July arrived and with it came a much hotter summer. The intense humidity drenched me in sweat just stepping out of the house. Fortunately, we moved into Principal Iwata's place at the most opportune time. He had a modern air conditioning unit and ventilation that easily combatted the heat. I almost didn't want to leave. Miyamori certainly didn't. He lounged in his room for most of the day, only going out occasionally to fix things around town.
While Tetsu had gone to work blissfully unaware, Miyamori and I engaged in sex on a daily basis. Lately, every point I earned I spent in the NTL app. From Maruyama's electronics shop, I purchased a video recording camera and tripod. It made filming videos for Glimpse easier than using my phone.
My rising popularity earned me a nickname in the comments. The Rural MILF. Somehow, they managed to piece together that I was living out in the sticks, but thankfully not any more than that.
"Whew." Tetsu finished his breakfast. "Thanks for the meal! I wish I could stay in the air conditioned house all day."
"Remember to drink plenty of water. Some of the residents have gotten heatstroke already." I sighed.
"I know. This year's shaping up to be the hottest on record. You helping out with prep for the festival again?" he asked.
"Rest assured, I won't be lounging around in the house either." I nodded.
Tanabata was in one week on the seventh of July. The Star Festival celebrated Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers permitted to only meet once a year. Normally, cities and towns held their own festivities. Togetsumura and many other towns around Kumamoto, whose populations were in decline, had agreed many years ago to combine our festival. We pulled straws to determine which town it would be held in. Last year, Mr. Shiraishi, who was the unofficial head of the town, pulled the determining straw for Togetsu.
And so, the responsibility fell to us this year. I and the other able-bodied adults in town pitched in to make decorations, prepare Himawari Shrine, and perform a stage play depicting reuniting deities.
A car honked loudly outside.
"Crap, that's my cue. Love you!" Tetsu leaned in to kiss me.
"See you for dinner." I smiled.
As soon as Tetsu left the house, I tiptoed to the window and parted the curtains with my fingers. My husband hopped into the back of Boss Guo's truck crammed with other laborers. I waited until the vehicle drove off, then stripped my clothes right in the living room. If I had been at my old house, my body would be covered in sweat. The cool air conditioning made my nipples stiff.
Now for my morning ritual. I strolled down to Miyamori's room and opened the door he left unlocked for me to enter anytime.
"I have a little bit of time before I need to leave." I pushed my breasts out to make them seem bigger.
"Oh! Sorry, Marika. I'm about to go help a few households with their air conditioning units. Believe me, I want nothing more than to bury my dick in you, but I'd rather not make people wait in this weather," Miyamori explained.
Embarrassed, I turned around to leave… only to have Miyamori pin me against the wall.
"Who am I kidding? I can't resist this body of yours!" Miyamori unzipped his pants and pushed his unprotected dick into my pussy.
"Yes! Ahhh! You're always so hard in the morning… Mmm! Ahh… Ahhhh!" I braced my hands on the wall, and he grabbed them from behind.
Miyamori planted kisses on the back of my neck. The impact of each thrust applauded loudly. His shapely dick made me feel things I couldn't with the other men. As I pushed back, he took it as a sign to piston harder. I couldn't get enough of how it felt like my butt was being spanked. When Principal Iwata did it to me, my body just melted. Now, from Miyamori's touch, I—
"I'm cumming!" I cried aloud as an incredible wave of pleasure washed over me.
"Ahh… Ooohh!" Miyamori climaxed, too, ejaculating after pushing his dick deep inside.
Warm juices swirled inside my womb. My repeated infidelity threatened to make me pregnant. That risk added to the ecstasy I experienced. I turned around, and Miyamori embraced my naked body. His dick grinded between my inner thighs. He fondled my breasts and leaned down to suck on my nipples.
"Mmmh… They're always so sensitive after I orgasm…" I sighed in bliss, nearing another climax as he licked them.
"Maybe it's because I put a baby in you?" Miyamori suggested slyly.
"Don't say that!"
Not that it was possible. For the small cost of 25,000 points, I had [Broken Egg] active to render myself and my partner infertile. A small price to pay compared to how much I earned from videos uploaded to Glimpse. As a result, I was able to have all the raw sex we wanted. Miyamori snapped me from my reverie as he blew another load, this time all over my legs.
"Whoops. I'd help you clean up, but I have to go!" Miyamori fixed his pants and picked up his toolbox before hurrying out.
I wiped the cum from my thighs, lifting the gooey substance eye-level. It didn't smell like much. The second I licked Miyamori's cum from my fingers, I shuddered intensely. How far did I fall that the taste of ejaculate turned me on?
