Chapter 39: “Deceiver Got-chan?”

“…Huh?”

Jinzuko looked at Irina with a puzzled expression. Her eyes were a condensed mixture of sheer incomprehension.

“I mean, I get how you feel, but… isn’t that a bit too much…?”

She might not have known, but for Irina Rosenkrantz, there seemed to be no reason to go that far. That thought was reflected in Jinzuko’s gaze as she looked at her.

— Twitch.

A cross-shaped wrinkle formed on Irina’s temple.

“Hah…?”

Of course, she was bound to get pissed. Wasn’t that Japanese middle schooler sitting there, acting more arrogant than any woman she had ever met?

“…Isn’t it fine? I don’t think there’s any need to go that far… Irina-chan.”

The one who understands him best is herself. Otherwise, she would never make a face like that.

“H-Hah? I-I-Irina…-chan?”

Ch-chan?!

No matter how much people called her a Slavic prodigy… She was nineteen years old, an adult by Korean law…

A-a-and yet… That bratty little middle schooler… Just called her… chan…?!

“Oh, you just looked my age, so I said it like that… Should I call you onee-san instead?” “…Y-Yes! F-For your information, I was even Got-chan’s research assistant! I even got into grad school this year!” “Wow~! That means you’re a really amazing senior!” “W-Well, yeah.”

Irina felt unfamiliar with the suddenly polite and respectful Shizuko. After all, just a short while ago, they had been in a real battle, wagering their very wombs against each other.

Not to mention, Irina had lost. With a humiliating punishment game on top of it.

‘…But then I heard from Got-chan’s younger sister just now…’

That younger sister, looking completely hollow and as if she was about to end it all in the living room, told her something surprising.

Apparently, the one who had taken care of her— Not Got-chan’s parents. Not his sister.

It was that cocky, silver-haired Japanese middle schooler.

‘…For some reason, after getting a good sleep, my wariness towards her faded… Wait, what is this? Do I have a thing for getting beaten up by girls…?’

Irina absentmindedly fiddled with her disheveled bangs.

— Fidget, fidget.

Usually, even after a short nap, her hair didn’t get this messy. But today, maybe because she had slept too deeply, her bangs looked like someone had deliberately tousled them with their hands.

Could it be that when she was having a nightmare, someone was soothing her? That it wasn’t a dream but…

“…So that means you’re about the same age as Got-chan? Or rather, ara-thirty ? Somewhere around thirty years old?”

“Ugh?! I-I’m not that old!!”

…No way!!

“I-I’m nineteen! A fresh, young nineteen-year-old…!! A brand-new adult!!”

“Ah, I see… Nineteen… Sure. That’s still a very attractive age. Though, if the users from the Blue Record Gallery were here, they’d probably call it the chicken coop…”

“…Ch-Chicken coop?!”

— Boom!!

Irina felt her heart drop with a thud.

Now that she thought about it… Back when she first entered KAIST, Among the women surrounding him, the youngest had been her.

And to get used to Korea and the Korean language, She had frequently visited Korean internet communities and live streams.

So there was no way she didn’t know what chicken coop meant.

In fact, she had often scoffed at the other women in secret, chuckling to herself while muttering that very term.

“B-But it’s okay…! The weird ones are those Blue Record folks, and you’re still plenty young, Irina-chan!”

Yet now, the situation had completely reversed.

“I just washed you up, and you didn’t smell like a chicken coop at all~!”

“K-Kughh…?!”

— Thud!

And with that, Irina collapsed on the spot, sprawled out like a jellyfish salad.

As expected…

— Smirk.

Jinzuko was grinning, her smile filled with triumph. Only I, who had been around her for a long time, could notice it.

“Uh… Uh?”

My former little sister was momentarily thrown off by how quickly one of them had been knocked out.

And then—

— Whoosh!

From what I can tell, Jinzuko seems to be completely enjoying life ever since I possessed him.

After all, no matter how recklessly he acts on his impulses, there’s always another version of himself ready to cover for him…

“Then there’s no problem, right? Isn’t that right, Han. Seol. Ah?”

“Ku, Ku-gu-gung…?!!”

—Thud!!

My former younger sister crumbled even more easily than Irina. Just from a few words suggesting that Jinzuko isn’t even her real brother.

“Oh, of course, genetically speaking, the chances of abnormalities are much higher than with Irina-chan. But still… No matter what, you can’t just abandon your child like your former brother did, right? Got it?”

{…Hey, hey!! That was overkill…!! She’s already long gone…!}

“Ehehe… Was it too much? Did I overdo it?”

Jinzuko, you terrifying child…!

“Oh my~ Oh my~”

And watching this scene of carnage unfold as if it were mere entertainment was none other than my mother.

“Of course, I know what Seol-ah was like in the past, but she has been seriously reflecting for the past two months, so could you ease up a little~?”

“Ah, yes… I’m sorry. I was too harsh, having only heard things one-sidedly from Gacchan… I should be more considerate towards my future sister-in-law…”

Even as she said that, Jinzuko straightened her posture. A perfect formal sitting posture directed at my mother.

