In Love With the Strongest Man
Translator: Shizukuku
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Arc 3 True Identity
Chapter 3 “Is there someone you like?”
“Eh…”
I was perplexed, but Ideal continued to speak.
“Why do you want to get rid of the curse, Shuka-san? You don’t intend to return to the village, do you? You could stay here with me forever, right?”
“I don’t intend to go back to the village, but it would be a nuisance for you if I stayed…”
“I don’t think it would be a nuisance.”
He interrupted me firmly.
“You can stay here as long as you like. If this house is too cramped for you, I can arrange a larger one. If you prefer another country, we can move there.”
“Now, wait a minute. Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Of course I do. I will always be by your side, kissing you twice a day and holding you once every three days. Maybe even more often.”
“Eh, what…?!”
This was a conversation I never imagined I would have. Stay with Ideal for the rest of my life? I couldn’t allow that to happen. He had his own life to lead, and there was no way I was going to let him waste it on me. And yet he talked about a future in which I would be with him, as if it were a given.
“I don’t mind just hanging around every day, but if you want to work outside, then I’ll work near you too. It could be nice for the two of us to work together. Oh, how about opening a store in the corner of the house?”
“Wa-wait a minute. That’s impossible.”
“What’s impossible?”
He tilted his head at me and I was at a loss for words. I even started to feel like I might be wrong. I tried my best to collect the questions scattered in my head and throw them out of my mouth.
“I’m sure Ideal has things he wants to do. I’m not going to stand in the way of that.”
“No, there’s nothing else I want to do.”
“And money matters too.”
“I’ve got more than enough money to last me a lifetime, even if Shuka-san spends it all.”
“You can’t keep having sex with me for the rest of your life.”
As I was saying this and that, so confused that my eyes were going criss-crossed, Ideal sighed. He got up, brought a chair over and plopped it down next to me. He took my hand in his and leaned himself closer to my face.
“I will hold Shuka-san until the day I die.”
“Ha…?”
“I will gladly hold Shuka-san even if you becomes a fat old man or a wrinkled, bent-over grandpa. I will fill your belly three times every day. I’ll hold you and smother you until you feel so good you don’t care about anything else.”
“Wa-wait…”
He whispered in my ear and my head became a mess. I wasn’t used to human contact. I needed a little restraint. Blood gathered in my face. My heart pounded loudly.
“If you found someone you liked, or something like that, you wouldn’t be able to do that…”
“Someone I like…? Shuka-san, is there someone you like? Who? That Langetsu guy?”
“No, you! Ideal!”
“Me…?” Ideal furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment, then murmured, “Ah. Unfortunately, I don’t fall in love.”
It was a chilling voice. It was so unexpected that it blew away all the jumbled thoughts in my head.
“Is that all you’re worried about, Shuka-san?”
“Eh… ah… I-I don’t know…”
“It’s a little too much to ask for all of a sudden, isn’t it? Well, it’s okay to take your time—”
Ideal’s lips slid down my cheek and overlapped my lips. The small sounds of our tongues entwining slightly echoed between the two of us.
“Think about it. Consider living with me like this.”
* * *
“Akane…!”
“Don’t bring the cat into this.”
“Ughhhhh…!”
After dinner, I returned to the room I’d been given and immediately buried my face in Akane’s belly. He cat-punched me, but I inhaled deeply without caring. My mind became very calm. Akane was not happy, though, and smacked the bed with his tail.
I let go of him just before I realized that if I sniffed any more, I would get scratched, and he gave me a vicious glare.
“Hissss.”
“Sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Meow! Mrow, mew, meow!”
Akane jumped on me with a thud and pushed me down, squishing my belly. After being left to his own devices for a while, his butt was placed on my head with a thump. It seemed that he was going to sleep in earnest. His position was, as usual, difficult to sleep with.
“It’s been a long time since I slept with Akane.”
“Meow. It was inconvenient because the futon was gone for a long time.”
“Futon…? Oh, maybe you mean me…?” I asked him about it, but what came back instead of a reply was a sleepy sigh. He fell asleep quickly.
I was tired too after using my brain a lot today. It was a little early, but I closed my eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.
—A few hours later.
“…ugh…”
His occasionally wagging tail tickled my face. I couldn’t sleep. Normally, I wouldn’t care about it, but today I was strangely bothered by it.
“Sorry Akane, I’ll be right back…”
I gently lowered the fluffy butt from my face. I slowly got off the bed so as not to wake Akane.
—My body feels light… oh, I get it.
I felt uncomfortable when I woke up and instantly felt embarrassed when I came up with an answer as to why.
—I guess it’s because I don’t have Ideal’s arms.
I’d been sleeping and waking up in Ideal’s arms for a while now. They were always wrapped around my body, making it a little difficult to get up.
It’s only been a few days, but since when did I start thinking it was normal to have Ideal around?
An itch crept up my chest. I had planned on leaving sooner or later, so I didn’t want to get too used to it, but now it was too late.
—We need you, Shuka-san.
—Think about it. Consider living with me like this.
Let’s cool down a bit.
Langetsu and Ideal’s voices swirled in my head. I picked up the bedside blanket and headed for the balcony of the mansion.
* * *
There was someone ahead of me at the balcony. He was sitting on a chaise lounge by the wood stove, tipping a glass of amber liquid.
“Hey, Shuka-san, can’t sleep?”
“Ideal. You too?”
“Yeah. Would you like a drink, Shuka-san? Join me.”
“Ah…”
It was somewhat awkward, but it would be even more awkward to go back at this point. I plopped down on the chaise lounge next to his, as he suggested.
