DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Las Lindas and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Chalo/Chalosan and SoulKat.

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Chapter 25: The Breaking Heart

I was starting my shift when Naerie came along for her expected work time and... I could tell on the spot that something was off about her.

Not the kinky sort of 'off', but she looked quite withdrawn and quieter- more than usual at that. It was something along the way she forced her posture to adopt an almost perfect semblance of her normal stance, something that was also affirmed by her unwillingness to not look at me in the face when she greeted me. Also, the way she greeted me gave it away.

"Hello..." Soft, restrained, and... hurt.

Naerie sat down at her chair, looked at her monitor and... tried her best to look as stoic as she tended to be normally. And I could tell she was struggling. I didn't prod into this circumstance early on, but the more we waited silently for any change in the shop, the more I felt like something about her emotional state felt... bad.

"Are you alright?" I finally asked, unable to hold back any further as I was just flinching over her expression.

"...No."

The admission was slow and yet curt. I think she briefly pondered over keeping quiet or not, or even lied about it to stop any conversation. For Naerie to be this truthful just felt... concerning. It meant that it was so bad that there was no point in her mind to hold back about it. And I was blissfully unaware that the dam that just broke wasn't as small as I hoped it to be.

"What's wrong?"

She drew a long sigh. "I made a mess. With Shin. And I... I think I may have pushed him to break up with me."

...

I frowned. Like, really hard.

"What? I mean, I doubt that it got to the point of-"

"We had a fight- I... I normally don't do that but I just felt upset when he asked me to go slower on him because he felt like our relationship wasn't meant to be that rough," She further elaborated, her mask slipping the more she talked. "But he still likes it rough with older women and... and I don't get it."

I didn't remember getting close enough to her with my chair as she was talking, but I sure realized I did when she was within range for a hug. I did it on instinct, and the girl, albeit tense, created no opposition to the gesture. It was just that, an embrace, and one that deprived her entirely of the tough look she had to put through this morning. I never thought I would hear Naerie cry- nor I thought I would live long enough to see her actually show so much emotion in her face.

Hope had told me that her emotions generally triggered her powers, but I remember hearing Naerie saying how she tended to put on an extra emotional barrier to keep her mind clear of trouble. That sort of stuff tended to take effort to keep up, which would explain how she put no effort to read my thoughts on this matter. In fact, I could tell it had cracked entirely and her powers were fully suppressed as she quietly cried onto my shirt. It was a monumental sight, and not one I was liking. Not when someone as strong as Naerie was brought to tears.

She offered more details of what happened, but I was just... numb at the whole thing. I just couldn't understand Shin on this occasion. I knew he was that much of a snowflake when it came to intimacy, but this was... well, a new low. And I could tell how big of a fight it had been to draw this kind of reaction to someone that could remain unfazed by a lot of things. I just listened to this whole thing and I nodded along her words, thinking more and more about a single question:

Why? Why the hell did Shin let this happen?

I couldn't get answers from it, but I managed to at least calm down Naerie. The Bear Prime was still a mess once the hug ceased, and I felt like there was a lot to inquire about after what I had just heard. Not from Naerie, but from Shin himself.

I kept an eye on her through the whole shift just in case anything else happened, and then, as Naerie went to eat alone during the first break of the shift, I decided to go and check on the other side of the situation. I thought that Shin at this point would have been a mess too due to some of the hard truth Naerie dropped and I was quite unsuspecting of what I was going to find once I got there. The flat was near, but I didn't want to make noises that could tell the redhead I was leaving the shop and... there was a single way in that was noiseless.

"Zip-"

"I know, Boss. You want to talk to him directly and... I think he is not alone."

He is not?

"Well, do it anyway. this is urgent."

The Nanozell Spirit spared me a small grimace, one that vanished with her as she teleported me inside Shin's flat and... she decided to go back to her gem. Not a good sign considering that her warning did leave me with growing suspicions this was not going to be a nice situation. I looked around for any sign of him.

My first impression was that he had to be holed in one of the rooms and waiting for some saving grace to kick him back into shape. But as I heard noises from his bedroom, I started to think otherwise. The long dress, boots and bra lying on the ground of the path to my destination did not help remove the unsettling realization that this was going to be awkward.

I reached for the door's handle and unclocked it.

"Shin, I-" I paused in my attempt to reach out as I got presented to a sight in his bedroom.

My jaw hung low, shocked as I was presented to quite the scene that I wouldn't have expected in this circumstance. That Lady Tila had a thing for Shin was nothing new. Naerie made it clear how many times the two would tag along while she was busy, but it never occurred to me that he would have relied on her through this occasion. By having sex with her... while his girlfriend was having a life crisis due to a harsh fight they had. I was... shocked by this, but my arrival did not go unnoticed.

"J-John?"

