Chapter 181 - Too Much

Chapter 181: Chapter 181 - Too Much

A little while later.

The hotel.

(No... No, Nanako... No... I won’t... I won’t pour honey on my dick...)

(~sound of a ringtone)

(No... Nanako... Yes... Yes, Nanako... Nanako, I’m right now... Hmm? What’s that sound?...)

Sohen’s phone suddenly buzzed and began playing a song by the rock band Era of Change— "I Don’t Care That She’s My Sister."

Sohen opened his eyes wide, not understanding for a few seconds where he was or what was happening.

- (Me). "..."

(Where am I?... Who am I?... Hmm? My phone?)

His head felt heavy.

He fumbled for his phone at random and answered the call without even looking at the screen.

- (Me). "Hello?..."

His voice came out hoarse and sleepy.

- (Phoebe). "Sohen? Where are you?"

It was his feisty younger stepsister calling.

Her voice sounded worried and a little irritated.

- (Me). "Phoebe?"

Sohen slowly sat up in bed.

His gaze fell on the wall clock across from him.

The hands showed it was almost... ten o’clock at night.

(Damn!!... So much for lying down for a few minutes to rest! Damn it all!)

He quickly shook off the last traces of sleep and replied as calmly as possible:

- (Me). "I’m... here. Shit, not this!... Something came up. Unexpected. It took longer than I planned. I got really tired, even fell asleep for a little while."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

- (Phoebe). "Something? What kind of thing at a time like this?"

- (Me). "Well..."

Five minutes later.

- (Me). "Something like that. It’s all taken care of now. I’ll be soon."

On the spot, Sohen came up with a story about how he had "suddenly" helped out the family of a friend who’s currently serving in the military.

(I lied to my family over and over again. What a scumbag I am. Please forgive me, my dear ones.)

- (Phoebe). "Lately, you’ve been ’suddenly’ finding yourself in situations where someone needs your help way too often. Isn’t all this a little strange, Sohen?"

- (Me). "I’m actually stunned myself that so much has been happening in my life lately."

- (Phoebe). "..."

(How many more adventures await me? When will this ever end? I just want some peace and quiet...)

- (Phoebe). "All right... When will you be back?"

- (Me). "I’ll be home in about half an hour."

- (Phoebe). "Okay... Grandma and Mom asked you to pick up some chicken on your way home. Don’t forget."

- (Me). "Okay. I’ll get it."

- (Phoebe). "We’ll be waiting, then. See you later."

- (Me). "Yeah."

He hung up the phone.

(Phew... Seems like everything’s fine. Good. Time to get my butt up and go. I still have some unfinished work waiting for me at home.)

He just sat there for a few seconds, holding the phone in his hand, then stood up abruptly.

His body ached pleasantly after everything that had happened.

Sohen stretched, working out his shoulders and back, and headed to the bathroom.

In the mirror, a man with slightly puffy eyes, slightly disheveled hair, and barely noticeable red nail marks on his shoulders was staring back at him.

(Fingernail marks... That’s a problem. Grandma, Sister, and Mom mustn’t see this.)

He quickly splashed cold water on his face, smoothed his hair, and straightened his shirt collar.

He looked more or less presentable now.

(Well, that’s better. So...)

After picking up the room key from the table, Sohen was already heading for the door when he suddenly stopped.

(Oh, right. I almost forgot...)

He reached into the right pocket of his pants and pulled out a small black device.

(Here’s my little "friend"... It’s a good thing I bought it today on my way to meet Valkyrie.)

The device was light, almost weightless, with a matte casing that felt pleasantly cool against his fingers.

- (Me). "..."

It looked ordinary, almost unassuming, like a regular music player or power bank.

It was precisely this unassuming appearance that made it... dangerous.

- (Me). "I hope the recording turned out well, because it would be a shame if it didn’t. Should I start my ’investigation’ today?... No. Better to wait until tomorrow."

Sohen pressed one of the side buttons on the device, and the red indicator, which had been glowing slowly, faded out.

- (Me). "Here’s the first clue to the truth..."

After saying this, the young man tossed the device into the air, and a moment later, just as it began to fall halfway down, Sohen deftly caught it and, with a small, satisfied smile on his face, tucked it back into his right pocket.

The small black device was... a digital voice recorder.

- (Me). "Next..."

