Romance Novels

Click on the table of contents to jump to that day’s story.

Love　letter

Tomorrow marks the 1st anniversary of my wife’s death due to illness.

My wife has suffered financially. They were unable to provide her with expensive treatment.

My wife’s sudden death drastically changed my life.

A big hole was created in my heart. I don’t feel like doing anything. I am, so to speak, a shell of a human being.

Having said that, I can’t stay restless forever.

All of my wife’s belongings were left as they were before she died. Let’s start cleaning up soon.

In the closet are a variety of her clothes, decorations, and cat goods that she collected as a hobby.

Then, a beautiful box of sweets that I had never seen before came out from the back.

Try opening it inside. It contained a large number of letters. It was a love letter I sent to my wife Miku when I was young.

The letters were both nostalgic and embarrassing. It was pure back then. I was desperately trying to get his wife to turn around.

As I read each letter nostalgically, I discovered an unfamiliar letter inside.

There is no sender’s name.

I was a little reluctant to read a letter addressed to the deceased, but my curiosity got the better of me.

The letter conveyed his sincere feelings towards Miku.

“Dear Miss. Miku Suganuma

I understand that you were surprised by the sudden letter.

Ever since I first met you, my mind has been full of thoughts about you.

I am sorry for the inconvenience and am writing this letter.

The smiles you send me at university are the only thing that keeps me going.

Therefore, I will be happy if I can continue to see your carefree smile even just a little bit.

If you don’t mind, why don’t we talk about Goethe’s collection of poems at cafe MORE? Sincerely,

From your eternal fan Y.T”

Of course, these are not my initials.

Cafe MORE is a coffee shop located near the station near the university where Miku and I were attending.

Of course, I have also been there with Miku.

It turns out that when Miku and I started dating, another person also had feelings for Miku.

I wondered if this was the only letter I had received from this person, so I rummaged through the box and found two more similar letters.

Moreover, both letters were from different people.

Doesn’t that mean that my wife was being courted by four men at the time, including me?

I was confused. From the time we started dating until today, my wife has never shown any such behavior.

I looked at my wife’s memorial tablet.

“Miku. Don’t you regret being with me? If you had married one of these guys, you might have had a happier life. What do you think?”

In the photo, Miku was just smiling as usual.

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I visited an old friend.

Cafe MORE was still there, just like before.

Jazz music is playing in the dimly lit store.

Misato, an old friend from college, was an office worker currently working at a real estate company.

“I see. Is this the love letter that was mixed in with Miku’s mementos?”

“I checked the yearbook, but I couldn’t identify anyone with these initials.”

Misato, who had been reading the letter for a while, looked up.

“nostalgic”

“?”

“This is a love letter that I wrote.”

“What did you say!”

“Miku asked me to. She wrote me three letters with different handwriting.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Why? It was decided to win you over, wasn’t it? Miku was trying to get your attention by flashing this love letter to you, since you haven’t turned your attention to her. She thought up most of the text as well.”

“Now that I think about it, I think something like that happened…”

“Ah, this is the letter Miku sent me last year. I’ll give it to you.”

Misato took out Miku’s letter from his inner pocket and placed it on the table.

“I have work to do, so please excuse me. You can at least pay for the coffee.”

After saying that, Misato rang the store’s doorbell and left.

I opened my wife’s letter.

“Mr.Misato

How are you.

To be honest, I’m not feeling well.

I will be taken to heaven soon.

Before that, I thought I should at least say thank you, so I picked up my pen.

I was able to marry my husband because of the letters you wrote on my behalf.

I was very happy to be able to capture the dream of a female college student.

I’m really sorry that you’re still unpopular.

I actually knew how you felt.

And yet, what a cruel woman I must have been to have her write such a letter.

really sorry. I am reflecting on this (I may not go to heaven).

In the end, my husband was blunt and bad at socializing, and I was unable to get promoted.

So they continue to live in poverty.

But I wasn’t unhappy at all.