“…However, there is one thing I can never concede. This is my karma.”

She then placed both hands on the floor and bowed deeply, her upper body leaning forward in what was unmistakably a full dogeza. In Korean terms, it would be akin to performing a deep ceremonial bow.

“Hmm~ So you consider it your karma, Shizuko… But I doubt my child would want you to think that way?”

For the first time in a while, my mother’s eyes weren’t smiling.

“…It’s not just about atonement. That’s not what I meant by karma.”

Yet Jinzuko showed no hesitation. As if she had been waiting for this very moment.

“The reason I had to use the word ‘karma’ is something I can’t fully explain yet… But the fact remains that I bear responsibility for why Gacchan—no, why he ended up the way he did.”

“Hmm~ If it’s about responsibility, I’d advise against it even more?”

“But I… I have an unpayable debt to your son…”

But that approach was bound to fail. Knowing my mother as I do, I could already see where this was going.

“I was saved because of your son—”

“But you see~ Shizuko? I didn’t give birth to him out of some sense of duty~?”

See?

“B-but…! If it’s to repay my debt to Gacchan, I…! I, Amae Shizuko, have no choice but to sacrifice my entire being to continue his line—”

“Hmm~ But I didn’t exactly sacrifice myself to have him, you know~?”

It’s not working at all.

“Or wait, Shizuko… Are you saying that having and raising your child would be a sacrifice?”

“W-what…? T-that’s not…”

Jinzuko, still in a dogeza posture, sneaked a glance in my direction.

Her giant, teary eyes pleaded for help. A desperate cry for a possession switch.

But if I helped here, I’d only be digging my own grave.

No matter how much she talked about responsibility or sacrifice…

…At the end of the day, the one who’d have to bear the child would be her. But at the same time, it would also be me…

It’s not that I’m not interested in continuing the bloodline. In fact, I’m very interested…!

…But that doesn’t mean I ever intended to become the incubator myself!!

So, I didn’t help her.

“Huhu~ Sorry, sorry. Did I tease you too much? But Shizuko, you’re still young, so even if you’re serious about it, you should think it over carefully.”

“Ugh… Uuuu… Y-yes…”

I also knew this wasn’t something to joke about. And clearly, my mother thought the same…

“That said, if you’re already in middle school, it might be too late~”

…Wait, what?

“I never realized my child was so popular with girls~ Not just that blonde earlier, but even reaching overseas~ And at the funeral, oh my, you wouldn’t believe how shocked I was~”

A story about the funeral that I had no knowledge of. Naturally, I couldn’t help but focus.

“…Huh? But Gacchan said he was some doomed-to-be-forever-alone incel…”

“Oh my~ He said that himself? Well, technically, he’s not wrong… But that’s just because he deliberately chose to act that way, isn’t it?”

“W-wait, what?”

“Oh my, Shizuko, you really fell for it, didn’t you~ His little act~ Otherwise, why would a pretty middle school girl like you travel all the way to Korea for him? Not to mention that gorgeous blonde beside you~”

And then, my mother dropped the bombshell.

“That boy~ Ever since kindergarten, no, even back in preschool, he has always been a natural-born ‘Oblivious Harem King.’ Or rather, at this point, it’s more like he’s an entire fish farm~”

…She was talking utter nonsense.

“W-wait… Fish farm…? Oblivious Harem King…? H-hold on, Mother-in-law… Y-you mean at the funeral, there were tons of girls…?”

“Oh right, you weren’t in Korea back then, were you? Hmm, let’s see~ There were just so many…”

My mother reminisced for a moment before launching into another story.

“Ah, the first one that comes to mind was ‘Seong-hee,’ the student council president from the same department~

She kept bowing over and over, saying she owed him so much, and even arranged for an entire bus to bring their whole department over.

About 70% of them were girls, which was quite the surprise~”

She continued recounting more and more incidents.

I had no words.

At that moment, Jinzuko’s face stiffened completely. She excused herself, saying she’d be back soon, then hurried to the restroom.

{You did well, Jinzuko~}

“…”

Hmm~ She must be exhausted after holding the possession for so long.

{You’ve said everything you needed to, right?} {It must’ve been tiring for you too, dealing with Mother. You worked hard.}

Alright. Time for me to take over.

{You can rest for now. I’ll handle—}

“…Gacchan.”

{Hm? What?}

“I think… I finally understand how Irina-chan feels.”

…Huh? Why all of a sudden?

I was about to ask when she spoke again.

“With that many girls around you, wouldn’t anyone want to do whatever it takes to get your attention?”

Her eyes were terrifying. Completely void of focus.

“Yes… Yes… There really is no name more fitting for you than ‘Fake’…”

{H-huh? Jinzuko…?}

“Isn’t that right?”

And then, she gave me a new title.

“Deceiver Gacchan.”

Her smile remained, but her eyes were dead.