"Don't tell me... you still haven't told him?"
"... ..."
The rest of the sentence trailed off, but my wife seemed to understand perfectly. She bit her lower lip and gave a small, hesitant nod.
"Haa~ I didn't see that coming."
Mei Senior sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"So... you still don't remember?"
My wife nodded once more.
What exactly was I supposed to be remembering?
Judging by the way she kept glancing at me, I was clearly the subject of this mystery. But as far as I knew, there wasn't a single detail I'd forgotten.
I mean, I can be a bit forgetful sometimes, so I wouldn't bet my life on it—but I remember almost everything that happened between my wife and me.
The first meeting, the first confession, the first date, the first kiss, the first night we shared, the proposal, the wedding, the birth of our daughter... I even kept a diary specifically so I wouldn't forget the big things.
Writing long entries was a chore, so I usually kept everything condensed into a single page per event.
That should be more than enough to jog my memory if I ever lapsed.
Yet, looking at their reactions, there was definitely something lurking in the shadows of my mind—something I couldn't grasp.
Was it something from back during the Honkai outbreaks?
"Captain."
"Yeah?"
While I was lost in thought, Mei Senior approached and whispered into my ear.
"I'm not really in a position to say this, but now isn't the time to just stand there looking confused. Go over to her, give her a tight hug, and whisper that it's okay."
"...Will that be alright?"
"It's fine. In any relationship, the one who falls in love first is always going to be the weaker one, no matter what they do."
...I felt like that had nothing to do with what we were talking about. But whatever.
In any case, following Mei's advice had never steered me wrong. I walked toward my wife.
I felt a pang of sadness as she instinctively pulled back, but I moved faster, drawing her into my arms.
She struggled against me for a moment, trying to push out of my embrace, but I could tell there was no real strength behind it. I slowly and gently stroked her hair.
"It's okay. I'm okay."
"...Honey, dear... I, I—"
She shook her head, her hands still pressed against my chest as if trying to keep me at a distance.
Looking into her hollow eyes—eyes that looked as if she were carrying a deep, festering wound—I leaned down and kissed her forehead. I held her tighter, overriding her resistance with steady warmth.
"You don't have to say anything. If it's too hard to talk about, then keep it buried for now. I'm okay. I really am. I'd rather never know the truth than have to watch you suffer like this."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I—Bronya is a coward. Bronya was afraid that you would leave her, and so she couldn't speak. Please... do not forgive Bronya."
"No, I will. I'm not just your boyfriend anymore; I'm your husband. Even if I can't process everything right now, I'll work until we can both look back at this one day and laugh it off. So for now, just cry. Cry until you can find your courage again."
At my words, my wife buried her face in my shoulder and let out a mournful, heart-wrenching sob.
She wouldn't normally show this much emotion. It wasn't just whatever secret she was hiding—the alcohol was definitely helping the dam break.
She cried for a long time, soaking the shoulder of my shirt, until exhaustion finally took over and she drifted off to sleep in my arms.
I looked at her with all the affection I could muster before laying her down on the bed and tucking her in. Then, I turned my attention back to Mei Senior.
Our conversation wasn't finished yet.
As if reading my mind, Mei shook her head.
"I'll stop here for today. The mood is ruined anyway, and I don't have the heart to keep going if it makes her cry like that."
"Wait, does my opinion not matter at all in this? Can't you just give up on the whole second wife idea?"
"I can't. I've been running toward this moment without rest, over and over again."
"I mean, you say you've been 'running' just to become a secondary spouse... it sounds dramatic when you put it that way. How much 'running' are we talking about?"
"Hmm... about eight trillion times?"
"...The joke has gone a bit too far. Eight trillion? That's not a number, that's a horror story."
"Isn't it?"
I shrugged it off.
Mei had only really started making moves on me recently. Eight trillion iterations? That was a massive exaggeration.
If we'd been through that much together, it would have been etched into my very soul by now.
Anticipating my disbelief, Mei smiled and whispered under her breath.
"...That's why love can be so terrifying in its own way, Captain."
"Huh? What did you say?"
She had spoken too softly for me to catch it. When I asked her to repeat herself, she simply placed a finger over her lips.
It was a gesture to be quiet so I wouldn't wake my sleeping wife, but why did it feel like something more?
It felt like she was guarding a secret.
"By the way, Senior... you know why my wife reacted like that, don't you?"
"Do you want to hear it?"
"No. I'd actually prefer it if you didn't tell anyone until my wife is ready to tell me herself."
Hearing my serious tone, Mei's expression softened into one of genuine respect.
"Of course, Captain. She's precious to me too."
"If you understand that, then about marrying me—"
"I'm absolutely going through with it. That's a separate issue."
"Tch. I thought I almost had you there."
She wasn't an easy one to crack. I let out a long sigh. Mei reached out and playfully pinched my cheek as if I were a cute child, her voice filled with a sudden, sharp conviction.
"Better prepare yourself, Captain. I can be incredibly persistent."
With that, she flashed that familiar, poised smile—the look of the reliable Senior she had always been.
* * * * *
'A Rainy Day.'
To her, this memory was like a faded photograph, bleached by time.
And yet, whenever it resurfaced, it remained hauntingly vivid.
It was back when her father, Raiden Ryoma, had been arrested following a scandal involving military supplies. In an instant, malicious rumors had begun to swirl around Massive Electric (ME) Corp and Mei herself.
