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Chapter 293: Nine Wives, A Sleepless Night Ahead
🕑 Added 2025-04-17 10:47:38 +0000 UTC[The announcement of your engagement sent shockwaves through your fanbase.]
[Your fans were outraged—claiming that 'Sugar,' a completely unknown, bottom-tier writer, wasn't worthy of the already famous author 'Nami.']
[Meanwhile, her fans insisted that Minami was the one unworthy of their beloved writer.]
[Chaos erupted between the two camps.]
[That was… until they saw the magazine photos of you and her together.]
[At that moment, all arguments ceased.]
[Because neither side had ever seen a couple so perfectly matched.]
[Just from the way you looked at each other—the warmth in your gazes—they already knew. There was no point in arguing.]
[Blessings flooded in.]
[The engagement of authors 'Nami' and 'Sugar' quickly became a trending topic on Japanese Twitter, swiftly climbing to the top three.]
[But deciding to get married wasn't just between you and her.]
[You also consulted Kessoku Band, LycoReco, Shinjo Akane, and Futaba Rio.]
[Their response was unanimous.]
[They all told you the same thing: they had already waited too long for this.]
[And they wanted you to start preparing for the wedding immediately after graduation.]
[That year, Tokyo's beloved rock band, Kessoku Band, announced a one-year hiatus.]
[That year, the highly popular Tokyo café, LycoReco, temporarily closed its doors for a year.]
[That year, Shinjo Akane Productions—the tokusatsu company founded with your financial backing—also went on hiatus after producing several nationally beloved shows.]
[That year, Futaba Rio, the brilliant physicist who had been pushing high-level theoretical research forward, announced a temporary departure from the scientific field…]
[Each of these announcements, on its own, would have been major news in its respective industry.]
[But spread across different fields, they became small, unrelated footnotes.]
[Before the wedding, you suggested taking a road trip across Japan together.]
[The girls had no objections.]
[After years of dedicating themselves to their respective fields, this year, they just wanted to take a break—for themselves.]
[Your journey began with a road trip to the northernmost point of Japan—Cape Soya. Along the way, you even took a ferry.]
[There, you felt the gentle spring breeze as the sun set, standing before the monument marked 'The Northernmost Point of Japan' with Hokkaido's emblem engraved upon it.]
[In the golden dusk, you and your fiancée held each other close and shared a kiss.]
[After resting there for a while—especially to fix a minor issue with the car—you set off once again, heading south to Okinawa for summer. The contrast between the endless blue sea and the shadowed islands was striking. You watched the summer fireworks festival over the ocean.]
[As orange fireworks bloomed in the night sky, you caught sight of the delicate hair ornaments adorning your fiancées' heads. But rather than the dazzling fireworks, it was the way they smiled beneath them that truly captured your attention.]
[Without lingering too long, you continued driving, the journey pressing on…]
[Finally, in autumn, when the maple leaves had turned crimson, you arrived at a valley in Gunma Prefecture—a place with a fitting name: Agatsuma Valley.]
[Scarlet leaves drifted down, some landing gently atop your fiancées' heads, adding an indescribable charm to their beauty.]
[You ended up staying there longer than planned, mostly because the wild vegetables in the mountains had ripened. Yamada Ryo, self-proclaimed expert in foraging, insisted on leaving you all with a lesson in wild plant identification.]
[By the time you left Agatsuma Valley, the vibrant autumn foliage had been replaced by a blanket of white snow.]
[The entire landscape was wrapped in snow as you headed for your final destination—Mount Fuji.]
[Though the snowfall wasn't heavy, your fiancées still bundled up in thick winter coats. From your perspective, all you could see were their chubby, gloved hands poking out of oversized sleeves, making them look like little penguins who had just escaped from Antarctica.]
[You gently brushed the snow off their shoulders before following the local guide onto the trail.]
[Mount Fuji is divided into ten climbing stations from base to summit.]
