Chapter 23: Reality of Marriage

"Hah..." He let out an exhausted sigh when his girlfriend asked, "Where are you off to, huh?" Her voice was still sweet and had a touch of horror in it.

He was no stranger to handling women, but this situation was throwing him off. It felt more like a married couple thing, which is what his relationship with her had evolved into. The only difference was that they had skipped all the administrative and wedding ceremonies. But that didn't matter to him. He wasn't the type to hide behind legal documents and deny the reality of having a wife and beautiful children.

"Oh, I see~~~ you're too busy with your job, huh? Or are you just hyped to see those adorable female students and can't contain yourself? How adorable..."

His wife's skepticism hung in the air behind him. He paused in his tracks, contemplating what to do.

A. "I'm busy." 

B. "I'm in a hurry, let's talk later." 

C. "I gotta go for some milk. See ya!" 

D. He turned back and kissed her.

And he chose D.

'Cool.'

He nodded earnestly, knowing he was still new to this whole husband thing.

Meanwhile, Ai was clearly annoyed with him, and to wake him up to reality, she threw a slipper at him!

Minoru's eyes widened, and his instincts kicked in! The slipper was heading his way, slow enough for him to dodge, but he wondered why she always aimed for his butt.

Squish!

The slipper smacked his butt, but luckily, it was a cute bunny slipper that didn't do any harm, even though his rear still ached from the bullet wound.

He glanced back at Ai, who had her arms crossed, and her gaze told him, "Come here, or else..."

As he approached her, he decided to go in for a hug.

"You know what? Don't think you can get away with just hugging me!"

Minoru released her and looked into her eyes.

"I'm not."

And he kissed her.

"Mnn~! Alright, that's enough!"

Her anxiety was overwhelming, and she didn't think it was the right time for a kiss. Minoru sensed her unease.

"I assume this is related to what Ruby talked about?"

"Yes, it is."

"Then you don't have to worry. I give you my word that I'm a loyal man..."

Seeing his serious expression, Ai felt relieved, but she was no fool.

"Ahem! Look, Minoru-kun. Our situation is pretty unique, right? We can't legally get married yet. And it's not just that I'm worried you might change your mind, but I'm also concerned about OUR kids. So, I'm not just gonna take your word for it without some solid guarantees, ya know?"

Ai tried to recall Miyako's advice about binding him to her because she had said that a man like him was a treasure that women seek. She agreed with Miyako's advice, but in her happiness, she had forgotten all about it. Fortunately, her daughter was sharp and brought up the topic at the perfect time.

"I'm aware..."

"That's good. You should be aware that you're quite the catch, Minoru-kun. You know plenty of girls will be checking you out, drooling."

Minoru chuckled.

"Okay, so if I quit my job to dodge that mess, would you be willing to do the same?"

At Minoru's question, Ai frowned at him.

"Whaaaat!? Why would you even write that song, then? It'll be even harder for me to retire if we succeed!"

"You're right about that..."

Ai playfully smacked his chest but stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened as she realized her situation was far different from his. For her, Minoru was a teacher, and while he was handsome, the relationship between a teacher and a student was still taboo. On the other hand, Ai was an idol, an entertainer with a massive fan following and plenty of men eyeing her.

"A-Ah..."

She regretted her harsh words. Ai looked down, clutching her left hand to stop it from trembling. Shit. He just touched a sensitive spot.

"I'm sorry. I understand that your career means a lot to you. I shouldn't have asked that question. You're entitled to complain about anything since you're my woman. So, feel free to do so."

"No, I'm the one who's been tough on you. I'm sorry for my harsh words."

She lied, and Minoru could see through it. She put on a facade, making it seem like everything was fine.

He glanced at his wristwatch, realizing he still had some time.

It was 7:28 AM. The welcome ceremony was scheduled to start at 11, but he needed to arrive at 9 to oversee the event and the student council. Yet, he couldn't just leave Ai in this state, Minoru thought...

'I need to come up with something, or else... our family will fuck up.'

"Minoru-kun, you can go now..."

With a warm smile that concealed her true feelings, Ai gazed at Minoru.

"...I'm sorry for holding you back on your first day. I'm a terrible girlfriend, aren't I?"

"No, you're wrong. Anyway, wait here."

"U-Uh, um..."

She was puzzled as Minoru dropped his briefcase and headed up the stairs, presumably to his room. But why? What concerned her more was...

"Okay, how about you two come out?"

Ai smiled at the twins, who were hiding somewhere. However, there was no response from them. Her raised left brow revealed her skepticism as they seemed confident in their hiding skills and underestimated their mommy's sixth sense.

"Sigh..."

Ai took out her last slipper.

"I said, come out!"

Aqua and Ruby stifled their breath, feeling a chill run down their spines.

---

He strolled into his private bedroom, a place off-limits to anyone but him. In the dimly lit room, he unearthed his secret stash - items that held his deepest secrets.