The friends she once held dear turned their backs in the blink of an eye, sneering that she was just the daughter of a criminal who grew up on blood money. Even at the dojo, she realized that her sword instructor, the 'HOMU Sword Saint,' was merely a disguise her father used to stay close to her. Everything she thought she had was gone. She was utterly alone.
The cold stares of society, a shattered home, the betrayal and bullying from those she trusted most... it was like drowning. The malice didn't just leave invisible scars; it suffocated her, stealing the very air from her lungs.
And in that darkness, the young girl came to a realization.
—She had been nothing more than a crow with a piece of meat in its beak.
—The people around her were merely hyenas, waiting for her to drop it.
—The moment the meat was gone, they had no reason to stay.
"...Haa~"
The lunch bell rang, and as usual, the girl fled from the classroom to the rooftop.
Under a sky that threatened rain, ignoring the few lingering stares, she walked slowly toward a bench on the terrace and sat down.
The gloom above mirrored her heart perfectly. She placed her lunch box on her knees.
"...It tastes good."
Her voice was hollow, worn down by the constant weight of the malice she endured daily.
Truthfully, she couldn't even taste the food. But she had to eat. Without the strength from a meal, she wouldn't have the endurance to survive another hour in that building.
She forced herself to eat. She chewed and swallowed, meal after meal, sheerly out of spite.
"...Hic, ugh... *sniff*..."
It felt like a nightmare. She was learning the hard way how quickly a life could change—a lesson she would have preferred to never learn at all.
Then... *tap, pitter-patter.* A single drop hit her lunch box. Then another.
A sudden downpour erupted from the heavens.
She slowly looked up, letting the rain wash over her, a perfect metaphor for her own despair.
Was the water running down her face the rain?
Or was it her tears?
She closed her eyes and lowered her head. It didn't matter. No one cared enough to notice anyway.
She bit her lip, waiting for the cold to numb her, when a voice cut through the sound of the storm.
"...What are you doing? You're going to get soaked."
An unfamiliar voice reached her ears.
"...Leave me alone."
"Hmm~"
She flinched at her own sharp tone. She hadn't meant to be so aggressive.
The girl looked up to apologize for her rudeness, but before she could speak, something was draped over her head.
She blinked, realizing it was a school blazer.
Looking up further, she saw a boy with white hair and glasses that partially obscured his eyes.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to his eyes—they were a piercing, vibrant blue. They reminded her of a vast, clear sky, and for a moment, she was mesmerized, the darkness in her heart momentarily eclipsed by that brilliant blue.
"I wouldn't recommend standing in the rain. Catching a cold when you're already down is a miserable experience. But maybe I'm overstepping?"
He gave a wry smile, looking up as a ray of sunlight suddenly broke through the clouds.
The light bathed his back, making it look as if he were cutting through the darkness to find her. It was a sign, a silent promise that things were going to be okay.
He reached out his hand. She took it, slowly rising from the bench. It was the moment a new chapter of her life began.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were a senior!"
Later, upon finding out he was actually her junior, he had bowed deeply and apologized for being so forward.
Mei, who had become hyper-sensitive to the feelings of others, saw the sincerity in his eyes. For the first time in a long time, a genuine smile touched her lips.
With a burst of courage she didn't know she possessed, she reached out toward the bowing boy.
"Then... would you like to be friends?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. If you're okay with someone like me."
"I'm Raiden Mei. You can just call me Mei."
"Understood, Mei Senior."
"And your name?"
"My name is—"
The name he spoke in that moment was one she would never forget for as long as she lived.
"Mei Senior, did you have a good nap?"
"...Huh?"
On the way home.
Kiana and Bronya, both suffering from terrible hangovers, were in the back seat. Mei had taken the passenger seat next to him.
She had intended to keep him company while he drove.
But she must have dozed off. Realizing her seat had been reclined and a warm blanket was draped over her, she scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. I sat here to talk to you, and I ended up falling asleep."
"It's fine. You'll feel much better after a nap anyway."
Despite having an even harder time because of her actions the previous night, he was still prioritizing her well-being. A warm sensation spread through her chest.
It had to be him. It could only be him.
That was why she had gone through everything until now—no, there was no need to bring that up yet.
When the time finally came, she would call him by his name instead of 'Captain.'
"Captain."
"Yes?"
She leaned in close to his ear while he was focused on the road.
Her lips brushed against his earlobe as she let out a soft, playful sound of affection. *Chu, chu, chu.*
"I love you~"
"Ack?!"
He jumped, clutching his ear as her sweet voice rang through his head. Surprisingly, the car didn't swerve an inch.
He shot her a look of mock annoyance, his face turning a deep shade of crimson before he quickly looked back at the road.
The expression on her face wasn't her usual 'reliable older sister' mask. It was the beaming, radiant smile of a girl deeply in love.
Feeling his heart hammer against his ribs like a trapped bird, he flicked her forehead to hide his flustered state.
"Don't play jokes like that while I'm driving."
"It's not a joke, though."
She puffed out her cheeks, rubbing her forehead. He let out a small sigh, skillfully opening a water bottle with one hand and taking a long swig.
As the cold water calmed his nerves, a single thought crossed his mind.
Maybe, just maybe...