The person Chloe loves is actually Alex, and the two of them seem to be in a relationship.
Alex, however, is a scumbag, using my misunderstanding to toy with my body. Although he didn't take my virginity, this body is no longer pure.
Even though he said the deal was off, Mackenzie still found it hard to let go.
"Sigh, why did it suddenly turn into this?"
Also, that scumbag Alex seems to be involved with other girls besides Chloe, like that Anya… Is he dating two girls at once? This, this kind of scumbag—doesn't Chloe get angry?
The heavy rain continued to fall, mirroring Mackenzie's current low spirits.
"Chloe, don't, don't you mind?"
Seizing the opportunity while Alex's attention was elsewhere, she pulled her friend close for a hushed whisper.
"Mackenzie, what are you talking about?"
"Alex. He… he is not a good person," Mackenzie thought of the feeling of his hand on her body, gritting her teeth, her pretty face flushed.
Hearing her friend say this, Chloe was a little unhappy, but thinking of what happened between Mackenzie and Alex, she sighed. "Alex is indeed a bad guy, but… it's enough that he treats me well."
Chloe's blissfully radiant smile made Mackenzie feel worse. She irritably grabbed her hair. "He's also having affairs with other women, isn't he? Like that Anya… He might just abandon you one day."
"He won't," Chloe touched the Succubus Mark on her body, her eyes gentle. "With this, Alex and I won't separate. Even if he tries to push me away, I will cling to him."
She added, finally, "I will be with him forever!"
It's clearly a terrifying and Lewd Succubus Mark! Why are you treating it like your most precious treasure, Chloe? She's a lost cause. She's completely a lost cause…
Splash, splash, splash—
Rainwater hit the trees, flowers, and grass on both sides of the cement road, slipping off the leaves and splashing onto the ground. Circular ripples spread across the fountain pool in the center of the square.
Mackenzie spent an absent-minded afternoon.
Umbrellas of various colors were opened on the playground and pathways. Mackenzie stood at the entrance of the school building, her bag slung over her shoulder, her umbrella in one hand, gazing at the gloomy sky and the heavy rain outside.
The air was damp and cold.
Her eyes moved past a few irrelevant passing students, landing on a blue umbrella. Underneath that blue umbrella, not far ahead, were the figures of Alex, Chloe, and Anya.
Squeezed together.
"Wow, Anya, move the umbrella over a bit! I got splashed on my neck again. It's cold~"
"If I move it further, I'll be the one getting splashed. No way."
"Ugh~ That mean Anya! Lewd Gyaru!"
"What about Gyaru? Alex likes Gyarus. And by the way," Anya chuckled. "I secretly altered my skirt. It's a little shorter."
"I'm going to tell the teacher!"
"Chloe, I'm going to teach you a lesson for trying to rat me out—"
"You two," Alex, in the middle, laughed at their antics. "Since you like to play, why don't you just not use the umbrella?"
"Eh?"
The next second, the umbrella above their heads was lifted, exposing them to the sky.
"Ah! Alex, I didn't bring a change of clothes!"
"Alex, you stop right there!"
Watching their blurred figures running in the rain, their laughter ringing out clearly, Mackenzie's expression grew increasingly sullen. She tightly gripped her umbrella handle, her shoes splashing water on the ground from the force.
She suddenly had an epiphany. Her previous attempts to warn Chloe, her badmouthing of Alex—perhaps the goal wasn't truly to save her friend from a bad influence. The real purpose might have been… her own envy of Chloe.
"No, how could I be envious? That Alex is a scummy pervert! Being with him felt terrible! How could I possibly envy Chloe?!"
She shook her head vigorously.
The thought was too absurd. Mackenzie quickly pushed it aside, collecting herself to walk home alone.
"I'm home."
She opened the door and stepped inside, placing her umbrella in the bucket in the entryway. As she changed her shoes, she pulled out her phone. Her Line app was empty; there were no new messages.
Chloe and the others left with Alex. Did they go to his house? Should I text and ask? Tsk, what would it look like if I asked?
Feeling frustrated, she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.
Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it. Chloe is fine anyway, and I've successfully distanced myself from him. That's a good thing…
"Distance yourself from who?"
"W-wah!" Mackenzie jumped, patting her bountiful Chest. "Big Brother, it's nothing."
The Himegumi family, besides the parents, had an older brother.
The person in front of her, Go Himegumi, was Mackenzie's older brother. He looked like a physically strong man with narrow, squinting eyes, giving off a Showa era tough-guy vibe. One might mistake him for an athlete.
He was physically strong, with bulging muscles on his arms and shoulders. Just from his appearance, it was obvious his physique was definitely not inferior to Alex's.
"I'm going back to my room first."
Mackenzie casually brushed off her brother, picking up her school bag and heading upstairs, leaving only her back visible. In her childhood, Mackenzie and her brother actually had a decent relationship, and they often played together with their childhood friend, Brendan.
But after entering high school, her relationship with her older brother had become somewhat distant, and they rarely talked.
Naturally, Mackenzie didn't know about the certain thoughts Go Himegumi had about her… Going back to her room, she didn't see the look of desire Go Himegumi cast at her back.
Of course, no one else would probably notice, since he had squinting eyes.
The girl returned to her room and threw herself onto the bed, resting the back of her hand on her forehead, staring blankly at the ceiling. After an unknown amount of time, her face flickered with shifting emotions. She slowly reached her hand under her skirt…
The next day, Mackenzie went to school as usual.
It was as if everything that had happened recently was just a dream. Alex hadn't sought her out again, and he wasn't coming to torment her during every break or lunch.
Her school life had returned to its original, normal routine.
Classes, breaks, chatting and hanging out with Chloe. This should have been a good thing: she was free from Alex, and her best friend hadn't been abused by him.
She should have been happy… yet beneath Mackenzie's composed demeanor, there was a persistent feeling of loss.
It was like an emptiness had been scooped out of her.
Especially seeing Chloe constantly seeking out Alex, either eating lunch with him or affectionately touching him… Even the time she spent with Mackenzie had decreased, causing Mackenzie's gaze to always be drawn to the two of them.
Every time she saw Chloe and Alex's intimate posture, an uncomfortable feeling would surge in her heart.
After a few days of this, Mackenzie's mood grew increasingly depressed.
What… what is wrong with me?
The girl was pleasing herself alone for an unknown number of times, muttering to herself with hazy eyes.
"Am I… lonely?"