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It had been quite some time since Rudolf had chosen Asumu over me. I had been foolish and arrogant to let someone of her nature win him over. I thought with my daily seething curses, that an accident or sickness would swiftly put down her existence, but as the years dragged on, Asumu continued to stand firm.
My patience had entirely worn out, so it was time to get my hands dirty.
It wasn’t a matter of getting away with it. I couldn't care less about what happened to me after the fact. It was a matter of getting revenge and letting her have a taste of the envy and hatred that she had subjected me to all this time.
It was revenge towards Rudolf, for not accepting my love when I was much better than she ever could be.
It was revenge towards Battler, for being born from her womb when he was supposed to be from mine instead.
Though my pieces on the chessboard were looking quite grim, I could spin the chessboard around in my favor and still win, even if it meant costing my own life as well.
If I have to be miserable like this, I might as well take you down with me.
I thought about these things as I dragged my feet to Asumu’s house with a gun stuffed inside my coat.
I wondered if they were having dinner by now. It was around that time as the sun was setting and the sky was painted a pleasant orange. I knew exactly what Rudolf loved eating most… did Asumu figure it out by now too?
Did Rudolf have a hard time at work again? Was she comforting him? Were they enjoying their happy little family with Battler?
I’m so envious. I’m so envious that I’m seething with a smile on my face as I approach the front door.
The last time I tried coming over was when I realized how sly Asumu was to her core. That dumb-airheaded approach was all just a facade to place Rudolf under her thumb. I fell for it myself until she said the words…
“So what about it?”
“Would you please just leave?”
The cold look in her eyes and sharp way of speaking was enough to make me crumble. I want to see her crumble in terror of me now too. I won’t let her haunt me anymore. I will take over and show her that she had underestimated me as well.
With a knock, I waited at the door, clutching the shotgun with my hands. I was eerily calm, not a single tremble possessed me as I stood firm in my goals.
If I had more time and power, I would have loved to drag this out longer. It’s a shame that I would just have to replay this moment for the rest of my life instead.
A full minute went by with no response. My eyes scanned the driveway, Rudolf’s car was parked there. They were home so what was taking them so long?
Was I interrupting them during an intimate moment? Could they perhaps not hear me because of that? Gritting my teeth in bitterness, I clenched my fist until it became pale white.
I knocked harder this time and the door creaked open by itself slowly.
Why was the door unlocked? That seemed rather careless, even by Rudolf's standards. Maybe Battler ran off to play and left it unlocked. He tended to be a bit of a dim-witted child.
I let myself in, wearily scanning my surroundings. The house was quiet and dark as if nobody were inside.
Thump… Thump… Whooosssshh
There was a strange noise coming from the dining room. The sound of an unpleasant thumping alongside a strong gust of wind rhythmically played out as if someone left a window up and a tree branch was hitting against the windowpane.
Something felt very wrong… Did they get robbed perhaps? Nothing was knocked over and it didn’t look like a forced entry.
I decided against calling out to them. If they ended up being okay, I would just get into complications since I shouldn’t even be here to begin with. If someone with sinister intentions was still residing here, I would just be putting myself in danger.
I hesitantly made my way to the dining room, the gun fully in view now as I held it upright.
When I arrived, I saw Asumu crouched over something. Her back was turned to me and she did not seem to notice my arrival. On closer inspection, Rudolf was lying on her lap unnaturally, and his body was twisted strangely. His face looked as if he were sleeping, but he was oddly still for someone in such an uncomfortable position.
What did she do to him? Was taking him away from me not enough? Did she go off and kill him before I had a chance to ruin his life myself?
Envious… how envious I was of her.
“Asumu.”
I spat through gritted teeth. I smiled lifelessly as I waited for her to turn her head to face me. I half-expected her to jump up in surprise that I had broken into her home, but instead, she lazily turned her head to face me with a disinterested expression.
“So you’re here, Kyrie.”
Asumu remained entirely unphased at the barrel of the gun that was now pointed at her face. She ignored it and smiled pleasantly at me as if welcoming me.
How dare she mock me further like this? She should be cowering in fear right now. I felt my smile contorting into a deep frown as I cocked the gun.
“What did you do to him? Is Rudolf dead?”
“Does it matter?”
She replied coolly and unfiltered rage popped within me. All this time, I was holding it in and sending all my pain below like honey sliding down my spine. I tried to remain cool and calm, cursing every day to have Asumu put to rest. I waited for years for Rudolf to come back to me. I would even accept Battler as my own child and play the part of ‘Mother’ despite hating him.
But it never happened. Now, it will never happen because she took him away from me for good. Why couldn’t Asumu just die? Why couldn’t she just die?!
DIE!
With a loud BANG! I was pushed back by the recoil of the shotgun as the bullet flew towards Asumu’s forehead.
She continued to smile pleasantly in the same way that always got under my skin. She never wavered. She never panicked. I was so envious…
The bullet hit her and she toppled backwards like a rag-doll. I stood over her body, panting and allowing myself to shake finally.
“Finally… Finally, you’re dead. Rot in Hell, you bitch.”
