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When I touched the crushed earring, Momota's memories flowed into me.
A lavish Western-style mansion.
Marble stairs.
And the days Momota spent within it.
I set off for the mansion, guided by his memories.
The rain gently soaked my footsteps.
Deep within a quiet residential area.
A grand mansion, strikingly different from the other houses, exuded an intimidating presence.
Black iron gates.
A meticulously maintained garden.
Its imposing appearance was as if it symbolized Momota's power.
A strange silence hung around the mansion.
The sounds of birds, the whisper of the wind, all seemed to recede into the distance.
I walked towards the entrance.
My heart's pounding gradually quickened.
Here, I would confront Momota, the origin of everything.
That resolve made my body tremble.
There was no need to ring the doorbell.
The heavy door, as if waiting for me, slowly opened.
"I've been waiting for you,"
Momota's voice echoed from within the mansion.
I took a deep breath, and stepped into the dark abyss.
The mansion was even larger than I had imagined.
Chandeliers hung from high ceilings.
A corridor carpeted in deep crimson.
Unfamiliar masterpieces lined the walls.
And in the center of that space, Momota stood.
His eyes glowed eerily from behind black glasses.
"I've been watching you all along,"
Momota's voice echoed through the mansion.
It had a somewhat complacent resonance.
"You seem to think I can only bestow one ability,"
At those words, my body stiffened.
"That's a long time ago,"
Momota slowly approached.
"Now I can bestow up to three."
My heart pounded.
Three.
The weight of that number threatened to crush me.
"I've been watching you with these clairvoyant glasses,"
Momota touched his glasses, smiling meaningfully.
"You despaired many times, didn't you? And you succumbed to your own desires, sometimes resisting."
At those words, my memories resurfaced.
The girls violated by Yamashita and Katagiri.
My own self, succumbing to desire.
He had seen everything.
"But you've overcome it,"
Momota's voice carried a hint of admiration.
"Even when your lovers became like that,"
My fists unconsciously clenched tighter.
"You were different from me. You accepted it. You overcame it. You're still fighting your abilities and desires."
Each of Momota's words deeply gouged my heart.
"Honestly, I was envious."
At that confession, I was speechless.
The spring rain continued to gently tap on the mansion windows.
Like an accompaniment to the dialogue about to begin.
"I also know that you've started to misuse your power as your desires dictate now."
At those words, a chill ran down my spine.
He knew everything.
"How is it?"
Momota's voice drew closer.
"Are you scared?"
I had no choice but to answer honestly.
"I am... scared..."
My voice trembled.
"I'm starting to think I want to erase this ability."
Momota's expression took on a strange hue.
"I see, your karma seems deeper than mine."
At those words, I sighed deeply.
Indeed, I had already crossed an irreversible line.
Arbitrarily erasing people's memories and starting to act as I pleased.
The feeling of approaching a monster step by step.
Wind swept through the mansion.
The heavy curtains swayed faintly.
That movement seemed to overlap with the swaying of my heart.
Momota walked to the window and continued, looking out at the rain.
"You have several choices."
Momota's voice echoed in the mansion's darkness.
I listened in silence.
The chandelier's light illuminated Momota's profile eerily.
"Either you erase my memories as well, and leave me like a husk,"
Momota slowly turned around.
"Living a life where you use your power as you please, that would be good too."
At those words, my heart wavered.
Indeed, that option existed.
If I erased Momota's memories here and now.
Everything would end.
But.
"But, I have a proposal."
Momota took something out of his pocket.
"I'll give you this ring."
In his hand, a silver ring emitted a soft glow.
"It's a ring of love."
My breathing hitched for a moment.
"If you wear this ring and embrace someone, the person you embrace will love you."
At that explanation, my body stiffened.
Could such an ability truly exist?
"You'll surely lead a peaceful life."
Momota's voice held a hint of gentleness.
"It's not a temporary love, you know? It's true affection."
The sound of the rain intensified.
As if reflecting the turmoil in my heart.
"It's different from hypnosis,"
Momota continued.
"Because,"
I held my breath at his explanation.
"It won't activate if there's no love for you at all, or if they hate you. It won't activate unless the other person has even a slight desire for your embrace."
The air in the mansion grew heavy and oppressive.
"And once it activates, they'll love you forever."
The weight of those words sank deep into my heart.
