Akiko began to regret her suggestion to follow Miura earlier.
She had no experience in farming and had to receive many instructions before she could properly harvest the cabbage. However, it wasn't this aspect that caused Akiko to regret her decision. The conversation between Miura and the other women made her want to leave.
Of course, Miura wasn't alone. There were a few other women helping to harvest the cabbage so that it could be finished quickly.
Those groups of another woman whose talking skills were on par with Miura’s. As time went on, their conversation grew bolder, and they started asking all sorts of questions Akiko didn’t want to answer. She hadn’t prepared any detailed lies about her marriage.
“So, you’ve been married for eight months?”
“Yes,” Akiko replied to Fukuda’s question.
Fukuda was a woman five or six years older than Miura, with nearly all of her hair already gray.
Kyoko stared at Ryu—who had just stepped out of his car—from behind the glass wall and scoffed.Ryu was definitely walking toward the café where she was waiting, but his appearance was too flashy.Ryu had been the one who said he wanted their meeting to avoid drawing attention, yet just his arrival was enough to catch people's eyes.Kyoko rarely admitted that three-dimensional beings were handsome, but after meeting Ryu multiple times, she knew he was indeed handsome. He exuded a warm aura and seemed approachable.No wonder Misa was willing to lead the unofficial Ryusuke Sato fan club. Many female employees were clearly infatuated with him.But because of his attractive looks, it was obvious that their secret meetings would be difficult. He was too noticeable—and too friendly.Kyoko scoffed again when Ryu smiled at a woman who was staring at him. Charming, as always. The woman looked shy but then boldly approac
“They asked about what?”Kenji, who was in the middle of cutting fish and helping Akiko prepare dinner, turned to look at Akiko sitting at the dining table. She was picking spinach.After Kenji had finished telling her about the events at work—he had to rush someone to the hospital in his car earlier that day—Akiko began to recount her day.All the village had was one ambulance, and one of its tires was flat. So Kenji had to take on extra duty and drive a patient who was struggling to breathe to the nearest town.It was quite an eventful day, but Akiko's day turned out to be just as exciting, despite the fact that she only went to Miura’s house.“They inquired about the details of our wedding. I almost died from panic.”Akiko complained about what happened earlier that afternoon when she joined Miura in harvesting fish from the pond behind her house.The pond was quite large, so Miura had call
Akiko opened the car window, letting the breeze tousle her hair and touch her face. The wind was incredibly fresh, likely with zero pollution. Akiko had no doubts about its quality and inhaled deeply.Even when they were almost in Shiretoko city, the air still felt fresh. The medium-sized city to the north of Utoro village wasn't overly crowded, but it clearly showed more signs of life than Utoro.And this city was the closest large town that could be easily reached from Utoro. But it would still take at least three hours.“This is amazing!” Akiko expressed a bit of the enthusiasm that had been bubbling inside her as she looked around. It was a far cry from the bustle of Karuizawa—the only city she remembered—but there was still plenty to see.“A waterfall!” Akiko pointed to the rush of water cascading down a small hillside beside them.“Yes,” Kenji, who was driving, responded briefly with a smile. He
"Are you angry?"Kenji glanced at Akiko, who was pouting with her lips pushed out by several centimeters. Akiko had also avoided eye contact with Kenji, staring either straight ahead or out the car window."You said you'd take the whole day off. Why did you suddenly insist on going home?" Akiko grumbled, still with her pout.Akiko knew there was no urgent matter for Kenji to deal with. His work was pretty relaxed. She couldn’t understand why Kenji refused to stay in the city until later in the afternoon.Akiko still wanted to visit other places, but Kenji firmly insisted they had to head back home after lunch.What irritated Akiko the most was that when she asked why, Kenji didn't provide any explanation for why they had to return. He simply said they needed to go home immediately. Naturally, Akiko sulked after that."There’s something I want to show you when we get home later," Kenji said, holding back a smile and trying to comf
"Stand here," Miura guided Akiko, whose body was still wet.Eventually, someone had told Akiko to bathe to cleanse herself, and now she stood wearing only her undergarments, ready to put on the shiromuku.The kimono looked so pristine that Akiko was afraid she would soil it if she touched it. The fabric was not plain white; various symbols were embroidered on its surface."Cranes, cherry blossoms, orchids," Akiko named a few familiar motifs she recognized on the kimono. All were embroidered in the same white color as the base fabric, camouflaging the patterns when viewed from afar."These are objects believed to bring luck and good fortune," Miura said, lifting Akiko's arms up to make it easier to fasten the obi—the fabric belt that tied the kimono around her waist."Kenji's request arrived quite unexpectedly, so we had to take whatever shiromuku we could find. Fortunately, Ono-san has a friend who owns a kimono shop in the city, and he manag
The wedding procession entered the temple veranda, accompanied by music from ryuteki, hocchiku, and nohkan.Though their names differ, all these instruments are flutes, varying only in shape and material. Naturally, the tones and sounds they produce are also different.Akiko might have enjoyed it if she weren’t concentrating so hard on not falling. The weight of the kimono she was wearing had started to make her uncomfortable, and Akiko was terrified she might cause a scene by stumbling.That fear even overshadowed the tension she felt earlier. However, Kenji was still feeling the tension. The hand that supported Akiko's body was cold and sweaty. Kenji found it strange since he hadn't felt this way when he married Karin.Back then, they had a Western-style wedding at a church, wearing a suit and a regular wedding gown—and Kenji had felt incredibly bored.He even remembered feeling sleepy during the reception. When Akiko and her "t
Akiko was almost asleep when Kenji brought her home, but she woke up when he laid her down on the futon.There was no bed in the house, so Kenji had to place Akiko on the futon, which caused her to stir.“Ow!” Akiko complained as the obi she was wearing dug into her back. The obi was quite large, and naturally, it felt uncomfortable when she lay down.Akiko immediately sat up and looked around. She removed the wig from her head and then gazed at the only other living thing in the room.“Are you okay?” Kenji asked, waving his hand in front of Akiko’s face. She was awake but not fully alert.Akiko smiled and grasped his hand. “Of course, I’m fine... Danna-sama.” She repeated the title, cupping Kenji’s cheeks as she spoke.“You really need to stop this.” Kenji covered his face, which was now warm with embarrassment. It was still hard for him to get used to the title.
"Lavender!" Akiko shouted with all her might, running toward the vast lavender garden that stretched out before them. Kenji was quick to react, so Akiko didn't fall.“Don’t run off like that,” Kenji scolded.“But it’s beautiful!” Akiko pointed at the purple spread in front of her. She then took a deep breath of the fresh air, which surely came from the flowers.“How did you find this place?” Akiko shouted, raising her hands in the air.“Hard work. I had to find a place that would impress you.” Kenji stood next to Akiko, but he was more interested in watching her face than the lavender field.And the "hard work" was a lie. Akiko was easily impressed by any beautiful scenery, and since her memory was fresh, every view was new to her.Kenji had only to search for the most famous garden in Hokkaido and bring her there. And now it was clear—Akiko could barely keep her feet on the g
“Himawari! Natsu!”A ten-year-old boy let out a loud shout when he discovered two other children hiding behind the bushes beneath the tree.“Kenzo—big brother!”Natsu was startled to see Kenzo suddenly appear. He pulled the girl, Himawari, beside him to stand, intending to run away, but Kenzo stopped him.“No! You’re making Okaa-san worried. You have to go back.” Kenzo grabbed Natsu's arm.“But Himawari is scared. She doesn’t want to go to school,” Natsu pointed at Himawari, who was now sobbing.“Hima-chan.” Kenzo knelt down and gently stroked Himawari's head, which was bowed down.“School isn’t scary. You’ll meet many new people and make new friends,” Kenzo coaxed softly until Himawari looked up to meet Kenzo's gaze.“But… but… I want to be with Natsu. I don’t want to go to school…”
“This place isn’t bad.” Kenji didn’t outright refuse, but his reluctance was evident.“Indeed, I will make sure this place will never be bad for those children. However, Kenzo stands apart from these children. They are kids who truly have no family and are forced to live here. Kenzo has me. I am his family. I am the only family Kenzo has."Akiko didn’t want to acknowledge this while remembering Kenzo's mother’s actions, but Kenzo was still the child of her mother’s younger sibling—her family. No one else was her blood relative as of now.“I can’t forget that fact and pretend Kenzo is someone else. It will haunt me in my sleep,” Akiko urged again.Kenji fiddled with the car keys beneath him while staring at the back of Kenzo's head, who was now trying to draw something with crayons on a new piece of paper.“I know you hate his mother—I do too. But you don’t hav
“I still don’t want to do this,” Kenji grumbled.“I know, but I’m sure you also know that this is the right thing to do,” Akiko replied, looking at her husband, who was now unbuckling his seatbelt. Although they arrived two minutes earlier, neither of them got out of the car.The decision they—Akiko—made was indeed a significant one. Akiko needed to calm herself. Kenji had left the choice to her, but he was still going through it with a heavy heart.“Come on, let’s go.” Akiko finally opened the door and stepped out.Children playing in the yard rushed over when they spotted her.“Tanaka-san! What did you bring today? Candy? A storybook?”A chorus of voices greeted Akiko. She often visited the orphanage with gifts, so the children expected her to bring something.“I brought something in the car for you, but it’s a secret. You can…”