Miyamori had the right idea though. He wasn't the only one with people waiting on him. I did, too. I freshened up and made my way to Himawari Shrine.
Everyone was there ahead of me. Some decorations were already put up. An array of colorful paper ornaments and origami hung from tree branches and building rafters. Ribbons fluttered in the winds like the tentacles of a jellyfish. It was the most vibrant Himawari Shrine had looked in ages.
Men of much older age put their old school carpentry skills to work. They put up pavilions and booths where amenities would be held. Out of town collaborators planned to occupy them and provide anything from cooking street food, managing games for adults and children, and selling souvenirs.
I entered the storehouse amid chattering and gossip. They stopped briefly just to greet me. A little over a dozen middle-aged to elderly women put together paper ornaments like the ones displayed outside. Much of the shelves and boxes had been pushed to the wall, so that we had a larger working space. Akemi was here, too. As was Satoshi's mother, Yuuko. Neither of us had talked since she confronted me. There was a silent agreement of cooperation as we worked together instead.
"So, Marika. That Iwata's house. How's the modern living been?" Nagisa Ueyama, a short-haired woman in her 60s, asked me.
"It's alright! Not much different from my old house, except the air conditioner is a lot more powerful," I explained.
"If I knew it was that easy to move into someone's home, I would've asked Jiro a lot sooner!" another chimed in.
They erupted into laughter. I laughed with them. Not because it was a particularly funny comment, but because the residents of Togetsu were extremely tight-knit. It wasn't likely that I'd be outcasted unless my secret came out. However, in the three and a half decades that I've lived here, I witnessed how becoming estranged from everyone could destroy a person.
Twenty years ago, when I was still a teenager, a Togetsu native named Kaito Okuda started getting nasty with his neighbors. The finer details were lost to me, but I distinctly remembered him getting angry enough to throw rocks into windows and leaving trash in the middle of the street.
Everyone in town collectively started giving Kaito the cold shoulder. If he ever needed help, no one offered a hand. No one greeted him. No one cared. It eventually became too much for him to bear, and he moved to another town. Perhaps that was why Shiraishi and some of the other townsfolk were so easily able to run Principal Iwata out of town.
"Marika, may I speak with you? Alone?" Yuuko asked.
When I looked up, the woman appeared embarrassed and nervous.
"Yes, of course." I excused myself from making decorations to follow Yuuko.
We exited the storehouse out of earshot from anyone else except the wilderness. Yuuko, Satoshi's mother, gripped her arm with one hand.
"I, uh… I wanted to apologize again about Satoshi," Yuuko said.
"No, Yuuko. It's alright. I understand why you were suspicious of me. That's water under the bridge now." I rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It's not okay. Satoshi is working. You and Tetsu helped him find a job! I've been trying to get him to work for months. And he's been chipper lately. The two of you are lifesavers. Marika, I'm really grateful to you. Really, I can learn a thing or two about being a mother from you," she explained.
Yuuko was laying it on thick. But there it was again. An innate fear of being outcasted. All of us in Togetsu only knew Togetsu, and the residents who lived here were part of that identity. If at any point we started to shun anyone, their life might very well be over. As for Yuuko, she sounded afraid that her accusations might come back to bite her.
"I appreciate your kind words. They mean a lot to me. You're a good mother, too. Satoshi's grown to be a fine man. Being a parent is hard. We both know that. So don't beat yourself up." I smiled.
"Oh, Marika." Yuuko breathed a sigh of relief. "Maybe we can have some tea together with the other women like old times? I'll set up a day!"
"I'd love that!"
We were about to return inside when Jiro Shiraishi flagged me down.
"Marika, wait a moment!" Shiraishi panted as he shuffled over.
"I'll be inside," Yuuko said, heading back first.
Seeing Shiraishi made my heart flutter. The very sight of him served as a reminder of the sex we shared. I'd since lost my Partner Bonus with him after a spell of being apart. However, the NTL app still designated us as 'husband' and 'wife.' We played out our fantasies together every time I visited to clean his place. We also knew how dangerous it was, and so agreed to only keep it within the confines of his home. Any other time that we see each other, we were to act as normal neighbors.
But even as I silently warned myself to keep it together, the wetness and itch between my legs sought pleasure. Sought relief. I desired Jiro, an old man's touch.
"Is something the matter?" I turned to him and swallowed my urges.
"Ahh, well… You might not like what I have to say. It looks like Suzuko sprained her ankle pretty badly. Someone else is going to need to fill in as Orihime, and I was hoping you would," Shiraishi explained.
