The Philosophy of Pure White (1)
Non-geom.
A duel of words instead of swords.
An act where masters of the martial world stake their martial arts to clash techniques and debate the Dao.
...Though that is a rather grandiose way of putting it.
Translated into modern terms, it was simply "mouth fighting."
(Of course, it came with the premise of sharing enlightenment.)
In any case.
In that sense, the heated debate Suzuki and Shun were currently having in the corner of the room could be considered a magnificent form of non-geom.
For the two boys were discussing the philosophy of beasts with deadpan seriousness.
"Listen closely, Ueda. Imagine a pristine, noble, pure white silk dress."
"...Uh, okay."
"What is it about it that drives a man's heart and lower half the most insane?"
"The beauty of the pure white itself?"
"Bzzzt. Wrong."
Suzuki clicked his tongue and wagged his index finger.
"It is the act of splattering a man's stickiest, filthiest desires onto that snowy canvas to leave his mark. That is everything."
"...!"
"Do you really not understand that purity only exists to be thoroughly corrupted?"
Ugh.
A small groan escaped Shun's lips.
A single, swift strike of the sword had pierced him straight in the solar plexus.
Having just imagined Raon's pristine neatness being utterly disheveled by sweat and whimpers, Shun could not easily refute Suzuki's vulgar logic of pleasure.
Suzuki caught the tremor in Shun's eyes.
Sensing victory, he pressed his advantage to deliver a fatal blow.
"Why do you think they use the word shiro—pure white—in the traditional wedding kimono, the shiromuku?"
"That's... to symbolize the bride's purity and nobility, untouched by the filth of the world."
"I didn't ask to hear some textbook answer fit for a school principal."
Suzuki wore an expression of genuine pity.
It was the look one might give a high schooler who still firmly believed in Santa Claus.
"Why do they raise a white flag on the battlefield? Doesn't it mean, 'I am disarmed, and I await your judgment'?"
"Spoken like someone who uses his ethics textbook as a pot coaster."
Suzuki ignored the jab and took a deep breath.
"By that same logic, the 'pure white' of the shiromuku..."
Was this the face Newton made when he discovered gravity watching the apple fall?
Like a sage who had mastered the truths of the universe, Suzuki spoke with absolute, arrogant certainty.
"Obviously means, 'Now that I am wed to you, please dye me completely in my husband's sticky colors-♡'!"
This bastard.
How can he say such insane things with a straight face...!
Shun tried to scowl and deny it, but a corner of his mind found itself partially agreeing with Suzuki's corrupt philosophy.
The moment he heard those terribly vulgar words, his runaway imagination conjured a dangerous hologram in his mind.
Raon, sitting demurely in a pure white shiromuku.
The blindingly white silk wrapped around her pure, elegant figure.
Yet her flushed cheeks and moist, violet-blue eyes held nothing but blind pleasure and submission, directed at only one man.
Then, those cherry-like lips, usually so tightly sealed, parted to let out a sweet voice.
"Ueda-kun's... no, my husband's color... will you dye me... completely in it...?"
Was this the so-called aesthetic of degradation?
The process of a noble, pure girl who seemed completely out of reach, yielding to a one-sided, coercive situation, weeping in shame, and ultimately falling into primal pleasure.
It utterly shattered rational morality, scratching at the desire for conquest buried deep within a male's spinal cord with a thrilling sense of depravity.
There was a reason why the bestsellers of the AV market all followed this exact formula.
"Anyway, for someone with such picky, high-class tastes like you, the next masterpiece I've prepared is 'Wedding Dress Clothed Violation'—"
"Hold on."
Just as Suzuki proudly reached for the next CD case, Shun raised a hand solemnly to stop him. He glanced at the clock on the wall.
The current time.
3:18 PM.
"What's wrong? I'm not even halfway through my collection."
"No. My mom and Raon should be back soon. It's a shame, but let's call it a day."
"Huh? Didn't you say they went to the furniture district to look at mattresses? Shouldn't we still have some time?"
Shun drew the line with an incredibly thorough and rational attitude.
"Suzuki. A true hunter always leaves a path of retreat, even when pursuing pleasure."
"Dude, you have that serious face from comedy manga right now."
"We must prevent disasters before they happen."
It was true they had some time.
But play with fire long enough, and you're bound to get burned.
