Mrs. Kamitani's cheeks instantly flared scarlet. "I am not even forty years old yet! The audacity... the absolute audacity to call your own wife old!"
PHAF! THWACK! SMACK! PHAF! PHAF!
She raised her fists, launching a flurry of frantic, rapid-fire punches directly at his chest and shoulders.
"Whoa, whoa! Indoor voice, Counselor!" Mr. Kamitani laughed, leaning back out of reach. "You'll wake the boys! Then I'll have to explain why their mother is trying to murder their father at four in the morning!"
"What is wrong with the boys coming up?!" she huffed, her swinging fists still narrowly missing his nose as he leaned from side to side.
"Let them come! They deserve to know exactly what kind of outrageous treatment their poor mother has to endure in her own home!"
"Would you stop moving?!" she cried. "How am I supposed to hit you if you keep dodging?!"
She paused for a split second, panting slightly, staring at his grin in absolute frustration.
'Why is this man so ridiculously difficult to hit?!' she fumed inwardly.
Observing her defeat, Mr. Kamitani smirked, leaning back on his elbows with an insufferably smug look. "Hmm... how strange. Every punch starts off so determined... then changes its mind at the very last second."
Mrs. Kamitani's cheeks puffed out in outrage. She glared at his infuriatingly handsome face, her eyebrows twitching as she silently fumed.
'Ugh... this unbelievably smug man!' she grumbled in her mind, her fingers curling into tiny fists. 'Just look at that face... he's enjoying every second of this!'
She clicked her tongue in frustration, ready to launch herself at him again—
...Then, all of a sudden, she froze.
A slow, wicked smile began creeping across her lips. A tiny light seemed to flicker inside her green eyes.
'...Wait a minute.'
A sly, mischievous giggle escaped her lips.
"Oh, really?" she said, a low, villainous laugh following right after. "Hehe... If I can't hurt you... then I can surely do this!"
Before he could even process her warning or decode that suspicious laugh, Mrs. Kamitani lunged forward with lightning speed. Her fingers darted out, completely getting past his hands, and dug straight into the softest, most vulnerable spots on his sides.
"WRYAAA—!!! YUNA, STOP!!!"
Mr. Kamitani instantly collapsed sideways onto the chair. "Aha—haha! Stop it! Hehehe—"
He laughed completely out of control, twisting frantically as he tried to block her fingers to protect his stomach. "Yuna—hahaha! Seriously, stop! It's unfair—ahahaha!"
He giggled, his deep voice cracking as he tried to bat her hands away. "Stop it! Tickling is completely unfair! Put your hands away—!"
"Everything is fair in Love And War!" she cheered triumphantly, throwing her entire physical weight on top of him to pin him down while her fingers kept attacking his stomach.
With Mrs. Kamitani leaning all her weight forward and the never-ending tickle assault throwing him off balance, Mr. Kamitani's elbows slipped right off the desk.
THUDDDDDD-CRASH!!!
Mr. Kamitani lost his balance entirely and tumbled right off the edge, landing in a clumsy, sitting position flat on the floor.
Mrs. Kamitani leaned too far and fell right with him—but in a split-second reflex, his strong hands snapped forward, catching her firmly by the waist in a tight grip, preventing her from slamming face-first into the floorboards.
Meanwhile, exactly one floor below them, in the quiet, dark bedroom directly underneath, Shido was dead to the world under his blanket.
"Zzzzz... hoooo... zzzzz..."
He snored softly, completely peaceful and dreaming. "Khhh... phew... zzzzz..."
Suddenly, a massive, sound of THUMP vibrated directly through the ceiling panels right above his head.
"WHA— TAMIKO!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!" Shido broke from his sleep like a possessed doll, screaming at the top of his lungs in absolute, sleep-deprived panic.
He swung his arms wildly, his eyes wide and unseeing for Three Straight Seconds before the Adrenaline started to clear.
He sat frozen in the dark. The room was completely silent again. The strange noise from above was gone.
Slowly, Shido lowered his arms, glaring up at the ceiling with pure, total teenage rage.
'Are you Kidding me?!' he cursed under his breath, his eye twitching. 'Are they doing a late-night WWE championship match up there at this hour?! Who body-slams someone at—'
He glanced at the glowing digital clock on his bedside table.
4:51 AM.
Shido let out a pathetic, soul-crushed gasp, his face twisting into absolute agony.
"Aaah... why meeeee..."
He slammed his head back down onto his pillow, tightly squeezing his eyes shut as he pulled the blanket over his face.
"Sleep... please just sleep right now... there is school in an hour and a bit... I have to wake up at 6:00 AM... Tamiko give me strength..."
Back upstairs on the floor, Mr. and Mrs. Kamitani sat frozen, staring blankly at each other for a long, quiet moment. The pure absurdity of their clumsy fall hung in the air. Slowly, a dark blush crept up both of their cheeks.
The next second, they both completely lost it.
They burst into loud, breathless laughter.
"Pfft... haha...!"
"Hahaha...!"
Mr. Kamitani finally let go of his firm grip on her waist, letting her sit down completely on the floor right beside him as they both leaned against the desk, laughing until their sides ached.
"Good grief..." Mr. Kamitani laughed breathlessly, wiping the corner of his eye as the last traces of laughter slowly faded. "That was completely unfair. I honestly never knew I had a weakness like that."
