Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: 1.2 The Women of the Kurosaki Family
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After finishing breakfast,
I changed into my uniform and headed to the neighbor's house.
The nameplate on the entrance read Kurosaki.
This was the home of Kurosaki Yuuki, the protagonist of the original game Rune Academia.
-Ding dong.
A woman wearing an apron opened the front door.
"Come on in, Naibusu."
Her appearance looked far too youthful for her age, exuding an alluring sensuality she was utterly oblivious to.
This was Yuuki's mother, Kurosaki Sana.
"Good morning, Sana."
Yuuki's father had passed away in the Great Catastrophe ten years ago, just like my own parents.
Since then, Sana had single-handedly raised the Kurosaki siblings.
Sana's outward appearance hadn't changed a bit since I remembered her from ten years ago.
She looked, at most, late twenties to early thirties.
When standing alongside Yuuki or her younger daughter Hina, she could easily pass for one of the sisters.
It was truly a mystery, but then again, that was just how mom characters worked in eroge.
"Yuuki still hasn't come out of her room. Seems like she doesn't want to go to the Academy. Would you mind talking to her, Naibusu?"
Sana touched her cheek with a troubled expression.
Her ample breasts softly deformed against her elbow.
"Sure thing, Sana."
I replied calmly, hiding the pounding in my chest.
Sana had always treated me—who had lost both parents at a young age—like her own son, right alongside Yuuki.
Gentle, wise, and chaste as a mother could be.
I secretly admired her for it.
No, I'm the lucky one.
I'd scored points with Sana again today. Talk about good fortune.
"Come on in. Did you have breakfast?"
"Yes."
The moment I started following Sana into the house,
I froze in place, my eyes doubting what they saw.
It wasn't visible from the front due to the apron, but her back view made it clear.
Sana was only wearing panties on her lower half right now.
And not just any panties—these were scandalous black ones that seemed utterly out of character for the chaste Sana.
"Uh, um, Sana."
"Hm? What is it?"
"You... uh... didn't put on a skirt."
I hesitated but told her straight up.
It might be embarrassing for me to say it, but it would be a much bigger problem if someone else saw.
"Huh? Skirt?"
Sana looked down at her lower half with a puzzled expression.
And then she realized I was right.
"...Kyaa!"
Startled, Sana spun around to cover her rear.
But the sudden motion caused the apron's neck strap to snap.
In that instant—even though it wasn't a crisis—my senses sharpened to their absolute limit.
-Tuk.
The sound of the strap breaking rang out vividly.
The apron fluttered down in slow motion.
Soon, the front of Sana's panties—previously hidden by the apron—came into full view.
My heightened vision captured her panties in crystal clarity.
The curve formed by Venus's mound, the deep vertical cleft in the center, even a single stray pubic hair poking out.
So this was the fruit of my training.
Worth every bit of effort.
"Kyaaah!"
Sana screamed again, this time covering the front.
I hurriedly covered my eyes, pretending I hadn't seen a thing.
"S-s-sorry, Naibusu! Auntie showed you something unsightly, didn't she?"
"...No, I didn't see anything."
Sometimes, a well-intentioned white lie is necessary.
Sana's panties were already seared into my retinas in perfect detail, but I played it off for her sake.
As if.
Thanks for the service shot.
While my eyes were covered, Sana frantically picked up the apron and covered her lower half.
"H-haha, I almost went out like this. Would've been a disaster. You saved me by speaking up early—thank you. Ah, Auntie’s gonna go change! Take your time, Naibusu!"
With those words tossed over her shoulder, Sana dashed inside.
I admired the hypnotic sway of her rear as she ran, but at the same time, a strange sense of déjà vu made me tilt my head.
This scene felt familiar, like something I'd seen before.
Originally, this panty exposure event with Sana was supposed to happen to the protagonist, Yuuki.
Now that I thought about it, the same had happened with my big sis on the way over here.
Tripping and tangling with Naiad sis—that was an event meant for Yuuki in the near future too.
So why were events like this happening to me, a mere sub-character, instead of the protagonist?
I tilted my head at the odd phenomenon as I stepped inside the Kurosaki home.
Just inside the entryway, I spotted a girl at the dining table, munching on sliced bread like a squirrel.
Kurosaki Hina.
Yuuki's younger sister, a year her junior.
"Hey, Hina."
Seeing Hina in her Academy High School Division uniform really drove home that the game's main story was starting today.
"Hmph."
Hina snorted the moment she saw me and turned her head away.
Hina's biting inner voice rang in my ears.
I could only manage a wry smile.
Hina was a severe brocon.
She adored Yuuki so much that she hated me—his closest buddy—like some kind of romantic rival.
"What's got our cute little Hina in such a bad mood today?"
I deliberately played up my carefree persona, twirling one of her twintails around my finger.
"Don't touch me!"
To someone like me who could read minds, a straightforward type with no filter like Hina was incredibly precious.
Her fresh reactions every time I poked at her made it so tempting to keep going.
Did she inherit that babyface look from her mom, Sana?
