Chapter 192. Blood Ties, School Ties, Regional Ties (2)
"...."
"Ah, here... have this."
Lumi—no, Lucy—handed over a drink she had bought herself.
I took the drink and observed Lucy's face.
Once I started thinking it was Lucy, it made sense in my head, but no matter how much I looked, she didn't seem like Lucy.
From the size of her chest to her eyes, nose, lips, earlobes—everything was identical.
'Even in a game, it's insane how identical they can be.'
Even with my [Memory Reinforcement], I was fooled. That said everything.
Of course, this was a game world, so such things could happen, but that wasn't what mattered right now.
What mattered was why Lucy was doing this, and how I should take advantage of the situation.
I slowly scanned Lucy.
It could be a chance to resume the half-finished route with Lucy.
A glance at the clock showed it was 11:30.
The hospital room was unsafe and unpredictable. It would be better to go outside.
"Hmm... it's around lunchtime. Want to have lunch instead of dinner?"
"Huh? Oh... that sounds good, but I wanted to talk about Lucy...."
"We can talk over food. It's not like we have anything else to talk about besides Lucy."
"...Mm. Okay."
Lucy nodded, seemingly interested in what I said.
It's not that we only talk about Lucy, but under Lumi's lead, we usually end up praising Lucy for two hours, so it wasn't a lie.
"Then let's go."
"Okay."
I got an outing pass and left the hospital with her.
Since the Ironblood Hospital was so big and crowded, there were plenty of nearby places to eat.
Among them, I walked a bit to find a quiet restaurant with private rooms.
"Hey, that's the cafe I went to with Lucy last time."
"I remember. It was really good...."
Matching pace with slow-walking Lucy, we strolled and found a restaurant with a calm atmosphere.
Once inside, I led Lucy to a private room.
After our food was served, we began to talk over the meal.
"Mmm, this is really good. Right?"
"Yes. It really is...."
Munch munch.
I observed Lucy slowly eating her soup.
"Once Lucy gets better, let's come again together."
"...Should we?"
"Yeah. I always said that nice places remind me of Lucy."
"Ahaha...."
Hearing her own name, Lucy sheepishly brought her spoon to her lips.
The atmosphere was, of course, pleasant.
There was no reason for it not to be.
Things had always been good between Lucy and me.
And that made it more problematic.
It wasn't like we had a falling out, so why come dressed as Lumi?
I couldn't understand it.
Without the status window, I had no clue what Lucy was thinking or why she chose this route.
'Maybe I'm really lacking in ability.'
It's unlikely, but if the status window disappeared for good, could I even maintain the harem?
Think carefully.
This is both a trial and an opportunity.
The reason Lucy showed up before me as Lumi.
She wouldn't say it herself, so I had to coax it out using my own skills.
"This tastes like something Lucy would like."
"...Yeah. It does."
As we ate the sweet dessert after the meal, the conversation continued.
I deliberately brought up Lucy a lot, and it definitely had an effect.
Every time I mentioned her name, Lucy reacted slightly with a "Again?" kind of look.
If it were really Lumi, she wouldn't respond that way.
This should've been enough to make her think I talk about Lucy a lot in general.
"This ice cream tastes like what I used to have as a kid."
"Yeah. I used to love it too."
"...What was Lumi like as a kid? You always said it was thanks to Lucy that you are who you are now."
Of course, Lumi never said that.
Having played the original game, I knew their background well enough to toss in that line.
"Ah... um, yeah. Lucy... she really tried hard."
"How so?"
"She worked part-time jobs for me, protected me from bullies...."
Lumi—no, Lucy's cheeks slowly turned red.
Talking about her own good deeds must be embarrassing.
Since she was getting flustered, I cut her off.
"Then Lumi must really trust Lucy, huh?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"And Lucy probably thinks the same about Lumi, right?"
"Of course. Absolutely. Absolute trust."
Nod nod.
Watching Lucy nodding earnestly almost made me laugh.
That was a bit of a giveaway.
I kept a straight face and pretended to be disappointed.
"Then why didn't it go well...? I guess I'm the problem after all?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, the three of us dating. You said you and Lucy are of one mind, that there's no way she'd say no to you. But if it didn't work out, it must be my fault, right?"
As soon as I said that, Lucy's pupils began to tremble.
"N-no. That's not it. It can't be Hoyeon's fault. It's probably me...."
"You, Lumi?"
"No, um... it's probably Lucy."
What a cute reaction.
Lucy looked confused about how to answer.
Well, it was a baited question, so that was the expected reaction.
"Lucy? Didn't you say there's absolutely nothing wrong with her? What could be the problem?"
"Uh... um, well...."
Watching flustered Lucy, I thought to myself.
It hit me again how perfect her acting was.
You could say it's only natural since they look the same.
But looks aside, changing speech patterns is hard.
And yet, throughout the meal, she never once slipped.
Lucy normally speaks in a higher tone, talks more, and uses casual speech with me.
But she kept Lumi's more formal tone the entire time without a single mistake.
