The Carnivorous Maidens Living with Me - Chapter 60 & 61

Chapter 60: Mutual Love

I recall what happened at the Kurokami house the other day.

“Kamizuki-kun, it’s strange to talk to you about this, but… I still can’t forget my first wife.”

“…”

“And I think… Yuriko feels the same about her first husband…”

Nagi-san told me about his late wife and meeting Yuriko.

Apparently, Nagi-san lost his wife to illness when Aoi and Kanade were small, and it ended up with him raising the twins single-handedly— it was truly a monumental task.

That’s when he met Yuriko at a cooking class.

Yuriko, once a career woman, was now learning to cook after losing her husband.

They kept meeting at the class, grew closer, started dating, and leaned on each other to fill their loneliness.

But sometimes, a look or gesture would remind them of their lost loves.

For both, the death of someone so dear was impossible to fully accept.

“…Marriage isn’t just all about happiness, is it?”

I barely managed to say that to Nagi-san.

※

“Wh-What is this…?”

Nagi-san’s frozen, clueless.

Yuriko’s jaw drops.

Sofia, Hazuki, and I approach, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.

“Nagi-san, Yuriko-san… let’s have you two get a prope wedding!”

“Huh…?”

“…Ah.”

Seeing my serious face, they understand.

“Dad, Mom, you never had a wedding, right? You said it was too expensive… for us…”

Mutsuki’s already teary-eyed.

Aoi and Kanade stand by her, smiling at their parents.

“Mutsuki… Aoi… Kanade!”

Gusu…

Nagi-san calls their names, voice thick with emotion.

Yuriko quietly presses a handkerchief to her eyes.

“Come on! Time to get changed! Let’s go!”

“Wha—? Wait…”

Hakua-san and Alicia-san whisk Yuriko to the dressing room.

Nagi-san gets dragged off by Bran-san and others.

※

The two reappear at the venue.

—Nagi-san in a blue tailcoat, calm like the sea.

—Yuriko-san in a pure white wedding dress, adorned with white lilies.

The flower language of white lilies: “purity,” “innocence,” and…

I wonder how much Yuriko’s thinking about the meaning woven into those flowers.

Later, I heard she cried when Alicia-san and Hakua-san handed her the dress.

“…Mom… you’re beautiful.”

Mutsuki’s words come from the heart, her true feelings.

The two walk slowly down a carpet-turned-aisle, showered with flowers and camera flashes.

By the way, my foster dad’s playing the priest.

It’s hardly formal, but the ceremony moves forward.

Before the vows, Nagi-san looks at Yuriko and speaks.

“…Yuriko, I’m sorry. Sometimes, I saw my first wife in you. I didn’t even think how cruel that was…”

Yuriko listens silently.

We all do, quietly.

Nagi-san continues, voice trembling, tears in his eyes.

“I still love my late wife. That’s the truth…”

Tears glisten as he presses on.

“But just as much… Yuriko! I love you, I cherish you. I don’t want to lose you! Please… walk with me through life until the end…”

Nagi-san bows to her.

A hush falls over the venue.

Yuriko’s shaky voice breaks it.

“…Me too.”

“…”

“I can’t forget him either. Sometimes, I think of… our memories… I-I’m the same as you.”

Her words make us all hold our breath.

“But… just as much, I love you, Nagi! I can’t live without you anymore…”

Are the tears on her cheeks hers, or Mutsuki’s beside her…?

“Yuriko…”

Nagi-san calls her name gently.

The twins approach.

“Dad…”

“Here.”

Surprised, Nagi-san takes the box they hand him.

“…This is…”

Inside, a pearl-encrusted wedding ring sparkles.

“You were saving it for Yuriko-Mama, right?”

“It’s Mom’s heirloom pendant, reworked. You said you wanted her to accept it with your heart, didn’t you?”

Nagi-san’s hands shake as he takes the ring.

He turns to Yuriko slowly.

“Yuriko… my feelings… if a half-baked guy like me is enough… will you marry me again?”

He offers the ring.