I sneered and an excited smile and giggling rose within me. I wondered how long this sensation had been bubbling within me. It felt so good to let out, and so, I let my head go back and burst into wild laughter.
I won! Checkmate! Serves you right! This is what you had coming to! Your death was fated to happen!
“Hahahah! You look so happy, Kyrie! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before!”
Though it shouldn’t have been possible, Asumu began to laugh alongside me. I looked down in horror as her appearance began to shift from underneath me. Her short blonde hair was growing rapidly past her feet, shifting to blue. They were long and thick like curtains, slowly wrapping around Rudolf’s body as if to swallow him.
“You know what I’ve realized? This brute was the cause of all our problems. If he never existed, we could have been amazing friends.”
She slowly sat up, her hair consuming Rudolf like a spider wrapping its prey in webs before decimating it. The bullet wound faded away as her hair lifted her in the air. She looked like she was levitating in front of me.
“Rudolf!”
I screamed, trying to reach out to him, but before I could even attempt to pull him out, Asumu’s strange blue hair wrapped around my ankles and pulled me down to the floor. Now, she was flying above me with a wicked smile on her face.
Her outfit had changed now too into a fancy and short Lolita-style dress with long sleeves that extended past her slender hands. White, blue, and red…
She looked entirely unrecognizable from the form I was used to so I gawked at her in shock and horror. Even in death, Asumu managed to turn the chessboard around on me at the final moment and ensnare me.
“He never learns and he is never satisfied. Always fooling around with other women despite having two who are entirely devoted to him. Who needs a man like that? I won fair and square and he still isn’t satisfied.”
Asumu’s hair completely swallowed Rudolf now in the sea of her hair. A loud snapping and crunching sound could be heard from within, until finally, it fell silent, and Rudolf was entirely gone.
“R-Rudolf… what have you done…?”
“I ate his filthy guts! Piece piece piece! Kyahahahah!”
She laughed a terrible laugh before cupping my face with her hands gently and affectionately. Her green eyes were surprisingly warm and full of affection… for me… as she lured me over.
Was she going to swallow me up too? Was she going to crunch my bones and existence as if I were nothing? I reached for my gun, but she kicked it away and shook her head.
“There’s no point in that anymore, Kyrie. Soon, you will forget all about him and all your envy will fade away. Let’s be together when that happens. What do you say?”
Even though I did not want to believe it, she was right. As the seconds passed by, all the feelings I had towards him were beginning to slip away. Why did I care so much about someone like him anyway? Because of his wealth? Because he felt like an entertaining challenge? I stared at her hair swallowing up the shotgun like a bird eating a worm and became lost in thought.
Who even… was he again? What was his name?
I couldn’t remember his name already.
And then…
“Where… am I…?”
I asked, bewildered at my surroundings. Had I been asleep and in half a daze this entire time? Whose house was this? This was all so strange.
A woman I had never seen before was sitting in front of me, cupping my face in her hands with a worried expression. She was very feminine looking with short and fluffy blonde hair and a pretty face.
“Kyrie? Is everything alright? You stumbled here so dazed and then fainted.”
“Who are you?”
I asked, puzzled at her strange kindness. It was a known fact to be weary of those who are overly nice to you, especially if you don’t remember them.
The woman laughed like bells, rolling her eyes as if this kind of interaction happened all the time.
“Kyrie, did you forget your lovely girlfriend again? You always do this whenever you’re half asleep. You had a stressful day at work and barely ate. You’re so clumsy.”
Girlfriend? Did I really have a girlfriend? It was true that work was stressful sometimes… I always prioritized getting things done rather than eating…
“Asu…mu…”
I said her name without thinking. Asumu. Yes, that was her name. How could I have forgotten my partner’s name? She meant everything to me and was always supporting me in my struggles with her warmth. People tended to underestimate her since she always appeared so kind, but all of my business deals only went through successfully because of her sly tactics.
I couldn’t be anywhere near as successful without Asumu by my side.
“There you go, Kyrie dear. Do you want to lie down in bed? Are you still feeling unwell?”
She pressed her forehead against mine in a nuzzling fashion. I smiled as my mind began to clear.
“I feel great, Asumu. The best I’ve felt in my entire life.”
It was true. My shoulders were relaxed and my mind was entirely calm.
“Really? Did something good happen today after all?”
Asumu purred, rubbing my shoulders comfortingly.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels like before this point I was in this long nightmare. It felt so heavy and bitter always but now that feeling is entirely gone. I feel like I finally woke up from that long and terrible dream.”
I said, amazed at the feeling myself. Asumu giggled again and kissed my cheek.
“Aren’t you just a cutie, dear? Well, since you feel better, help me with dinner. Battler has a big stomach after all.”
I sighed and stretched my arms. It was true. That adopted child of ours was a growing boy and had quite the appetite. Asumu always spoiled him and cooked way too much for him. It was such a waste of food. Perhaps it would be a good idea for me to help with cooking after all.
“Alright, let’s go.”
With her hand placed inside mine, everything finally felt okay.