Miyuri let out a light laugh and asked, "Then… back when I hadn't accepted your brother yet, why didn't you stop him? According to Kazuto, it was you who encouraged him to confess to me."
Hearing that, Natsuki Akito was momentarily at a loss for words. He stammered, unable to speak.
———
Listening to this exchange between the aunt and her brother-in-law, Hikari, who was hiding behind a clump of grass by a small grove, was left speechless.
At this moment, he just wanted to say, 'What a complicated traingle is this? Am I in a K-Drama or something?'
After hearing Miyuri and Natsuki Akito's conversation, and combining it with his memories from his previous life, Hikari roughly pieced together their relationship.
It seemed that before, both Natsuki Akito and Miyuri had mutual feelings for each other, but unexpectedly, Natsuki Kazuto had confessed first.
And Natsuki Akito, perhaps out of inferiority or some other reason, not only didn't stop them but even encouraged the two of them.
As a result, two people who should have naturally ended up together turned into brother-in-law and sister-in-law instead.
And now, Natsuki Akito had returned, apparently realizing his "true feelings" or something like that.
Hikari was utterly speechless, 'Classic, this is so classic.'
'You went in a full circle… just to end up with this brother/sister-in-law situation, huh?'
But even with that sarcastic thought, seeing the scene before him still left Hikari a bit conflicted.
What he was struggling with now was whether or not he should intervene.
Technically speaking, Miyuri, already an engaged woman, and her young brother-in-law, Natsuki Akito, secretly meeting like this… that already counted as a kind of cheating.
However, Miyuri seemed to still have lingering feelings for Natsuki Akito because of their past, and she wasn't being forced or threatened.
'If I step in, it'll be kind of awkward.'
'If I don't, won't that make me an accomplice in this cuckoldry?'
Fortunately, Hikari didn't have to wrestle with that dilemma for long.
After Miyuri's question, Natsuki Akito fell silent.
Miyuri also didn't speak again.
After a few minutes of silence between them, a faint look of deep disappointment flashed through Miyuri's eyes.
'Sure enough, he is still the same coward as before.'
Thinking that, Miyuri said to Natsuki Akito, who had been keeping his head lowered, "Go back. I don't want to talk about these things with you anymore."
Whether it was that sentence or the disappointment in her eyes that struck him, Natsuki Akito suddenly stopped Miyuri as she turned to leave and shouted loudly, "I still have more to say to you, Miyuri! Come back here tonight! I still have things I need to tell you!"
With that, Natsuki Akito turned and ran back toward the house.
Miyuri stared at his departing figure, unconsciously clenching her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, her heart clearly waging a fierce inner battle.
While Hikari watched Miyuri's expression of pain and turmoil, she suddenly shouted, "Who's there? Who's hiding there?"
Hearing that, Hikari froze for a moment, almost thinking he'd been discovered.
But he was hiding so well, Miyuri couldn't possibly have spotted him.
Sure enough, before he could step out, a rustling sound came from the bamboo grove nearby.
From behind another haystack not far away, a figure stepped out.
'Well, I'll be damned,' Hikari thought calmly, 'So I wasn't the only one watching.'
But standing in the clearing, Miyuri tensed up, her gaze fixed on the sudden figure. When she saw that sleazy face, she gasped in shock.
"Takeo? What are you doing here?", At Yoshizawa Takeo's sudden appearance, Miyuri panicked.
Seeing her face pale in fright, the blond-haired Yoshizawa Takeo grinned lewdly, "I just came out to take a piss. What a coincidence, Miss Miyuri."
"If I hadn't happened to be here today, how else would I have overheard such a shocking secret?"
Hearing that, Miyuri trembled, her voice tight with fear, "Y-you… what exactly did you hear?"
Yoshizawa sneered, "Why, everything, of course!"
"I know all about your secret relationship with Natsuki Akito."
"Brother and sister-in-law, huh? You two sure play wild!"
"Tell me, what do you think would happen if your fiance Natsuki Kazuto, or anyone else in the village, found out about this?"
Miyuri's face went deathly pale with panic, "No… please don't!"
Yoshizawa ogled her delicate, panicked face, swallowing hard with excitement.
He licked his lips and said with a wicked grin, "Mrs. Miyuri, I'm guessing you don't want people to know you've been secretly meeting your brother-in-law, right?"
Miyuri trembled violently, "Of course not! Wh-what do you want from me?"
Yoshizawa chuckled darkly, "Actually, I'm a pretty nice guy, and I can keep a secret. As long as Miss Miyuri agrees to one little condition, I'll keep my mouth shut for you two."
Miyuri immediately asked, "What condition?"
Yoshizawa's lips curled into a filthy smile, "Just let me have a taste of that beauty of yours, let me kiss you, hug you, and maybe help me… relieve a bit of my tension. That's all."