[You began your ascent at noon and by six in the evening, you reached the Fifth Station—the highest point recommended for visitors.]
[By the time you arrived, the sky had darkened… Against the deep indigo sky, the stars twinkled like scattered diamonds. All you had to do was tilt your head slightly, and there they were—morning stars shining above.]
[In that moment, time and space seemed to fade into insignificance.]
[Simply gazing up at this breathtaking night sky, you could feel your soul merging with the vastness of nature.]
[Only then did you finally turn to look at Satou beside you, smiling.]
[And as if she had sensed your gaze, she turned to you with a soft smile of her own.]
"You really kept your promise, Minami-senpai."
Taking a small sip of warm tea as she waited for the restaurant to serve their meal, Satou gazed at Minami.
Her voice was filled with emotion.
Because he really had kept his promise.
He had once told her—
That he would take her on a ride, feel the spring breeze at dusk, witness the summer fireworks over the sea, watch the autumn clouds drift over the maple leaves, and stand beneath the winter stars atop the mountains.
"Though I didn't take you on a motorcycle, I still drove us on this road trip."
Minami said with a lighthearted chuckle.
"Even so… this is more than enough."
His fiancée smiled softly.
Yes.
Minami had said he would do it.
And he really had.
That was all that mattered.
That alone was enough to move her.
That alone was enough to make her feel—
"Unbelievably happy…"
She murmured, then turned her head toward the sky once more.
This time—
She wasn't alone, drifting through life in a haze.
This time, she was surrounded by friends, by the ones she cherished—
And she stood beside Minami, gazing up at the same Mount Fuji night sky.
That was enough.
For the first time, her face showed pure, untainted happiness.
Not just because she had seen the Fuji she longed for.
But because of the people standing beside her.
[After taking in the night view of Mount Fuji, you had no intention of lingering on the mountain. With the guide leading the way, your descent was smooth and uneventful.]
[And as you stood with your fiancées at the base of the mountain trail…]
[An indescribable sense of regret began to well up inside you.]
[Because standing here meant that your year-long journey was coming to an end.]
[Even though the feeling of longing was impossible to ignore…]
[A single piece of news quickly lifted your fiancées' spirits once more.]
[Your parents had already prepared the wedding banquet… and without realizing it, your wedding day had finally arrived.]
[Due to the large number of brides—and their differing tastes—the wedding preparations took a full three months.]
[For example, Yamada Ryo wanted a rock-themed Western-style wedding. She refused to wear a traditional white dress, instead opting for a men's rock-style tuxedo she had specially prepared for the occasion.]
[Meanwhile, Inoue Takina, who had a more traditional nature, disliked Western white gowns. After much deliberation, she finally decided on a classic white kimono for her wedding attire.]
[But the most extreme of them all was Nishikigi Chisato.]
[Always eccentric by nature, she chose a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony—requiring a custom-made phoenix coronet and red silk robe. She even insisted on following through with the entire bowing ritual.]
[As for Gotoh Hitori, Ijichi Nijika, Kita Ikuyo, Shinjo Akane, and Futaba Rio, they all had their own unique requests as well.]
[Shinjo Akane wanted a tokusatsu-themed wedding.]
[Futaba Rio wanted the ceremony to have an academic atmosphere.]
[Gotoh Hitori dreamed of a deeply romantic wedding.]
[Ijichi Nijika preferred a simple, budget-friendly ceremony, while Kita Ikuyo wanted to invite all of her many friends to attend.]
[After all, marriage was a once-in-a-lifetime event. None of them wanted to settle for anything less than their ideal ceremony.]
[And you? You fulfilled every one of their requests.]
[An array of wedding outfits you had never seen before all appeared at once.]
[Your wives were breathtakingly beautiful, and you certainly enjoyed the sight—but at the same time, you also experienced firsthand the suffering of a dress-up doll.]
[Because of their differing choices, you had to constantly change outfits to match each of them for their respective wedding photos.]
