Ayato sat back, looking at his stinging hand, but the patient smile never left his lips.
"Honey... why must you be so incredibly angry?" he asked softly, keeping his eyes wide and soft as he looked at her.
"You know it breaks my heart and makes me feel deeply sad whenever you look at me like that."
"SAD MY FOOT!" Yuna snapped back instantly, her green eyes narrowing into two fierce, icy lines as she pressed her back against the wall.
"If you truly felt even a single ounce of sadness, Ayato Kamitani, you would never do these ridiculous things in the first place! You wouldn't constantly bring up those dangerous, terrifying customs just to make me angry!"
Ayato's smile finally faded, leaving his face looking tired and heavy. He let out a long, silent sigh, his gaze dropping down to the empty space on the tatami mat between them.
Behind his quiet eyes, his sharp brain was already hurriedly questioning every single life choice he had ever made. It was the absolute, inescapable curse of human psychology—the eternal, grinding clash between a Traditional Mother and a Modern Wife. Two completely immovable forces that were never, ever going to get along.
And right there, stuck dead in the absolute center of the gears like a piece of chewed-up gum, was the Husband.
'Fantastic...' Ayato thought to himself, his inner voice dripping with a savage, dry sarcasm.
'Just brilliant. It's a total confirmed impossibility to win here. If I take Mother's side and defend her ancient rituals, Yuna will make my life a living hell in our bedroom. But if I take Yuna's side and try to protect her peace, Mother will completely disown me for being a terrible, ungrateful son.'
He mentally rubbed his temples, realizing he was being ruthlessly dragged into the dirt from both sides. There was no secret escape route.
There was no magic trick to save him. He was trapped in a brutal crossfire where both opposing parties wanted to execute the mediator.
While Ayato was deeply lost in his own thoughts, Yuna noticed his sudden, heavy silence. The sharp, fiery glare in her green eyes didn't soften at all; instead, her lips curled into a mocking, sarcastic little smirk as she looked down at his defeated face.
"Ha —What is wrong with you now?" she asked, her voice dripping with dry amusement.
"Why did you suddenly become so quiet? Don't tell me you are practicing a new speech in your head just because my Courtroom didn't care about your fake tears."
Ayato snapped out of his mind and offered her a warm, gentle smile. "Oh, it is nothing at all," he said, his eyes glowing with a playful warmth.
"I was just thinking... if you and I were to stand in the exact same courtroom one day, fighting a case against each other... I would definitely lose. Your arguments are so sharp, I would be left completely speechless."
Yuna's cheeks instantly turned a soft shade of pink. She tried to keep her grumpy face, but a deep blush crawled up her neck anyway.
SMACK!
She lifted her arm and gave his shoulder a sharp, playful swat, looking away quickly.
"Stop it..." she mumbled, her voice losing almost all of its anger. "Don't say such ridiculous things."
She was still a little bit mad, but the heavy ice between them had completely melted away.
She stared at the opposite wall, completely refusing to look at his face as she tried to regain her composure. But then, she let out a small, huffing breath.
"If... if I had known.." she started, her words coming out slightly broken and not properly framed because she was still so flustered.
"If I had known about all these... these weird Kamitani family rituals and superstitions beforehand... I would have... I would have NEVER MARRIED YOU! NEVER EVER!"
"Heh."
Ayato did not look hurt at all. Instead, a proud, handsome smirk spread across his face as he watched her messy, exaggerated complaining.
"You really think you can just—" Yuna started to huff, her mouth open to fire off another angry complaint.
Before she could say another word, he leaned in closer. He reached out his hand, his fingers gently catching her chin to turn her head smoothly back toward him.
Yuna gasped softly, her green eyes widening as he pulled her face directly toward his.
Their faces were so incredibly close.
Their noses gently brushed against each other, and they could feel the warmth of each other's breath in the sticky July air. Yuna's entire face turned completely red like a Ripe Tomato. She stammered heavily, her voice shaking as she desperately tried to maintain her regular, tough composure.
"W-What... what are you... what are you looking at, Ayato?" she whispered, her heart hammering against her chest.
Ayato tilted his head slightly, his smirk turning into an incredibly soft, loving expression. He leaned in just a fraction closer, his thumb gently brushing against her skin.
"Since when is it a crime for a husband to admire his own wife?" he whispered back very gently, his deep voice carrying a soft, teasing warmth. "Go ahead and sue me if you want, counselor... but you'll never win a case against how beautiful you are."
The moment the word "Wife" left his lips, Yuna's ears turned bright red. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, her hands tightening against her lap because she was blushing so hard.
Ayato chuckled softly, speaking with total confirmation and absolute confidence. "You can say whatever you want, darling, but the truth is... you could have never skipped marrying me. It was totally impossible."
Yuna opened her eyes, puffing out her cheeks in a small pout as she tried to look brave. "How... how can you be so incredibly sure about that?"
