Yotsuba sat patiently on the sofa, occasionally glancing at the softly ticking wall clock. She had prepared everything—dinner on the table, herself in her "special" attire, and a hopeful heart.
*CLICK!*
When the clock hand showed 11:40 PM, the sound of the front door opening made her jolt. It was Fuutarou. Hastily, Yotsuba leaped from the sofa and ran to the entrance, her heart pounding.
As Fuutarou stepped inside, Yotsuba stood before him with a wide smile.
"Welcome home, darling~ Do you want to eat first, take a bath first, or... me~?"
She tried to sound flirtatious, but her face instantly flushed red to the roots of her hair. She wasn't used to acting like this, and the embarrassment almost made her want to hide.
"Y-Yotsuba?" Fuutarou stammered, his eyes widening as he looked at his wife.
Usually, Yotsuba appeared simple and conservative—loose clothes and her hair tied up casually. But tonight, she stood before him in a daring version of her wedding dress, transparent white lace lingerie, and a flower veil that contrasted with her immodest appearance. Fuutarou swallowed hard, not knowing what to say.
Yotsuba didn't dare to look at her husband. She lowered her head, playing with the hem of her dress with trembling fingers.
"It's been... it's been three months since we... you know. So... I was hoping we could tonight." Her voice was weak, almost inaudible.
Seeing his wife looking so cute and vulnerable, Fuutarou felt his heart touched. He brushed aside all the problems filling his mind—piles of work, deadlines, and accumulated fatigue.
He stepped forward, intending to carry Yotsuba in a princess-style hug like in the romance movies he had seen.
"Alright, I'll make tonight special for you."
Unfortunately, Fuutarou overestimated his abilities. He forgot that his physical fitness was terrible—years of sitting at a study desk and in the office had made him weak—while Yotsuba, as a physical education teacher, was much stronger than him.
As soon as he tried to lift her, his legs trembled, and he almost fell.
"Ugh... Turns out it's not as easy as it looks in the movies..." He muttered sheepishly, his face flushing with awkwardness.
Yotsuba quickly covered up the situation so her husband wouldn't be more embarrassed. She giggled and then pulled Fuutarou's hand.
"Never mind, Fuutarou, let's just go to the bedroom!"
Fuutarou nodded, following his wife with quick steps.
Inside the bedroom, the atmosphere turned warm. They kissed and hugged, Yotsuba wrapping her arms tightly around Fuutarou's neck while Fuutarou returned the embrace gently.
Yotsuba felt her heart flutter; her plan was working so far. She began to warm things up, using her hands passionately to arouse her husband.
However, something unexpected happened. Less than a minute later, Fuutarou tensed up, his breath hitched, and... he ejaculated.
"Huh?"
Yotsuba was surprised, her hands stopping their movements. She tried again, hoping Fuutarou could get aroused again, but no matter what she did—gentle touches or passionate kisses—Fuutarou couldn't get hard anymore.
"Huh... Huh... Huh... Sorry, Yotsuba." Fuutarou panted, his face covered in sweat. "Work has been too much lately... I'm really tired. Let's do it next time."
Yotsuba forced a smile, even though her heart felt heavy. "It's okay, Fuutarou, just rest. I was the selfish one for asking you even though you were tired after working all day."
Fuutarou nodded weakly and then got out of bed. "I'll go to the bathroom first."
He walked out, leaving Yotsuba alone in the room.
As the bathroom door closed, Yotsuba stared at her palm, still wet with Fuutarou's thin fluid. She was silent, her eyes vacant. In her heart, she couldn't suppress the disappointment that slowly emerged.
'This is so different from Rokuhara-san's...'
Unconsciously, her mind compared what was on her hand to something she had once seen—her brother-in-law Ren's semen, which was much thicker and had a strong scent.
She knew this because while helping Itsuki clean their room, she found used tissues in the trash can. At that time, she had accidentally smelled it, and for some reason, the memory was etched in her mind.