Having money doesn’t necessarily make you happy.

I was happy when I was with that person.

Thank you for the time with my husband.

Thank you so much.

I will be gone soon, but please take care of your body.

It was a good life.

From an angelic demon.”

Baumkuchen end

“Is Tomoko’s wedding next Sunday?” I asked Yukari.

“that’s right”

“This is also the wedding of a friend from my school days.” I fluttered the invitation and showed it to Yukari.

“Wow. There’s a marriage rush. Shun-shun has a lot of friends.”

We had been living together for five years, but we had never seriously discussed our future together.

But I’m sure I’ll get married someday. However, for some reason, neither of us spoke about this until now.

Yukari looked like she wanted to say something, but she suddenly changed the subject.

“You know, in the TV drama…”

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The wedding gift was Baumkuchen.

Baumkuchen is said to have originated in Greece a long time ago as a pastry made by baking dough on a wooden stick.

In German, “Baum” means tree and “Kuchen” means cake.

“Shun, are you going home already?” Eiko, a female friend from my student days, looks up at me. “Let’s go to another one.”

Somehow, we ended up walking in the same direction after the wedding after-party.

“Yeah, that’s fine. What about Tanaka and the others?”

“We should just leave them alone.” Eiko curls her mouth into a curve. “We was talked about going to a restaurant with a hostess.”

“Hmm, just one drink.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

With Eiko’s arm around her, we entered the cocktail bar.

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Yukari’s gift was also Baumkuchen.

Baumkuchen is shaped like the rings of a tree, so it is often used as a lucky charm and as a gift.

After the after-party of the wedding, Yukari and a group of five close friends decide to have tea at a coffee shop.

“Hey, do you know what a “Baumkuchen End” is?” says Wakako, who has a cat-like face.

“What is that?” Reiko, who has a long face, asks with a curious look on her face.

“For example…”

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I was drinking a Salty Dog and Eiko was drinking a Tequila Sunrise.

“…Well, let’s say there’s a couple who get along really well. Let’s say they’re both invited to different weddings on the same day.
And if each other’s gifts were Baumkuchen…the couple would not end up together and end up with different people.”

“That’s a superstition.”

“I don’t think so. I hope her gift isn’t Baumkuchen.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m going home first.” I got up from my seat. “Master account”

“Yeah, it’s still good.”

“Sorry. I’ll contact you again.”

I was somewhat nervous and grabbed a taxi.

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Yukari had already returned home.

“How was the wedding?” Yukari, who was sitting at the table, looked up.

“Yeah, it was pretty good. By the way, what is that?”

I pointed to the white box on the table.

“It’s Baumkuchen, but…”

“Ah…me too…”

Yukari and I both stiffened for a moment.

I took Yukari’s Baumkuchen out of the box.

“Yukari. Why don’t you do this?”

I took out the Baumkuchen I had received and pressed it tightly into Yukari’s Baumkuchen. It was forced into a figure-eight shape.

“What’s this?”

“what?”

“It means ‘infinite’. I want to be with Yukari forever.”

“me too”

Yukari and I were both crying.

Cake

“Why don’t you just say “eat me”?”

“Mr. Takanashi ”

Yumiko looks at his fellow researcher seriously, as if she’s into it.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just a joke. It’s just a joke.”

“That’s good”

“···what?”

This is the “Materials Fusion Research Institute.”

Although it is a public institution, it is understaffed and the director is usually absent as he also serves as a university professor.

There are only three research staff, including graduate students, and the professor’s pet dog, Popo, who lives in a doghouse in the backyard.

Takanashi is the oldest and tallest.

Shinichiro is only interested in research and books.

And Yumiko Kisaragi, who is the only one with a beautiful face, is one of the members.

Yumiko is in love with Shinichiro and tries to make a motion for him, but she is dissatisfied that he doesn’t do anything with her.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that I don’t notice it.

