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Chapter 272: Covered in Something Filthy
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 06:27:35 +0000 UTCLately, her aunt had been acting very strange.
Standing outside Matsuzaka Sayuri's bedroom door, Matsuzaka Satou pondered this.
In the past, Sayuri would always bring different men home without saying a word, leading them straight to her bedroom.
The house was always a mess—nothing like an actual home.
But now—
It had been three or four days since Sayuri last brought a man home.
Not only that, she had even started cleaning.
The entire house, once filthy and chaotic, had been tidied up until it was spotless…
Satou couldn't make sense of it.
In her mind—
People could change.
But her aunt? No.
There was no way her aunt could ever change.
"This must just be an act."
Satou's pink eyes fixated on Sayuri's bedroom door as she murmured to herself.
Yes.
It had to be an act.
That woman—
That woman who had spent her entire life indulging in messy, chaotic affairs—
There was no way she had truly changed.
Satou could still remember it vividly.
As a child, she had once asked Sayuri what "love" meant. What it meant to "like" someone.
But all she got in return was a mocking gaze and a teasing, scornful voice.
That kind of person—
Could never truly change.
It was like a chronic gambler.
Expecting them to turn their life around in just a day or two… that was impossible.
Staring at the door, Satou took a deep breath.
She had already made up her mind.
She was going to expose the truth hiding beneath her aunt's new façade.
Then—
She reached out and knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, Auntie. Could you open the door?"
As usual, she kept her voice low, calling out to the woman inside.
She watched the door closely, waiting for Sayuri to answer.
And then—
As the door slowly opened,
The first thing Satou heard was her aunt's voice.
"Oh my, it's Satou-chan… Come in, come in."
It was the same greeting as always.
Satou let out a small sigh of relief.
So it really was the same old Auntie after all. Nothing had changed.
Strangely, she felt reassured by that thought.
Lifting her gaze, she greeted Sayuri with her usual expression—calm, unreadable.
"Auntie, sorry to intrude… wait, who are you?"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her soft pink lips parted slightly as she instinctively rubbed her eyes.
Because—
The person standing before her looked nothing like the Sayuri she knew.
She wasn't wearing her usual dirty, wrinkled slip dress.
Instead, she had on a simple—no, an overly plain—set of loungewear, completely devoid of any sense of seduction.
Her once messy, slightly provocative long hair—
Was now neatly braided, resting over her shoulder.
Clean. Orderly.
There was no trace of the usual heavy perfume.
She didn't reek of cigarettes or alcohol.
To any outsider, she would appear to be nothing more than a gentle, well-mannered housewife.
And that was just on the surface.
What truly unsettled Satou was the aura surrounding her aunt—
A soft, radiant warmth.
It wasn't the cunning, manipulative presence of someone who could toy with men at will.
Instead, her entire face carried an air of serenity.
Her ocean-blue eyes shimmered with an unfamiliar kindness.
It was too much. Too different.
Even someone as intimately familiar with Sayuri's nature as Satou—
Couldn't stop herself from stepping back.
Without thinking, she blurted out, "No, seriously… who the hell are you?"
Sayuri, however, simply smiled.
With a gentle, almost maternal expression, she reached out and patted Satou's head.
Like the depiction of the Virgin Mary in a cathedral painting, she said softly—
"Satou-chan, it's me. Your aunt."
No. Seriously, who the hell are you?
For the first time, Satou felt something from her aunt—
Warmth.
Her mind couldn't process it.
But she quickly pulled herself together.
No. No, Satou, you can't let your guard down.
Her expression cooled, returning to its usual indifference.
Yes.
She couldn't afford to be careless.
This woman's behavior—
It could just be another one of those men's demands.
Was she playing a role?
Was she pretending to be some kind of devoted housewife this time?
Whatever the case, as long as she stepped inside the room, she would find out the truth.
Expressionless, Satou allowed Sayuri to lead her inside.
But in her mind, she was already calculating where her aunt might have hidden those men.
She remained cautious, scanning each door as they passed through the hallway, searching for any inconsistencies.
Then, as they neared Sayuri's bedroom—
She suddenly lunged forward, her voice sharp:
"It's in here, isn't it!?"
Click!
Without hesitation, she twisted the doorknob and flung the door open.
Satou stepped inside, ready to catch someone in the act—
But—
"…Huh?"
She froze.
Because inside the room—
There was no one.
There wasn't a single man in sight.
All that was there was an open wardrobe and a neatly made bed.
That was it.
"What are you doing, Satou-chan?"
Sayuri's curious voice came from behind.
"This… this isn't possible."
Satou ignored her.
She took two steps back, struggling to accept what she was seeing.
Then, her pink eyes flashed with determination.
If it's not here…
Then it must be in that room!
She turned and strode toward the next door.
"I know they're here!"
She was already impatient to tear away her aunt's fake mask.
But—
"…Huh?"
Another empty room.
Satou's outstretched hand faltered.
No one…?
But… how?
That woman—
The woman who could never change—
How could she possibly…?
Satou couldn't comprehend it.
"What exactly are you looking for, Satou-chan?"
Sayuri peered at her with curiosity, tilting her head slightly.
Her gentle, clear voice felt unbearably grating to Satou's ears.
Maybe because things weren't playing out the way she expected.