Mrs. Kamitani crossed her arms, a smug, giggling smile on her face as she praised herself. "See? It was entirely due to my brilliant strategic tactics that we made such a Historic Discovery!"
But as her laughter fully calmed down, the room suddenly filled into a deep, heavy stillness. The playful energy dissolved, leaving behind a peaceful quiet.
Mr. Kamitani turned his head, his gaze softening completely as he looked at her.
Without a word, he reached out, closing the distance between them on the floor.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her back into his chest in a deep, desperate embrace, burying his face right into the side of her neck.
Mrs. Kamitani blinked in surprise, her hands
hanging in the air for a second. "Ayato...? What's wrong?"
"Just..." his voice came out incredibly soft, almost vulnerable against her skin. "Can you just hug me for a minute?"
Hearing the quiet raw need in his voice, Mrs. Kamitani's face flushed a beautiful, gentle pink. A soft, tender smile touched her lips, and she quietly whispered, "...Okay." She wrapped her arms securely around his broad shoulders, holding him close.
After a moment of just breathing together, Mr. Kamitani slowly pulled back just enough to look at her face. His hand gently moved up to her head, his fingers shifting through her hair, holding a few soft, brown strands in his palm.
He stared at them, his eyes filled with a quiet wonder.
"Your hair..." he murmured softly, a gentle smile touching his lips. "It's always been so soft... and it still smells faintly of maple. I don't know why, but I've always loved that."
Mrs. Kamitani's heart melted, her eyes softened. She reached her hand up, gently running it along his arm before cupping his cheek with her palm. Her fingers felt warm against his skin.
"Your hair is as dark as the night sky..." she whispered back, her voice dripping with affection. "And somehow, every time I touch it, I remember why I fell in love with you all over again."
Suddenly, she tilted her head forward, closing the remaining distance between them.
Mr. Kamitani's eyes widened in pure, stunned shock, his breath catching in his throat. "Yu—"
Before he could even finish pronouncing half of her name, Mrs. Kamitani leaned in and softly pressed her lips directly against his cheek.
It was a quiet, lingering kiss—a sweet, silent seal of absolute forgiveness, healing, and unconditional love.
After her lips pulled back from his cheek, a long, heavy wave of silence settled over the floorboards. Mrs. Kamitani just sat there, wrapping her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder.
But there was no reaction. No response. Absolutely nothing from Mr. Kamitani's side.
Slowly, Mrs. Kamitani shifted her weight on the floor, her face turning into a deep, agonizing blush.
"Ahem..." she cleared her throat loudly, her mind suddenly racing with a million frantic, insecure thoughts.
'Why isn't he saying anything?! Did... did he not like it? Was that totally embarrassing for me to do?!'
A wave of disappointment crashed over her. 'Haah—! I haven't seen him or held him in so long, and his reaction to my first move is just total silence?! Maybe... maybe he's just too exhausted...'
She couldn't take the awkwardness for another second. Her embarrassment quickly
turned into pure grumpiness. She turned her head to face him angrily, her lips parting to snap, "Hey, you—"
WHOOSH!
Before she could even shout out his name, Mr. Kamitani suddenly moved with explosive energy! He threw his weight forward, his strong hands catching her wrists and pinning them down flat against the floor right near the study table!
"A-Ayato...? W-Wha...?! W-Wait...! W-What are you d-doing...?!"
----
🌸 AUTHOR'S NOTE 🌙
Ehehe... 🤭💙
I have a confession...
The original plan for this chapter was supposed to be emotional.
Then Yuna discovered that Ayato is ticklish.
After that, the chapter completely stopped listening to me. 😭😂
Poor Shido was peacefully sleeping...
...and accidentally became the first victim of his parents' 4:51 A.M. wrestling championship.
Please keep him in your prayers.
(≧▽≦)✨
But my favorite moment wasn't actually the chaos.
It was the silence afterwards.
Sometimes, after you've cried enough...
After you've apologized...
After you've laughed until your stomach hurts...
You don't really need another speech.
You just need someone who quietly says,
"Can you just hug me for a minute?"
I think that's one of the bravest things a person can ask. 🌙
And then...
Yuna kissed him first.
Poor Ayato's brain immediately disconnected from reality. 😂💙
Thank you so much for reading! 🥹🌸
As always, I'd love to know your favorite moment!
Was it the tickle attack? Shido's dramatic awakening? The quiet hug? Or... poor Ayato forgetting how to function after one tiny kiss? 👀✨
Take care of yourselves...
And I'll see you in the next chapter! 🌙
(人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+
----
✦ 🔮 A GLIMPSE INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER 🔮 ✦
"What awaits beyond this page...?" 🌙
(灬･◡･灬)♡
"Your memory really is terrible, Mr. Kamitani."
"Are they even human? Civilized people are supposed to be asleep."
---
🗝️ HIDDEN BETWEEN THE PAGES 🌙
Fun fact:
Shido has absolutely no idea...
that somewhere in the family history,
there exists an official record stating:
Cause of sleep deprivation:
Parents.
Again.
(￣▽￣;)
----
🌙 The stars may fade, and memories may sleep...
But the Spiral continues to turn.
Until we meet again beneath the same forgotten sky.
(๑¯◡¯๑)
— SakuraShinomiya