"I— what? I can't! Suzuko's always done it. I hardly know the lines and dances. Couldn't someone else take her place? Like Akemi?" I asked.
"Akemi's already declined. Aside from the two of you, every other woman is in their 50s or older. Their joints aren't as oiled up compared to someone your age. Please, Marika! I'm begging you. It'll reflect poorly on us if Togetsu is hosting Tanabata, and we don't have an Orihime!" he pleaded desperately.
Jiro Shiraishi was friends with the other elders from the visiting towns. It was like one big group. He probably didn't want to hear an earful from them for however many years he had left.
"I'll do it… You pretty much gave Principal Iwata's home to me and Tetsu. This is the least I can do," I relented.
"Oh, thank goodness. I'm going to go tell Saburo the good news." Shiraishi shuffled off towards the worship hall.
They wanted me to try on Orihime's dress. Several of the older women helped me into it. The gown boasted a long and flowing pink skirt. A white ribbon wreathed the back of my head like a halo, using a thin metal wire to keep it suspended. There was also make-up to be applied, but they weren't going to do that today.
The dress almost fit me perfectly. It was only a little tight around the chest. Suzuko wasn't a very busty woman. When I was young, my parents had taken me to the other towns hosting Tanabata. I always liked Orihime's dress and wanted to wear it, but those were just a child's wistful wishes. To think, I would actually get to put this one.
"You look wonderful, Marika!"
"Ohh, you're so beautiful."
The older women had plenty to gush about it seemed.
"Heeeyy! Can we see, too?" Shiraishi asked from outside the storehouse.
Yuuko got up to open the door. Saburo, Shiraishi, and some of the other men peered in and started wolf-whistling at me.
"Oh, goodness. Put that away, Jiro! You perverted bastard!" one of the women groaned.
Jiro had sprung an erection. A very visible one poking outwards. I swallowed hard and averted my gaze.
"Alright, shoo. Shoo!" Yuuko slammed the door shut.
"Maybe I should have declined. This is so embarrassing." I hung my head, face heating up.
"Nonsense. You're going to knock it out of the park during Tanabata. We'll pitch in to teach you to dance. Don't you worry!" Someone slapped me on the back.
My fingers had been spared making decorations for the rest of the day. Instead, I had to memorize the script and practice the dance for the stageplay. Thankfully, none of it was very complex. Both the script and dance were purposefully simple so that anyone could learn them quickly.
By sunset, my legs were sore. Most of the women were getting ready to leave. The men working on the pavilions and booths had already left. Akemi and Yuuko helped me out of the dress, and I returned it to the closet until tomorrow.
"Damn, Marika. You're a natural. Picked up the dance like it was the easiest thing you ever did," Akemi complimented.
"Hardly easy… I'm so tired, I don't think I can make it down the shrine. Hey, how come you declined being Orihime?" I asked.
"Decline? No one asked me to be Orihime. I would've declined if anyone asked anyway. Not my thing." She waved a dismissive hand.
Shiraishi lied. Why? To get me to agree to being Orihime?
My phone buzzed to a text from Tetsu: I'm coming back early!
I replied with a text about a surprise news.
"Oh, I heard Mr. Shiraishi and some of the other men talking earlier. They mentioned the guy who usually plays Hikoboshi can't do it this year. Someone else is going to take his place. Not sure who though," Yuuko explained.
Whoever it was might be going through the same thing as me then.
I descended with Akemi and Yuuko, saying goodbye at the bottom of the steps as we went our separate ways. Miyamori wasn't there when I got back. I prepared dinner early anticipating my husband Tetsu to join for once.
When Miyamori finally returned, we had no time to film another video. I didn't want to risk it. My instinct proved right. Tetsu arrived home only minutes later. The three of us had a hot and spicy curry dinner together. Miyamori and Tetsu partook in beer as they usually do at night.
"I need to come home earlier. I'm glad you started living with us, Miyamori. Marika doesn't like to drink. You do. It's nice having a drinking buddy," Tetsu said, his cheeks flushed.
"Aha. I'm glad, too!" Miyamori grinned.
"So, Marika. What was that surprise you wanted to tell me?" he asked.
"Right! Tetsu, I'm going to be Orihime this year!" I exclaimed.
Tetsu spat out his beer and started coughing. Miyamori quickly patted him on his back.
"Wow. I'm so glad my husband thinks highly of me being Orihime." I folded my arms.
"No… it's not that. I'm super happy for you, and I can't wait to see you perform. This is just a crazy coincidence. Uh, how do I break this to you? Turns out Boss Guo is going to be Hikoboshi this year," Tetsu explained.