Chapter 89: Having a dinner party alone with my childhood friend who became my wife

Having a dinner party alone with my childhood friend who became my wife

A two-seater bench on the university campus.

I sat there, idly watching the passing students.

The dazzling afternoon sun mercilessly heated my sleepy body after class. The warm breeze of early summer brushed my cheeks, reminding me of the humid air of that school trip.

It’s been three years since I married Aya.

There have been many ups and downs in these three years, but looking back, it feels like it passed in the blink of an eye.

Announcing the pregnancy, going to university, starting cohabitation with her at the same time – at first, it was a tumultuous period. Aya’s family and her sister’s support were truly invaluable.

Hiroto-kun, upon learning about his sister’s pregnancy, was apparently very surprised but cheered me on, saying, “Well, you’ll be fine, won’t you?”

He said, “You’re like a brother to me… that hasn’t changed much from before” and I remember being quietly pleased.

When a healthy child was born, her father cried again and when he held his first grandchild, he laughed while crying, revealing that he was actually quite prone to tears.

Despite everything, Aya always seems happy, never letting her smile fade. Somehow, we managed to keep our promises to her parents.

A gentle breeze brought the scent of deep green.

Thinking vaguely that it smelled like Aya, I felt my pocket vibrate. Taking out my smartphone, it was a message from her.

“Sorry, gonna be a little late.”

The stamps sent repeatedly showed a pig in a tank top wiping sweat, apologizing with ‘gratitude’.

“This pig is new.”

Aya’s favorite stamps are already in their seventh series.

This work is hosted on mananovel.com

After entering university together for a while, Aya took a one-year leave of absence for child-rearing. Now she’s back and we’re both working together on university and childcare.

I continue to work while devoting time to household chores.

It’s not the day-and-night work life that intuition showed me before, but I think I’m coming home to Aya without making her anxious. So far, there have been no problems with earnings.

I fiddle with my smartphone and send her a reply.

“How’s Aki-chan?”

“She seemed perfectly fine.”

I breathe a sigh of relief at Aya’s reply.

Today, we’re leaving our child, Aki, with our family and spending some time alone as a couple for the first time in a while. My sister also has the day off and she’s going to take care of her for us.

It’s genuinely reassuring to have her encouraging me to enjoy some intimate time.

These three years have been a whirlwind, with little opportunity to spend time alone with Aya. Of course… time for sex, too. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Thinking about that instinctively makes my crotch swell. I’m still a healthy adult male. Please forgive me for getting excited about my long-awaited tryst with Aya.

As I ponder excuses for who the conversation might be about, I hear a young man’s voice from the bench next to me.

“Wow, that’s super sexy! Have you already done it?”

“Well, sort of.”

The younger-looking man peeks at the smartphone of the man who lazily responds. Judging from the atmosphere, they’re probably talking about a girl they like.

“Introduce me to her next time.”

“Sure, I was going to invite you to our club next time.”

“Oh, so we’ll share her with everyone?”

“Hey, you, your ideas are too vulgar.”

“Huh? Wait, didn’t she say she already has a boyfriend?”

“Oh, I’ll just steal her away.”

“Wow… as expected, Senpai, you’re still the same. Truly a beast.”

“No, you’re making me sound too bad. In my case, it’s all consensual.”

It’s a somewhat dangerous conversation. But strangely, I can’t help but listen in.

The senpai student had short black hair and a piercing, tall figure.

His attire, which matched his height without being overly ostentatious, exuded simplicity, cleanliness and a sense of fashion. Despite having a slender silhouette, he had a muscular physique.

I understand why such a guy would be popular, given his atmosphere.

I sneak a glance at his shoes, wondering which brand they are, when the younger man says something that catches my attention.

“Can I invite Nanto to the club?”

“Oh, Nanto Aya?”

“Yeah. Senpai, you were really into her for a while, right?”

“…was I?”

“Well, I’ve had a crush on her for a while too, but I happened to see her on campus the other day. She was as cute as ever.”

“Oh, that chest is unfair. She’s solidly in second place in my rankings.”

I feel strangely relieved that she’s not in first place. Well, it’s still unpleasant, but.

“Who’s in first place?”

“The gravure idol, that girl. What was her name again…”

The name that came from the younger man was that of an idol who is currently rising in popularity. She’s quite famous, even I know her.

So, in essence, Aya would be the top-ranked girl on campus.

