It was the afternoon of the sixth day since he had come to the Iwashimizu main residence in Kyushu. Sosuke sat on the living room sofa, drinking the coffee the housekeeper had brewed for him, and let his thoughts drift vaguely.
At first, he had intended to wreck this omiai-this formal marriage meeting. He was still only twenty-one and had never even thought about marriage, and now he was being told to become the adopted son-in-law of a woman sixteen years his senior.
But when he held Yukino, he learned that she gave him paradise. And though he had no idea what triggered it, whenever he saw “that face,” he found himself thinking from the bottom of his heart that Yukino was adorable.
But feeling she was lewd and cute lasted only a brief moment. For most of the day she radiated an intimidating pressure and looked at him with eyes that seemed to look down on him. He knew there was no malice in it. Still, he felt anew that Yukino was sixteen years older and immeasurably above him as a human being.
Every day since coming to this house, he had held Yukino countless times. And not once had they used contraception. Perhaps the signs of pregnancy were already appearing inside her body. Even so, Sosuke still could not accept marriage as a reality.
Just as he was thinking about such things, Yukino entered the living room. She was carrying something. She set it on the low table in front of the sofa and sat down beside Sosuke.
”This is a pamphlet listing Iwashimizu Holdings and every company under its umbrella.”
Sosuke picked it up. It was quite thick.
”I have been thinking about your work after you finish university. My former husbands already had careers in the professional world, so I was able to place them in positions straight away. You, however, are a new graduate. Therefore, I thought you might look through that pamphlet, join a group company that interests you, and spend a little time learning the business.”
Looking at the table of contents, there were more than twenty group companies.
”First, you build a career at one of the group companies. Naturally, because you are special, your promotions will come quickly. Within two years of joining, you become a section chief; in your third year, a department head; in your fourth, a director. And in your fifth year, I thought you might join Iwashimizu Holdings.”
Sosuke was astonished.
”Hang on a minute. Even if I got a position that fast, I couldn’t do the work they’d expect of me. And if I shot up the ladder at that speed, the other employees wouldn’t exactly be happy about it, would they?”
But Yukino was calm.
”You need not concern yourself with the employees. To them, you are a guest. You will not remain in any one department forever, so all they need do is avoid friction and let you pass through without incident. Besides, you will have an excellent assistant, so there is nothing to worry about. You are a mikoshi1. The employees will carry you properly. In time, you will grow as well.”
Being called a mikoshi made Sosuke bristle.
”Yeah, all right-I’m not brilliant and I haven’t got a career, so maybe I can’t do much. But calling me a mikoshi is a bit harsh?”
”If you are to stand above others while being able to do nothing, then are you not, in fact, a mikoshi?”
He was angry at Yukino for saying it as though it were obvious.
”What’s with that tone? It’s like you’re telling me all I’m good for is making babies. If I’m going to work, I want to take it seriously.”
But Yukino answered his words with cold eyes.
”I do not wish to speak to you in riddles. We are going to be husband and wife, so I want to speak honestly.”
It felt as though Yukino’s figure was growing larger and larger. He felt more pressure than usual. But today he did not want to lose to the weight of it. The Sosuke of now was truly angry.
”Fine. I get it. You’re looking down on me. You see me as some kid sixteen years younger who’s only useful for making a baby. You’re mad if you think I could marry a woman like that.”
At once Yukino’s expression changed. Tears welled up visibly in those cool, strong-willed eyes. Her lips began to tremble.
”…I only meant to say that you are special… I am not mocking you… But if my phrasing was poor, I apologize. I am sorry. So please, do not say that you will call off the marriage… I cannot do without you now…”
And tears spilled from those gallant eyes. “That” Yukino had cried because of Sosuke’s words. Now it was Sosuke’s turn to panic.
”Nah, come on-don’t cry… I just wanted you to respect my wishes.”
Yukino clung to Sosuke.
”Of course I shall respect them. I apologize for speaking so selfishly. As for your work, let us discuss it together and decide at our leisure.”
Sosuke hugged Yukino back.
”Yeah, let’s do that. I’ll give it proper thought.”
The two gazed at each other. Gradually Yukino’s eyes grew moist and dreamy, and the corners of her eyes drooped. She became “that face.” Sosuke’s heart felt like melting. Yukino sensed that the anger had left his eyes.
”Have we made up?”