“When I look at you guys, it makes me cringe, or what can I say…”

“It can’t be helped, after all. Shinichiro is dull at heart. But that’s what’s good about it, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes. Oh, by the way, I knew that tomorrow is Shinichiro’s birthday.”

“Yeah, I’d like to give you something, but I haven’t decided yet.”

“Then why don’t you just say ‘eat me‘?”

Takanashi’s idea is as follows.

Using a machine under development, Cake and Yumiko combine.

A cake and a message are left on Shinichiro’s desk in a gift box with a ribbon attached.

“Eat me“

The trick is that when Shinichiro is eating a sweet cake, an even sweeter, smaller-sized Yumiko comes out from inside.

Of course, once the cream is gone, Yumiko returns to her original size.

he next day, Takanashi was intentionally late to the research institute and was released. I was trying to get my attention through this as well.

“Good morning. Good morning Shinichiro. What about the cake?”

“Ah, that ribbon box. I’m not a big fan of sweets.”

“waht?”

“I just gave it to Popo.”

At that moment, a woman’s screams that could not be heard from this world came from the backyard.

Earphone

That was five years ago in the fall.

I am a tennis instructor.

I don’t know if I say so myself, but I am a very handsome man.

It’s a common story: Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with a female student.

She also had a husband, but I guess they were attracted to each other.

It was a natural progression and we hit it off.

There were always about 20 students in my classroom, and many of them were wives who were interested in me.

That’s why my girlfriend and I made secret signs to communicate with each other.

Make a circle with the thumb and index finger of each other’s left hand, put your hand on your chin, and twist your wrist to make your left eye peek out from the circle to signal “Today is OK.”

If you both put your left thumb in your left ear and squeeze or open your other fingers, it’s a sign that “today is no good.”

If one of you puts the little finger of your left hand into your left ear and bites your left thumb, it’s “Come the day before yesterday.”

Our encounter didn’t last long.

This is because her husband started to have doubts about our relationship.

After a while, she left the tennis club without saying a word to me, like an autumn breeze scattering leaves.

For a while after that, I had no choice but to spend my days feeling like a cold wind was blowing through the void in my heart.

Today was another chilly day.

Someone is whispering inside the train, which is colored like fresh green.

“Hey, I heard that A-ko from the general affairs department was having an affair with manager K from the accounting department.”

“You must be kidding”

“It’s true. That’s why A-ko’s husband got angry. He called the company.”

“That’s bold. Who handled that?”

“It turns out that Manager K himself took the call.”

“What the hell?”

…Feeling bothered by the crowds around me, I took out my Bluetooth earphones and plugged them into my ears.

Then, a voice guidance message called Connected was heard, and music began to play.

Is there a crosstalk?

No, Bluetooth shouldn’t cause any interference.

Surprisingly, the music that was playing was a song that I remember listening to often with my girlfriend five years ago.

I looked around. I saw her in the car next to me, staring at me.

Is this from her cell phone?

Her expression didn’t change at all, and she looked rather calm.

And from around her waist, a girl who looked like her daughter was constantly stealing glances at her.

Her face looked just like hers.

Then the girl looked at me, put her left little finger in her left ear, and was biting her left thumb firmly.

All I could do was smile bitterly.

Cold

Being childhood friends is a troublesome thing in a sense.

Just because our house is nearby, Fumiko seems to have developed a habit of coming into our house as if it were her own.

Although we are the same age, she was born in January and I was born in March. She is more like an older sister.

“So you caught a cold?”

It’s still early afternoon.

Fumiko comes to the apartment carrying a supermarket bag and wearing a duffel coat.

Hang her coat on the chair.

Her thick white sweater and tight-fitting jeans are dazzling.

Even though Fumiko had just entered a university in Tokyo and started living on her own, her parents gave Fumiko a duplicate key to keep an eye on her.

Little did I know that she was also taking the entrance exam for the same university…

“Your ｍom was worried about you.”

