Erasing Fate

"Where am I?"

(Nishiro wondered, his thoughts clouded by confusion.)

(He found himself embracing a woman, yet her face remained a blur, as if shrouded in mist.)

(An unsettling realization struck him—he couldn't move)

(His body refused to obey.)

(The woman slowly lifted her head, her gaze locking onto his.)

(But strangely, the only feature he could discern was her mouth—everything else remained obscured, like a distorted dream.)

(Suddenly, she screamed, her voice cutting through the silence like a sharp blade.)

"𝗪𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗨𝗽!!!"

[𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵]

(Nishiro jolted awake.)

{"Oh, it was just a dream,"}

(He thought, exhaling as he relaxed his tense body.)

Hm..?

(His hand brushed against something unexpectedly soft.)

"What is this?"

(Curious, he pulled back the blanket—only for his eyes to widen in shock.)

{"What?!!"}

(He screamed internally.)

(Right beside him, clinging to him tightly, was that clinic girl—fast asleep.)

"Uh..."

(She let out a sleepy groan, stirring slightly as if she were about to wake up.)

(Panicking, Nishiro did the only thing that came to mind—he began humming a lullaby, hoping to lull her back to sleep.)

(Still half-asleep, she mumbled,)

"You never could sing a sweet lullaby, could you?.."

(Then, as if satisfied, she drifted off again.)

(Nishiro let out a silent sigh of relief and carefully attempted to slip out of bed without making a sound.)

{"Just a little more..."}

(He was almost free, his foot barely touching the floor.)

𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗱.*

(As he moved, her hand shifted unexpectedly.)

(In response, she instinctively tightened her grip around him, pulling him closer.)

(Nishiro's eyes widened as he pressed his mouth shut, holding back a scream.)

(Her embrace was so firm that he could hear her heartbeat clearly, steady and warm.)

{"Crap!"}

(He thought)

{"Now I can't move until she wakes up."}

[𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵]

/Morning 10 AM\

(A soft, sleepy groan filled the air, gently breaking the morning silence.)

(The girl stirred awake, stretching her arms to shake off the drowsiness of sleep.)

"Huh..?"

(She mumbled groggily, still half-asleep.)

(As her vision cleared, she froze. Right on her lap, Nishiro lay completely still, his face flushed bright red.)

"Aah!!?" She yelped in panic.

"Nishiro?! Nishiro, are you okay?!"

(She shook him urgently, trying to wake him up.)

(But there was no response.)

(Her eyes widened in alarm. Desperate, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, attempting to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.)

(𝗔 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿...)

(Nishiro jolted upright in a sudden gasp, coughing and struggling for breath.)

"Are you okay now?"

(She asked, her voice tense with concern.)

(Nishiro, still breathing heavily, managed to respond between gasps.)

"I... wa... was... nearly... out of breath..."

(She sighed in relief.)

"I tried giving you mouth-to-mouth breath because you passed out, and your face was completely red."

(Nishiro's mind spun for a second.)

"Thank god I woke up before she sent me straight to the afterlife,"

(He thought.)

(Then his brain caught up to her words.)

"Wait... Did you just say mouth-to-mouth breathing?!"

( Nishiro's voice suddenly rose, laced with an unusual excitement.)

She blinked in confusion. "Yeah...?"

(A deep shade of red spread across Nishiro's face, his embarrassment reaching its peak.)

(Suddenly, a flashback hit him like a tidal wave.)

(The laughter faded. The warmth of the moment vanished. And in its place—pain.)

(Chains. Cold, rusted metal biting into his skin. His arms, stretched above him, numb from the weight. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled his nose, masking the stench of blood—his blood. Footsteps echoed in the dimly lit room, slow, deliberate. A sharp glint of steel. Then—agony. Searing, bone-deep agony.)