"I told you before, didn't I? Miss Miyuri, you're even more beautiful and capable than I imagined. Not only do you look gorgeous, your body is incredibly sexy. I fell for you at first sight!"
"As a nurse, helping me with a little physical problem shouldn't be that hard, right?"
Miyuri's body trembled, her face turning ashen, "N-no way! I could never do that!"
When she refused, Yoshizawa began stepping closer, sneering, "Oh? You can't? Then maybe you'd rather everyone in the village find out about your secret meetings with your brother-in-law?"
Miyuri's expression twisted in pain, "No! No one can know! But… I can't help you either! C-can't we talk about another condition?"
"Trying to bargain?", Yoshizawa sneered coldly and shook his head, "No deal!"
"Heh! Either you let me have some fun, or… everyone finds out!"
In a small village like this, once such gossip spread, it would travel like wildfire.
Just imagining it made Miyuri tremble uncontrollably.
Her beautiful face turned ghostly pale as she fell silent, unable to speak.
Yoshizawa grinned, "Looks like you've already made up your mind, haven't you? Then as a man, I'll just take the initiative!"
He licked his lips, eyes glinting with lust as he walked faster toward her.
"D-don't come any closer!", Miyuri stumbled back step by step, her soft, trembling voice weak and helpless.
"AHHH!"
Suddenly, Miyuri cried out.
Overwhelmed by panic, she hadn't noticed a rock behind her and tripped, falling hard to the ground.
Pain shot through her twisted ankle, making her suck in a sharp breath. She could only sit there helplessly.
Meanwhile, Yoshizawa kept advancing.
The distance between them grew shorter and shorter.
Miyuri wanted to scream, but what if someone heard and Yoshizawa revealed everything?
While she hesitated, Yoshizawa was already within four or five meters.
Tears welled up as Miyuri shut her eyes in despair.
Seeing the beautiful woman sitting on the ground, her face full of hopelessness, only excited Yoshizawa further.
He quickened his pace toward the body he had long desired.
"Heh! Heh! Miss Miyuri, you're really too pretty! You smell so good even from here, I just can't help myself."
"Even if you're already engaged, you're still the most beautiful, se*iest woman I've ever seen."
"To tell you the truth, from the moment I first saw you, I wanted to have you."
"Now, I can finally, AHH!"
As he leered and lunged toward her, Yoshizawa suddenly screamed in agony.
Miyuri, who had shut her eyes in tears, startled and quickly opened them to see what happened.
Her beautiful eyes widened, Yoshizawa's forehead was red and dented slightly, as if something had struck him.
A tall, lean figure slowly stepped out from behind a haystack nearby.
It was Hikari, tossing two smooth pebbles in his hand.
"Hikari-kun?"
Seeing him, Miyuri's despair turned to joy and relief.
"You again?"
Yoshizawa, who had met Hikari earlier that day, immediately recognized him.
He glared at the stones in Hikari's hand and shouted angrily, "You were the one who threw that at me?"
Hikari nodded calmly, "Yeah. So what?"
"I saw everything, you trying to lay your hands on Mrs. Miyuri."
"Yoshizawa Takeo, you wouldn't want people to know you tried to as*ault and black*ail a woman, would you?"
Yoshizawa froze for a moment, the words sounded oddly familiar.
Realizing they were his own lines thrown back at him, he grew furious. The woman he almost had was taken from him mid-act, and now this kid was mocking him.
His eyes blazed as he cracked his knuckles and snarled, "This is adult business, you brat! Get lost before I lose my patience!"
Hikari didn't even bother replying.
He walked over to Miyuri and asked gently, "Aunt Miyuri, are you okay?"
With Hikari's help, she sat up and shook her head, "I'm fine, just twisted my ankle, it hurts a little. But Hikari-kun, watch out for Takeo, he's—"
Before she could finish, she noticed Yoshizawa sneaking up behind Hikari and tried to warn him.
Hikari turned his head, glanced at the man's unsteady, sluggish movements, clearly weakened from drink and indulgence, and sneered.
"Let's go. I'll help you back first, Aunt Miyuri."
Before Miyuri could answer, Yoshizawa burst out laughing in rage, "You little punk! You hit me with a rock, and now you think you can ignore me too?"
"When I was running things and taking in underlings, you were still suckling at your mother's teat! How dare you act tough in front of your Uncle Takeo!"
"Today, I'll teach you what it means to be a man!"
"You dare get in my way? I'll fucking crush you!"
Fuming, Yoshizawa clenched his fists and charged straight at Hikari, clearly intent on beating the boy who ruined his fun.
"Hikari-kun, watch out!"
Miyuri shouted, terrified, as Hikari stood calmly, not even turning around.
"I was going to take you back first and come deal with him later…", he said evenly, "But some people just can't wait to get what's coming to them."
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