“It’s none of your business”

It’s true that Fumiko was very intelligent, and I’m sure that she often let me take pictures of her homework.

t’s also true that when I was working as a public relations officer for the student council, I used to hold an instant camera called “Utsurun desu” and ignore the people running at the sports day and only focused on Fumiko in the viewfinder.

Yes, and I swore to myself that I would never do that again.

That’s right, I don’t think I’ll ever become a college student and have only Fumiko as a lover.

I should still be able to meet many women, fall in love, cultivate love, build a happy family, and be full of dreams and hopes…

The doorbell rings.

When Fumiko opened the door, two middle-aged women were standing nearby.

“God forgives your sins. If you’d like, here’s this book…”

“No, thank you”

Then the chime sounds again.

This time, the woman is alone.

“I came from 〇× life.”

“It’s fine because there’s a sick person.”

“In that case, all the better for life insurance.”

“I’m on time.”

When I close the door, the chime sounds again.

“Would you like to buy some lucky water? 5 liters available now…”

“There’s a sick person, but we don’t need him at all…What’s going on in this room?”

When Fumiko turned around with an astonished look on her face, the door was thrown open.

A man came rushing in.

He has a knife in his hand.

“Oh!” Fumiko screams.

“Shut up. I’m sorry. Just go kill someone. The police are chasing me.”

“Um, there’s a sick person.”

Oh my god.

“I’ll tell the culprit. You are completely surrounded. Stop your useless resistance and come out.”

Looks like a police force. A voice can be heard through the loudspeaker from outside the window.

“shut up!”

A man shouts at the window.

“Um, please be quiet. There’s a sick person…”

The man put his left arm around Fuyumiko’s neck and put the knife in his right hand to her throat.

“Otherwise, this woman will die!”

“Um, that’s why you’re sick.”

“noisy!”

“What is noisy?”

When Fumiko’s arm grabbed the criminal’s arm, she twisted the man’s arm and kicked him in the knee with her right foot.

The poor man was thrown out the window with only one strap on his back.

The man’s screams become smaller.

Miss Fumiko is cool.

Yes, I forgot to mention that she is a judo expert.

That night… nothing happened.

A “heart’s oath” can be easily broken.

I completely infected Fumiko with a cold.

Moreover, it is a deep ground technique of judo.

Emergency Call

Officer Taguchi was assigned to the N police box early in the morning, just after the new year.

After greeting Sergeant Mita (his boss) and Officer Sano, he was sitting at his desk and thinking about a map of his jurisdiction.

The telephone at the police box began to ring with a tingling sound.
The display shows “Miss Mizushima”.

The sergeant and Officer Sano looked at each other for a moment, and their gazes were directed at Taguchi like a tank’s main gun.

It seems to mean “answer the phone.” I can’t help it since I’m a newbie.

“Yes N police box”

“It’s me.”

She is a young woman.

“Um… Miss. Mizushima?”

“that’s right”

It’s rare for someone to call the police box and say, “It’s me.”

“May I help you”

“It looks like there’s an intruder in my house. Could you please come right away?”

“Understood. What’s your address?”

“You know that. It’s urgent.”

At that point, the phone call ended.

Director Mita and Sano looked as if they were disappointed.

“Officer Taguchi, let’s go together then.” Sano raises his hips heavy.

“Who is it? Miss. Mizushima.”

“She is a regular customer,” Sano said with a smile.

Apparently she is addicted to calling police stations.

She lived on the second floor of an apartment in a quiet residential area.

We parked our patrol bikes and headed up the stairs.

I thought she was an old woman, but Miss. Mizushima was quite young.

When she opens her eyes, she is quite beautiful.

Even so, having an intruder in her apartment is certainly a big deal.

“Which one is the intruder?”

“He’s in the back room. He’s quick so be careful.”

“Swift?”

When we entered the room, we found a cockroach on the wall.

After that, Taguchi was put in charge of Mineko Mizushima, who was called up in less than two days.

I guess it can’t be helped since I’m a newbie.

