Kyouko leaned back in her chair, staring blankly at the kitchen wall. Her thighs pressed together—not from the cold, but from the craving that still burned inside her.
She closed her eyes.
How long had it been since she last felt her husband's penis inside her?
She couldn't even remember the sensation anymore—how he felt.
"Haa…" Kyouko sighed again, deeper this time. She didn't want some romantic evening. She didn't need hours of passion.
Just five minutes.
Just push inside her.
Or use his fingers.
Just enough to quiet the ache between her legs and in her chest.
"Is it really that hard…?" she whispered to no one.
"What's so difficult about it?" Kyouko muttered under her breath. "He could've just swallowed a pill and taken care of it... stupid old man."
Frustrated, she grabbed her coffee and headed toward the backyard. The night air was cool and calm—almost enough to settle her nerves. Almost.
But the moment she slid open the door and stepped outside, she paused.
Haruki was already there, sitting quietly on the bench, gazing up at the stars. He looked peaceful… and alone.
Kyouko blinked, turned silently, and walked back inside.
Why was he outside? Didn't Satomi call him to their room?
And why was he alone now?
She poured a second cup of coffee.
I don't know what happened, but I think Haruki might need coffee, she thought, smiling softly.
Then, without much thought, she stepped outside again, coffee in hand.
Haruki sat quietly on the bench, his eyes lifted toward the starry sky. The night was calm, but his mind was anything but.
He felt restless, trying now to calm himself down.
He remembered when he'd reached for Satomi earlier, hoping for intimacy. But again, he'd heard the same excuse he'd been hearing for months.
"I'm tired!"
Haruki looked up at the sky, focusing on the stars, trying to calm his frustration.
Then he heard it.
The sliding door behind him opened.
"Kyouko?" He turned.
She stepped out barefoot, wearing light cotton pajamas that hugged her curves. The fabric stretched across her chest—thin enough that he could see the outline of her nipples pressing against it, made sharper by the night's chill.
"Can I sit next to you?" she asked.
Haruki blinked, then smiled. "Hmm? Sure, go ahead."
Kyouko settled beside him. The fabric shifted as she moved, the moonlight catching the curves of her breasts and the distinct peaks beneath. Haruki's throat tightened. He took a slow sip of the coffee she'd handed him, but his gaze lingered.
She noticed.
"Naughty boy~" Kyouko teased, giving his arm a light slap. "Where do you think you're staring... hmm?"
"Ouch. Not my fault," Haruki chuckled, scratching his cheek. "You're the one who walked out like that."
"Well, it's not like I expected someone to be out here..." She leaned slightly against him, her warmth seeping through the thin fabric of his shirt.
"Couldn't sleep?" Kyouko asked softly, bringing her coffee to her lips.
"Yeah... kinda," Haruki replied, glancing over at her. "But you're asking me when you're the one who's still up."
Kyouko chuckled, following his gaze and catching him staring at her chest again. Her pajamas weren't doing much to hide anything.
"Naughty~" she said, giving his hand a playful slap.
"Ow—easy. It's a natural reaction, you know," Haruki grinned, completely unashamed.
"Yeah… I know," Kyouko smiled, her tone gentler now.
Haruki tilted his head back. "Look at the stars, Kyouko. They're beautiful tonight."
"Yes… they are," she whispered, her eyes never leaving him.
Then, slowly, Kyouko stood and moved in front of Haruki. She lowered herself down, knees tucked beneath her, settling directly between his legs. Her eyes found his—calm, but carrying something deeper. She didn't speak, just held his gaze with quiet longing.
It wasn't seductive—it was something else.
An unspoken need for warmth.
Her body leaned forward slightly, as if asking for a hug… or maybe just the comfort of being held.
"Kyouko-san?"
Haruki looked at her with concern, noticing the slight tremble in her shoulders beneath the thin pajamas.
"Haruki… can you at least hold me? It's cold," she said, her voice soft.
"Are you sure? You know my hands might… wander." He offered a small, teasing smile.
Kyouko chuckled softly, leaning into him. "Just don't overdo it."
Inside Haruki's mind, a single thought echoed: That was permission, right? It had to be.
But when he looked at her—really looked—he saw something fragile beneath the playful exterior. Something that needed gentleness, not greed.
"If you say so." Haruki wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his warmth. Her back pressed against his chest, and she didn't resist. If anything, she melted into the embrace, her body relaxing against his as if she'd been waiting for this all along.
Kyouko didn't fully understand why she allowed it—not when her heart still ached from being left unsatisfied by the man she had pledged herself to. It wasn't just about touch; it was the aching loneliness, the silent craving for someone to hold her, to remind her she was still a woman. Not just a wife. Not just a mother-in-law. A woman.
Even as Haruki's arms naturally settled around her body—where no other man's should—Kyouko didn't move away. She didn't stop him. And she could feel his hand sometimes shift, the movement subtle, as though he didn't want her to notice him brushing against her breast.
Maybe she should have. But she didn't.
"Just stay like this for a moment…" Her voice trembled. "Until I calm down."
"If you say so, Kyouko-san," Haruki replied softly, resting his head lightly on her shoulder.
She closed her eyes, letting the silence envelop them.
"Thank you, Haruki," she whispered.
"Kyouko-san?"
"Ah, nothing. It's just..." She smiled through the sting of unshed tears. "It's been so long since someone cared for me like this."
She noticed Haruki's hand had kept subtly grazing her breast.
Slowly, she took his hand and brought it gently to her chest, holding it there for comfort. She needed to be reminded that she still mattered. That someone saw her. At least Haruki still appreciated this 'old woman.'
"Kyouko-san? Are you sure?" Haruki glanced down at his hand resting gently over her chest—caught between instinct and hesitation.
Kyouko shot him a sideways glance, a small smirk playing at her lips. "Just don't get any funny ideas, okay?" Her tone was light, teasing—playful in the way only someone completely comfortable could manage.
She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. The fabric of her pajamas brushed against his bare arm—soft and warm. Their bodies fit together in quiet harmony, like two puzzle pieces that had finally found their place.
They sat beneath the stars, not saying much—just breathing, feeling, existing in each other's space. Kyouko's scent drifted over him, faint and clean and familiar. Haruki let himself relax, his arm wrapping protectively around her waist.
Then, gently, he leaned his head against hers.
From that angle, he could see her lips—soft, slightly parted, dangerously close. Inviting in a way he hadn't expected. The kind of sight that made a man forget what he was supposed to be thinking.
Kyouko turned her gaze up toward him, meeting his eyes.
And she smiled.
It was a smile that didn't need words—the kind that held trust, comfort, and something deeper that neither of them dared to name.
But it was there.
She could feel it in the way his hand rested on her chest—present, warm, but restrained. Even now, with permission granted and opportunity laid bare before him, Haruki held back. He respected her too much to take more than she offered. That restraint, that gentleness, meant more to her than he could possibly know.
( End of Chapter )