"Oh, the human," Tila purred, uncaring of the lack of cover for her modesty as she shifted to give me a look. "I wouldn't mind a new addition."

Had this been a normal situation, I would have been shocked but tagged along. It was a lovely thicc MILF-tier woman we were talking about... but this was not a normal situation, and I found this development nothing short of distressing and infuriating to certain levels. I think that didn't go to miss for Shin as he shrunk even more behind the woman.

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Wainwright," I uttered, making a slight mistake since Tila still preferred to be addressed by her name by people she knew. However, the tone of voice I had and the way I addressed her left Tila reacting differently.

"Is it something important for the little one?"

"Yep. I'm sorry-"

"No reason to apologize, Tila can tell it's not a pleasant topic. Should I leave?"

"You-" Shin blurted out, but flinched as I stared at him. "It's not that bad-"

"Naerie was crying just two hours ago, Shin. For a fight to end up with her in tears, someone that is known to handle a lot of crap from people- this is bad."

"...Tila may need some explanation then, isn't Naerie the little one's girlfriend?"

"Yes, and he wanted things to go slower because she has been trying to make things better in bed. Turns out that Shin is more into keeping the 'status quo' in that regard so he can enjoy times with older women."

"That's not- not true," Shin muttered, voice shaky and showing a degree of disbelief in his own response. "I'm... It's just wrong for her to push herself like that. I- She doesn't have to prove a point."

"She does if you feel more into laying with other girls rather than her," I rebuked, eyes narrowing at that feeble defense. "Shin, I get it. It's tough to handle it when changes happen, but you can't just... tell her off and be done with it."

"...Then I guess I should drop it before we both hurt each other."

My jaw dropped. "What about an apology? You are literally going to give up on that relationship because you can't muster some courage and deal with that?"

"I-It's not that simple-"

"And yet not so difficult," Tila quipped, picking up the conversation and sighing tiredly at it. "Little one, your girlfriend is trying to make you happy just like you make her happy. I think you should apologize because you made her feel like her efforts were all worthless.

"Still, if it came down that I hurt her as John said, I... I shouldn't be dating her. She deserves better."

...I heard that before. Hope told me of this. Those words, these were the same that he used to bring the end of their relationship. I didn't even need to think too deeply to remember that conversation. Those words were almost a perfect quote of what I heard. And I felt something stir inside of me that just left me with a single thought in mind.

I just couldn't accept it.

"I see," I hummed, a 'tch'-like noise leaving my lips as I stared at the floor with a blank look. "Then I guess there's no choice really. I thought it was something silly, but you had to make it complicated. Stupidly so. I thought you were a good guy, Shin."

"John-"

"I quit," I announced calmly, finally looking up at him and seeing a shocked look on his face at the news. "I quit a job when the owner expects things to be resolved by trying to play a condescending individual that is actually gutless and unwilling to come to terms that conflict should be dealt with some respectful and healthy compromises."

"This is not-"

"I'm done," I muttered, shaking my head and leaving the bedroom altogether. "Zip."

"On it, boss," The spirit hummed, her voice quieter than usual but I knew it was because of how awkward the whole thing got. I was warped away from the flat and back to the shop. The break was still on, so I had time to do a few things and... I knew I couldn't exactly break it to Naerie like that.

No, I had to make an effort to break the 'fall' without hurting her too much. I had to give her the news, because I could tell Naerie was not going to react well to this news. In the span of just ten minutes, I managed to switch to my regular clothes, turn signs to show the shop was closed and gave a look around with Zip for any ice cream parlor nearby.

There was one down the corner just outside the shop, which was the best place to bring a girl like Naerie to. Ambar did point out that, despite her tough looks, Naerie was gluttonous for sweet food and, knowing the situation, she needed something sweet to keep her morale up. Once I was done with the preparations, Naerie came back and frowned when she realized that I was no longer wearing the uniform.

"Why are you-"

"The shop will close early."

"...What?" She pressed on, sounding legitimately confused by this novelty.

I sighed. "Naerie, I am taking you for a friendly hang out. I think there's a ice cream parlor around and-"

"D-Does Shin-"

"No, and, frankly-speaking, I don't care," I interjected, failing to hold some of the irritation I still had on what happened mere minutes earlier. "The shop's going to be closed down for today, so we can at least enjoy the free day in peace."

...

I could tell that she was perplexed by this turn of events, but while she had many questions and she could have easily probed my brain for information, I saw her hold back and sigh at my words.

"Fine. I will change and we can go."

I offered a smile and a thumb up. As she departed to the lockers, I felt my chest tightening at the fact I was now going to deal with the toughest part of this situation.

Breaking to Naerie how Shin planned to break up with her and... not get her to go ballistic on the world.

AN

Ah yes, there's nothing so terrifying as trying to defuse a potential nuke-tier situation while also preserving a girl's heart in the process.

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c