I sighed and picked up on the conversation between the two on the bench.

“It’s exciting to see her occasionally in class. But it seems like she doesn’t come to the university much, so she’s a super rare character.”

“She took a year off during her freshman year and just returned to school recently.”

“Wow, you’re well informed. Did you exchange contact information?”

“No, I tried to. But that girl doesn’t do social media or anything.”

“Her pictures aren’t even on the university’s hidden site. Ah, let’s invite her to a drinking party next time.”

As I listened to their conversation, I finally identified the brand of the senpai’s shoes. It was a trendy high-end brand for men and it seemed quite pricey.

“Huh.”

Now, what to do?

I sighed softly.

This feeling is nostalgic, I thought. When I first entered university, it was much tougher. I was constantly attracting the attention of various men and invitations to clubs and events were endless.

I tried to be with Aya on campus as much as possible and when asked, I declared that she was my girlfriend. Fortunately, she had always been bad with social media and advised against giving out contact information indiscriminately, so there was no chance of any weird connections being made.

Even so, approaches from various men continued until she took her leave of absence.

I even thought about changing her student records to have the same surname as mine, but I endured it because being a student newlywed couple would attract attention in a different way.

I thought it would become a burden for Aya if we stood out in a strange way.

But now, maybe I can openly declare that we’re married.

“I’m not inviting Nanto Aya.”

“Huh? Why not, Senpai, you can definitely take it to a good place.”

“I tried to invite her a while ago. Then her boyfriend…”

“Huh, does she have a boyfriend? Well, that makes sense, she’s that cute. But if it’s you, Senpai, you might have a chance.”

“That’s impossible. Ryuji-kun is scary.”

“Ryuji-kun… is he her boyfriend?”

“Yeah. He’s a really good guy.”

It seems they haven’t noticed the person in question sitting on the bench next to them yet. Apparently, I’m still blending into the green scenery.

That senpai was, if I recall correctly, the third person to approach Aya at university. At that time, I gently conveyed to him that she had a boyfriend, so please don’t pursue her. I think I managed to be friendly about it.

“Ugh, is it also not okay to invite her for drinks?”

“You… I don’t care what happens to you. And if you like girls with big breasts, I’ll introduce you to someone else next time.”

“Really! I’m quite picky about breasts. Size is important, but I also care a lot about shape and balance.”

“I’ll bring you a girl who fits your taste next time.”

“As expected of Senpai… How do you get so popular?”

“You just have to act calmly.”

I agree only with those words. If you want to get the girl you like, you just have to act calmly.

“Hey there, sorry to keep you waiting.”

From the corner of my eye, the cutest girl in the university appeared.

“Well, it was worth the wait.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Aya chuckled.

She had a well-defined face with a hint of makeup, giving off a feeling between a cute girl and a beautiful woman. Her round eyes were large and she smiled happily.

Her short hair had grown just a little, closer to a short bob. Her once bright brown hair was now a darker shade. The reason she didn’t bleach it anymore was because her natural hair color was originally this shade and it was also why she started dyeing her hair in the first place.

Perhaps because she was wearing a slightly oversized deep green T-shirt tucked into loose jeans, her ample chest was emphasized. As I found myself staring, I heard a whisper from the guy next to me.

“Wow, it’s Nanto-san… oh man.”

“Oh, it’s Ryuji-kun.”

While the younger man was excited, the senpai’s voice sounded a little afraid.

I instinctively stood up and turned my back to them, as if to hide Aya from their view.

“Huh? Aren’t you… Bo… no, aren’t you an acquaintance of Ryuji’s?”

“No, I don’t really know him.”

I gently grabbed Aya’s shoulder as she tried to peek out and pulled her back to her original position. I switched the topic of conversation.

“Was Aki-chan okay until night?”

“Yeah, today, grandpa, grandma and Hiroto are here, and Kaede-san is also here. Aki-chan really loves Kaede-san.”

“That’s good. If she feels lonely, we can go pick her up.”

“Yeah… but I’m looking forward to it.”

“When was the last time it was just me and Aya spending time together?”

She furrowed her brows, thinking.

“Umm… I don’t remember. It’s been a while.”

“Actually, you didn’t need to come all the way to the university to pick me up.”

“It was on the way to shopping. Besides, it’s just that… um…”

Aya bit her lower lip, hiding her eyes behind the cap’s brim.