[Every suit fit you perfectly, but after ten days of nonstop photoshoots, you were utterly exhausted.]
[Your sisters, Shouji Yuuko and Naomi, had no sympathy for you. In fact, Naomi openly took pleasure in your suffering—after all, with so many stunningly beautiful wives, even she, as a fellow woman, felt a twinge of jealousy.]
[You didn't mind her teasing. In fact, you waved her off with a smug grin, telling her to go ahead and be jealous—after all, there was no way she could ever match up to Tokyo's No.1 Pretty Boy.]
[She was irritated by your arrogance, but after thinking it over, she realized she had no way to argue back. In the end, she could only swallow her frustration.]
[First, under the witness of Kessoku Band's parents, you held the wedding ceremony with the members of Kessoku Band.]
[Then, at LycoReco, under the watchful eyes of Mika, Kurumi, and Mizuki, you held your wedding with Inoue Takina and Nishikigi Chisato. The contrast between Takina's pure white kimono and Chisato's vibrant red Chinese wedding robe was striking—yet both ceremonies exuded an elegant, dignified beauty that left everyone in awe.]
[Karasawa Yuka bore witness to your tokusatsu-themed wedding with Shinjo Akane. The event even featured professional suit actors performing an impromptu battle between a hero and a kaiju.]
[Futaba Rio, ever the scientist, presented a detailed chart during her wedding ceremony, analyzing the scientific reasoning behind why she had fallen in love with you.]
[Among all these unique ceremonies, Satou's wedding was the simplest.]
[She only invited two guests—Matsuzaka Sayuri, the woman who had raised her, and her longtime friend Shouko Hida.]
[During the ceremony, dressed in a pure white wedding gown, she approached Matsuzaka Sayuri.]
[Now past forty, Sayuri couldn't help but feel a deep sense of guilt as she looked at her niece. Though many years had passed, seeing Satou again brought back a wave of regret.
[She opened her mouth, intending to apologize—only to be stopped by Satou's gentle smile.]
[Satou told her that she had already forgiven her long ago.]
[Even if Sayuri had been the cause of her emotional deficiency… it was still an undeniable fact that Sayuri had raised and cared for her.]
[With those words, Satou lowered herself and gently grasped Sayuri's hands.]
[Her once delicate, fair hands were now rough and worn from years of labor.]
[Feeling a pang of sorrow, Satou stroked Sayuri's palms, knowing how much she had sacrificed. From now on, it was Satou's turn to take care of her.]
[Without hesitation, without overthinking, she spoke—calling Sayuri "Mother" for the first time]
[Sayuri's eyes widened in disbelief. And then—her deep blue irises filled with tears she could no longer hold back.]
[She pulled Satou into an embrace, whispering her gratitude.]
[At that moment, the wall between them finally crumbled.]
[Watching from the side, you felt a deep sense of relief.]
[After the ceremony, Matsuzaka Sayuri sought you out. She asked if you could take care of Satou in her place—because she had failed to do so herself.]
[You didn't hesitate for even a moment before nodding.]
[You were her husband, and she was your wife. Taking care of each other was only natural.]
[But at the same time, you had a request of your own.]
[You asked Sayuri to come live with you.]
[A single woman living alone in Tokyo was too difficult—especially since she had nothing beyond her part-time job.]
[Sayuri hesitated. But faced with the persistent pleading of your wives, she finally agreed.]
[With that, all the individual wedding ceremonies had come to an end.]
[But beyond these, there was still one final ceremony—the grand wedding.]
[This time, there were no special requests. Every single one of them wore a different style of white wedding dress.]
[At the wedding banquet, their lightly made-up faces radiated beauty.]
[Standing beside them, you gazed at them with admiration.]
[For that night, you made a special request to the kitchen. You had them prepare an array of dishes—goji berries, oysters, leeks, and various other ingredients known to enhance stamina…]
[After all, you were fully aware—
[Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.]
[For both you and your wives…]
