Japan — Tokyo.
7:30 PM.
The sky outside was pitch black, illuminated only by the dimly flickering streetlights in the distance. Yotsuba pushed open the slightly creaking door of her house and stepped inside with slow steps.
Her dusty work shoes were placed carefully in the genkan, almost like a ritual.
"I'm home..." She said softly, her voice echoing in the empty living room.
She knew no one would answer. Her husband, Uesugi Fuutarou, who was always busy with office work, rarely came home before midnight. It was an old habit—saying hello even when only the cold air greeted her. But tonight, for some reason, the silence felt more piercing than usual.
Yotsuba took off her coat, hung it near the door, and walked towards the sofa. She dropped onto it with a long sigh. Her eyes gazed at the clean ceiling, but her thoughts were a mess. This house was too quiet.
"If only we had a child." She murmured to herself, her voice almost drowned out by the monotonous ticking of the wall clock.
"Surely this house would be more lively. Little laughs, the sound of tiny feet running around... maybe I wouldn't feel like this."
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to imagine the scene. But the image soon faded, replaced by the face of her younger sister, Itsuki—although not officially married—who was now pregnant with her first child. Next month, the baby would be born.
Yotsuba smiled faintly, but the smile quickly faded. There was a tightness in her chest that she couldn't shake off.
"Even though I got married first."
It had been a year since her wedding day, but her stomach was still flat, with no signs of new life within. She wasn't the type to be easily envious, but seeing Itsuki caress her growing belly with a happy face... it was hard not to feel left behind.
Yotsuba shook her head vigorously and patted both her cheeks with her hands.
"No, no, Yotsuba! Don't think negatively!" She said to herself, trying to cheer up her wavering heart.
Getting up from the sofa, she walked to the bedroom to change clothes. Her neat work attire—a long skirt and a dark blue blazer—was replaced with a comfortable loose t-shirt and shorts.
As she stepped into the kitchen, a faint aroma of yesterday's cooking still lingered. She opened the refrigerator, taking out a few simple ingredients: carrots, potatoes, and a little chicken.
"Dinner for one more person." She muttered, turning on the stove, her hands moving nimbly to chop the vegetables, but her mind was far away.
Itsuki had already achieved her dream of becoming a teacher. Yotsuba still remembered how hard her younger sister studied, pursuing a goal that was so clear in front of her.
While Yotsuba? In the past, she didn't have such grand ambitions. But somehow, she ended up applying as a physical education teacher at Shuchi'in Academy—an elite school in Tokyo where children of nobles and wealthy families attended.
She was accepted. Initially, she enjoyed the job. Running on the field with the students, teaching basic volleyball techniques, hearing the cheers when the team she coached won... it all felt good. But lately, everything had changed.
"Haaah... should I quit my job?" Yotsuba murmured, stirring the soup that was starting to boil in the pot.
Warm steam rose to her face, but she didn't really notice. Her mind was busy replaying memories of the past few weeks.
There was a male student who had started acting strangely. Their gazes were no longer as innocent as children their age. There were whispers in the hallways, small laughs that sounded mocking when she passed by, and once, one of them deliberately bumped into her on the field—too close to be called an accident. Yotsuba wasn't stupid. She could guess what was on their minds.
For some high school boys, adult women—especially married ones—were tempting trophies. Something that, if they could conquer, would give them an absurd sense of pride.
Shuchi'in Academy wasn't exactly a place full of good people. Behind the neat uniforms and polite smiles, there were students used to abusing their family names.
Most of the male students at Shuchi'in Academy only dared to look at her—lewd and indecent gazes that made her skin crawl, but never more than that. But there was one exception. One name that made her heart tremble with fear every time it crossed her mind.
Ogata Kei.
That student was different. Kei tried to get close to her, with a sly smile that his handsome face couldn't hide.
Yotsuba had heard rumors about him—and those rumors were not something to be taken lightly. Kei was a notorious delinquent among the teachers, although most students didn't know the real story. It was said that he had once gotten a female student from another high school pregnant, a scandal that should have ended his school life at Shuchi'in Academy. But his family, who supposedly had connections in the government and the business world, quickly covered everything up. Money and power spoke louder than the truth, and Kei remained comfortably in class, as if nothing had ever happened.
Yotsuba still remembered the incident yesterday on the sports field. When practice was over, Kei approached her with a casual stride, hands in his trouser pockets, and a smile that was too friendly to be believed.
"Uesugi-sensei, you look tired today. Doesn't your husband give you enough attention at home?" He said in a joking tone, but there was something in his eyes that made Yotsuba feel like prey being stalked.
Yotsuba only gave a stiff smile at the time, trying to answer in a professional tone.
"Thank you for your concern, Ogata-kun. Now, go back to class."
But Kei didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, close enough for Yotsuba to smell the expensive cologne he wore.
"If Sensei needs someone to talk to, I'm always here." His voice was low and full of innuendo.
Only after Yotsuba firmly insisted that he had to leave did Kei finally back down—but that gaze, the gaze that seemed to undress her, still lingered in her memory.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Tonight, at the quiet dining table, Yotsuba couldn't hold back anymore. She put down her spoon and covered her face with both hands.
"Oh God... why me? A perverted man like that... if he's really targeting me, what should I do? I don't want to be his toy. I don't want my life ruined because of someone like him!"
Yotsuba imagined what could happen.
If Kei actually went further, what could she do?
Report to the principal? The Ogata family would surely silence her, just like they did with the previous scandal.