”Yeah, we have. I still like you, you know.”
”How much do you like me?”
”With you, I could have sex every day, as many times as I wanted. That’s how much.”
”Ufufu♡”
Yukino took Sosuke’s hand and stood up.
”Let us go to my room. There is something I wish to show you.”
The two left the living room hand in hand.
Once inside her room, Yukino had Sosuke sit on the bed, took two small white boxes from the drawer of the desk in the corner, and sat down beside him. Then she held out one of the boxes.
”Open it.”
Opening the lid, he found a ring inside. It had a large diamond. Yukino was gazing at Sosuke with a rapt expression.
”This is my third marriage, so I no longer wish to go through stiff formalities like the engagement gift-exchange ceremony. When I told my father, he prepared this for us. He said that exchanging these rings would serve as his acknowledgment of our engagement. You are still a student, so you need not wear it ordinarily, but please do wear it on formal occasions such as weddings and funerals.”
It was the first time he had seen such a large diamond. Sosuke had no idea of a ring’s value, but if Kosaku had prepared it, it must be worth an eye-popping sum. Taking the ring from the box, Sosuke looked at Yukino.
”Can I ask you one thing?”
”What is it?”
”Are you sure you want me? I’m still a kid who can’t do anything.”
Yukino smiled.
”All I ask is that you take your time and become a fine man.”
Sosuke’s heart grew warm. Looking at that extraordinarily cute face before him, he thought that spending his whole life with this woman might not be so bad. His mouth broke into a grin before he knew it.
”What do you even like about me, sixteen years younger than you?”
Yukino’s cheeks flushed faintly, and she gave a shy smile.
”Your thing2… your thing takes me to heaven…”
-So that is what it is!-
But he couldn’t stay angry. It was mutual, after all.
A woman who usually looked down on people with an intense pressure in her eyes would, during sex, writhe lewdly and give him pleasure that felt like his head would burst. With the big thing he had always been self-conscious about, she rejoiced so much. She had her hard-to-get-along-with sides, but he had no intention of letting a woman like this go.
Sosuke gently slipped the ring onto Yukino’s slender, long finger. Yukino also slipped a ring onto Sosuke’s finger. Somehow she had looked it up-the ring fit Sosuke’s finger perfectly. The two smiled at each other.
”Then our engagement is settled. Now, let us go to heaven together to celebrate…”
Yukino pushed Sosuke down onto the bed. Then she undid his belt, pulled down his pants, and took his still-flaccid member out of his trunks. She opened her mouth and took it in.
The limp member gradually grew larger. Yukino’s cheeks were stuffed full.
”Is it uncomfortable?”
At Sosuke’s words, Yukino gave a lewd smile.
”It is not uncomfortable at all. It is my favourite thing, after all.”
Watching Yukino lovingly hold his member in her mouth, Sosuke’s arousal surged hard.
”You really do love my cock, don’t you, Yukino? Is this why you want to marry me?”
”That is not the only reason. It is because I love you-the Sosuke who spoils me so much with his cock-more than anything.”
-So lewd3! And so cute!-
Sosuke sat up and laid Yukino on her back.
”Now it’s my turn! Yukino, here I come!”
”Gyahiii-!”
Amid the screams echoing from Yukino’s room, the housekeepers of the Iwashimizu residence blushed and silently went about their work.
Trivia:
1. Yukino’s confession that this is her third marriage explains why she skips a formal engagement ceremony and why her father Kosaku handles the rings directly, hinting at how much the Iwashimizu family runs the marriage on her terms.
2. The ring fitting Sosuke’s finger perfectly reveals that Yukino went out of her way to find his size without asking, a quiet detail of her attentiveness beneath her intimidating exterior.
3. The housekeepers blushing while working during the cries from Yukino’s room quietly establishes that the staff have grown used to such sounds, showing how long this dynamic has played out in the residence.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Literally a portable shrine carried on the shoulders of a procession. Here it means a figurehead who is ceremonially “carried” by others, doing no real work but being displayed and supported by the surrounding staff.
2 ↩ A childish, cutesy word for male genitalia. Its use by a composed 37-year-old woman creates a striking tonal contrast that the English “your thing” softens.
3 ↩ Intensified slang for extremely lewd/erotic, with the prefix ど adding emphasis. Conveys a stronger, more playful charge than plain “lewd.”