197 - Future Wife

RAW

“Onii-chan, how does this piece move again?”

“That one can move one square anywhere except straight backward and sideways.”

Holding the shogi piece marked Silver and tilting his head, Ryota listens as Haruto patiently explains.

After often watching Shuichi and Haruto play shogi, Ryota had begged, “I want to play shogi too!”

For a five-year-old, shogi is still difficult, and Ryota frequently stops, puzzling over his moves. Watching him fondly, Haruto gently teaches him the rules and a few simple patterns.

Ryota sways his small body as he desperately works his brain.

Maybe I should make a chart showing how the pieces move sometime, Haruto thinks, when Ikue calls out from the kitchen.

“Haruto-kun, Ryota, do you want some ice cream?”

In her hands were two soft-serve cones, one vanilla and one chocolate.

“I want some!”

Ryota runs over to his mother, eyes sparkling.

“I want chocolate!”

“Talk it over with Haruto-kun, okay?”

Smiling warmly, Ikue prompts him. Ryota turns back to Haruto to check.

“What flavor do you want, onii-chan? Do you want chocolate too?”

“No, I think I’ll have vanilla.”

At Haruto’s answer, Ryota beams.

“Then I’ll have chocolate and onii-chan gets vanilla!”

“Alright, Ryota, give this one to Haruto-kun.”

“Okay!”

Ryota takes the ice cream from Ikue and runs back, holding one in each hand.

“Here you go, onii-chan!”

“Thanks, Ryota-kun. Ikue-san, thank you.”

Haruto thanks Ryota and gives Ikue a small bow.

“Hehe, it’s yummy!”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

The two smile as they eat the ice cream Ikue gave them.

Just then, Ayaka comes into the living room after finishing her bath.

“Ah! Haruto, you’re eating ice cream!”

Changed into her sleepwear, Ayaka’s eyes light up when she sees the ice cream in Haruto’s hand.

“Want a bite?”

When Haruto offers the vanilla soft serve, Ayaka immediately replies, “I do!” and rushes over.

Sitting down next to Haruto on the floor, she leans forward from all fours, stretches her neck slightly, and licks the soft serve in his hand.

“!?”

“Mmm, ice cream after a bath is so good.”

Ayaka looks blissfully happy. Meanwhile, Haruto’s heart rate spikes, and he loses his composure.

Her sleepwear, likely meant to be comfortable, is loose around the neckline. Because she’s on all fours, the collar droops open wide.

What peeks out from there—

A deep valley that irresistibly draws a man’s gaze.

Haruto quickly looks away.

Unaware of his fluster, Ayaka moves in again in the same posture.

“One more bite, please.”

“Ah—w-wait a second!”

Still averting his eyes, Haruto pulls the ice cream away from her mouth. Immediately, her expression falls.

“Sorry… it’s your ice cream, Haruto…”

“No, that’s not it. Um, you should sit properly when you eat. Ryota-kun is here too.”

Blushing, Haruto gently scolds her as she approaches on all fours.

Ayaka tilts her head and looks at her younger brother. Ryota is completely focused on eating his ice cream.

“…You’re right. I’ll sit properly.”

She nods once, then sits down right next to Haruto, close enough to touch.

“Can I have a bite?”

As she says this, Ayaka loops her arm around Haruto’s arm holding the ice cream and looks up at him pleadingly.

The image he saw earlier, her warmth beside him, and the fresh scent of soap after her bath all combine, making Haruto’s heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.

“Y-yeah. Go ahead…”

“Yes!”

Ayaka happily licks the soft serve in Haruto’s hand.

It’s clearly more than just one bite, but Haruto can’t bring himself to point that out.

“Hey, Ayaka, that’s Haruto-kun’s ice cream. You have your own too.”

Seeing her daughter clinging to Haruto and stealing his ice cream, Ikue takes another soft-serve cone out of the freezer.

“It’s just too good after a bath.”

Looking slightly embarrassed at her mother’s warning, Ayaka moves away from Haruto to take the ice cream.

With the warmth beside him gone, Haruto lets out a long breath.

Since getting engaged to Ayaka, Haruto feels that the distance between them has grown even closer.

Even when they were dating, there were moments when she was proactive, but when Ryota, Ikue, or Shuichi were around, she didn’t act overly affectionate.

Now that they’re engaged, she comes close like this even with family nearby. She fully trusts him, leaning into him, showing him unguarded sides of herself.

“Ayaka, do you want chocolate or vanilla?”

“Hmm, chocolate. Thanks, Mom.”

Taking the chocolate soft serve from Ikue, Ayaka naturally returns to Haruto’s side and sits close to him.

“Sorry for eating so much of yours earlier. Here, you can eat mine.”

She brings the chocolate soft serve up to Haruto’s mouth.

“Thanks. I’ll take a bite.”

“Go ahead.”

After saying so, Haruto lightly licks the tip of the soft serve.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

When he nods, Ayaka smiles brightly and starts eating her ice cream too.

She eats the soft serve right where Haruto had licked, without the slightest hesitation.

Back when they were practicing being lovers, even an “ahh” or an indirect kiss would make him flustered. Now, it all feels completely natural.

So this is the difference between a girlfriend and a wife…

As Haruto absentmindedly watches Ayaka happily licking her ice cream, Ryota suddenly shouts.

“Ah! Onii-chan, your ice cream is melting!”

“Huh? Oh—yeah, you’re right. Thanks for telling me.”

He had been so captivated by Ayaka that his ice cream had started to melt.

Haruto hurriedly begins eating the half-melted soft serve.

--

I really like these chapters, but I'd like the story to progress further, like with a school trip, Halloween?, and the end-of-year holidays or a little bit of drama :)