Even for twins who know each other well, is that really possible?
Everyone has speech habits unique to them.
Hiding them is not easy.
That made one thought come to mind naturally.
Maybe Lucy's real personality is actually more like this.
The twins' past isn't detailed much in the original.
But it's known they had a tough childhood, and Lucy took care of Lumi as the older sister.
Maybe that changed Lucy's personality over time.
I tucked that thought away for now and gave a regretful expression.
"Sorry. I wasn't trying to blame you guys. If it came across that way, I'm sorry."
"No, no. Not at all! Never!"
Lucy frantically shook her head and hands.
Well, it wasn't ideal, but I still learned something.
Lucy didn't hate me or Lumi.
She liked us.
She still liked us, but something was holding her back.
To find out what that is, a stronger push would be needed.
"Then shall we go?"
"Yeah. Let's go back to the hospital together."
"Nah, let's head to the motel."
"...Huh?"
"We agreed, didn't we? Dinner and then the motel. Did you forget?"
"T-that's not it... I'm just worried about your health. You're still a patient...."
"Hey, I'm totally fine."
As I moved around showing how lively I was, Lucy's face showed her confusion.
"S-still... shouldn't you rest...?"
"Lumi, you said you'd definitely keep your promise this time. Are you breaking it again today?"
We never made that promise, but I pressured her anyway.
I even added a slightly disappointed look.
Knowing Lucy liked Lumi, she wouldn't be able to refuse.
"...Okay, let's go."
*
Thump thump—
Lucy felt like her head was in the clouds with this new experience.
A room that felt both narrow and spacious.
A large TV and neatly folded towels.
A fancy motel even equipped with a Clean Magic Circle.
It was her first time in a place like this with a guy.
And the guy thought she was her sister Lumi.
Shooo—
While Lee Hoyeon showered, Lucy sat on the bed, clutching her head.
'I have to tell the truth. But... is now the right time? What do I do?'
It was honestly too late.
Maybe it was her fault for going along with the mood this far, but the flow of conversation made it hard to back out now.
She didn't even know what promise Lee Hoyeon made with Lumi, so suddenly confessing "Actually, I'm Lucy!" made no sense.
Lucy blamed herself for not anticipating this despite knowing the relationship between Lumi and Lee Hoyeon.
Of course, everything was part of Lee Hoyeon's plan.
Just as Lucy kept agonizing over what to do, Lee Hoyeon returned from his shower.
"Lumi, all ready?"
Only wearing a towel around his waist, Lee Hoyeon looked at Lucy on the bed.
Lucy, wrapped tightly in a motel gown, sat with her arms around herself.
Still, her breasts visibly pushed out, asserting their presence.
'Of course, it stands out here.'
Lee Hoyeon smiled inwardly as he looked at Lucy.
The way she awkwardly scanned the room screamed first-time-at-a-motel girl.
"Y-yeah. There's Clean Magic so...."
Lucy couldn't bring herself to look directly at him, only sneaking glances.
She cautiously peeked at Lee Hoyeon with sideways glances.
"Mm-hmm. Come here."
With a plan set during his shower, Lee Hoyeon pulled Lucy into his chest by the hand.
Squeeze—
Even with a gown between them, the softness of her skin came through.
"Ah. Ah...."
He slowly moved his hand over her body.
Lucy's face flushed red at the fast pace, and she clenched her fists in tension.
His bare upper body covered only by a towel was too much for inexperienced Lucy.
It was overwhelming stimulation for someone like her.
Every time Lee Hoyeon's hand touched her chest or stomach, she felt jolts of electricity.
Unable to take it, Lucy grabbed his arm.
"U-um, Hoyeon. I-I think... maybe we should, uh, prepare a little more? Just, maybe wait a bit...."
"Ah, okay. Got it."
Her tension was obvious even to Lee Hoyeon.
Her deep breathing gave her away.
Lee Hoyeon took his hand off and studied Lucy.
'What will she do now?'
From Lucy's side, it was way too late to confess her identity.
It was too awkward to go through with sex, but just as awkward to refuse.
The only solution would be for him to stop and leave... but there was no need.
All Lucy needed was one last push to raise her affection to 100.
Maybe sex was the final push.
So going through with it made sense.
The mood was set, and there was no reason to avoid it.
'Still, it's right to reveal she's Lucy before we do it.'
Having sex with her pretending to be Lumi wouldn't help in winning Lucy over.
So he needed to reveal the truth—preferably in a dramatic way.
Lee Hoyeon glanced at her.
Lucy was still deep breathing with her eyes shut.
"Lumi, how long are you going to prepare?"
"Uh, ah. Um...."
Startled by being addressed, Lucy trembled like a frightened deer.
"If you're ready, can you do what you usually do?"
If it were Lumi, they would usually start with a blowjob, but Lee Hoyeon didn't plan to make nervous Lucy do that.
He had something else in mind.
"Like usual...?"
"Yeah. Beg me to shove my dick in."
"W-what? Uh. Yeah...?"
Hearing my words, Lucy's face instantly turned beet red.