Resign? That might be the only way out, but Yotsuba didn't want to give up so easily. She liked teaching, liked seeing her other students grow and develop.
But Kei's threat felt like a dark shadow lurking in every corner.
"I'm really scared. If he dares to assault me... Will Fuutarou be able to protect me?"
Yotsuba didn't want to burden her husband with this problem. Fuutarou was busy enough with his work, often coming home late with a tired look on his face. Adding the story about Kei would only make him worry—or worse, make him feel helpless.
But Kei's actions lately had become increasingly outrageous.
Although her father was the director of a prominent hospital, Yotsuba knew her family background was still far inferior to the Ogata Family. Their power and connections were like a giant wall that she couldn't fight alone.
Her mind started to spin wildly, drifting to dark scenarios she didn't want to imagine. Her imagination—perhaps because she read too much doujin with her sisters after getting married—took her to a terrible place.
"No! Not like the romantic relationship between teacher and student, Itsuki and Rokuhara-san. I'm worried Ogata-kun doesn't really like me... He's just after my body. It's so different! Itsuki and Rokuhara-san love each other, their relationship is pure even if it breaks a taboo. But Ogata-kun is just lust!"
Her face turned pale. The image of herself becoming Kei's sex slave, like a cheap plot from a doujin she once read, appeared uninvited. She imagined Kei with his wicked smile, forcing her to submit, and the Ogata Family covering everything up with their power.
Yotsuba clutched her head with both hands, trying to drive the thought away.
"I don't want that to happen!"
Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Wait... That's right, Rokuhara-san!"
A small light appeared in her previously dim eyes. If her father and husband couldn't protect her from this threat, there was one person who might be able to—her brother-in-law, Rokuhara Ren!
Ren was no ordinary person. He was one of the eight Campione, humans who stood at the pinnacle of humanity.
Yotsuba still remembered how surprised she, Ichika, and Itsuki were to learn that the world they lived in had a hidden side, and Campione were the apex of supernatural beings.
Even the Shinomiya Family, one of the three largest conglomerates in Japan, submitted to Ren as subordinates. Compared to them, the Ogata Family was just dust.
"..."
Yotsuba bit her lip, hesitant. She got up from her chair and started pacing back and forth in the dining room.
"Should I ask Rokuhara-san for help? He can definitely make Ogata-kun stop. Maybe just one word from him, and the Ogata Family will be scared. But... am I allowed to trouble him? Rokuhara-san must be very busy. Especially since Itsuki will give birth soon. I don't want to bother him with my problems."
She stopped near the window, looking at her reflection in the glass.
"Besides, I don't have strong evidence yet. If I tell Rokuhara-san, will he believe me? Or will I just look like someone who can't solve her own problems? Haaah, why has my life become so complicated!"
Yotsuba took a long breath and sat back down in her chair. "But if I don't do anything, and Ogata-kun goes further... will I regret not asking for help now? Rokuhara-san surely wouldn't refuse, right?"
After a moment of weighing the options, she let out a long sigh. "Alright, I'll meet Rokuhara-san after he returns from London. Now isn't the right time to bother him. I have to be patient first."
Putting the problem aside for the time being, Yotsuba got up from her chair and walked to the kitchen. She decided to prepare a meal for her husband, who would surely come home hungry after a long day of work.
With nimble movements, she began chopping vegetables and heating the pan, trying to distract her mind from the anxiety that had consumed her earlier. After finishing preparing dinner—simple fried rice with eggs and chicken pieces—she placed it on the table with a cover to keep it warm.
Then, she walked to the bedroom to get ready. As she opened the closet, her eyes sparkled, and a small smile appeared on her face. Her characteristic cheerful and positive nature began to return.
"Hehe, yesterday I failed to get Fuutarou excited. But this time will be different! I've looked it up on the internet, and I'm going to give him a surprise he won't refuse!" She said to herself, giggling.
With a burning spirit, Yotsuba began to put on the clothes she had secretly prepared. She took out the "special" version of her wedding dress that she had ordered online—a version far more daring than her original wedding gown.
Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her body while wearing a white floral wreath veil on her head. Her hair was neatly tied back, and her elegantly made-up face showed no trace of weariness.
Yotsuba smiled at her reflection, feeling like a newlywed again.
However, the clothes she wore were far from innocent. She was only wearing a set of transparent white lace lingerie. The curves of her body were still the same as when she was in high school—a slim waist, full and firm buttocks wrapped in white lace, highlighting the results of her exercise as a physical education teacher. Through the see-through panties, she could see the "black grass" that had been neatly trimmed into a heart shape—an idea she got from a "romance tips" article on the internet.
Seeing her appearance, which was so indecent, Yotsuba felt her face heat up. She held her cheeks with both hands, mortified.
"Gezz, this is so embarrassing! But... for Fuutarou, I have to be brave! I want to make him excited again, like when we were first married. After all this preparation, he won't reject me, right?" she said, looking down, her voice trembling.
Yotsuba reached out and touched her lower abdomen. She could feel a ticklish and slightly painful desire rising from within her.
On the dressing table in front of her, there was a bottle of ovulation-inducing pills she had bought a few days ago. She had already taken one earlier before changing clothes, hoping tonight could be the first step towards realizing her dream of having a child. Of course, everything she was doing was for Fuutarou—the man who had given her happiness all this time.
"Okay, Yotsuba, you can do it! Tonight will be a special night for both of us!"