“I’m happy it feels like a date.”

Taking her stuttered words, I looked at her blushing face.

“Yeah, me too.”

Glancing behind me, I noticed that the two men on the bench were no longer there. Aya’s smile, the kind that made me want to hold her tight, remained unseen by anyone.

- - -

We strolled through the shopping street near the nearest station. Along the way, she bought a pair of mugs. Matching in green and red, she sparkled, saying, “Aren’t these just like us?” It struck me in both my chest and groin.

It’s been quite a while since Aya and I went shopping together alone. Would we appear to others as a college couple or a married couple? Well, either way, it’s a happy thing.

After walking for a while, we passed by the familiar batting center.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t swung in a while”, Aya said, listening to the crisp sound of batting while muttering something like a retired baseball player.

“Shall we go next time?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve competed, Boyan.”

With the nickname I hadn’t heard in a while, my chest warmed.

Perhaps it’s because I hadn’t seen this kind of childhood friend-like attitude recently, but I felt an inexplicable sense of nostalgia.

She wore a spirited expression, trying to look defiant by raising one eyebrow, which was amusing.

“Aya can hit 130 kilometers easily”, I said.

“You should hit too, Boyan.”

Please don’t say reckless things. Unlike her, who has good athletic ability, I’m hopeless when it comes to ball games.

As I absentmindedly stared at the home run target from outside, Aya suddenly stopped.

“Do you remember? When you took me to the beach for our first date, we came here together.”

“I remember. Aya hit a home run that day and I treated her to lemon soda to celebrate.”

“Yeah, hitting a home run felt amazing.”

Both she and I remembered every detail. Doing this brings back the excitement of that first overnight date.

“I remember feeling a little nervous back then”, Aya muttered, seemingly reminiscing about that day.

“About the date?”

“Yeah… I was nervous about going on my first date with you and especially staying overnight… I was worried about whether I could be girlfriend-like enough, or if you’d be disappointed, or what if our relationship changed… I was anxious about a lot of things since morning.”

“…I didn’t know that. You were always in such high spirits.”

“I agonized over what to wear, too. If I wore something too girly, it might seem too much, or maybe it wouldn’t be to your liking… In the end, I just wore my usual clothes.”

I vaguely remember her saying, “I forgot to iron it after washing.”

“Sorry, I didn’t notice at all. I was so happy about our date and seeing you looking so cute when you arrived.”

“Hehe, you said I was cute, Boyan. I was really happy.”

Aya smiled, squinting her eyes.

“You invited me to the batting center, so I was able to relax… I got really into it, but you kept smiling at me the whole time.”

“I found it amusing to see Aya struggling for once. And you improved so much.”

I couldn’t say I was mesmerized by her chest bouncing every time she swung the bat.

“Thanks to you, I had a great time. When I hit a home run and saw how happy it made you, I realized I don’t need to worry about being a girlfriend and I can just be myself. It made me feel so much more at ease.”

“I wanted to see Aya getting all nervous for once, though.”

Teasingly, she furrowed her brows and raised one eyebrow, giving me a “What was that?” look.

“But no matter what kind of Aya, I love you.”

Still wearing a stern expression, she shyly looked down, biting her lower lip. Her murmured “thank you” was cute. I love this side of her too.

Then, Aya chuckled.

“I want to go to the beach again sometime.”

“Let’s go to that love hotel again someday. I want to see Aya get excited in the bath.”

“You were excited too, Boyan.”

“I meant because of you, Aya.”

I calmly told her, trying to embarrass her again. Then Aya looked at me with a longing gaze.

“…even now?”

This is dangerous. My whole body felt like it was boiling in an instant.

“Always.”

I managed to keep calm somehow and successfully made her cheeks blush again.

As we approached the residential area where the number of shops decreased, Aya stopped again and said, “Oh, we’re out of alcohol.”

“Should I go buy some? You can head back first, Aya.”

“Ugh, okay, thanks Ryuji. Then I’ll start simmering the hamburger steak.”

It seems like today’s main dish is simmered hamburger steak. Ever since I tasted her homemade dish on Valentine’s Day, it has become my favorite.

“Is sparkling wine okay?”

“Uh-huh, sparklin wine is perfect.”

Aya joyfully exclaimed with a playful voice. I won’t correct her mispronunciation of “sparkling” to “sparklin” because it’s amusing.