Hina was starting at the Academy's High School Division this year as an adult, but she didn't have a mature bone in her body.
With her naturally youthful features and twintails, no one would bat an eye if she said she was in middle school.
But the real issue was her flat chest.
If looks were genetic, how come she didn't inherit that from her mother?
Reality could be so cruel.
"Hmph. Wasted trip. Yuu bro's got a cold. He's skipping school today."
"Eh? No way."
I was a bit thrown off by Hina's pouty declaration.
Today was the long-awaited start of the game.
The protagonist, Yuuki, skipping such an important day due to illness?
There was no such thing in the story.
"Yuuki's not the type to skip over a cold. Maybe there's another reason? Like... bullying or something...?"
Sana, now wearing a skirt, chimed in with a worried look.
As if Yuuki—unlike me—would ever get bullied.
But that was just how parents were, I guess.
"Don't worry. I'll talk to her."
"Would you? Thank you."
Sana's eyes welled up with worry for her son, making her look so pitiful I wanted to pull her into a hug.
If Hina hadn't been there, I might have on impulse.
Yuuki, you jerk! Making Sana worry like this!
I headed to Yuuki's room, determined to drag her out if I had to.
-Knock knock.
"Yuuki? You okay? Cold, huh?"
"Y-yeah, Naibusu? *cough cough*."
A reply came from inside the door.
Yuuki's voice sounded a bit higher than usual. And there were coughs.
What? A real cold?
"You okay? Want me to grab some medicine?"
"No, *cough*. I'll be fine after resting a bit, *cough cough*."
A sudden suspicion crept in.
Why catch a cold at a time like this?
Was this another trap from this trash game?
Ever since possessing Naibusu, I hadn't forgotten for a second that this world was a garbage NTR humiliation game.
From experience, humiliation events could strike at any moment in any form. I always had to stay on high alert.
That was why I couldn't take Yuuki's cold story at face value.
"...You sure you're okay? You're coughing a lot. Mind if I come in?"
"No! I'm fine! Really! Might be contagious!"
Click. Clack clack.
I tried the handle, but it was locked.
Something was off.
Everything was off.
Yuuki's only redeeming quality was her robust health.
She'd show up to the Academy the next day even after coming home covered in blood and bandages.
For her to skip over a mere cold? Impossible.
Especially on the first day of school, which she'd been looking forward to.
...What if the one inside wasn't Yuuki?
What if it was someone mimicking her voice?
Planning to slip out when I wasn't around and assault Sana or Hina?
Once that thought hit, I couldn't just back off blindly trusting it.
"...Yuuki. Is that really you?"
"Yes! It is! Please believe me!"
The tone was subtly different.
And desperately pleading to be believed? Suspicious.
If I could read her mind, I'd know in an instant.
But my Mind Rune didn't work on Yuuki alone.
Yuuki's special ability was the Aegis Rune.
The protagonist-exclusive ultimate rune that protected her from all harmful attacks.
For some reason, my Mind Rune counted as "harm"—no matter how much I leveled the skill, I couldn't read Yuuki's thoughts.
"... ."
I focused my mind.
Probed for the thoughts of the person beyond the door.
Narrowed the range to maximize power.
...But still, nothing.
If it wasn't Yuuki, there was no way I couldn't read a mind at this distance.
So either it was really Yuuki in there, or the room was empty.
Those were the only possibilities.
"...Yuuki. You're really okay, right?"
From the moment I possessed Naibusu ten years ago—no, even before that, back when I was the original pure Naibusu—Yuuki had been the one and only friend I could trust and rely on in this world.
We were survivors of that hellish Great Catastrophe, best friends who could entrust our lives to each other.
At least, that's what I believed.
"Let's go together tomorrow for sure, Yuuki."
"...Yeah."
Kurosaki Yuuki was a good person.
In the game's main story, she'd struggle tooth and nail to prevent any humiliation events.
Even for adversaries, if she knew they'd be assaulted, she'd risk her life to save them.
Family or friends went without saying.
That's why I'd empathized so deeply with protagonist Yuuki—and why it hurt all the more.
I didn't know why Yuuki was acting this way, but she must have her reasons.
As a sub-character, all I had to do was support whatever choices the protagonist Yuuki made—especially when she asked for help.
Believe in Yuuki.
"See you tomorrow, Yuuki."
I turned away from Yuuki's door.
An irregularity on the very first day of school.
I wanted to avoid deviating from the story as much as possible, but there was no helping it.
Today, I'd have to handle the first-day event without Yuuki.
"Sorry, Sana. Looks like Yuuki's resting today."
"No helping it. Let her rest for the day."
Sana smiled calmly, but her inner thoughts weren't so serene.
...Sana!
I wanted nothing more than to pull her into a tight hug and comfort her!
But with Hina watching, I couldn't! Argh!
Hina's thoughts stabbed into the back of my head.
Ugh. She's sharp only when it suits her.
"Hina, looks like it's just us today? Date time, date time."
I spun around quickly to divert her gaze.
"Ughk!"
I couldn't help but laugh at Hina's reaction.
How could her outward and inner selves match so perfectly?
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