(His breath hitched. His chest tightened, as if unseen hands were crushing his ribs. His fingers twitched, gripping the sheets beneath him. "Not again. Not again." His mind screamed, but his body remained frozen, paralyzed by the ghosts of his past. The world around him blurred—no longer the present, but a prison of memory, a never-ending cycle of pain and helplessness.)

(Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.)

(He gasped, stumbling back, the clinic girl's voice snapping him out of his daze. His pulse hammered in his ears, drowning out everything else. His vision swam, flickering between reality and nightmare. And then—one thought cut through the haze.)

"I need to get out."

(He thought)

(Without thinking anything else he sprang from the bed, bolted for the door, and dashed down the corridor, his only thought being escape.)

"Ouch!"

(A startled voice rang out.)

(Before he could react, he collided with someone, sending them both crashing to the ground.)

(A sultry chuckle filled the air.)

"My, my... Oh boy, are you enjoying yourself that much?"

(The woman purred, her voice dripping with amusement.)

(Nishiro's breath hitched as he realized his hand had landed on something undeniably soft.)

(In that instant, his embarrassment meter didn't just rise—it exploded.)

[𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵]

(As Nishiro regained his senses, he realized the woman he had crashed into, was now unconscious on the floor.)

(Standing in front of him was the clinic girl, her back turned toward him)

(Slowly, she turned to face him.)

(Her expression was a dangerous mix of jealousy and anger, her eyes practically burning with emotion.)

(Without warning, she lunged at Nishiro.)

(She flailed her hands, smacking his head repeatedly like a child throwing a tantrum, her eyes brimming with tears.)

"You clinical hentai!!!"

(She screamed at him, her voice filled with frustration.)

(Just as Nishiro struggled to process the situation, a sudden announcement echoed through the building:)

"All Family Members Are Instructed To Gather In The Main Hall Immediately."

[𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵]

(The clinic girl dragged Nishiro into the main hall, arms crossed and cheeks puffed in frustration. She kept glaring at him, clearly upset about how he had fallen on that other woman earlier)

(Nishiro fidgeted under her silent but intense stare, feeling increasingly uneasy.)

(Just then, the atmosphere shifted as heavy footsteps echoed through the hall.)

(The Boss entered, exuding authority. Beside him walked that woman whose touch melted Nishiro 's muscles.)

(The Boss spread his arms slightly, his voice carrying through the hall as he declared:)

"Welcome, Nishiro, to the home of the Red Scorpions."

(With the Boss's announcement, the entire hall suddenly lit up, illuminating every corner.)

(At that moment, four figures emerged simultaneously from the four entrances of the hall, each exuding a distinct presence.)

(From the Northern entrance, a familiar face appeared—the 13-year-old boy Nishiro had seen before. Who cut Nishiro with a piece of papper. His expression was unreadable.)

(From the Eastern entrance, the woman Nishiro had crashed into earlier sauntered in, her smirk still present, as if thoroughly amused by the whole situation.)

(From the Western entrance, a mysterious figure stepped forward. His mouth was concealed beneath a cloak, adding to his eerie, assassin-like presence. His piercing green eyes gleamed under the lights, radiating a silent menace, like a phantom lurking in the shadows.)

(And finally, from the Southern entrance—the same one Nishiro and the clinic girl had entered through—a towering figure made his way in. A massive bodybuilder, drenched in sweat, his skin glistening as if he had just stepped out of an intense gym session. Wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, his sheer physical presence alone was intimidating.)

(Nishiro's instincts screamed at him in his mind—{"These weren't ordinary people."}

(As if following a well-rehearsed ritual, all four individuals dropped to one knee, bowing their heads slightly in a display of loyalty, like knights swearing fealty to their lord.)

"Welcome to the family,"

(They spoke in unison.)

(Nishiro felt a chill run down his spine. This was too much. Too sudden. His gut twisted with unease, and his brain raced with the worst possible scenarios of what could happen next.)

(Then, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the hall.)

