this coming, even though she'd known perfectly well what kind of relationship Rumi and Ho-yeon had. Of course, all of it had been Ho-yeon's plan from the start.
She was still turning it over, trying to decide what to do, when Ho-yeon finished his shower and came back into the room.
"All ready, Rumi?"
A towel slung around his waist and nothing else, Ho-yeon looked at Lucy sitting on the bed. She had wrapped herself tightly in the complimentary robe the motel provided, but her chest still announced itself through the fabric, making no effort to be subtle.
Yeah. You can tell in here.
Ho-yeon smiled to himself as he looked at her. The way she was awkwardly taking in the layout of the room belonged to a woman who had never set foot in a motel in her life.
"Y-yes. There's Clean Magic, so..."
Lucy couldn't even look at him properly—not with only a towel covering what mattered. She stole little glances, peeking at him with careful, darting eyes.
"Mm-hmm. Come here."
He had put the plan together in the shower. Ho-yeon took Lucy's hand and pulled her against his chest.
The robe was between them, but that did nothing to dull the softness of her body.
"Ah. Ah..."
Then he let his hands travel slowly over her. The pace was far too fast. Lucy's face burned like a furnace, and she clenched her fists tight with nerves. Ho-yeon's bare torso was right there in front of her, a towel covering only his groin, and for a girl with no experience it was far too much. Every time his hands brushed her chest and her stomach, electricity shot through her whole body. She couldn't take it. She grabbed his arm.
"Um, Ho-yeon. Sh-shouldn't we... prepare a little first? S-something like that? J-just a moment..."
"Ah. Yeah. Got it."
Lucy's tension was contagious. The way she was sucking in breath after breath—huu, huu—was obvious to anyone looking. Ho-yeon took his hands off her for a moment and studied her face, thinking.
So how is she going to play this?
From Lucy's position, it was far too late to come clean about who she really was. Going through with sex like this was awkward, and so was refusing. The only clean way out was if he stopped and left on his own... but he had no reason to do that.
What Lucy needed was one last push to take her affection all the way to one hundred. Sex might be that push. The board was already set, and there was no reason to dodge it.
Still. We should do it with her identity out in the open.
Sleeping with her while she was still pretending to be Rumi would mean nothing for Lucy's route. The truth had to come out eventually—and if it was going to come out, he might as well stage it for maximum effect.
Ho-yeon glanced aside. Lucy still had her eyes closed, still working through those shaky breaths.
"Rumi. How long are you going to need?"
"Uh, ah. That's..."
She startled at the sound of her sister's name and opened her eyes, trembling like a frightened animal.
"If you're ready, do it the way you always do."
If this had actually been sex with Rumi, a proper warm-up would have started with a blowjob—but Ho-yeon had no intention of asking that of a Lucy this tense. He had something else in mind.
"The way I always do...?"
"Yeah. Beg me to put my cock in you."
"Th-ah. Pardon...?"
The instant the words left my mouth, Lucy's face went scarlet.