Yotsuba clenched her hand tightly, trying to erase the thought.
"I shouldn't think like that! I love Fuutarou... this is just because I'm disappointed, right? Oh God, what's wrong with me?"
However, no matter how hard Yotsuba tried to deny the dangerous idea that had sprung into her mind, it didn't change the fact that her body felt hot and restless. Disappointment mixed with an increasingly strong desire, especially since she had taken an ovulation-inducing pill earlier. She had hoped tonight would be a special moment, the first step towards having the child she had always dreamed of with Fuutarou. But now, with her husband exhausted and unable to continue, Yotsuba felt a fire within her that she couldn't simply extinguish.
She glanced towards the bathroom door. The sound of water was still faintly audible, indicating Fuutarou might be taking a rather long shower. Yotsuba bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, before finally letting out a soft sigh.
"Just for a little while... this is better than cheating with another man, right?" She muttered to herself, almost as if looking for an excuse.
Then, Yotsuba lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket up to her waist. Her hand slowly moved, searching for a way to relieve the burning tension in her body.
"Mmm~... Nh~... Ah~..."
Yotsuba closed her eyes, trying to imagine Fuutarou—her gentle and loving husband—was with her, touching her with the love she had hoped for tonight. However, for some reason, the image slowly shifted. Fuutarou's face faded, replaced by another more handsome figure—Rokuhara Ren, her brother-in-law.
"...?!"
Yotsuba inwardly gasped, trying to banish the image, but her body reacted even more strongly. The imagination felt forbidden, yet it only made her breathing more erratic.
"Hah~... No, Rokuhara-san... This shouldn't... This is wrong... We shouldn't do this..."
Her hand moved faster, tracing her body with longing touches, as if she was trying to release something pent-up. Her mind was torn between guilt and waves of pleasure that she couldn't resist.
In that fantasy, she felt noticed, dominated in a way she had never felt with Fuutarou. With just the image alone, her body tensed, and suddenly she reached an intense climax—something she had never experienced during intimacy with her husband.
"Mhmmmmm~...."
Her breath hitched, and the blanket covering her waist trembled slightly from the vibrations of her body.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Yotsuba opened her eyes slowly, panting. She stared at her fingers, now wet with clear fluid, and guilt immediately washed over her like a wave.
"What's wrong with me... I'm a terrible woman..." She whispered in a hoarse voice, almost crying.
She pulled her hand close to her chest, looking at the fluid with regretful eyes.
"I shouldn't think about Rokuhara-san like that... I love Fuutarou, but why did I..."
She wiped her hand on her wedding dress, trying to erase the traces of what had just happened. The satisfaction she had briefly felt now sank into a sea of regret.
Yotsuba pulled the blanket over her face, hoping to hide from herself.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the dining table, Yotsuba sat across from Fuutarou, who was eating the fried rice she had made. The soft sound of spoons clinking against plates filled the silence between them.
Yotsuba stared at the empty plate in front of her, her mind still wandering to a place it shouldn't—Ren's image was disrupting her. She tried to focus on her husband, but guilt and confusion continued to gnaw at her heart.
"This is really delicious, Yotsuba. Your cooking is always as good as usual." Fuutarou said suddenly, his voice full of warmth.
Yotsuba jolted out of her reverie. She hurriedly raised her head, avoiding Fuutarou's gaze, and patted her chest with an awkward smile.
"Ah, I worked hard, you know! I learned a lot from Nino so I could cook this well." She replied quickly, trying to sound cheerful even though her heart was still trembling.
Fuutarou nodded, smiling faintly. "Yeah, I know. Nino's cooking skills are indeed the best among the five of you. But now you're almost catching up. I remember back then, when we first got married, you couldn't even tell the difference between salt and sugar."
Yotsuba laughed along, but her laughter sounded forced. "Ehehehe, I was terrible back then. Luckily, Nino was patient enough to teach me."
