Time drifted by, and another full year passed.
On this day, I rested my chin in my hands and pondered while facing the sun.
With the blessings of our neighbors, Yoriichi and I would be holding our wedding in just a few days.
During this period, very regrettably, no natural disasters or human calamities had occurred.
In fact, I looked down and pinched a layer of fat on my stomach; I had gained weight again… How tragic!
I had fantasized that the Demon Slayer Corps members would arrive… he would leave to save the world, and I would choose to tearfully break up, living a lonely, comfortable old age.
Or, knowing my fated end, I would write a letter, pack my bags, and leave in the dead of night; I would choose to break up with flair, wandering the world for the rest of my days.
…Later, I thought about how irrational it would be to leave in the middle of the night… Who knew if Schrödinger’s demons were actually out there? If I remembered wrong, and the one destined to die was the fiancée, wouldn’t I be a complete fool?
Or perhaps he would become fickle and like another woman, and I would actually just be cannon fodder; I would choose a heartbroken breakup.
If he so much as glanced at another girl, I would have a cold, ruthless breakup.
To sum up, none of these happened.
I thought, that’s the only way left: if he steps into the house with his left foot first today, I’m calling off the wedding!
Hearing movement, I turned my head. He was wearing his new wooden clogs, and his right foot stepped in.
He was carrying washed fruit and tucked one into my hand…
I bit into it resentfully, swallowed it whole, and said,
“In a few days, I’m going to Mrs. Tomoda’s house to depart from there…” Why am I discussing wedding arrangements so naturally!
We had been living here for a long time; this was just a formality. The only difference was that we would be living together afterward…
That’s right, half a year had passed, and we were still sleeping separately.
He hadn’t received a single one of my hints!
He was as beautiful as an unopened gift box, dangling in front of my face all day. I was so curious about what kind of treasure was inside!
But I couldn’t “force it open”!
I came to the realization that without marriage, it was impossible for us to sleep together… I couldn’t even get a “free ride.”
No wonder they say a “knife hangs over the word lust.”
It seems people from long ago understood that in order to engage in intimacy, one always has to risk a small sacrifice a little bit of kidney-sacrificing danger?
The mundane daily routine continued without a ripple, and time quickly brought us to the day of the wedding.
Mrs. Tomoda prepared a beautiful wedding dress for me.
I put on makeup. Come to think of it, the state of my skin was much better than before; perhaps it was because I was sheltered from the wind and sun, nourished by the spiritual energy of the mountain. I could even pass for a minor beauty.
The villagers joked that Yoriichi was very good at “nourishing” people… What do you mean! It was clearly I who was nourishing him!
As I was thinking this, Mrs. Tomoda tightened my waist. “Inhale.”
“I… I can’t breathe.”
“Endure it for a bit, it’s only for today.”
I was cinched into an “A4 waist,” and the price was not being able to take a deep breath.
She put the horn-shaped hat on me and arranged my attire, looking at me with some reproach. “You should pay attention to managing your figure.”
She followed it up with, “If you’re going to get fat, do it after the wedding.”
Once the goods are sold, no returns, is that it?
“I know, isn’t it already today?” I’m not even that fat, right? On the contrary, I’ve become even cuter!
I’ve started to like looking in the mirror more! An “A4 waist” is a requirement for a legendary beauty! Let’s just be a regular “little beauty.” Come to think of it, Yoriichi also praised me for being even cuter.
The entire wedding process was not complex. Everyone in the village who could come did; it was lively, the process went smoothly, and there wasn’t a single accident.
Even Mr. Gotō came, and he was the one who hated crowds the most! Although he only sat by himself for a while and left after giving his gift.
After drinking the wedding wine, under the witness of the gods, we became a whole, a family.
Amidst the enthusiastic crowd of villagers, with flower petals falling like rain, I finally married the boy I had admired for so long.
The village’s excitement didn’t subside for a long time.
He carried me on his back for a long, long time, his breathing remaining steady throughout.
The weather had stayed clear for most of the day, but it started raining on the return journey after the excitement had died down.
The others helped carry the chests inside.
I went to the bridal chamber and saw the festive bedding shared by both of us, unable to resist touching it.
At this moment, because of the rain, the sky outside was already dark. Although he was a man of few words, he was no longer as shy as before.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all, congratulations! Groom!”
“Congratulations!”
The others left once the rain let up a little.
Hearing that it was quiet, I went outside to help tidy up the chests.
When finished, we were having the nuptial wine the final step! I was excited inside.
CRACK. A bolt of lightning struck.
Suddenly, the wind roared, and thunder rattled.
The terrible weather outside was truly frightening.
“I need to go out for a moment.” He put down his cup, looked outside, and turned back to tell me.
“In this weather…” I frowned.
“The wind is too strong; I need to get the storm shutters out to reinforce them, otherwise the poultry and fields in the back will be ruined.”
He was right; the loss would be too great.
“Be careful…”
I watched him rush into the night rain. Although I wanted to go with him, I was in no condition to in this dress.
The downpour knocked the flower petals in the courtyard to the ground. I sat in the room, feeling uneasy. It was so abnormal for it to rain this hard on the wedding day… it was hard not to let my imagination run wild.
Especially as someone bearing the name of a “doomed, early-dying wife.”
I found a dagger, gripped it tightly, and hid it in my sleeve.
Time passed bit by bit. A strange sound knocked, and I couldn’t sit still. I stood up abruptly, walked to the window with suspicion and unease, and opened a crack. Rain hit my face; it was just the prayer plaque blown by the gale against the door and windows.
I sealed the window again.
Soft footsteps came from outside. I tilted my head to listen and quickly revealed a look of relief.
The door was pulled open, and sure enough, Yoriichi’s wet face appeared. His new clothes were soaked through. I took some clothes for him.