The visual pleasure of premium definition was indeed ecstatic, but it wasn't worth risking his life over.
Knowing when to stop is the clearest indicator that separates man from beast, after all.
He was absolutely not playing it safe because of that massive accident on Friday when he touched Raon's chest.
"Ugh. But we could just fast-forward to the highlight reel."
"No. I'll hide these under my bed for now, so you should head home. You can't just camp out at my house forever."
"Sigh, if you're going to be that firm about it, I guess I have no choice."
Suzuki smacked his lips and slowly got to his feet.
As he did, he stared out the window and casually muttered to himself.
"Too bad. It was a masterpiece featuring the secret aphrodisiac, mental collapse, and forced climax scenes."
"..."
"Well, I'm off. I'll text you tomorrow after cleaning duty."
"Wait."
In that moment.
Shun willingly abandoned his humanity.
He cast aside the shallow guise of an intellectual without regret and reverted to a beast driven by instinct.
"Let's just watch the highlight reel real quick."
The highlight reel would only be about three minutes.
Surely nothing could go wrong in such a short window.
The actress's sorrowful yet sensual cries flowed from the monitor's speakers.
Having watched the condensed, sticky corruption with bated breath, Shun finally spoke.
"...92 points."
"Oh? That's pretty generous."
Suzuki's eyes widened.
"I know it's a masterpiece, but considering your strict standards, I didn't expect it to be that high. Any reason?"
Shun stroked his chin, lost in deep academic contemplation.
Indeed, why?
Objectively speaking, the actress on the screen wasn't top-tier in terms of looks or physique.
Rather, she was just slightly above average, someone you could easily pass by on the street.
However, because she was wearing a wedding dress, her figure wasn't overly emphasized, and her face was half-hidden by clever camera angles and lighting, which actually stimulated the imagination.
But was that really it?
What was the cause of this mysterious high score that struck his heart?
"Please... get out of the way, Ueda-kun..."
Ah.
A bolt of lightning struck Shun's mind.
A specific gesture of the actress on screen.
Specifically, the way she unconsciously bit her lip to endure the shame.
It overlapped fatally with someone he knew very well.
I see.
So that's what it was!
A confident smirk spread across Shun's lips.
It was the same smug expression a famous kid detective from a mystery manga makes when he solves a case and his glasses flash.
And then.
"Uh, hey. Sh-Shun..."
Suzuki, who had turned around to clean up the CD cases on the floor, froze like a statue.
His voice was no longer the energetic tone they had used to joke around and talk dirty just moments ago.
It was trembling, like someone who had been walking on thin ice in the dead of winter and suddenly plunged into freezing water.
"Hold on. I'm organizing my thoughts."
"No... that's not it, Shun! It-it's fine...! Please, just stop right there...!"
Suzuki, his face pale, frantically grabbed Shun's shoulder.
Please.
Please shut your mouth.
His desperate grip carried the unspoken plea of a comrade trying to save his brother-in-arms from running headfirst into destruction.
Unfortunately, Shun failed to notice the distress signals his comrade was sending with his entire body.
He was using all his brain cells to piece together his fragmented realization into a coherent sentence.
I knew it.
The demure behavior she struggled to maintain until the very end, the desperate polite speech that slipped out unconsciously even as she gasped for breath...
Yes, strangely...
The vibe that actress in the video gave off...
"Shun, please, look be-behind you...!"
"...She looks like Raon."
"...! ...!"
A silent scream.
Suzuki's facial muscles contorted grotesquely, as if spasming.
It was a 120% accurate recreation of Munch's famous painting, The Scream.
Suzuki could only gasp like a fish out of water.
Only then did Shun sense something was off and furrowed his brow.
"...?"
What was wrong with this guy?
"Did you lose your tongue? Why are you shaking like a leaf while looking behind..."
Grumbling, Shun followed Suzuki's gaze.
His head turned very slowly toward the gap in the open door behind him.
And Shun's mouth...
Froze solid, just like Suzuki's.
"..."
"..."
"..."
In front of the open door.
Raon stood holding a plate neatly arranged with apples carved into the shape of rabbits.
Her face was so red it looked ready to burst.
The flush extended all the way down to her neck.
"...*Hic*."
Clatter.
Raon's delicate fingertips trembled violently.
A single rabbit-shaped apple rolled helplessly off the plate.