Even if the police knew it was Kyogen, they had no choice but to rush to the scene if a report was received.

However, it’s fine if we have free time, but it’s also good to be a big nuisance on the day of an incident.

But maybe that’s because I’ｍ young?

As they met many times, Taguchi did not realize that he was looking forward to her phone call.

One day, the calls from Mineko Mizushima suddenly stopped coming.

It would be annoying if I received reports from her, but if she stopped reporting, I would be worried.

Finally, Taguchi decided to visit her apartment on his off-duty day.

Then, the door to her room was open and there were no household items, making it a completely empty room.

“She look so poor,” an elderly woman spoke to me from behind.

“Um…Miss.Mizushima, did she move?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? That girl died six months ago from domestic violence at the hands of her husband. It seems like she was desperately trying to call the police.”

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“Are you okay with this? You’re making fun of the police. You’re a really poor woman.”

“It’s okay, that police officer Taguchi, I was surprised when he first came here. He dumped me when I was a student. I thought I’d punish him a little.” I have to.”

After that, Mineko Mizushima, who was wandering around town, was arrested by Officer Taguchi for obstructing official duties.

It was later revealed that her name was changed to “Mineko Taguchi” and she was sentenced to eternal imprisonment.

Ski

The marriage has come to an end.

I broke up with my wife of seven years.

Well, to other people, I might have been joking around.

In the winter, I’m hardly home. Because I am immersed in a world of silver.

My wife, who is not good at skiing, always leaves me at home.

Moreover, I usually ended up having several mistresses during the season.

However, it seems that most women don’t find me attractive when I take off my skis.

During the off-season, he was abandoned by all his mistresses, and it became an annual ritual for him to return to his wife.

This mountain is my battlefield.

My daily routine is to slide down the mountain as quickly as possible.

This year, when I thought that I had no place to go back to (my wife), I sometimes felt lonely, like a pile of snow falling through a hole in my heart.

When I arrived at the foot of the mountain, I immediately circled around like a swallow and boarded the lift.

Since it’s a two-seater lift, I may find yourself sitting next to skiers I don’t know.

This time it’s a woman with long hair.

She wears pink “Salomon” and wears “Smith” goggles.

Looking at the stock of “Stokuri” and looking at the board, it appears to be made by “Atomic”.

She may be a very capable woman.

“Excuse me, are you alone?”

“Yeah···”

“Do you come here often?”

“This is my first time. This course is difficult.”

“Ah, that board is the new Atomic.”

The words fell out of my mouth quite naturally.

“Yes, but”

This is probably what is meant by a voice that is “like rolling a bell.”

“Are you local?”

“No, I’m from Tokyo.”

“Ah, what a coincidence. I’m from Toyosu.”

“Oh, then it’s close. It’s from Kyobashi.”

“Oh, I see. I have a family home.”

It felt like the woman’s glossy lips were smiling.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to have a beer downstairs?” This looks like it’ll work.

The lift reaches the top.

I got off first and turned to escort her.

When I stopped with a sharp edge, I looked back at her, grinning and showing my white teeth.

“Come on, would you like to join me?”

“I don’t care, but what are you going to do about your mother?”

“!”

“I was worried because I heard you went into the mountains with a broken heart. If you’re strong enough to pick up girls, then you’ll be fine.”

Yes, I seem to have slipped again.

And perfectly…

Alcohol Prohibition

　Kinzo’s dream was to find the legendary “God’s waterfall“.

After more than 20 years of searching and searching for him in the mountains all over the country, he finally collapsed in the mountains.

Fortunately, the place where he collapsed was near a teahouse.

The teahouse run by an old man and his daughter was not very prosperous, but they were kind, and they devotedly took care of Kinzo when he collapsed, and before he knew it, the girl and Kinzo were brought together.

“It would be best if he refrain from drinking alcohol for the time being. If he continue like this, his life will be lost.”

While washing his hands in a bucket, the town doctor tells her to chew.