All eyes are on Yuriko.

We hold our breath.

※

Su—

The pearl ring gleams deeply, like it’s still in the ocean, washing away something with its light, enveloping the room.

—The scene is as beautiful as a lily reflected on moonlit water.

“Your feelings… your first wife’s feelings, I’ll carry them all…”

“Please marry me, Nagi-san.”

※

A thunderous cheer and applause erupt, filling the venue.

Nagi-san and Yuriko smile through their tears.

After slipping on the rings… they share a soft kiss.

I’ll never forget that moment.

(This is what it’s about…)

The reception turns into half-banquet, buzzing with excitement.

Later, Mutsuki and I go to them, offering something.

“Yuriko-san, here.”

“…This is…”

“Mom, it’s nostalgic, right?”

It’s croissants, like the ones the Namitsuki family ate at my house.

“It’s a taste of memories…”

Mutsuki’s eyes well up as she speaks.

“Yes… thank you… thank you.”

“I wanted Nagi-san to try them too.”

I’ll never forget those days with the Namitsuki family.

I wanted Nagi-san to know them.

“Ugh… it’s… gusu… it’s that taste…”

Yuriko eats the croissant, crying.

Nagi-san rests a hand on her shoulder, speaking softly.

“Let’s visit their graves soon.”

His gentle, resolute words overwhelm Yuriko.

She buries her face in his chest, tears soaking his shirt, heedless of onlookers.

Right now, they’ve truly become mutually in love.

There’s more after, but Nagi-san and Yuriko’s wedding ends beautifully…

※

And now—

“Hey… why’re you here?”

“They’re on their honeymoon.”

“Aoi and Kanade?”

“They wanted to go to Tokiko-san’s.”

Mutsuki’s sprawled on my living room sofa like she owns it.

“Go home!”

“Nope!”

“Why not?”

“I wanna thank you.”

“Don’t need it. I just did what I wanted to do.”

I sit across from her, arguing.

“Still, I wanna stay!”

“Reason?”

“I’ve… always liked you, Shoma! Get it, you dense idiot!”

Ugh, not this again…

“Haa, I got nothing left to say.”

“So it’s fine?”

“Do whatever…”

I might’ve given up on everything.

“Yay! Sofia, Hazuki, President, Yayoi-san! I can live here forever too!”

What’s this girl saying?

“I didn’t say that!”

“Nishishi! Too late, darling♡!”

Before I know it, Mutsuki’s in my face…

And she kisses me, full-on.

“Mutsuki, that’s not fair!”

“…I wanna do it too.”

“Hm! Then I’ll take this spot.”

“Onee-chan wants in~.”

Will my dream ever come true…?

“I want a mutual love romance!!”

Chapter 61: Naked Festival ①

This is a snippet from the exam study session.

※

“Crap… what do I do? I totally forgot…”

I’m groaning, clutching my head, when Sofia looks at me, worried.

“What’s wrong, Shoma?”

“Ugh… I did it…”

“Hah!? You did it? Without me? Who was it? Tell me right now!”

“Sofia-san, calm down, not that kind of ‘did it’… don’t give me that look, you’re scaring me, like you’re about to do me in a bad way…”

I soothe Sofia, gently patting her head to calm her down.

Her silky silver hair twines around my fingers—a dangerously addictive feeling.

Her cute eyes gaze up at me, reflecting my face like a mirror.

And my face? Totally smitten…

“Ehehe~”

(She’s so cute… no, focus! I’m sinking deeper into the Sofia swamp.)

Then, another head pops up beside me.

“…”

Black eyes peer up at me, adorable and abyss-like.

One fall into that void, and I’m done for, like a black hole—no return, mentally or physically.

A lone ahoge sprouts from her bangs, charmingly defiant.

Peeking down, her twin peaks beckon to paradise… yup, it’s Hazuki.

“…Au.”

I’m staring, silent, and Hazuki’s eyes start to water.

That’s cute in its own way… I give in and pat her too.