Ayato's fingers stayed gently on her chin, his voice dropping into the most romantic, sweet whisper. "Because I know my lovely Yuna..." he murmured softly.
"You had a massive crush on me since our college days, didn't you? Besides... you fell deeply in love with me, Ayato. You didn't fall in love with my family customs or beliefs."
That was the absolute breaking point. Yuna completely lost all of her defenses.
Her face exploded into a massive, burning blush, and she hid her face in her hands, completely unable to look at his confident smirk anymore.
"STOP IT! JUST STOP!" she cried out, her shoulders shaking from pure embarrassment. "Don't tease me like that!"
"Haha!"
Ayato let out a deep, hearty laugh, the happy sound filling the quiet bedroom. He reached out and gently pulled her hands away from her face, holding them tightly in his own warm grip. "I am not teasing you at all, Honey." he said, his eyes filled with absolute adoration.
"I Am Only Speaking The Actual Truth."
He let out the quiet, happy mumble to himself as if he was telling a secret to his toy, before going right back to making his spaceship fly through the air.
Yuna quickly pulled her hands away, puffing out her cheeks as she desperately tried to defend herself. "It... it was nothing like that at all! I did not have a massive crush on you! You are completely making things up, Ayato!"
Ayato only laughed harder, his shoulders shaking as he watched her flustered face.
Meanwhile, over in the quiet corner of the room, little Kento was completely busy in his own little universe. The thick baby was happily stuffing a plastic toy truck straight into his mouth, clear drool spilling down his chin.
He pulled the toy out, using his tiny, chubby hands to frantically try and break the head off a small plastic astronaut.
Hearing the chaotic laughter and shouts from his parents across the mat, Kento looked up and let out a bright, drooly smile before going right back to his destruction.
Back on the main mat, Ayato kept leaning in close, a mischievous glow in his eyes as he continued to tease her with flirty talks.
"Oh, really?" Ayato grinned, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Then I suppose you completely forgot about our Second Year in College? The time you accidentally dropped your entire notebook right in front of my desk just to get my attention? Or the time your face turned as red as an apple when I merely asked you for a pencil?"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Yuna screamed playfully, her voice cracking as she blushed harder than ever. "That... that was an absolute accident! I was just being clumsy! Don't make up such embarrassing memories!"
She kept waving her hands in the air, shouting and trying to defend her pride. But then, all of a sudden, her voice went completely quiet.
"You think you are so smooth, but a real courtroom would never accept your—your pathetic, stupid—" Yuna kept waving her hands in the air, shouting and trying to defend her pride.
But then, all of a sudden, her voice went completely quiet.
DRIP.
Before Yuna even realized what was happening, two large, fat tears pooled in her green eyes and rolled straight down her flushed cheeks.
-----
🌸 AUTHOR'S NOTE 🌙
Hello, everyone! (〃ﾟ3ﾟ〃)
Poor Ayato truly deserves a medal at this point.
After surviving his mother's wrath and narrowly escaping a domestic war, our brave lawyer decided that the best strategy was to fight with romance instead of logic.
And somehow...
It worked. (≧▽≦)
Honestly, writing Ayato and Yuna always makes me smile. Their arguments, teasing, and little battles remind me that love isn't always quiet and perfect. Sometimes, it's loud, embarrassing, and full of silly complaints.
After all, people don't argue because they hate each other.
Sometimes, they argue because they care too much.
And perhaps that is what makes them precious.
But...
As some of you may have noticed, the mood at the end changed rather suddenly.
Those tears weren't there by accident.
(•ᴗ•)
So while this chapter made me laugh a lot, I hope you'll also keep a close eye on the emotions hidden behind those smiles.
Because sometimes...
The things we laugh about are also the things that hurt us the most.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this little battlefield called marriage. 🌙✨
(人´∀｀)｡ﾟ+
---
✦ 🔮 A GLIMPSE INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER 🔮 ✦
"What awaits beyond this page...?" 🌙
(灬･◡･灬)♡
'My beautiful, precious boy...'
"I promise you."
----
❓ QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER 🌸
Which line made you smile the most?
💖 "Go ahead and sue me, counselor..."
🌹 "Since when is it a crime for a husband to admire his own wife?"
✨ "You didn't fall in love with my family customs. You fell in love with me."
Or...
👀 Did something else capture your heart?
(｡・//ε//・｡)
---
🌙 PAGES FROM FORGOTTEN RECORDS 📖
Some people fall in love once.
And some people...
Fall in love with the same person again and again,
After every argument,
After every misunderstanding,
And after every passing season.
Perhaps that is what marriage truly is—
Not the end of a love story,
But choosing the same person...
Over and over again.
(◡ ω ◡)
---
🌙 The stars may fade, and memories may sleep...
But the Spiral continues to turn.
Until we meet again beneath the same forgotten sky.
(〃ω〃)
— SakuraShinomiya