"How about it? It's a peaceful ability, isn't it?"
I couldn't answer Momota's question.
My mind had gone blank.
Outside the window, the rain intensified.
As if expressing my confused mind.
"I understand,"
Momota's voice echoed deeply in the mansion's darkness.
The light from the enormous chandelier illuminated his figure eerily.
Behind his black glasses, his eyes glowed strangely.
His appearance was like a demon who saw everything.
"You already possess an ability similar to this ring."
At those words, my heart pounded.
Indeed.
The ability to see memories.
The ability to erase memories.
And the ability to preserve seen memories as images.
All of them were powers that touched people's hearts.
But besides that, for some reason, women seemed too tolerant of me.
Why was simultaneous multiple dating allowed?
What was the reason for their dependence on me?
"You have a hunch, don't you?"
Momota slowly approached me.
His footsteps echoed heavily.
"This ring is, so to speak, an amplifier for that ability."
His shadow stretched long on the deep crimson carpet.
"That's why I can't use it, and only you can."
At that explanation, I felt bewildered.
Why would he try to give me such an ability?
There must be some deep intention behind it.
However, Momota's expression held a strange sincerity.
The masterpieces lining the walls silently watched this strange dialogue.
Among them, paintings depicting love and paintings depicting hatred were all mixed together.
The spring rain continued to fall.
The sound of rain hitting the large mansion windows echoed, as if reflecting my confused heart.
The silver light shimmered softly on the ring Momota offered.
Like a branching point of destiny, the ring quietly yet surely demanded a choice before me.
"I will use two abilities: this ring and these glasses."
Momota's voice spread throughout the mansion with a deep resonance.
The vast space of the grand mansion echoed his words repeatedly.
The chandelier's light reflected off his black glasses, momentarily emitting an eerie glow.
"Let me see your happy days. And when you have the leisure, lend me a little of that power. Seeing you gave me courage too. I'm going to end my life of running away."
His words carried a strange weight.
As if he truly wished for my happiness.
Or was it a new trap?
In front of me, Momota sighed deeply.
His gesture showed a weariness I had never seen before.
It was like the weight of his long years of testing people.
"Wait,"
My voice resonated with a sudden courage.
"You can still bestow one more ability, can't you?"
At that question, Momota's expression shifted slightly.
"Aren't you planning to misuse that again?"
On the deep crimson carpet, our shadows crossed long.
The air in the mansion felt as if it froze for a moment.
"Do you concern yourself with such things?"
Momota's voice held an unexpected gentleness.
"Even though you have the power to easily overcome my abilities?"
At those words, I was speechless.
Indeed, that was true.
Even at this very moment, I could erase Momota's memories.
But was that a true solution?
Eradicating violence with violence.
Eradicating ability with ability.
What awaited at the end of that?
"I have several grand mansions like this all over the world."
Momota slowly walked towards the window.
The garden, wet with spring rain, glowed fantastically in the moonlight.
"I'm going to a southern island for a while."
His voice had a liberated resonance.
"I think I'll try to find love again. I plan to use the other ability for finding that love."
Momota turned around.
Behind his black glasses, his eyes glowed strangely.
"I thank you. You made me want to believe in people again."
At those words, I felt a complex emotion.
Was he truly changing?
Or was this another strategy?
However, his expression held a purity I had never seen before.
The chandelier's light gently swayed between the two of us, as if blessing us.
After a long struggle, I decided to accept the ring.
The silver band emitted a soft light on my palm.
At that moment, a strange sensation enveloped my entire body.
As if a new power was flowing into me.
It was both fear and anticipation.
"Goodbye,"
Momota's final words echoed through the mansion.
His voice no longer carried its previous intimidating quality.
I nodded silently and stepped out beyond the heavy door.
The spring rain was still falling.
But the raindrops seemed different than before.
Feeling a definite warmth in my hand as I clutched the ring, I left the mansion.
Was this the right choice?
Or was it the beginning of a new tragedy?
The answer was still unknown to anyone.
But one thing was certain.
My life was about to change drastically from this moment on.
Clutching the ring, my feet instinctively began to move.
My mind was still in chaos.
The conversation with Momota.
A new ability.
And the desires lurking within me.
The existence of a ring that affirmed desire, and what kind of ability it was, I started walking to find that out.