“Au… feels so good…”

(If my hand wasn’t injured…)

Her black hair feels like it’s been conditioned, soft and slightly cool, clinging to my fingers.

Patting Sofia and Hazuki on either side, I suddenly feel something patting my head.

Muni… muni…

“…”

Nothingness… nothingness.

“…Um.”

Muni… muni.

“Yayoi-san?”

Munimuni… nothingness, nothingness…

My heart’s being corrupted by two voids.

The softness of muni.

The emptiness of nothing.

Is this what they call nihilism…? No! It’s sublime!!

“…Yayoi-san, please move your ultimate weapons.”

“Eh, it doesn’t feel good? It’s your special reward~.”

“No, it’s… if you ask if it feels good, it’s insanely good, but… uh… Mutsuki’s staring…”

Across from me, Mutsuki’s eyes are dead.

“Shoma… pervert…”

My stock’s crashing hard.

I somehow calm the three down and get back to the point.

“So, Shoma, what’d you do?”

Sofia asks, still lingering on the moment.

“Ahem! Well, you see… I, uh, committed an unforgivable blunder…”

“Who’d you do?”

“You’re under arrest!”

“Let Onee-chan meet her!”

Three different reactions—didn’t we move past this?

“Stay, Sofia, no murderous vibes! Hazuki, put away the ropes and taser! Yayoi-san, no intros! That’s not it!”

This is going nowhere…

“Spit it out! I can’t focus on studying!”

Mutsuki’s curious too—finally, I can explain.

“So… I forgot… the president’s… birthday…”

“Huh? Birthday?”

“When’s the president’s birthday?”

“Well…”

I completely forgot Satsuki’s birthday.

Truth is, when she called me to help with the cultural festival… it was two weeks before her birthday…

“Big oof—I even checked her birthday on her ID that day!”

“Wow, really?”

“And she kept trying to keep me around! At the end, she looked kinda lonely when I left. Maybe she was waiting for a date invite…”

I messed up bad.

She didn’t call me just for festival prep.

There was a clear reason—she wanted to celebrate her birthday with me…

“Got it… that’s Japanese hara-kiri.”

Sofia!?

“Yup, death penalty.”

Hazuki too!?

“Sho-kun, Onee-chan is sad… boiling pot for you.”

Goemon-style!?

“Shoma…”

“Mutsuki! You’re—”

“Burn in hell!”

Women are ruthless…

Gusu… you’re all so mean! But the worst is me for forgetting…

I’m forced to kneel before the four.

“Listen, a birthday’s a once-a-year milestone!”

“Yup, yup! Forgetting that makes Senpai a monster, worthy of death!”

Hazuki, what’s with that “death” bit…?

“A guy who can’t celebrate a girl’s birthday…”

I’ve never seen Yayoi-san’s eyes so cold.

“Even I agree with them. You wimp!”

Mutsuki’s logic is airtight—she’s coming for my soul…

They’re glaring, practically piercing the heavens.

I bow to the floor, pleading.

“How can I make it up to her?”

The four exchange looks.

Only Mutsuki answers sanely…

“Apologize sincerely! And get her something special—a killer gift.”

Below, the carnivores:

“I’ll take Shoma’s first time!”

“Hunsu! That’ll do!”

“Onee-chan wants in!”

I ignore the three and stroke Mutsuki’s foot.

“Mutsuki-sama~ thanks! What gift’s good?”

“Gross, don’t rub my foot like that!”

She kicks my face—meko.

“But the other three are useless!”

“True, I thought I misheard at first…”

The three are fuming at our exchange.

“Ugh, Shoma! Rubbing Mutsuki’s foot!? What’s wrong with mine?”

“I’ve never touched yours in the first place! And you’re scary!”

“Senpai, you prefer feets over chests?”

“That’s not it…”

“Sho-kun, Onee-chan is sad…”

“Yayoi-san, you’ve been saying that a lot…”

“Teehee!”

After all that, we decide to buy a gift and apologize to the president.

Now, what to get her…

Little did I know, the girls (Mutsuki included) were hatching a weird plan behind my back…