(The Boss, descending the grand staircase with an air of authority, had a confident smirk on his face. Beside him, his wife—the woman with the terrifying acid-touch ability—walked gracefully, her presence equally commanding and ominous.)

(The Boss raised his voice once more, his words carrying a weight that settled heavily in the room)

"Let me introduce you to everyone in our family."

(He gestured toward the Northern entrance.)

"That 13-year-old boy is Arlon Juri, my youngest son."

(Then, to the Eastern entrance.)

"The lady you see there is my eldest daughter, Sumi Jurino."

(His gaze shifted to the Western entrance.)

"The cloaked one over there is my eldest son, Dorsan Juri."

(Finally, he looked toward the Southern entrance, right behind Nishiro.)

"And that towering man is my step-son, Toro Jurino."

(Then, with a slight smirk, he turned his attention to Nishiro's side.)

"And the girl standing beside you… is my youngest daughter, Shirisa Juri."

(Nishiro's eyes widened slightly. His mind reeled as the weight of the situation fully sank in.)

(The Boss took a deep breath before gesturing toward the woman beside him.)

"And this lovely lady right here is my wife, Agatha Juri."

( He smirked slightly before adding teasingly)

"Oh, but I suppose you don't have the best memories of her, do you?"

(At his words, Agatha's cheeks flushed slightly. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and playfully smacked the Boss on the head.)

"Why not? I saved him from the bath, don't you remember?"

(She huffed, crossing her arms.)

(The Boss chuckled, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. His usual commanding demeanor softened for a moment as he responded with an amused sigh.)

"Yeah, yeah… Ha... Ha." Then, straightening up, he continued, "And I am—"

(But before he could finish, Nishiro suddenly blurted out a word, his voice cutting through the hall like a sharp blade)

"Scorps!"

(His tone was unexpectedly firm, resonating with a strange weight that made the room momentarily silent.)

(Nishiro's eyes widened in sheer panic as he slapped both hands over his mouth, his body stiff with fear and embarrassment.)

(Slowly, he glanced around the room—and his stomach dropped.)

(Everyone's face had darkened. Their gazes bore into him with an eerie intensity, their expressions unreadable, yet filled with something ominous.)

(The atmosphere turned heavy, suffocating. It felt as if, at any moment, they would pounce on him and slice him into tiny pieces.)

{"I'm dead,"}

( Nishiro thought. He could already picture the gates of heaven opening before him.)

(𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻—)

"Hahaha! Haaaha! Really?!"

(Shirisa suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, doubling over as she clutched her stomach.)

(Toro followed, his deep, booming laughter shaking the room.)

"That was nice one, ha ha "

(One by one, all of the Boss's children joined in, their laughter echoing through the hall like a wave breaking through the tension.)

(Even Agatha, who rarely displayed warmth, glanced at the Boss and let a small, gentle smile creep onto her lips.)

(The Boss, however, wore a slightly unpleasant expression. Yet, despite the scowl on his face, an invisible satisfaction lingered in his demeanor, subtly betraying his true emotions.)

"My, my, that was a nice joke,"

(He said, his tone carrying a hint of amusement despite himself.)

"I hope you'll find this place familiar soon."

(Then, his expression shifted. His voice grew firm, cutting through the lingering laughter like a blade.)

"Now… let's start the real meeting."

[𝘚𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵]

(A lone figure stood atop the roof of the Scorpions' mansion, a cigar glowing faintly between his fingers.)

(He took a slow drag, letting the rich smoke fill his lungs before exhaling it into the cool night air.

Under the pale glow of the full moon, the swirling smoke danced like specters before fading into nothingness.)

"Ha… 'Scorps'—nice one, though,"

(He muttered to himself, a faint smirk playing on his lips.)

(A small cloud drifted across the sky, momentarily swallowing the moonlight in darkness.)

(And when the silver glow returned—)

(He was gone.)

(Not a single trace remained.)

𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱...