Kiana remained perfectly still, her hands shielding her face until the meal was fully set.
"Ugh... I can't believe I let Bronya provoke me into doing that..."
Her voice drifted through the gaps between her fingers, thick with embarrassment. She looked genuinely mortified, as if she couldn't comprehend why she had acted so boldly moments before.
"Idiot Kiana. Why bother with provocations you lack the capacity to handle?"
"Hey?! I—I still let him touch my chest! That's gotta count for something!"
"Reacting like that over a simple touch... The Bronya suspects you would lose consciousness entirely if we moved to the main event."
"Urgh!"
Kiana watched my wife calmly take a bite of her meal, looking down on her with those flat, judgmental eyes. Kiana ground her teeth in frustration, unable to find a comeback, before aggressively shoveling a massive heap of rice into her mouth.
She was clearly trying to swallow her pride along with the food.
Despite the anger, she continued to munch away happily, even with a stray grain of rice stuck to her cheek. It seemed the food was delicious enough to transcend her irritation.
"You're not a child, Kiana. Why are you getting rice on your face? It's not like you're saving it as emergency rations."
"Huh...?"
The grain of rice stuck to her cheek was bothersome enough that I eventually let out a sigh. Setting my chopsticks down, I leaned across the table and reached out to brush the stray grain from Kiana's cheek.
Caught off guard by the gesture, Kiana blinked, her gaze following my fingertips. Suddenly, a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. Instead of pulling away, she leaned in and playfully bit down on my finger, pulling it into her mouth.
"Wh—Hey?!"
My wife froze, her own chopsticks clattering onto the table. I panicked and tried to pull back, but the sensation of a soft tongue swirling around my finger left me paralyzed.
"Mmm... *Slurp, lick*... *Chu, chu*—"
She was doing it intentionally, making audible sounds while looking up at me with heavy-lidded eyes, reading my every reaction. She used her tongue with practiced dexterity, swirling it around the digit as if performing some sort of service. I felt a chill run down my spine.
Wait, wasn't this exactly what Bronya was about to do earlier to provoke Kiana, only to get interrupted?
This was dangerous. I felt like I was about to awaken some very questionable preferences.
Wait, weren't you the one who just froze up a second ago after letting me touch your chest?
Have you already adapted to physical intimacy this quickly?
Come to think of it, she didn't hesitate to lick my back earlier, either.
Does she think it's only a problem if I'm the one touching her, and not the other way around?
...No, that's not the point!
Regardless of whether she has a boyfriend or not, she shouldn't be licking a married man's finger with such... dedication!
Though, if I were the boyfriend, I suppose I would have been quite pleased by the effort!
As that thought crossed my mind, a different kind of chill raced down my spine.
It was the sensation of an intense, frigid gaze radiating from right behind me.
Fortunately, that icy glare wasn't directed at me. The sheer pressure of it snapped me back to reality, bringing a sudden wave of post-action clarity.
What the hell was I thinking? Why would I even find this 'pleasing,' you idiot!
"Kiana, how long do you intend to keep sucking on The Bronya's husband's hand?"
"Puhah~ Maybe forever?"
"If you continue, his hand will not only blister, but it will likely rot from the 'Kiana Virus.' Do you intend to kill my husband?"
"Hey, wait... that was just a figure of speech! Who would actually suck on a finger for a lifetime?! And what do you mean, 'Virus'? You think I didn't catch that?!"
"...No matter. Before that can happen, The Bronya will simply decapitate Kiana. Problem solved."
As she spoke, Bronya's eyes flared with a lethal light. Intimidated by the sheer bloodlust, Kiana trembled but managed to shout back in protest.
"What's with that look? You're totally serious! Why are you jumping straight to decapitation?!"
"The Bronya cannot allow my husband's precious finger to be damaged. Therefore, taking Kiana's head is the more logical choice. Do you not agree?"
"Well, I mean... taking my head is better than cutting off the Captain's fing—NO! It's not! If I'm dead, I can't see him anymore!"
"Tch."
Bronya clicked her tongue in annoyance as Kiana narrowly avoided her verbal trap. Quickly shifting back to a polite smile, she responded as if she hadn't just expressed disappointment.
"Nonsense. You won't be 'gone.' You will simply remain in the furthest reaches of our memories. Forever."
"I am not okay with that conclusion!"
Kiana vehemently rejected the 'offer' of becoming a permanent, haunting memory.
I mean, really... what kind of conversation is this to have over dinner? I'm losing my appetite here.
And Bronya? As the person who would have to witness such a scene, I think I'd be left with nothing but trauma.
Being 'remembered forever' in that context is technically true, but only in the worst possible way.
It's the kind of memory someone would try to suppress... Wait, was that her goal all along?
No, she must be joking.
No matter how angry she gets, my wife wouldn't actually go that far... right?
"...I thought I could eliminate the nuisance just now... Next time..."
I stiffened as I caught her whispering under her breath.
Mmm~ She must be under a lot of stress lately. I have no choice.
"Honey."
"Yes?"
"Open wide—'Ahh'."
I initiated one of my secret techniques to diffuse her anger: the feeding maneuver. It was super effective!
"...A—Ahhnn."
Bronya faltered for a moment before her face flushed a soft pink. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and obediently opened her mouth.
I carefully placed a piece of grilled eel from my chopsticks into her mouth.
Watching her chew gracefully, I couldn't help but find her adorable. "Is it good?" I asked.
"...Yes."
The question wasn't just about the flavor; it was shorthand for 'Is it better because I'm feeding it to you?'
Bronya swallowed and nodded, averting her eyes shyly.
One might think we'd be used to this by now, especially with a child in the house. But we didn't do this every single day. We didn't avoid it entirely, either, but overindulgence leads to stagnation. If it becomes routine, the magic fades, which is often worse than not doing it at all.
Marriage isn't the finish line; it's a whole new starting block. Just because you have someone by your side doesn't mean you should stop putting in the effort to be your best self for them.
That's why I still wake up earlier than my wife to groom myself and be ready to greet her properly.
One might ask if it's exhausting, but honestly? My affection for her makes it easy. Because of my efforts, she also maintains herself meticulously, always wanting to show me her most beautiful side.
Thanks to that, it still feels like we're in our honeymoon phase, despite having a daughter.
Still, it was surprisingly quiet on Kiana's end. I had expected her to try and steal a bite.
Sensing my gaze, Kiana narrowed her eyes as if offended by my thoughts.
"Even I wouldn't try to win the Captain's affection by making Bronya hate me more than she already does."
Pretty sure she hates you plenty already, but okay.
"If you truly desire that, then you should give up on my husband."
"I can't. I made up my mind not to give up on these feelings after 'that time'."
"...I see."
Bronya sighed, her gaze softening into the look one gives to a person they simply cannot bring themselves to hate. Kiana met her eyes with a firm, determined nod.
Wait, 'that time'...? What are they talking about?
My wife seemed to have an idea of what Kiana meant, as her expression returned to its usual neutral state, and she didn't press the matter further.
Which brings us to right now—
"The drinks are goin' down! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! How long ya gonna make my shoulders dance?! Look at my shoulders! They're dislocated!"
"Honey~ Stroke The Bronya's head... Why aren't you stroking it? Hmmm?"
Kiana was completely hammered, dancing with a glass in her hand in a high-tension stupor. Meanwhile, my wife had burrowed into my arms, wearing an unnervingly sweet smile as she demanded headpats.
To make matters worse, both of their yukatas were slipping dangerously, putting my self-restraint through a real-time stress test.
In short: things have become an absolute disaster.
How the hell did it even end up like this?!
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