Although we were husband and wife, he didn’t have the habit of changing clothes in front of me… it was only the first day, after all.
After he came back, I put the dagger into the dresser drawer and found two clean towels.
He came out after changing into clean clothes.
Although there was a small interlude due to the weather, fortunately, there were no further accidents.
Next… I looked at him. “Come here, I’ll help you dry your hair.”
His hair was still damp, and if he didn’t dry it, the clothes he’d changed into would get wet too.
He came over, knelt at my knees, and lowered his head quietly.
Under the warm, orange light of the red candles, I took a shawl to drape over him and wiped his hair carefully with the towel.
At first, water fell onto the back of my hand, and I didn’t think much of it, assuming it was rain. But could rain be hot?
“Yoriichi?”
He lifted his face. Crystal-clear droplets, unsure if they were water or tears, were pooled on his long, thick eyelashes.
Was he actually crying?
Crying!
I stopped what I was doing. How could someone cry so silently! Without a sound!
He placed a hand on my face, his gaze dazed. “It feels like a dream… I couldn’t be any happier. Megumi married me; this is actually happening.”
He leaned toward me, as if trying to look at me more closely to confirm that it was really me.
The red shawl slipped from his shoulders.
One of my hands was gently lifting his damp, deep-red hair; most of it was wrapped around the back of my hand and wrist, and my sleeves were stained damp, deepening in color.
My other hand held the towel, drying the rest.
…I suddenly understood why No had called him a “male fox spirit” at the beginning.
He usually kept his hair tied meticulously, spoke little, and his expression was almost non-existent. But with his hair down, he had a different kind of charm; the difference was astonishing.
He gripped my wrist.
His clear, red eyes clean and thorough like the sky after rain stared at me without blinking, gradually magnifying until they occupied my entire field of vision.
I felt it!
The atmosphere the ambiguous atmosphere!
I closed my eyes slowly as he drew near, excited in my heart.
It’s coming!
I felt a warm touch on my forehead, and my body trembled involuntarily; pleasure rose in my heart. He said from close range, “Thank you, Megumi. You must be tired. Please leave the rest to me.”
Leave… leave it to him… I turned beet red.
I couldn’t hear what else he was saying; I just nodded frantically in agreement. Ah! He kissed me! And told me to leave it to him!
Ying! Leave it, leave it! Leave everything to him!
Then, I felt his hair pull away from my hands. I waited for a while, but there were no follow-up actions. I opened my eyes…
And found he was wiping his own hair.
Me: …
Oh, he said he wanted to dry his own hair.
I felt a bit disappointed.
I quickly found a reason: Well, yes, if the hair is half-dry, it would affect the experience, right? I let my imagination run wild, watching him wipe it with longing eyes.
He turned his eyes to me and said, “If you’re sleepy, you can sleep first.”
“I’m not that sleepy…” I lowered my head, fiddling with my fingers, feeling all shy and bashful.
However, I still went to the side, took off my outer garment, removed my hair accessories, and curled up under the covers can I say it was to make things easier later?
Then, I slept on one side, extremely happy, waiting full of fantasies.
Soon we can snuggle!
After barely waiting for him to dry his hair and blow out the candles, the room plunged into darkness. My arm felt cool, and he lifted the corner of the quilt and lay in.
My heart lifted. Now, now, now it should be… that time, right!
I lay flat, maintaining reserve, waiting for a long time. In the end, nothing happened. I couldn’t help but reach out and hook my finger into his under the quilt. “I say, Yoriichi, are you just going to sleep like this?”
Did you miss a key step or something!
After I said that, I turned on my side and “innocently” looked at him.
He clearly wasn’t asleep either. After a moment of silence, his voice sounded a bit dry. “Yes, well then… pardon the intrusion.”
Then he turned toward me, and slowly, with movements that seemed a bit stiff, he reached out to hug me, giving me precious, light kisses on my forehead, eyelids, and cheeks.
So comfortable…
I closed my eyes, enjoying the affection in his movements… my heart felt like it was filled with fluffy pink marshmallows.
He kissed my face in no particular order for quite a while, and his body relaxed a lot.
Then he pressed my entire body against his chest, rubbed his chin against the top of my head, and said, “Alright, you can sleep now.”
I felt something was wrong. I opened my eyes: ?
No, the feeling of the kisses was very enjoyable, but…
That’s it? That’s it???
Next, he really closed his eyes and went to sleep, looking exactly like someone who had completed his mission.
I really wanted to shake him awake, but he was hugging me too tightly, and I couldn’t pull my hand out at all.
I, I haven’t opened the blind box to see the treasure yet, hey!
Regarding the small matter of being held by one’s husband like a giant plush doll for the entire wedding night, unable to move a muscle.
Over the next few days, I looked at him with an extremely resentful gaze.
Glaring you to death, glaring you to death.
However, he thought this was a normal phenomenon and was very happy to be the object of my gaze…
I supported my chin indignantly.
No wonder, no wonder. I said to myself, how could he talk so casually about becoming my husband, with such clear eyes and not a single blush? Good guy, he was playing this game with me!
Other than sleeping in the same quilt, what is the difference from before!!!
Ah… he might even be the type to say that babies are dug from the dirt, grow on trees, or are blessed and sent by the gods.
I really fell for it.
“Ah! I really want a baby!” My resentment energy was at full capacity; I was already shameless enough to say it outright.
Hearing this, his eyes softened, and he was very calm and composed. “Don’t worry, as long as we insist on sleeping together every night, I’m sure we will have one very soon.”
《Insist on sleeping together》《Have one very soon》
I stared at him with dead, fish-like eyes.
Heh. He really did say it.
Stop being so pure, hurry up and fulfill your husbandly duties, you jerk! (Angry fist-shaking!)