The first time she tried alcohol, she drank sparkling wine brought by my sister. Since then, whenever she thinks of alcohol, it’s always this particular one.

With her suddenly heightened spirits, I ran to the nearby convenience store while waving at her.

Carrying the convenience store bag, I walked through the familiar residential area. It’s the route I used to take to school since my student days. Along that street, a white apartment building came into view.

It’s a newly built two-bedroom apartment for rent. We live on the third floor of a five-story apartment building. It’s conveniently located halfway between the nearest station and Aya’s parents’ house, close to both the university and my parents’ house.

Entering the entrance, I pressed the intercom of room 305.

“Hellooo.”

Her usual cheerful voice came through the speaker and the auto-lock door opened. Although we could enter using keys without bothering with the intercom, we usually announce our return like this.

Taking the elevator down to the third floor, as soon as we reached the end of the corridor, the door to our apartment opened as if on cue.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, Ryuji.”

Aya greeted me with a smile. She had changed into a white inner shirt with a plunging neckline and gray shorts, revealing attire. Perhaps she was in the middle of cooking as she had a pink apron draped around her neck.

Aya eagerly opened the door, causing my gaze to inevitably wander to her ample cleavage.

Suppressing the urge to bury my face in her ample bosom, I pushed her inside.

“I’m home, Aya.”

This time, I whispered gently as I hugged the defenseless Aya. It’s become a daily routine for me to savor the soft sensation and enjoy her scent by burying my nose in the back of her head.

“Welcome back.”

Aya also nuzzled against my chest, sniffing around. Perhaps because it’s just the two of us today, our hug at the entrance lasts longer than usual.

“Aya, I’ve told you many times, but you shouldn’t open the door dressed like that.”

“I only do it when you’re here, Ryuji. It’s embarrassing.”

It’s not about being embarrassed.

It seems she gets careless when I’m around. Once, when a courier came, she tried to put on my hoodie before going out. Since it’s a long hoodie, when Aya wears it, it looks like she’s not wearing anything underneath. I remember stopping her in a panic.

“Oh, I forgot the simmering.”

Aya suddenly remembered and headed back to the kitchen.

I also walked through the entrance and down the hallway. As I entered the living room, a soothing scent filled the air.

Whenever I’m enveloped in this fragrance, I feel like I’m home. I’ve longed for this… a home where my family waits for me.

The living room, spacious enough for the three of us, receives plenty of sunlight. There’s not much furniture, giving it a neat and tidy appearance. It looks cluttered yet organized, just like Aya’s room.

Next to the sofa, there’s a thin bamboo stalk with three strips of paper hanging from it. One of them has “I wish I had a little brother or sister” written in my handwriting. Since Akito can’t write yet, I wrote the wish for him.

I placed the wine bottle on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen.

A sweet sauce and meaty aroma wafted from the deep frying pan. Aya was humming as she poured sauce over the simmered hamburger steak.

“It looks delicious.”

I hugged her from behind. Aya let out a ticklish sound, then turned off the stove.

“It’s almost ready, so wait a bit. Why don’t you take a bath first?”

Though it’s a line I hear often, it feels oddly thrilling today. Perhaps it’s because Aya’s hair seems wet and I catch a whiff of shampoo from her nape. She must have showered before I got home. My loins throb at the thought that preparations for sex are underway.

Pressing my hardened member against her waist, I reach out to her unprotected cleavage. When I lightly massage her braless breasts from above the apron, she moans softly and gently pinches my hand.

“If you keep going, you’ll disrupt the cooking. You were already scolded for that once.”

“I’ll go take a shower.”

“Ugh… Ryuji, you’re such a tease.”

It’s troublesome when she reverts to calling me by nicknames when the atmosphere gets erotic. Suppressing the urge to take advantage of the flushed Aya, I headed to the bathroom.

“Sigh…”

I sighed as I cooled off in the lukewarm water, pinching my cheeks to confirm that this isn’t a dream.

Married life with Aya, something I’ve dreamed of. I thought I’d get used to it after three years, but even now, I feel overwhelmed by her cuteness. Despite being erotic enough as it is, today, I feel even more aroused. I can’t help but want to indulge in Aya, who seems willing to accept anything.

“Don’t get carried away.”

I muttered the self-restraint I’ve repeated hundreds of times and finished washing before stepping out.