Shio led me into her hobby room. Err. It’s full of manga, novels, posters and everything that concerns her hobby.
It was locked from the outside and only she holds the key to open it. Even her husband wasn’t allowed entry here, normally.
“He’s not that fond of my hobby so everything that concerns it was put here.”
Shio explained as we entered the room.
There were rows of bookshelf divided by manga and light novels, consoles of different generations displayed on a glass display cabinet, games for those consoles and more. There’s even a cabinet full of cosplay costumes. Somehow I want to see her in one of those.
Her hobby not only included those books in her room at school but yeah, she’s a full-blown otaku. I guess, what’s in there were her recent interests.
“I have no idea your hobby extended this much, not only those that concerned your fantasies. You have a lot of stuff here, Shio.”
I expressed my real thoughts to her. It’s her hobby, there’s no point criticizing someone over their hobby.
“You don’t find it weird for me? Sometimes I spend my time here when the problems pile up and I have no way to solve them. But this current problem we have couldn’t be quelled just by me spending time here.”
“This is like your safe zone, right? Why would I find it weird? Everything here is normal.”
I walked around the room and checked everything I found interesting, after a while I went back next to her.
“I see. You’re really different, Ruru.”
Shio went to the door and closed it which left us alone in this hobby room of hers.
Though I’m still puzzled as to why she brought me here, I didn’t voice it out and instead, waited for her to come back.
I’m going to steal her from her husband. I don’t want to see her crying like that again.
“I know you’re confused about why I brought you here.”
Shio then went and opened a drawer. After rummaging for a while, she pulled out something from it. A thick book.
She lifted it up and put it on a table in the middle of the room, only then did I see what kind of book it is.
It’s a graduation yearbook from her highschool. And this one’s kinda personalized.
“During our time, the student council wanted the students to bring home more memories from high school, so instead of having the same yearbook, the students were asked to fill up the blank spaces with pictures or writings personally and this one’s mine.”
Ah. I guess this is what she really wanted to show me, the Shio during her high school. The girl who fell in love with her teacher.
She opened it and the first page was already a personalized page. There’s her name, which class she’s in and her message to her future self. There’s even a small picture of her and a male teacher at the lower right corner of the page.
“Marry him. Don’t ever let him go.”
That’s the last sentence on the message and she read it in a loud voice with her currently shaky voice.
I looked at the picture again. The male teacher was really handsome, it looks like he’s not that old in this. The Shio in the picture was also smiling happily while hugging his arm.
“So, this is him.”
I commented. They really look good together, eh?
However, that’s already in the past.
“Yes. This is what calms me down whenever we have problems. Thinking back on our days when I was still his student.”
She ran her fingers on the picture before flipping the pages of her yearbook, it’s filled with her pictures with that male teacher. And in every picture, her smiles were more beautiful than the last. It showed how it started as just a crush until their love for each other can be seen from each other’s expression.
“Shio. Everything in here is already your past. As you have said, he started to change after marrying you .”
That’s what she told me when I acted as a wall in front of her. That he started changing after marrying her. Everything’s perfect when the wedding hasn’t happened yet.
“I know. But I’m still hoping he will come back to the same guy I fall in love with. I’m hopeless, right?”
With a hopeless smile, she looked at me. She’s showing me how much she really loves that guy. Maybe I’m currently just as small as an ant in her heart so I couldn’t make a real impact on her.
“It’s not called being hopeless, it’s called being hopeful. You know, Akane, she also waited for me for 5 years. Despite my lack of interest, she kept my image that was in her heart and mind before my desire manifested. Now, I remembered everything. Look at where we are now. Her waiting finally paid off.”
Comparing what she’s experiencing to Akane, I guess it didn’t reach what Akane experienced during those 5 years, but it’s the closest to her situation right now.
“So do you think I should still wait for him? For him to go back to the man who also fell in love with me?”
Ah. She thought I was trying to raise her hopes up.
“I’m supposed to steal you, right? But let’s see, I’ll answer you honestly. We’re different from each other. I didn’t naturally choose to forget about Akane, it might sound absurd but that’s what happened to us. As for him, you kept telling me you love him and he’s the same, what if you’re the only one who’s seeing the situation like that?”
Dropping those words on her, her smile froze as she started looking down again on the pictures in the yearbook.
“I…”
“Shio. I might be younger but I can confidently say I experienced different forms of love and how it was shown.”
Was it really different? I don’t know, but every one of them has their own reasons for falling in love. Shio, she probably only experienced her teacher’s love. Just by how she hastily introduced him to her parents while thinking it would be perfect.
“Then what should I do?”
She looked up and confusion could be seen in her eyes.
“Are you really asking someone who wanted to steal you?”
I already decided to steal her before coming to this room, so let’s see. I’ll try and break her views.
“You’re the only one I can ask.”