After dinner was finished, Fuutarou helped Yotsuba carry the dishes to the kitchen. They worked in silence for a while, but Yotsuba could sense that something was bothering her husband.
Fuutarou seemed hesitant, occasionally opening his mouth as if wanting to speak, then closing it again. Finally, after placing the last plate on the rack, he gritted his teeth and looked at her with a serious expression.
"Yotsuba, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it? Why do you look so tense?" Yotsuba asked worriedly.
Taking a deep breath, Fuutarou then said, "I... I made a big mistake at the office. I ordered the wrong goods, and it caused the company a loss of hundreds of millions of yen. They said I have to compensate for the loss, or I'll be sued in court."
Yotsuba's eyes widened, her hand instinctively covering her mouth. "What?! Hundreds of millions of yen? Fuutarou, why didn't you tell me about this sooner?!"
Fuutarou lowered his head, his face full of regret. "I was ashamed of you, Yotsuba. I didn't want you to worry because of my mistake. I thought I could handle it myself, but... I was wrong. Everything's a mess now."
Stepping closer, Yotsuba gently held his arm.
"Fuutarou, we're husband and wife. If there's a problem, we face it together, okay? Why did you keep it to yourself? I won't be angry, I just want to help you." Her eyes looked at her husband with deep concern.
"I know. But I feel like such a failure. I don't want you to see me like this—a husband who causes problems for the family. I just... I just want to be someone you can rely on." Fuutarou replied quickly.
Yotsuba shook her head, trying to smile even though her heart also felt heavy. "You're enough for me, Fuutarou. I don't care about this, we'll find a way out together. How much do you have to pay back? Do we have enough savings?"
"Our savings aren't enough, Yotsuba. This... this is too big. I've tried to negotiate with my boss, but he won't budge. They said it's entirely my responsibility." Fuutarou's voice was full of despair.
"..."
Yotsuba was silent for a moment, then said, "We could borrow from family, maybe? I can ask Dad."
"No, I don't want to trouble my father-in-law. I have to find a way myself." Fuutarou firmly refused, although his eyes showed doubt.
Seeing this, Yotsuba could only let out a long sigh. She knew her husband's stubborn nature very well. It had been clear since the past, when Fuutarou rejected the offer to work under her father, Nakano Maruo, and chose to find his own job.
Fuutarou was a man with high pride. He preferred to do everything himself without anyone's help, even if it meant struggling harder. Yotsuba remembered how proud Fuutarou was when he first got a job at that company, even though his salary was nothing compared to the offer from her father.
'If Fuutarou had agreed to work at Dad's hospital back then, would this situation never have happened?' She thought to herself.
Yotsuba imagined their life that might have been more stable, more secure, without burdens like this. But she also knew that Fuutarou would never accept such a shortcut.
Fuutarou suddenly stopped moving and then turned to Yotsuba.
"Actually... there's a way to pay off this debt." His voice full of hesitation.
"What way? Tell me quickly, Fuutarou!" Yotsuba asked, her tone full of hope.
Fuutarou shook his head, reluctant to answer.
"Don't worry about it, Yotsuba. I was just saying." He said, avoiding his wife's gaze.
"Wait, don't do that! If there's a way, I want to know. What is it? I'll press you until you tell me!" Yotsuba replied, stepping closer and looking at him with a firm gaze.
Fuutarou let out a heavy sigh and finally gave in.
"Alright... The head of the company, Kamezo Gouzo, said that if you're willing to work as his secretary for three months, he'll turn a blind eye to my mistake. He also gave me time to pay off the debt in installments."
In the past, Fuutarou Yotsuba had come to the company to deliver his lunch that he had forgotten to bring. So, Gouzo started frequently asking for information about his wife.
Letting his wife work as Gouzo's secretary?
Impossible!
Fuutarou had noticed Gouzo's lecherous gaze towards Yotsuba. He felt that the other party had bad intentions towards his wife.
-[Disclaimer: Again, there is no NTR genre in this novel, only Netori, okay?]