“I don’t want to sleep with you.” Ryu repeated the question in disbelief because it seemed too absurd. He shook his head while rubbing his face.“I think your ability to draw conclusions isn’t very sharp right now,” Ryu said.“No!” Kyoko was obviously offended. Although it wasn't a direct insult, Ryu had implied that Kyoko was stupid.“Don’t be angry; I understand. I would be disappointed if your mind was entirely calm at the moment.” Ryu smiled with satisfaction.“I’m calm!” Kyoko retorted.“You just asked about my desire to sleep with you. I think that’s quite a disturbance that’s keeping you from being calm.” Ryu left his suitcase and approached Kyoko, who suddenly panicked and stepped back.“Don’t deny it. You won’t succeed in making me think otherwise.” Ryu chuckled softly at her panic.“I don&
“Don’t open it now. You’ll get wet.” Ryu raised the hood of Kyoko's raincoat just in time as a large amount of water splashed toward where they were sitting. It was as if someone had poured a giant bucket of water on them.The orca whale show they were watching involved jumping out of the water. Of course, when they fell back, they splashed a lot of water toward the audience.Ryu clapped like everyone else, appreciating the hard work of the giant mammals, but Kyoko didn’t clap at all—not even when the show ended.“Didn’t you like it?” Ryu inquired as they exited, discarding their soaked raincoats.Ryu grabbed a small towel handed out by the staff, then used it to dry Kyoko’s hair and neck. Although Ryu had covered her hoodie just in time, some parts of Kyoko’s hair and neck were still wet.“You don’t like aquariums. I’ll note all of that.” After waiting for a
"I want to go home."Kyoko suddenly spoke up just as Akiko finished applying pink lipstick to her lips.“Huh? Why? Did you forget something?” Akiko straightened up, confused, as she glanced at the kimono Kyoko would be wearing.Kyoko's kimono was simpler, with only a hair ornament as an accessory. It wasn’t as elaborate as the one Akiko had worn when she got married in Utoro.Ryu had planned for their wedding to be similar to Akiko’s, but they had compromised for a more modest ceremony at the city hall. Ryu knew Kyoko's feelings about temple buildings, so he wouldn't dare force anything. Besides, the reception would still happen; just the ceremony would be different.Nobody objected to the decision. Everyone agreed as long as the wedding took place, including Akiko. Even though her expensive kimono was a bit much for a city hall wedding, she was still happily helping Kyoko.“Everything's ready. I just need to pu
“You must be crazy!” Kyoko stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, trying to recall if there was any sign that Ryu wasn’t serious.But everything was serious. Ryu had even sent her a photo of the kimono he would wear on their wedding day. When Kyoko saw the photo, she thought Ryu was insane, as discussing kimono patterns would escalate their deception.In the end, Kyoko made her choice, wanting to end the pointless discussion. But it turned out that the discussion was important.“Are you just going to sit there?!” Kyoko yelled angrily, glaring at Ryu, who was calmly sipping beer and munching on peanuts he had brought earlier.“What do you want me to do?” Ryu frowned.“Cancel everything! Call them all! Cancel it!” Kyoko sat back down next to Ryu and then attacked him, reaching for his waist.“Hey, wait! Don’t get aggressive all of a sudden,” Ryu was, of cour
Ryu shook his head, while effortlessly unlocking Kyoko's apartment door once more by simply inputting her birthday—the day after tomorrow.He had repeatedly reminded Kyoko to change the password, which was extremely easy to guess. Not just once—like when he first broke in to find the listening device—but several times since.Now, Kyoko no longer lives in Tokyo. Since becoming actively involved in Kuryugumi and assisting Kenji and Ryu, Kyoko had relocated to Osaka, where she now primarily worked.However, Kyoko hadn't been working regularly since visiting her parents, and no one was pressuring her to do so either. Kenji didn’t give any orders, leaving everything up to Ryu.The apartment’s security was truly weak, especially since there was still no sound, despite Ryu walking into the room for several moments. It was evident that Kyoko had fallen asleep due to the late hour. Ryu had come straight to the apartment after returnin
Akiko adjusted herself in front of the mirror, gazing at the new kimono she would wear the day after tomorrow.The kimono was custom-made for her, so naturally, it fit perfectly. But Akiko wanted to see if the color matched her expectations. And indeed, everything was perfect. It fit her body beautifully and didn't feel heavy or hot, which was crucial considering it was still summer.The modern kimono, with a white base, was adorned with pink cherry blossoms. Akiko had even prepared hair accessories filled with cherry blossom designs to complete the look.She wasn’t wearing the hairpiece yet, but when she tried placing it on her head, the pink color matched perfectly with her black hair. Everything was set. She had also prepared clothes for Natsu and Kenji.BANG!Akiko flinched and dropped the hair accessory she was holding. The loud noise from the sliding door startled her.Luckily, Natsu was in the next room, so he wouldn’t be