Then Sohen slowly walked over to the right side of the bed, where he had been resting for the past hour and a half.

Carefully pushing the pillow aside, he...

- (Me). "The second clue to the truth is..."

On the sheet, right where his head and occasionally Valkyrie’s, had been resting, there were about a dozen long, platinum-white strands of hair.

They stood out vividly against the dark blue fabric.

(There was more hair on the bed than necessary... I went overboard again. I should have been a little gentler when pulling her hair during sex... Fine. Never mind. The main thing is that now...)

- (Me). "Hehe..."

He reached into his left pocket and pulled out a small, clear zip-top bag.

Carefully, using two fingers, he picked up a few of the longest strands of hair, placed them inside, and sealed the bag tightly.

The bag went back into his pocket.

- (Me). "There..."

Glancing around the room one last time, Sohen made sure he hadn’t left anything else important behind.

With that same calm, satisfied smile, he stepped out into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind him.

(Soon I’ll find out who "Valkyrie" really is. It’ll just take a little time, and then...)

Sohen’s satisfied expression suddenly turned neutral.

- (Me). "What floor am I on?..."

A few minutes later.

Not far from the hotel.

- (Me). "..."

(Sister Aoki? What was she doing at the hotel?... Maybe I was mistaken? But it really looked like her. Strange... I must have been mistaken. Just a woman who looks like her... wearing a nun’s habit and with a bust size like a saint from those racy books. Hmm...)

At that moment, Sohen was walking down the main street of his city, taking in the local nightscape.

(It’s only about a two- or three-minute walk to Wellmart...)

...

(~sound of a barcode scanner)

- (Cashier). "That’ll be eleven dollars."

- (Me). "Just a moment..."

- (Cashier). "Okay... Here’s your change."

- (Me). "Thank you."

- (Cashier). "Have a nice evening."

- (Me). "You too."

(I think a few kilograms of chicken will be enough... Well, now it’s time to head home.)

Sohen left the supermarket with a bag of chicken in his hand and headed to see his beloved sister, mom, and grandma.

Evening had finally settled over the city.

The streetlights glowed with a steady yellow light, the asphalt still retained the day’s warmth, and the air was cool and fresh after the daytime heat.

He walked at a steady pace, not really looking where he was going; his thoughts were spinning around a hypothetical future.

About ten minutes of peaceful walking had passed when his phone vibrated again.

- (Me). "???"

(Who could it be this late...)

This time it was a message.

Sohen took out his phone with one hand, unlocked the screen, and saw a familiar name in the "Outgram" messenger app.

- (Me). "Oh! It’s..."

The screen displayed the name of his first and closest friend from his school days in the new city, whose name was...

- (Me). "Neburo..."

(And here comes the "missing" decided to write to me... We were just talking about his family today, and now he’s shown up too, ha ha.)

He stopped by a low concrete fence, switched the bag of chicken to his other hand, and opened the chat.

The last message from his friend was dated almost three months ago.

Since then — complete silence.

Neburo signed an army contract at the beginning of the summer and practically disappeared right away.

Now, however, there were already several messages in a row on the screen.

- (Neburo). "Hey, heartbreaker. Are you still alive? I finally got a decent signal for the first time in a long while. How are you doing over there?"

Sohen replied quickly, continuing to walk slowly forward.

- (Me). "I’m alive. How about you? Where are you right now?"

The reply came almost instantly.

- (Neburo). "In the mountains. High up. The wind is so strong that sometimes it feels like someone is howling over the tent on purpose. I’ve been here for over two months now. It used to be a training center; now it’s a combat unit."

Sohen read and walked.

The streets gradually grew quieter, the buildings lower, the streetlights fewer.

He barely paid attention to his route, completely absorbed in the conversation.

Neburo wrote at length.

The messages came one after another, disjointed but detailed.

He described getting up at five in the morning, when the sky is still black and the air cuts through your lungs with cold.

About forced marches with full gear along mountain trails, when he was carrying nearly thirty kilograms on his back and could no longer feel his legs.

About how, during the first few weeks, absolutely everything ached — muscles, joints, even his teeth seemed to throb from the strain and then his body seemed to readjust.

The pain didn’t go away, but it became a background noise you get used to.

Sohen’s friend wrote about night watch duty, when you stand and listen to the darkness, and every crack of a branch seems suspicious.

About how quickly you lose the ability to sleep normally.