By the time they became a couple, the owner of the teahouse had passed away, and Kinzo and his wife were living alone.

When Kinzo, who had become used to a life of drinking alcohol for many years, collapsed for the second time, the town doctor came to make a house call.

Kinzo wasn’t the kind of person who could easily give up drinking.

He drinks alcohol every day, even if he hides from his wife Yoneko.

Yoneko was at a loss and cried to the town doctor.

“Doctor, is there anything I can do?”

“It’s not like there isn’t one, but…I don’t know.”

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A few years later.

Kinzo’s old friend comes to visit him at the teahouse.

“Hello, isn’t this Tomekichi?”

“Mr.Kinzo. It’s been a while. It seems like you’re making a lot of money. You’re popular in the village.”

“That’s right. For some reason, people suddenly started to gather.”

“Oh, welcome.”

Yoneko smiles like a flower from behind.

“It’s my hometown, Tomekichi.”

Kinzo introduces Tomekichi.

“Nice to meet you”

“You’re welcome”

“Hey, I’m going to go do some errands. Please wait for me. I guess you can stay the night.”

Kinzo raises his bowl and makes a gulping gesture as he leaves.

“Mr. Tomekichi. I’m sorry.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, I have a favor to ask you. My doctor, my doctor, gave him a allusion.”

“Allusion…? What exactly?”

“Yes, it’s a type of hypnosis. Every night, one of my family members replaces the contents of the sake bottle he buys from the liquor store with water in the jar.”

“Haa, alcohol turns into water.”

“Yes, I’ve been hinted that the water tastes like alcohol. So, I’m sorry, but could you please join me for some water tonight?”

“Hmm, what do you mean by that? That drunkard, Mr.Kinzo hasn’t had a drop of alcohol lately.”

“That’s right”

“What are you doing with the alcohol that Mr.kinzo bought?”

“There’s a river in the back, right? It flows there every night.”

“Ah, I see. So…the river behind it probably connects to the waterfall there. Now it’s getting a reputation as the ‘God’s waterfall‘.”

“Yes. Thanks.”

“Haa! This is what you mean when you say ‘married couples don’t enter the water‘.”

“It’s not water, We don’t need alcohol.”

Overseas Group Travel

“Dad, what is this…a souvenir?”

My only daughter, Yoshiko, tried to open the box on the table.

“Oh, wait. Stop it!”

I heard my voice and my wife Nanae’s screams at the same time.

However, despite her cries, Yoshiko opened the box.

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“Thank you very much for joining us on our overseas mystery tour today.”

My wife and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, our so-called “silver wedding anniversary.”

At that time, we were forced to register against our parents’ wishes, so we were unable to go on a wedding or honeymoon.

Then, their only daughter became a university student, and to commemorate the occasion, the two of them signed up for a group tour overseas.

“The aircraft will soon pass through the Florida peninsula and then head to Puerto Rico via the Bermuda Islands.”

After having a lot of trouble deciding where to go on our trip, my wife, who loves mysteries, and we chose this mystery tour with no known destination.

“Hey, I didn’t expect this place…”

“Bermuda Triangle…right?”

“I guess it’s okay.”

“We’re going into the clouds ahead. We expect some shaking. Please fasten your seatbelts.”

When the captain’s announcement was heard, the airliner plunged into pure white fog.

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I was back in my first year of high school.

I was on the platform with Yoko Iijima, who is one year older than me and who always commutes to school on the same train.

Straight hair with a slight chestnut color. A well-shaped face. Long, slender legs.

I was about to give her a book.

There was a letter between the books.

It was the first love letter I ever wrote.

My heart felt like it was about to burst like an inflated piece of bubble gum.

“Excuse me···”

“What?”

Yoko Iijima tilted her head slightly to look at me like a baby squirrel.

There was a moment of electricity and I ran out of there.

Yes, I couldn’t give it to she.

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I don’t really remember what happened after that.

However, there was no doubt that they enjoyed the sweet and sour memories.

