266: The Truth (2)

Chisato and Miri met by chance and, intrigued by each other, went straight to a hotel to confirm their relationship.

The turning point that made Iroha unable to convince herself and raised her suspicions again occurred the morning after their stormy night.

On the TV screen, Chisato and Miri woke up simultaneously.

Conspicuous red marks marred Miri's body, remnants of the violence she had asked Chisato to enact the night before.

Not only was she not dissatisfied, but she also seemed very pleased. It was clear that she had unusual preferences.

"Chisato, I have always liked you since I was very young. Can we be together?"

Miri said this to him.

The next scene should have shown their relationship naturally progressing.

Iroha watched the TV screen with these thoughts in mind.

However, the plot did not unfold as she expected.

Faced with his childhood playmate and bedmate, who had been so affectionate and selfless the night before, Chisato did not respond immediately. 

Instead, he frowned and thought for a moment, then reached out and lifted Miri's chin, smiling playfully.

It wasn't until he noticed her blushing with embarrassment that he replied calmly, "Okay, if Miri can accept that we only maintain this relationship on the surface."

Iroha was stunned.

Wait, what does this mean?

What does it mean to maintain such a relationship on the surface? What about privately?

When a woman confesses her love, men generally either refuse or accept it. What kind of response is this?

The content broadcast on the TV screen did not immediately answer these questions for the only audience.

After Miri gently nodded in agreement, the scene in the hotel was skipped, and the plot continued to unfold.

As for Iroha, who had been harboring several doubts, her expression grew more horrified as she watched.

She saw that even after Chisato had a girlfriend, he still looked at her with adoration and intoxication from time to time.

This was a detail that had never been shown in the original series.

But why?

They should be very loving, right?

Iroha clearly remembered how decadent and sad Chisato was after her sister-in-law passed away. 

She had even locked herself away at home and lost her job.

That was the most realistic reaction to losing a loved one.

The truth that was once known, engraved in her mind, and taken for granted gradually became untenable as the plot developed, revealing cracks in her understanding.

Thoughts and rationality became increasingly impossible to maintain, leaving her feeling more and more incredulous.

Perhaps due to the influence of the unpredictable, dark humor of the narrative, the plot's progression was anything but graceless; it was crafted in a way that one person could accept while thoughtfully considering their perspective.

So when Iroha saw Chisato speaking to Miri, she felt the time was almost ripe.

Iroha's eyes, devoid of any impurity, trembled slightly, and she began to feel nervous.

After a series of previous hints, the devil in her heart whispered a certain possibility into her ears.

But she tried her best to deny it. She rejected that conjecture and was determined not to continue thinking in that direction.

If that were really the case, what about the worry and depression she had felt before?

In recent times, she had eagerly wanted to experience the feeling of extreme happiness, believing she had found true love.

It couldn't be like that…

There's absolutely no way it could be like that…

However, no matter how reluctant Iroha was to face reality, once the gears of truth began to turn, they would not stop easily.

The plot on the TV screen continued to advance.

Iroha watched as Chisato, now officially married, still gently caressed her photo every night.

Miri's pregnancy was also a lie; she would occasionally stuff something under her top to create the illusion that her belly was growing.

And when the plot reached the day when Iroha felt the most guilty, her pretty, cute face suddenly lost all color!

She saw that Miri had tied a prop blood bag to her thigh in advance.

She saw that Chisato had deliberately poured some water on the stairs to make them slippery when she wasn't paying attention.

Then everything happened as it was meant to.

She accidentally slipped, causing "massive blood loss" to her sister-in-law, leading her to the hospital where she suffered a "miscarriage."

She was slapped hard by her father, who was also kept in the dark, and her mother was brought to tears.

The three family members were genuinely saddened and devastated by the incident.

The instigator, Chisato, after comforting them with false affection, turned around and transferred a large sum of money to the unscrupulous doctor.

"Ugh—!"

Iroha suddenly felt nauseous. She covered her mouth, leaned forward softly, and knelt on the ground.

That's it; it turns out that's it! I've been deceived all along.

She had been misled by the combination of her brother, who was usually too kind and harmless, and his wife, who seemed gentle and skillful!

Iroha clenched her fists and slammed them on the floor, her movements charged with emotional turmoil.

When she looked up again, the plot on the TV screen progressed to the conversation between Chisato and the unscrupulous doctor.

At this moment, Chisato was asking the doctor about cutting his wrists.

Because of this scene, Iroha suddenly remembered something and covered her mouth again. 

The nausea made her stomach churn, but she didn't vomit anything.

The plot continued to unfold.

She saw the remarkable acting of Chisato.

She watched as Chisato patiently approached step by step.

She saw her and her parents, like clowns, deceived by them, letting their emotions be manipulated and displaying comical yet sad reactions.

All this felt like a carefully arranged stage play, with only one person able to dictate how the performance would proceed from beginning to end.

Ridiculous, so ridiculous.

She actually felt remorse and sadness, realizing she had been played like this, applauding while obediently approaching him, even falling in love with him and giving her body to him.

"Hehe… hehehe…"

Iroha went from being unable to accept the truth at first to becoming mentally numb. She slightly opened her mouth and let out an unclear, yet piercing laugh.

Her beautiful brown pupils had long since lost their luster, replaced by chaos and emptiness, like a pool of stagnant water with turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface.

The truth continued to unfold.

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