I Married My Childhood School Crush for a Day to Avoid the Single Tax, but My Wife Has Been Acting Strange Lately - Chapter 9

After hearing Riona’s confession, a heavy silence filled the room.

Her words weighed on my heart.

That boss from her company, Kamikaze, what he did was worse than I ever imagined.

Stalking. Hidden cameras. Breaking into her place.

To think that someone who always seemed so perfect had gone through something that terrifying… anger started to rise inside me.

I wanted to protect her.

Even if our relationship was supposed to be fake, my feelings were real.

Riona sat on the sofa and looked tired.

The evening sun shone through the window, tinting her cheek a soft orange.

Her long hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes slightly downcast.

Her shoulders drooped a little, and her breathing was shallow.

I realized I’d been wrong.

There’s no such thing as a perfect person.

I knew that, but I still forced that image onto her.

Maybe it was admiration… or maybe jealousy.

Wanting her to stay perfect was my selfishness.

“Riona… you’ve been through so much. I don’t know what I can do, but I’ll stay by your side. If anything happens, just tell me.”

If we were truly together, I would have held her hand and pulled her close as I said that.

But our relationship was only an act.

Still, I couldn’t help feeling a quiet happiness that she trusted me enough to open up.

She gave a small nod, fiddling with the ring on her left hand.

The silver band caught the light and shimmered softly.

I noticed her fingers trembling a little.

A bead of sweat slid down her neck, and she shifted slightly in her seat.

We sat there, saying nothing, sharing her pain in silence.

The cup of tea on the table was getting cold.

After a while, I tried to break the heavy mood with a random topic.

I just wanted to ease the tension somehow.

“S-speaking of which… I brought my old game console with me. Do you play games, Riona?”

She looked a little surprised, then slowly lifted her head.

Her tired face softened just a little.

“…Games? I hardly ever played. I was always studying, and after school, I had student council and work. But… maybe I’d like to try. What kind of games do you play?”

Relieved that she seemed interested, I smiled and continued.

The cushion between us sank a bit, and her shoulder came slightly closer.

“I used to play classic RPGs. Those stories where a hero saves the world. Sometimes, though, I liked the twisty ones, where the hero’s actions actually help destroy the world instead. But you, I think you’d be good at strategy or puzzle games.”

She chuckled softly, her eyes narrowing with a faint smile.

“Strategy games… You might be right. Though maybe that’s the only thing I’m any good at.”

“That’s not true.”

“…Maybe. No, do you have something you want to tell me? I’m not trying to force you… just asking…”

“Yeah… I guess I do. But, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can talk about it yet. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just… if I do, I might actually cry.”

“I see. Then tell me when you feel like it’s okay to cry.”

Her words made my chest feel a little warm.

Even though this was just a pretend living arrangement, it felt like we were getting closer to something real.

And we hadn’t even officially started living together yet.

Her smile lightened the air in the room.

The setting sun slowly sank below the horizon, turning the room from orange to soft purple.

The clock ticked quietly as time moved on.

“Alright then, let’s make dinner. We’re both tired from the move, so let’s keep it simple.”

I stood up and walked to the kitchen.

Riona got up too and followed after me.

“I’ll help. What ingredients do we have?”

The kitchen was new, the stainless steel sink shining bright.

I opened the fridge and took out the vegetables and meat I’d bought before the move.

Riona tied an apron around her waist and washed her hands.

Her movements were calm and practiced.

I picked up the knife and started slicing onions, while she began frying the chicken in a pan.

The bright kitchen light reflected off the oil as it sizzled and popped.

I stood next to her, cutting the vegetables.

Our shoulders almost touched, and my heart skipped a beat.

She didn’t seem to notice, quietly adding seasoning.

“I’ll let you do the taste test, Riona.”

I poked a piece of chicken with a fork and held it out to her.

“Oh, you’re not going to blow on it for me first?”

She said with a playful smile.

“Eh? Ah, fuu, fuu… There, how’s that?”

“Thank you.”

She brought it to her lips and tasted it, then nodded.

“It needs a little more salt.”

We worked side by side, finishing a simple meal of stir-fried chicken and vegetables, rice, and salad.

Steam rose in the kitchen, filling the air with a delicious smell.

Riona’s hair was slightly damp, and her cheeks had a soft blush.

Her tired expression looked livelier now.

If only this daily life weren’t fake…

We set the food on the table and sat down together.

The warm light above us gave everything a soft glow, and the quiet clinking of our forks filled the room.

Riona chewed slowly and looked at me.

“It’s really good. Shouta-kun is a better cook than I thought.”

“No, it’s only good because of Riona.”

The conversation flowed easily. Talk about the move, plans for tomorrow…

The tension from earlier slowly faded away.

Her eyes looked softer now.

After we finished eating, we cleaned up together.

Night had already fallen when Riona stood up.

“I’ll take a bath first.”

“Eh? Y-yeah…”

She took a set of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

I stayed in the living room while waiting.

Soon, I could hear the sound of running water.

My mind started wandering to places it shouldn’t.

Even if this was a fake relationship, we were still living under the same roof.

My heart began to race.

“Idiot!”

I slapped my own cheek.

After what she’d just confessed, being stalked for years, how could I even think something like that?

Just because she’s beautiful doesn’t mean I should let my thoughts go there. No excuses.

To clear my mind, I put on my earphones and started listening to ghost stories, and tried to turn lust into fear.

After a while, she came out.

Her hair was dry, her cheeks slightly flushed from the bath, and she was wearing cute pajamas that caught me off guard.

“Your turn.”

“Y-yeah.”

I went in next.

For a moment, I looked at the bathtub she had just used, then shook my head and decided to cool myself down.

I turned on the cold water and let it hit me like a waterfall.

The freezing shock made me yelp out loud.

After that, I sank into the warm bath, thinking back on everything that had happened today.

When I finally got out, dried my hair, and returned to the living room, she wasn’t there anymore.

I turned off the lights and headed to the bedroom.

She was sitting on the bed while scrolling through her phone.

The sight of the double bed made me tense up.

It wasn’t that small, but if one of us rolled over, we’d definitely touch.

I decided to lie down on the farthest edge I could manage.

As I slid under the blanket, I caught the faint scent of her hair.

My heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

I could hear her quiet breathing… and feel the warmth of her body nearby.

The sound of my heartbeat echoed loudly in my ears.

“Do you like it completely dark when you sleep? Or do you keep a little light on?”

“Eh? Oh… I guess I like it completely dark.”

“I see. I feel safer with a bit of light on.”

“Then that’s fine. You can leave it on.”

“…You’re kind.”

“No… It’s just normal, really.”

After that, she closed her eyes and started breathing softly in her sleep.

Unlike me, Riona fell asleep so easily, as if this were nothing new to her.

She was facing my direction, so I could clearly see her side profile.

I turned my back to her and tried to keep as much distance as possible before closing my eyes.

…Please, my self-control, don’t fail me now.

After silently repeating that in my head for about an hour, I finally drifted off to sleep.