At the end of the trip, we were both handed a souvenir. It was like Urashima Taro’s treasure box.

When we returned home, we both put our “treasure boxes” on the table and wondered what we should do with them.

As soon as I open it, I’ll be transported back to that time.

Or what if the wife sitting in front of me was not Nanae but Yoko Iijima?

We looked at each other and sighed. (It is a such a fool)

My wife went to the kitchen to make some coffee.

I went to the toilet to do some errands.

When I returned, our daughter Yoshiko was opening the box.

“Oh, wait, stop it!”

…Nothing happened.

When I checked inside, my wife’s box contained a heart-shaped chocolate.

In my box, there was a letter sandwiched between books.

When I looked at the address, I saw that it had been changed to the name of my ex-wife, not Yoko Iijima.

My wife handed me chocolate with both hands. My name was decorated there.

I also gave my wife a love letter.

※There is a Japanese folk tale that says that if you open Urashima Taro’s treasure box, you will turn into an old man.

Marriage Proposal

That day, I met the “God of Eros”.

As for why I met…I can’t tell you the details.

Rather, it seems that the words he uttered by chance were a spell to summon the god of Eros.

Therefore, I could never cast that spell again.

How did I know it was the god of Eros?

That’s because the words “God of Eros” were written on his chest.

Said the god, who had a psychedelic appearance and could not be recognized as male or female.

“Let me grant you one wish.”

What came to my mind immediately came out of my mouth.

“…If I get excited when I see a nice woman, make sure I can see through what she’s wearing!”

Yes, I’m a natural erotic person.

From that day on, I was able to enjoy the proportions of beautiful women to my heart’s content.

However, some women find that their stomachs are protruding, and women who thought they were glamorous actually have almost no undulations in their breasts… I realized that there were surprisingly few women with ideal body proportions.

(I’m really erotic, aren’t I?)

One day, I met a woman with ideal body proportions.

From then on, whenever I slept or woken up, I could no longer think about anything but her.

I took the plunge and proposed with all my heart and soul.

As a result, we were able to build a happy married life.

But every day I regret it…why?

I ended up sleeping with a skeleton in my arms every night.

Clothes Dryer

It was just by chance that I started using that laundromat.

It’s because the washer/dryer in my house is not working properly.

At first, I was planning to do it until the washing machine was repaired.

Later, I learned that the main earner at a laundromat is actually the dryer, not the washing machine. Is it because there are more environments where it is not possible to dry clothes outside?

She always comes by to use the dryer at 2pm when I use it.

At his age, she looks about the same as me, or maybe a little older.

I wonder if she’s a female college student since she comes to the laundry at such an hour.

Long chestnut hair, big eyes, long limbs, thin fingers…

For some reason, from that time on, I started visiting this laundromat just to meet her.

My daily routine is to sit on a pipe chair, pretend to read a magazine, and watch her every move.

The woman stuffs her clothes into the dryer, inserts a coin into the dryer, and leaves the store.

I loved watching the brightly colored clothing go round and round like a merry-go-round without looking.

I was amused by the way my fantasies spread like summer clouds, such as, “I wonder what kind of underwear she’s wearing…”

One day, the dryer stopped working and she didn’t come home.

The merry-go-round seemed to be swinging weakly like a Viking, but in the end it quietly lay down like a large, tired dog.

Even though it’s 2 o’clock, this laundromat seems to be popular, with new customers arriving all the time. All the dryers except the one she was using were running, so if a customer wanted to use the dryer, they would have to take out her clothes and use it.

A sign on the wall says, “We apologize for the inconvenience, but if there is any leftover laundry that has been done, please take it out into the basket provided.”

Just then, a punk guy walks into the store, wearing a leather jacket that looks like he’s in a rock band, and jingling his Chrome Hearts bracelets.

No！ I can’t let that man touch her clothing.

I quickly stood up, grabbed the basket, and opened the door of the dryer she was using.

