It was Akane’s nature to throw herself into trouble in the name of justice. Given the difference in their sizes, she wouldn’t walk away unscathed if it came to a real fight—but she didn’t seem to be thinking that far ahead.
She’s so reckless… Sensing that this confrontation could easily turn violent, Saito stepped in between them.
“Both of you, calm down. And you, Akane—stop jumping down people’s throats,” said Saito, grabbing Akane by the shoulders and gently pulling her back.
“So now you’re taking his side?” snapped Akane.
“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I’m just saying—you could’ve approached this situation differently.”
“I’m simply calling a piece of garbage a piece of garbage.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Saito gave her a light flick on the forehead.
“Ow!” Akane stumbled back, clutching her forehead with both hands, and glared up at Saito with wounded eyes.
“Y-you flicked me… You’re getting paid back a billion times worse when we get home!”
“Yeah, yeah. When we get home.” Saito silently began preparing himself for instant death the moment they got home. That flick shouldn’t have really hurt Akane—but even a blow as light as a water flea’s, multiplied a billion times, would surely be fatal.
The man’s face twitched, and he began to raise his voice. “Quit flirting and ignoring me, dammit! You think this is a joke?!”
“We’re not flirting,” said Akane quickly. “I’m being serious! We don’t have that kind of relationship!”
She was weirdly flustered—but now wasn’t the time to point that out. As the man raised a clenched fist, Saito immediately reached out and grabbed it.
“What the hell are you doing, brat?!”
“A handshake,” said Saito. “It’s what you do when making peace, right?”
Saito then yanked the man closer and locked eyes with him, just inches away.
“But just so you know…” Saito continued. “If you ever lay a hand on her, I’ll destroy everything you care about—you, your family, your whole life.” Saito smiled sweetly at the man, but the look in his eyes made it clear: he wasn’t joking.
The Houjou Group wasn’t just a clean-cut, respectable corporation. It had a long-standing tradition of utterly obliterating anyone who stood in its way for the sake of profit—a tradition upheld by its current head, Tenryu. Even Saito’s father had been kept in the dark about those methods, but Saito had been taught them directly by his grandfather from a very young age. Saito’s message must have gotten through.
With a silent scowl, the man yanked his hand free and threw his cigarette to the ground before walking off.
“Hey, you forgot something,” Saito called after him. “If you don’t put out the flame properly, you could be charged with arson—death penalty or life imprisonment.”
“Shut the hell up!”
The man stomped back, ground the cigarette out under his shoe, and this time ran off for good.
As they wandered the aisles inside the supermarket, Akane walked with her lips pursed in a pout. “I was this close to knocking that thug out right then and there. You didn’t need to butt in, Saito!”
“Well, excuse me. You just looked like you were scared, that’s all.”
“I-I wasn’t scared! You were just being annoyingly helpful!” said Akane, her face turning red hot as she stubbornly looked away.
When Saito had driven off that thug, there’d been something chillingly intense about him. He was smiling—and yet it wasn’t a typical smile. It carried such menacing weight that you could genuinely believe he’d follow through on his threats. It was nothing like the usual petty arguments she had with him. Even though the thug clearly had the upper hand in terms of physical strength, he’d been overwhelmed by Saito’s sheer presence and fled.
So, Saito does have his cool moments… The fact that she was impressed by Saito frustrated Akane, and yet, there was no way she could bring herself to thank him. It would’ve felt like admitting defeat. Instead, she took a different route.
“I’m going all-out on that steak tonight,” Akane declared, raising her fist in determination.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Saito.
Saito’s expectant gaze made Akane feel ticklish inside.
This unexpected side of Saito—she didn’t want to tell anyone about it, not even Himari. And she didn’t know why.
The moment they got home and stepped into the living room, Akane turned to Saito with a demand.
“Sit right there on your knees.”
“On my knees…? Why…?”
“You’re going to get some payback for the forehead flick you gave me. Didn’t I say I’d return it a billion times over once we got home?” said Akane.
“You’re…actually going through with that?” Saito sighed, feeling a chill running down his spine.
“Of course. If I don’t get my revenge when something’s done to me, the grudge will multiply a hundred million times every day.”
“Sounds like the universe might explode under the weight of that grudge alone.”
Rather than letting the compound interest of hate snowball into a crushing debt, Saito felt like it would be easier to just get it over with and let her forgive him.
Saito gave in and sat down on his knees on the sofa. Akane rolled up her sleeves and approached him.
“Close your eyes. Your eyeballs might burst.”
“Don’t flick me that hard, then,” said Saito.
“Just close your eyes. Come on.”
Akane raised her hand, prepping her flick. Her whole arm was trembling slightly, and Saito could tell she was putting her full strength into it. Saito quickly shut his eyes, preparing himself for the impact. He felt Akane’s presence close in, carried on the wind.
“Hi-ya!”
Tap!
A tiny flick hit against his forehead. When he opened his eyes, Akane was leaning in close, grinning mischievously.
“What, were you scared?” jeered Akane. “You think I’d really hit you that hard?”
“…I wasn’t scared,” replied Saito, feeling a little embarrassed at how tense he’d gotten.
“Nah, you were. Your back teeth were chattering, and you were soaked with tears and sweat.”
“You are seriously exaggerating.”
“I’m not. I thought maybe you’d grown a little, but nope—Saito is still Saito.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Akane turned and started preparing dinner. While she cooked, Saito got to work on his assigned chores. He scrubbed out the overly spacious bathtub and filled it with hot water. He also washed the rubber duck that Akane had somehow brought into the house without him noticing. He replaced the trash bags in the bedroom, study, and other rooms around the house. As for the kitchen—he decided to leave that for later. Akane, darting around the space equipped with a kitchen knife, looked far too dangerous to approach.
Back when they had just gotten married, coming home from school and immediately diving into housework had been exhausting. But now, Saito had gotten used to it. If Akane was busy doing household chores while he just sat around playing games, it would only spark a marital argument—so it was safest to work alongside her like this.
Eventually, the table was set with dinner. Filet mignon, seafood paella, and a mysterious soup he didn’t recognize. Oil and bubbles danced cheerfully on the surface of the soup, sending up fragrant steam. Just smelling the aroma made Saito’s mouth water.