It was then that Kiyoka returned to his senses. Men who wanted a young, good-looking wife who was tactful, previously unmarried, and good at cooking—he had heard this before.
That basically means I’m no better than the men who make all those unreasonable demands…
He couldn’t let himself probe the thought any further.
“C’mon, Commander, you gotta say something, too!”
Kiyoka brushed off Godou’s attempt to drag him in and stood up.
“I’m going home.”
“Huh?”
“What? Leaving already, Kudou?”
Leaving Godou blinking in surprise and Kazushi cocking his head, Kiyoka put down his share of the bill and quickly exited the establishment.
If he stayed there any longer, he sensed he’d likely hit upon even more problematic truths. After how much he had kept other women at arms’ length up until now, he was ashamed to have ended up like this.
However, for some reason, Arata followed Kiyoka as he exited the pub.
“Would you like me to see you back home, Commander Kudou?”
“No need.”
“Yes, but, you drank quite a fair amount while you sat there listening quietly. Are you sure you’re not drunk by now?”
Kiyoka did feel the alcohol coursing through him. Nevertheless, it was far too shameful to need someone to see him home after only this much alcohol.
“I’m fine.”
“…I see. In any case, don’t be angry about having Miyo become the topic of conversation like that. It’s just some friendly banter over drinks.”
Arata’s lips curled upward. More than the previous conversation, Kiyoka found his expression, as if confident in his superior position, far more unpleasant.
“I’m not angry, really.”
When he replied with a slight huff, Arata’s grin grew even wider.
“In that case, did you start to yearn for her after hearing all her best points reaffirmed in front of you? Quite lascivious, aren’t we?”
“Enough. Go back inside already.”
“That I will. I wouldn’t want to get cut down by a drunk Major Kudou, that’s for sure.”
“I told you, I’m not drunk—”
With no end in sight, Kiyoka swallowed his protest, and walked straight toward home.
It was already close to midnight.
When Miyo came to greet Kiyoka at the door, she was stunned by the overpowering smell of liquor in the entryway and almost keeled over.
“Kiyoka?!”
“…Miyo. I just got in.”
“I—I see. Welcome back… Um, are you all right?”
It was a bit difficult to tell, even on close inspection, but Kiyoka was different than usual. His fair skin had flushed a slight pink, and he smelled dreadful. Miyo felt like the smallest whiff would make her tipsy, too.
She knew he had gone out to a bar, but just how much had he drank?
“Can you get your shoes off?”
“I can.”
“Water, do you need water?”
“…”
There was no answer.
When Kiyoka was finished taking off his shoes, he drooped down until he was sitting on the wooden edge of the sunken entryway.
Miyo had no idea at all what she was supposed to do at a time like this.
“Um, Kiyoka? Are you sure you’re all right?”
Calling to him, she placed a hand on his broad back and peeked at his face, only to grow startled and confused.
Kiyoka’s eyes were popped wide open while he drooped forward, and he sat perfectly still.
As she stood there speechless, the abnormality too much to handle, he began to babble at her.
“Miyo, you’re real considerate.”
“Excuse me?”
“We talked about that.”
“I—I see…”
Miyo was baffled. He really was dead drunk after all.
Kiyoka had never been an eloquent speaker, but even he wasn’t usually this incoherent. It was like he was a totally different person.
“I’m lucky.”
“…”
“Miyo, you’re a man’s ideal woman.”
“Ideal woman…? No, that’s not—”
“It is.”
Right as Miyo began to grow seriously concerned about his incoherent behavior, Kiyoka suddenly lifted his head, moving his exquisitely handsome face close to hers.
Caught off guard, the intense shock made Miyo’s heart pound hard enough to burst.
“Eeep! K-K-Kiyoka?!”
“You’re amazing.”
“What?!”
Miyo was at a complete loss as to what was going on, and her eyes started to spin.
Her cheeks were too hot to stand, and it felt like her heart was pounding nonstop in her ears. She started to get more and more unbalanced.
“Miyo…”
She felt his breath. This was when Miyo reached her limit.
“N-no, stop!!”
Miyo reflexively activated her Gift on Kiyoka, who had gotten even closer to her.
“Oh no…”
Her fiancé collapsed limply to the entryway floor. A second later, she heard his breathing become slow and steady.
