“Guuu~”
The loud grumble from my stomach woke me up like a fire alarm in a silent room. Ugh… right. I forgot we skipped dinner last night because of… ehem… extracurricular nighttime activities. Yeah, let’s call it that.
I slowly opened my eyes, greeted by the most sinful yet beautiful morning view — my wife, still naked, still sleeping peacefully in my arms, her face slightly flushed and hair a bit messy from last night’s… uh… exercise.
Wow. What a morning view. If heaven looks like this, I refuse to die any other way.
I smiled to myself and closed my eyes again, trying to enjoy this little piece of paradise a bit longer. And then it hit me — my earlier thought sounded a little dark, didn’t it? I didn’t want to wake up and sleep like this forever. Wait, no no no, scratch that.
I mean, I didn’t wanna wake up for work and just wanted to be intimate with Keiko forever — not the literal not waking up part. You guys get it, right? Right? I trust your brains.
Anyway, my stomach betrayed me again with another loud gruuu~, like a freaking angry dragon. Guess my body’s prioritizing survival over romance.
With a reluctant sigh, I carefully shifted my arm from under Keiko, pausing for a moment to take one last look at my wife. Her peaceful sleeping face was enough to make a grown man weak in the knees. I gently kissed her forehead — a silent thank you for last night — then carefully slipped out of bed and grabbed some clothes.
Time to cook.
I yawned as I headed toward the kitchen, still half-asleep when something unexpected caught my eye. Rin.
She was sneaking into the house, tiptoeing like a ninja trying to avoid landmines. She didn’t notice me at first, standing there in the hallway, but the moment her eyes landed on me, she jumped like she’d seen a ghost.
“Ohh… e-ehmm… morning, Dad!” she stammered in the most awkward tone before bolting straight to her room like she was escaping from a crime scene.
I blinked. What the hell was that?
And then I saw it. The mark. A fresh, bright red hickey right on her neck. Oh my god.
I froze in place, my brain processing the information like a 2000s PC running Windows XP. Beep. Error. Beep. Critical father alert.
Who the hell was it?! As her dad, it was my solemn duty to know. I wouldn’t allow some dumbass — a Junpei-type idiot or someone worse like… well, younger me — to get close to her.
My fist tightened. Should I confront her? Should I knock on her door? Demand names?
I was this close to going all detective mode, but then I stopped myself. No… I just fixed my relationship with Rin. I can’t mess it up now. I’ll let Keiko handle it. Women’s intuition, you know.
So instead, I decided to channel my fatherly stress into making omelettes. Nothing like chopping veggies while imagining beating up an unknown punk boyfriend.
I made enough for three. Rin probably hadn’t eaten yet — too busy doing God-knows-what last night — and Keiko would be hungry too after, well, burning calories.
7:30 AM. Not bad.
I headed back to the room to wake Keiko up. She was still out cold, hair messy, blanket barely covering her. I couldn’t resist giving her a gentle shake.
“Mmmnn… ah… nnn,” she made the cutest tiny sounds like a sleepy cat. I chuckled.
Finally, her eyes fluttered open. Half-asleep, she squinted at me. “Mornin’… breakfast ready, honey.”
Her face twisted like she tasted something sour.
“Ugh… don’t call me ‘honey.’”
“Why not? It’s cute.”
“It’s gross.”
Cute. Real cute.
“Oh, thank you, though,” she murmured as she sat up… then immediately realized she was still naked when the blanket slipped off her shoulder.
Her eyes widened in pure horror. “W-what the—?! G-get out!!”
I smirked. “Didn’t you say last night not to leave you again?”
Her face turned beet red. She froze, her brain clearly replaying those words. I saw her cheeks puff up in frustration.
“B-beside, I’ve seen it all, countless times. No need to act shy.”
“Shut up. It depends on the mood.”
Touché.
I laughed and headed out. “Alright, alright. Hurry up and get dressed. I’m starving. We skipped dinner, remember?”
She shooed me out with a glare while clutching the blanket like a shield.
Five minutes later, Keiko appeared at the table. I handed her a plate.
“Here’s yours.”
She blinked, confused. “You made too much.”
“Nope. One for Rin. She’s home.”
Keiko raised an eyebrow. “Really? She’s back this early?”
“Yeah… and, uh… there’s something.”
I leaned in and whispered, “I saw a hickey on her neck.”
Keiko’s eyes went wide. “You serious?!”
“Yup.”
“Do you know who?”
“No idea. That’s why I need you to ask. She won’t tell me.”
Keiko groaned. “She won’t tell me either. She’s as stubborn as you.”
“…Maybe we should stalk her.”
Keiko actually nodded.
Breakfast went quietly after that. No Rin emerging from her room. Perfect moment to bring up the double date.
“Oh, by the way,” I said casually. “What’s up with that double date plan?”
Keiko perked up. “Ah, right. Ruka’s in.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yeah. Sorry, forgot to tell you. We were kinda… busy last night.”
“…A little busy, yeah,” I smirked.
“Anyway, it’s tonight.”
“Tonight?!”
Keiko sipped her tea. “Yep. We can’t go together after work so it’ll be late.”
Damn, that was sudden. “Alright, I’ll tell Junpei.”
I grabbed my phone and texted him. Not two seconds later — buzz buzz — instant reply. Classic Junpei.
“Oh wow, he’s in. Excited too.”
I grinned. “Wait… how’d you even convince Ruka?”
Keiko shrugged. “Didn’t. She agreed on her own. Said she’s never had a date before and wanted to try.”
I blinked. “No way. Ruka? The queen of emotional distance? She agreed?”
“Yeah. Miracle, huh?”
I sat back. “Junpei, you lucky bastard. You better behave tonight.”
Keiko laughed. “Well, here’s hoping it all goes smoothly.”
I raised my glass of orange juice in a toast. “To tonight’s disaster — I mean, date.”
She clinked her cup to mine. “To whatever chaos comes.”
God please help us all.