A Morning Full of Questions

Cold.

That was the first thing I noticed.

A sharp chill crept up my spine, and my body reacted before my mind caught up. Instinctively, I pulled the blanket tighter around me, but something still felt… off.

I cracked my eyes open, blinking against the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. My head throbbed—a dull, persistent ache.

A hangover. Wonderful.

I sighed, rubbing my temples as I pushed myself up. The familiar sight of my bedroom greeted me.

…Wait. My bedroom?

My brows furrowed as I took in my surroundings. Everything looked the same—too familiar, even—but something felt wrong. I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to piece together the hazy fragments of last night.

Left the office. Drinks with colleagues. Too much, probably.

And then—

I squeezed my eyes shut. Nothing. A blank space. Like the entire trip home had been wiped from my memory.

I never drank enough to forget. Never allowed myself to lose control like that.

Yesterday was an exception.

But still…

How did I get home?

A cold sensation washed over me again. Instinctively, I looked down—

...

...

Why the hell was I naked?

I stilled, my sluggish brain taking an extra second to process the situation.

Then, slowly, I exhaled.

Alright. No need to panic.

I lifted the blanket slightly, just to check.

No suspicious marks. No sign of… anything unusual. Just my usual self, looking as unimpressed as ever.

I sighed. That ruled out the worst-case scenario.

Misuzu.

She must have been the one who got me home. Changed my clothes. Cleaned up after me. Hell, she probably stayed up to make sure I didn't choke on my own vomit.

My stomach twisted.

How much does she have to put up with because of me?

My mood soured instantly. That bastard. The one responsible for flipping our lives upside down. The reason Misuzu had to act more like an adult than a girl her age should.

I exhaled sharply. No. Not this morning.

Thinking about him wasn't worth ruining the day.

It's Sunday.

And Sundays meant making Misuzu's favourite dish.

I let her sleep while I prepared breakfast. But before that—

I glanced down at myself again.

She didn't have to remove my undergarments.

Grabbing a loose T-shirt and shorts, I slipped them on before heading to the bathroom.

A bath first. Then, breakfast.

Or at least, that was the plan—until I stepped out of my room and froze.

The hell…?

The living room was a mess. Chairs knocked over. My favourite vase? Shattered. Glass pieces scattered across the floor, catching the light in sharp little fragments.

What the hell did I do yesterday?

A heavy sigh left me. Misuzu must've had to deal with all of this.

Great. Just great.

…Wait.

She's not hurt, is she?

The thought sent a sharp jolt through me.

Without another second of hesitation, I turned on my heel and headed straight for the stairs, not even bothering to be quiet. Reaching her door, I twisted the handle, pushing it open.

And inside—

Misuzu. Sleeping.

Okay. No problem.

Tomo-chan. Sleeping beside her.

Still no problem.

She probably came over to help last night. Good friend. Responsible.

But…

They were both naked.

Now, that's a problem.

I stood there, door halfway open, staring at the two of them tangled in the sheets like this was the most natural thing in the world.

What the hell is wrong with them?

I mean, they're adults. They can do whatever they want. Probably just… curious about things. Exploring or whatever.

Not that I'm mad.

Just… sigh.

You know what? No. Not my business. Not dealing with this at this hour.

Fun and enjoy your room, girls. I'll be downstairs, pretending I didn't see anything.

Yeah. That's what I would've done—if I hadn't just seen the absolute disaster I left behind on the ground floor.

Nope. No ignoring this.

I stepped closer, sighing as I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Misuzu," I called softly, reaching out to stroke her head.

Nothing. Just a slight twitch of her brow.

My eyes drifted lower, purely out of habit—

…Okay, maybe not purely out of habit.

Misuzu kept it neatly shaved, just like me. Not surprising.

Tomo, on the other hand—

...Yeah. Definitely her mother's daughter.

Alright. Time to up the stakes.

I shifted closer and slipped my fingers under her arm, wiggling them in a way that had worked countless times before.

A second passed.

Then another.

Then—

"Mmh—!" Misuzu jerked, a strangled noise escaping her throat as she curled in on herself, instinctively trying to trap my hand.

But failed and shouted, 'Stop!' opening her eyes.

She blinked a few times, her sleep-fogged brain catching up, then—

'Mom?!'

I raised a brow, arms crossed. 'Morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?'

"Tomo!" Misuzu shouted, already trying to sit up.

I pointed a finger beside her. "She's right there."

She followed my gesture, turned—and sighed in relief.

Then, as if reality smacked her in the face, she panicked.

"T-Tomo, wake up!" She shook her friend frantically.

Tomo groaned, barely reacting. "Mmm… five more minutes…"

"Tomo, get up, Aunt Akemi!"

Tomo groaned, shaking her head before suddenly sitting up, blinking blearily. "Huh…? Mom?"

Her eyes darted around the room, still sluggish from sleep. Seeing her toned body and impressive bust, yeah, no doubt—definitely Akemi's daughter.

"Where's Mom?" She turned to Misuzu, who, in turn, looked at me.

"Mom, where's Aunt Akemi?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You girls really don't think, huh? How would I know? Maybe she's downstairs… doing yoga or something."

Tried to keep it light, but the moment I saw their faces darken, I knew something was off.

"No, she…" Tomo suddenly scrambled out of bed, not even finishing her sentence before bolting for the door.

Misuzu wasn't far behind, muttering as she rushed after her, "Mom… yesterday, they came back. For money."

Oh.

Don't tell me—

I didn't even need to ask. Misuzu shot me a look, already confirming my worst suspicion.

"They tried to force me. Tomo. And Aunt Akemi."

My fingers curled into a fist. "Did you get hurt?" I tried to sound calm, but my voice came out strained.

Misuzu hesitated. "Nah, but..."

"Mom!"

We heard Tomo and rushed downstairs, following the noise to the guest room.

Akemi was alive, thank goodness. She was sitting up. My eyes went straight to... well, down there, and then to the bed.

Isn't this amount too much?

Wait a minute, was she...?

Both our daughters saw it too, their faces bright red, seeing Akemi covered in that.

"What the...?" Akemi started like completely unaware, trying to figure things out, but Tomo hugged her, crying, "You're okay!"

She patted Tomo, then looked at me and Misuzu, noticing she was naked, then back at Tomo. "Tomo, why are you naked?"

I wanted to ask too, why you too?

Tomo, totally confused, backed away from her mom, looked down at herself, and mumbled, "Why am I naked?" She turned to Misuzu.

"Hey, Misuzu, why are you naked? Wait, why are we all naked?"

Misuzu was just staring at herself, completely lost.

"Did they have done this to you?" I asked, since they clearly had no idea what was going on.

*********

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