- (Neburo). "Four hours is already a luxury. Sometimes you sleep in forty-minute bursts..."

He wrote about food — at first it seemed like rubber, but then you start to appreciate anything hot.

About how our perception of small things changes: dry socks become a big deal, clean water— a luxury, and the chance to just sit for fifteen minutes and do nothing — almost a celebration.

- (Me). "..."

Sohen read carefully, responding briefly:

- (Me). "Tough..."

Or

- (Me). "I understand..."

Or

- (Me). "I don’t understand..."

Most of the time, of course, Sohen was silent and listened.

For the first time in months, Neburo had the chance to get things off his chest, and it was clear he needed it.

(I feel for you, but you were the one who decided to sign the contract...)

They kept moving like that — one with his feet on the asphalt of his hometown, the other with his fingers on a screen somewhere high in the mountains.

Sohen didn’t even notice when he turned onto his street.

(I fucking noticed everything, just not letting on...)

After a while, the conversation naturally turned personal.

- (Neburo). "So how are things on the romance front? Still single and independent?"

- (Me). "..."

Sohen slowed his pace a little.

His fingers froze over the keyboard for a moment.

For some reason, Valkyrie was the first person who popped into his head.

(Why her of all people?!...)

- (Me). "Single and not particularly interested in relationships right now."

(Half a lie... That’s all he needs to know.)

- (Neburo). "Classic. At this rate, you’ll stay a virgin until you’re forty."

Sohen chuckled quietly into the darkness of the street.

(What a jerk...)

- (Me). "I still have a better chance than you do right now."

The hint was clear.

The army, the mountains, constant training, minimal free time and female company...

Neburo, however, replied faster than expected.

- (Neburo). "You’re being a little too cocky there, my friend. I’ve already become a MAN."

- (Me). "..."

Sohen stopped by a low fence.

(I don’t get it...)

- (Me). "What do you mean?"

- (Neburo). "Exactly what I said. I lost my virginity, haha."

- (Me). "..."

For a few seconds, Sohen just stared at the screen.

(Could it really be that he...)

- (Me). "And with whom?... Another soldier or something?... Ha-ha-ha..."

The reply came almost as a shout (as much as that’s possible in text):

- (Neburo). "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! NO!!!"

(It would be a real comedy if one of the other soldiers actually did that, ha-ha-ha...)

- (Me). "Then who?"

The pause dragged on.

(What’s he coming up with now?)

A few seconds later, a message came in, and Neburo began to explain.

- (Me). "Seriously?"

- (Neburo). "I swear on my mother’s life. Just look at the photo..."

(Whoa...)

The woman Neburo had slept with was... the commander of his unit.

(Are those M21 Barracuda tanks in the background? It doesn’t look like mountainous terrain, so does that mean it’s somewhere at a training center?)

The commander of Sohen’s friend was a pretty blonde.

She was tough and feisty, and didn’t tolerate any nonsense.

(Wait! That’s...)

- (Me). "Neburo, she’s..."

- (Neburo). "Ha-ha, yeah... That’s Kagawa Hibiki."

- (Me). "..."

As soon as Sohen saw the woman’s name, he stopped in his tracks in the middle of the sidewalk.

(No way... our teacher from school.)

Kagawa Hibiki taught at the new school Sohen attended after he was adopted.

She taught them a foreign language for exactly one school year.

Calm, composed, always neatly dressed, with a soft voice and a very direct gaze.

She spoke with almost no accent.

She never raised her voice, but for some reason, the class always listened.

Then she simply quit.

No one was particularly interested in the reasons, and she was gradually forgotten.

(So she also signed a contract with the army, huh...)

Hibiki completed her training, earned her rank, climbed the career ladder, and eventually became the commander of the very unit Neburo was assigned to.

(How unexpected that turned out to be...)

According to Neburo, she recognized him from the very first day.

At first, she kept her distance, as befits a commander.

Then brief conversations began after roll call.

Then — longer ones.

She asked about school, mutual acquaintances, how life had turned out, and so on.

Neburo answered, and gradually their conversations became less formal.

- (Neburo). "One time. During a long training exercise in the mountains, when most of the unit was deployed to another area, we were left almost alone in a field tent, and then..."

- (Me). "Stop!... No details."