Or maybe—deep down—she was beginning to realize something.
That her aunt, Matsuzaka Sayuri…
Might have actually changed.
And just realizing that—
Set off a deep, unsettling frustration within her.
Her expression turned icy as she spun around.
Sayuri was still smiling at her, warm and calm as ever.
In an utterly emotionless tone, Satou spoke:
"Drop the act, Auntie. Just tell me the truth already. You've got another man hiding in here somewhere, don't you?"
She furrowed her brows, her tone cold and distant.
Hearing such an indifferent voice from Matsuzaka Satou, Sayuri Matsuzaka's previously warm expression momentarily froze.
"…A man? Satou-chan, what are you talking about? Did you misunderstand something? Are you hungry? If you are, I made some food—"
Sayuri looked genuinely puzzled.
And within that confusion, there was even a trace of innocence.
That expression—
Only made it harder for Satou to accept.
"Enough!"
For the first time, she raised her voice at Sayuri.
"Stop pretending already!"
She glanced around the clean room.
Then at the spotless hallway.
Everything looked so… comfortable.
But to Satou, it was blindingly offensive.
"You cleaned the house so thoroughly, made yourself look so presentable…"
She took a step forward.
Her emotions were in complete turmoil.
"If you were going to change, why didn't you do it when I was a child?! Why did you wait until now to suddenly decide to walk the right path?!"
"These are things you should have done back then."
But instead—
Back then, Sayuri wouldn't even give her a simple hug.
She had only ever been tangled up with those shady men,
Looking at Satou with that same mocking gaze,
Toying with her, ridiculing her innocence.
Satou had always known—
The reason her perception of the world was so warped was because of the twisted upbringing Sayuri had given her.
And she had quietly endured it.
But now—
The very person responsible for that suffering had suddenly… changed?
Suddenly started acting like a proper aunt?
Suddenly putting on the face of a "good guardian"?
It was infuriating.
Because in Satou's mind—if Sayuri was going to change eventually—
Why hadn't she done it when Satou needed her most?
She couldn't understand.
She didn't want to understand.
"And now, after everything, do you honestly think I'll be grateful to you?"
Yes.
Things had already reached this point.
Because of Sayuri's twisted influence during her childhood, Satou had lost the ability to feel love.
She couldn't understand emotions anymore.
Even now—
Even as Sayuri put on this face like she was doing everything for her—
Satou could never go back to how things used to be.
"I…" Sayuri hesitated, "Satou…"
She wasn't a fool.
She could feel the storm raging inside Satou's heart.
And the girl was right.
Sayuri had never fulfilled the role of a proper guardian when Satou was young.
She instinctively reached out—
Only for Satou to take a step back.
"…."
Sayuri stared at her empty hands, a deep sadness settling in her chest.
Ah…
So this is what it felt like.
She thought.
This is what Satou must have felt all those years ago, when she refused to hold her hand.
A sharp pain twisted in Sayuri's heart.
She bit her lip.
Ever since that day when Minami Shouji had scolded her—when he had spoken to her so seriously—
She had been reflecting. Constantly.
And the more she thought about it,
The heavier her guilt toward Satou became.
She had pushed away those tiny, reaching hands.
She had stood by, merely watching as the child grew up, struggling to understand love.
For a girl who desperately longed for warmth,
It must have been unbearable.
So—
It was only natural that she was being treated this way now, wasn't it?
Sayuri's expression dimmed with sorrow.
And Satou saw it.
That only made the turmoil in her chest worse.
Because—
The face Sayuri was making right now—
Was the same one she used to make as a child.
Satou didn't speak anymore.
She bit her lip.
A bitter taste filled her mouth.
She turned away.
Ignoring Sayuri's voice calling after her, she fled from the room.
Confusion and frustration churned in her heart.
She ran to the elevator,
Covered her mouth,
And repeatedly pressed the button with trembling fingers,
As if trying to suppress the bitter sensation rising inside her.
The moment the elevator doors opened, she rushed inside.
Ignoring the confused stares of passersby, she bolted out of the apartment building.
She didn't care where she went.
Anywhere was fine.
As long as she could get away from Sayuri.
As long as she could get away from that place.
By all logic—
She wasn't supposed to feel anything.
But—
"…Why does it taste so bitter?"
Yes.
There was a deep bitterness in her mouth.
Even though she hadn't eaten anything bitter.
Yet—
The sharp, painful taste filled both her mouth and her chest.
The suffocating bitterness made her want to vomit.
It was an unnatural reaction.
But for Matsuzaka Satou—someone who had never experienced emotions the way others did—
This moment, she couldn't suppress it.
It was too bitter.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
She clutched her stomach with her pale, trembling fingers.
And then—
The next second—
The pink-haired girl suddenly doubled over—
And threw up.
—
"Hah…?"
A sharp inhale came from ahead.
At the same time—
A familiar, but unmistakably disgusted voice.
"What the hell—what are you doing, Matsuzaka?!"
Minami Shouji stood there, utterly frozen.
His entire body was covered in vomit.
Completely unprepared for the situation, he stared down at himself in shock.
Originally, he had come here with the intention of greeting Satou.
But before he could even say a word—
She had vomited all over him.
What the hell?!
Was his outfit today really that bad?
Satou took one look at him and immediately puked?
—