She grabbed my hand as she looked straight into my eyes.
“Come with me, then. Leave this house. Live with me or if you don’t want to live with me, just live somewhere else. As long as you stop waiting in vain here, hoping he would change if he saw how faithful you are.”
This is what she really needed. To get away from this house. That husband of hers will continue to frustrate her until she gives up and signs that divorce papers but what would be left of her? She’ll be the only one losing.
It might be an ideal situation for me to steal her but it just doesn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t just leave her after knowing all this.
I’m going to help her get back at him, help her stand again. Completely forget about him and in the process, make her mine.
“Huh? Why?”
“If you still think that he still has feelings for you, once he finds out that you left your house, he will look for you. If he did look for you and asked you to come back, reject first. If he stopped then that proves that you’re wrong about him. However, if he came back again, reject him once more. One rejection is not enough to gauge what you really are to him. If he came back after those two rejections, then we can say he at least still has those feelings for you, it will be your decision by then. Stay with me or come back to his side, you’re the only one who can decide what to do.”
This might sound like helping her but during the time she will be away from this house and her husband, I’ll make her completely fall for me.
“I see… by staying here, he’ll think that even if he stopped caring for me, I will still be here waiting for him.”
After mulling over what I said for a few minutes, she nodded as if she got a realization. She’s not wrong anyway, that’s most possibly what that guy thinks. No matter what he did, Shio will still be waiting at their house. So I have to get her out of this house. There’s a lot of things reminding her of him here, and those tears she shed will just be followed by more tears, especially when she’s alone.
“I guess staying until 10 pm will not be possible anymore. Then Shio, I’ll go home.”
After all this, I don’t think we’ll still be in the mood to do that. Well, if she will come with me now to leave this house then that’s better.
“Wait Ruru.”
Shio stopped me from leaving as she held on my arm using both of her hands.
“I told you I like you Shio, but I just helped you think of what to do about your relationship. If that worked, I won’t have any chance again, I’ll save myself some pain. If you insist on me staying, I won’t stop like earlier.”
She was about to open her mouth to answer me but that was stopped when we heard the sound of a car arriving outside.
Ah. What a way to ruin the mood I just built.
Shio stood up and went back to the entrance of the house. I followed after her and just like I thought, her husband came back.
From the window, we saw him park his car in the garage next to Shio’s car. He got out of it and went to the passenger seat to open the door.
“Again, he’s really…”
Shio muttered as we watched what’s happening outside. A girl in her uniform came out from the passenger’s seat, since it’s a bit far away, I couldn’t clearly see her face but from her figure and the way she walks, she’s graceful at least.
“He has no qualms at bringing his girl now, you think he will still change back to the guy you fell in love with?”
I commented on her side. She’s truly in love with him, just by the way she looks at him. .𝒎
“Ruru, hide yourself in that room.”
She turned to me and pointed back to her hobby room.
“I’m sorry but I won’t do that.”
I turned her around and pushed her back to the wall. We’re just beside the door. Surely, we will be seen once the two enter the house.
“What are you doing?”
“At this point, you have to fight back, Shio. And I’m here to help you with that.”
I didn’t wait for her next words, pushing my face towards her, I took her lips into a kiss. Shio tried to push me away but she’s a bit weak to do that. By pressing myself on her, she couldn’t get out of my grasp. Sucking on her lips and then her tongue. I led her on as I felt her heartbeat started to beat fast as the footsteps outside started to ring louder which indicated that they’re near.
I kept my eyes staring at Shio and since she couldn’t move away from me, she also has no choice but to look at the guy forcefully kissing her.
“Ruru…”
“After this day, you can hate me or cut off everything about us but let me help you today. I really hated it when I saw your tears running down your face.”
I kissed her again and this time, I conveyed all the feelings I have for her. Seeing her cry multiple times today, I just couldn’t take it anymore. With the reason for her tears being near. I’ll show that guy how I steal his wife.
“H-how can I hate you. Your feelings for me, I felt it.”
Shio stuttered when I released her lips and said these words. I don’t know what she will think about those feelings I conveyed to her. I’m already satisfied that she felt it.
“Either way, it’s too late now.”
Pushing myself closer to her, Shio’s arms circled around my back as our lips met again. This time there’s no more resistance from her. It’s already too late to stop this. They will see us whether we stop now or not, so in the end, she chose to fight as I had told her.
Shio kept her eyes open as the door finally opened.
“Shiori! You!”
Our gazes met instantly as her husband set his foot inside the house. With the sounds of our kisses filling the corner where we are, he’d be an idiot if he didn’t notice us.
With that angry shout, the figure following behind him was startled as her eyes also travelled to what he found.
“Oh? A visitor? Can you at least knock?”
Acting like I owned the house, his shout was met with my calm response.
So, how will you react now, Mr. Husband?