(What an idiot! He always had that stupid habit of saying more than necessary. I don’t need to know how you two were screwing around... Now that I think back on it, I’m not really surprised that they started a romance. To her, he was always somehow special. Even dumb kids could tell that. Neburo always got the best grades from her, and she often praised him in front of the whole class for his grasp of foreign languages. Even her tone toward him was somehow too sweet. The way she looked at him and her mannerisms... Wasn’t she, by any chance, a shotacon back then, and was she fired because of it? Or was it just about Neburo himself? Maybe one thing led to the other?... Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. They’re both adults and have the right to do whatever they want. I can only be happy for my friend, who’s fallen in love with the woman who was his "first love.")

- (Neburo). "Okay... Oh! I also wanted to tell you..."

Neburo finished talking about his relationship with Hibiki and smoothly moved on to another topic.

...

The conversation continued for a while longer, until Neburo...

- (Neburo). "Damn! That’s it, my time’s up. They’re going to cut me off again. It was great to see you again. Take care over there. Stay healthy, and see you soon."

Sohen replied quickly:

- (Me). "You take care, too. Good luck. Text me when you get a chance."

- (Neburo). "Deal. Bye."

- (Me). "Bye."

The screen went dark.

- (Me). "..."

(I hope everything works out for you with Miss Hibiki, my friend. Good luck and stay strong.)

Sohen looked up.

- (Me). "Oh..."

His house stood not far from him.

(I’d been corresponding with Neburo for quite a while.)

- (Me). "Hmm?"

Looking at the house, Sohen noticed... a light.

A streetlight was on at the entrance — bright, which was unusual for such a late hour.

The same light was on at the neighboring house, where Nanako and Maria lived.

(Is that for me?)

He slowed his pace, not understanding why the lights would be turned on right now.

At that very moment, the doors of both houses opened almost simultaneously.

- (Phoebe). "..."

- (Maria). "..."

They were Sohen’s younger sister and their neighbor.

Both were holding tightly tied trash bags and heading toward the bins standing nearby at the edge of the lot.

- (Me). "..."

(Why are they out so late... Oh, right. Tomorrow is trash day. It seems like our family and Nanako’s family forgot to take it out on time... It happens.)

- (Phoebe). "???"

- (Maria). "???"

They noticed each other almost immediately, looked slightly surprised, and stopped.

After a brief pause, just a few seconds later, the two beauties began talking quietly about something, standing very close together.

Sohen was walking toward them at his usual pace and only now really got a good look at them.

(Man, they look... hot in those outfits, damn it.)

Phoebe was wearing a white satin tank top with thin straps.

The fabric featured brightly colored designs of cute little animals in red outfits — round, large, with expressive faces.

The tank top was cropped and hugged her chest so tightly that its full, rounded shape stood out very clearly.

Below, she wore dark green satin shorts with the same animal print.

The fabric gently hugged her full thighs and firm buttocks, leaving her long legs exposed.

Maria stood next to her, dressed in black.

A form-fitting, strapless top with a thin lace trim at the top hugged her body tightly.

Her breasts looked even fuller beneath the black fabric, and the deep neckline accentuated their shape.

Black shorts with white lace trim along the hem and a small bow in the front sat low on her hips, revealing the smooth skin of her stomach and highlighting her rounded, full buttocks.

Both looked fresh, as if they’d just stepped out of the shower, with their hair down and slightly tired expressions.

- (Me). "..."

(You can’t be this sexy... Damn, even AI-generated anime images and not just of girls — are less beautiful than these two.)

Sohen finally stepped closer and greeted them calmly.

- (Me). "Good evening, girls."

Phoebe and Maria turned toward him in unison.

- (Phoebe). "Oh! You’re finally back."

- (Maria). "Hi..."

- (Me). "I’m back. While I was walking here, a friend of mine in the military suddenly messaged me on Outgram and told me... Hmm? What’s this..."

- (Phoebe). "???"

- (Maria). "???"

- (Me). "..."

(How is that possible...)

Looking more closely, Sohen noticed that on both girls’ necks, in almost exactly the same spot — on the left, slightly below where the neck meets the shoulder, there were small white band-aids stuck on.

Special, thick ones, usually used to hide bruises or small cuts.

The spot looked all too familiar.

- (Me). "Hmm..."

Right about there, a few hours ago, his teeth left a deep mark on Valkyrie’s skin.

(A coincidence?... I doubt it. Could one of them really be... Valkyrie?)