Among them, was a DNA test result that left no room for doubt, pointing directly to a milk run or child support, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Then, he retrieved a small, weathered wooden box and opened it, emotions weighing him down.

"It's been a while."

Inside, a pair of plain, silver wedding rings, once worn by his parents who had tragically perished in a plane crash, rested. It had taken him years to reclaim these rings. Frankly, he had never envisioned using them, let alone passing them on to someone else.

He recollected the day when, as a toddler, he didn't even know who the fuck his parents were. They held him tightly as the plane plummeted before crashing into the mountains below. When he had come to, wracked with pain, he had seen his parents crushed by plane debris, much like deadly throwing knives.

He lost his new parents and gained a different kind of life, one that forced him into servitude under the Ruska Bratva. Helpless as a three-year-old, he had watched those rings taken away by the heavily armed adult.

He chuckled wryly, gazing at the rings that had been his link to the past. They were a reminder of the hardships he'd faced as he suddenly found himself a toddler in a harsh world, forced to fight for survival until he became known as the deadliest of them all.

With a deep breath, he refocused and headed back to Ai, who patiently waited for him.

---

As he descended the stairs, Ai hurriedly approached him, her face etched with worry. She swiftly picked up his leather briefcase and ushered Minoru toward the elevator.

"Minoru-kun, let's go."

Minoru nodded, glimpsed Aqua and Ruby in their school uniforms, and waved goodbye as they vanished from view.

"Ooohh! Mama kicked him out. Kekek..."

Ruby was totally pumped. Seeing that, Aqua just shook his head, kinda amused.

Ai dragged Minoru over to the elevator when she panted, "Hey, we'll chat later... hahhh! You're heavy! I'm kinda freaked out because of me, you might be late for work."

Minoru grinned, getting in on their little game of "My adorable wife pushing me to work 'cause she's scared I'll get canned thanks to her cute jealousy."

"No, it's fine. Trust me. If you don't stop me, I'll be at school an hour earlier than the student council and my colleague I'm supposed to meet today. Anyway, we've got plenty of time to spare."

Ai pouted, thinking that her man was a bit extreme in various ways. She shook her head, deciding not to act too tough on him. She trusted Minoru.

"Okay. Here."

Minoru accepted his briefcase but set it on the floor because he'd deal with it later.

"Ai..."

Suddenly, his tone became serious, making Ai nervous.

"W-What?"

"I know this is sudden, but are you satisfied with me?"

She tilted her head and closed her eyes as she contemplated the question.

"Well, yes, I am. But why that question? You should be asking if I love you or not, right?"

Minoru smirked.

"My bad, my question had that in it."

"Haha! How cunning!" Then she playfully closed her eyes, crossed her arms with pride, and wore a crafty smile, "Of course, I am!"

Considering all he did for her, wasn't it obvious? When she peeked through her right eye, she was shocked, her eyes widening as Minoru suddenly knelt before her.

"Listen. I can't stand how our relationship is so... damn confusing. We basically act like a married couple. So..."

Ai gasped when Minoru presented a wooden box. When it opened, it revealed a pair of silver rings. Her eyes sparkled as a surge of happiness washed over her.

"How about we become one?"

Ai had to suppress a "KYAA!" shout to avoid startling the twins, so she nodded silently and extended her right hand. Minoru smiled and placed his mother's ring on her finger.

"It fits perfectly."

Minoru nodded, realizing that his mother and Ai were not that different.

"Whoooa!" Ai looked at the ring, fascinated. "Okay, now it's my turn!"

Minoru stood up, and Ai retrieved a larger ring. As she humorously knelt, Minoru held her tightly.

"Hold up, a lady don't do that to a man."

"Ehhhhhh~? Is that so? Ahaha~"

She slowly placed the ring on his right ring finger.

"Don't lose the ring. It's priceless to me."

Ai pouted and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're not gonna tell me this ring cost, right? Can you stop wasting money?"

"Honestly, it's pretty budget-friendly for my liking. But... these belonged to my parents. So..."

His smile conveyed more than words could. She hugged him tightly, apologizing.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. It means we had no expenses on wedding rings."

She playfully smacked him for making a joke but then pulled him closer again.

"L-Let's kiss."

"Heh... just do it."

Ai blushed profusely as she wasn't used to using such adult words. Nevertheless, they kissed, and with that, Minoru gave himself a thumbs up, knowing he'd secured his retirement plan.

Ting!

"Excuse m— Ahh..."

Miyako arrived at Minoru's penthouse to pick up Ai and the twins but was taken aback by the unexpected sight before her. The awkward part was that they didn't even notice Miyako's presence as they continued to kiss passionately. With a mix of awkwardness and sadness, Miyako hit the elevator's close button.

---

A/N:

I'm sorry for how suck the update is. Got stuff to do, lol. Anyway, hope you like it! And stones this shit.