When she confirmed that he was merely just asleep, Miyo stared at her own hand. Her heart was still beating as loud as an alarm bell.
That really scared me… It seems like this Gift can put people to sleep, too.
At that moment, Miyo swore to train harder to better control her powers.
Incidentally, Godou showed up at the house the next morning, pale in the face.
“How is he?! Is the commander still alive?!” He asked. “Last night when I went to leave the pub, I saw a whole forest of empty two-liter shochu and sake bottles near where he’d been sitting! Drinking that much in that short amount of time would kill a man! Knock him dead!”
Miyo was convinced by this explanation for the events of the night before. At the same time, however, she was startled by how well Kiyoka handled his liquor; he had woken up that morning ready and raring to go without the slightest of hangovers. That said…
“Um, there’s no need to worry, Kiyoka is just fine.”
“Oh, what a relief!”
“But—”
Right as Miyo went to explain what came next, Kiyoka finished getting ready and headed over to them.
“…Godou.”
“Commander! I’m so glad you’re still alive!”
“I’m in a terrible mood today. You’ve been warned.”
“Aha, so that’s why you look so furious, I see… Wait, what?! Why?!”
Indeed, Kiyoka naturally retained all his memories no matter how drunk he got. Thus, the very first thing he had done after waking up that morning was prostrate himself in front of Miyo.
From there, he spent the entirety of breakfast brooding in self-hatred.
“Miyo. I’m heading out to work.”
“Okay. Have a good day.”
“…I’m truly sorry about last night.”
“I-it’s all right, no more apologizing…!”
Miyo couldn’t handle him bowing so deeply like this.
“Huh? Commander, what did you do?” Godou carelessly asked, not really understanding the situation. This earned him a punch in the face, courtesy of Kiyoka.
Afterward, Kiyoka swore off all alcohol for a while.
✦ ✦ ✦
With a loud crackle, a fire roared up before her eyes.
Miyo knelt down on the floor near the open kitchen door, exposing herself to the frigid air of this clear winter day and gazing at the charcoal brazier with Yurie.
The smoke pluming from the red-hot binchotan white charcoal passed up through the gaps in the wire rack and flowed up into the air.
Atop the wire rack was a white, plump, bulging winter treat.
“Hee-hee, I can’t wait to have some of this mochi,” Miyo murmured as she used her freezing hands to conceal her uncontainable smile. Yurie smiled with her.
“Oh, I can’t wait, either. Mochi is simply delicious.”
“Yes… It really is.”
Just picturing it in her mind was enough to make her ecstatic and set her heart beating.
The texture, chewy and gummy while still being soft. The faint sweetness that lingered in her mouth, even without any added seasoning. The way it stretched out long and thick when she bit into it piping hot, as much of a feast for the eyes as the stomach.
Finally, of course, there was the scrumptious, mouth-watering flavor.
Miyo had very rarely gotten to enjoy this delicacy back in her childhood home.
She and Yurie conversed with each other, watching the mochi heat up and puff up on the brazier. Just then…
“Aren’t you cold sitting down there?” called out Kiyoka with exasperation, coming to the kitchen doorway without either noticing.
“Oh, Young Master.”
“Kiyoka!”
Literally and figuratively leaping, Miyo drew close to her fiancé.
Unable to restrain her elation, she felt her frozen cheeks growing warm. Right now, however, that was a trivial matter.
“Um, Kiyoka, we’re having mochi for lunch today!”
“S-sure, sounds good.”
When Miyo spoke with a slightly rapid cadence, Kiyoka nodded looking a bit overwhelmed. Then, after a moment’s pause, he let out a chuckle, his lips forming into a smile and his expression softening.
“You like mochi, do you?”
Whether she liked it or not…she couldn’t really say. It was simply a happy, special treat to her.
As Miyo cocked her head, unable to immediately find the right words to answer him, Kiyoka took his muffler he was carrying and wrapped it around her neck.
“Don’t get so enthralled you get sick. Just a haori coat isn’t nearly warm enough.”
“Okay…”
As she watched Kiyoka depart, saying that he was looking forward to lunch, there was a light sweetness in her mouth for some reason, though she had yet to eat any of the mochi.
This time, Miyo made sure to hide her flushed cheeks by burying them into the muffler.