It smells like fabric softener. Once all the laundry is in the basket, I throw my own laundry into the drum.

I can almost hear the punk guy click his tongue. The man, who had been looking around for a while, left, still holding the laundry bag.

When I took the baskets to the table provided, I somehow became fond of them and folded them one by one.

(Was she wearing underwear like this?), and I entered a state of fiction, filled with a mixture of anticipation and guilt.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

“Thank you for the other day”

She showed up at my usual laundromat and bowed her head to me.

“Did I do something?”

“The owner of the laundromat showed me the recorded video. That day, my mother suddenly collapsed and couldn’t come to pick up the laundry. She was very helpful. She even went out of her way to fold it for me.”

“Oh, no, I used to work in an apparel company, so whenever I saw crumpled clothes, I would automatically fold them up.”

“So, actually, I’m an underwear thieves investigator.”

“What?”

“The owner of this place has been asking me to do this because everyone’s underwear has been stolen a lot lately.”

She wrapped her arms around me.

“I-I’m not an underwear thief.”

“That’s different. I’ve added one more piece. I want to give it back to you now. Isn’t that okay?”

Beloved Wife

A letter has arrived.

“Thank you very much for applying to the “My Husband is a Loving Wife Contest” today.

In this program, your beloved husbands will present something off the record that will make their wives happy.

The situation will be Recorded a video using a micro drone.

Of course, please rest assured that any parts that cannot be broadcast will be cut.

We will then grade them, and the winning couple will be invited to travel around the world in a luxurious project.

Yoko was surprised. Surprisingly, her mother had applied for the program without her permission.

Moreover, the recording has already been completed.

A TV station is recruiting couples whose wives have the same birthday. The day’s events are secretly filmed, shown to the venue and viewers at a later date, and scored using a remote control.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

The first person to appear on the screen was a man from a leading trading company.

After work, He met my wife at a high-end French restaurant and had a luxurious full course meal.

An approving voice can be heard from the venue.

The next person that appeared on the screen was a stout man who looked like a businessman.

When He returned home in my luxury car, He absentmindedly took the box out of his pocket. It contained diamonds like she had never seen before.

A scream of joy came from the venue.

The third person to appear was a handsome gentleman with a mustache.

As soon as he returned home, he handed his wife a bouquet of 100 roses that he had hidden behind his back.

There was a sigh of envy from the audience.

The fourth person is a pleasant and refreshing man.

Whistling, he placed the box in front of his wife.

When my wife opened the box, a cute Scottish Fold kitten came out.

The audience applauded.

Finally, Yoko’s husband appeared. He’s just an ordinary office worker who seems a bit unreliable.

If this was the case, I should have dressed him in a better suit than usual, but I had no choice but to do it now.

It’s late at night.

It seems that her husband came home late from work, and Yoko had already gone to bed.

My husband finished his meal early, washed the dishes, took a bath, washed the bathtub, and came out.

It seemed like nothing happened to this couple.

Her husband enters the bedroom without making any noise, and quietly approaches Yoko with his face so as not to wake her up.

And then he kissed her softly.

Something unbelievable happened.

Yoko and her husband received a huge round of applause and a huge number of points.

The phone rang. It’s from a TV commentator. Her husband left.

“congratulations!”

“Thank you”

“Please give us your thoughts.”

“Nothing special. Because that’s what I always do.”

“That’s it, that’s it. That’s what a loving wife is all about, isn’t it?”

　Afterword

Read till the end Thank you very much for your time.

I am bad at English. Therefore, this is a mechanical translation of the novel I wrote. It would be helpful if you could point out any strange expressions.

And,This story is a fiction.

All characters, organizations, etc. are fictitious.

In rare cases, there is no relationship even if there are similar names.

References/sites, etc.

・高級海外ブランドセレクトショップ。「SKY SHOP JIRO」 https://www.jiro.co.jp Reference date：2023.6.2

・岐阜の旅ガイド　「養老公園・養老の滝」 https.//www.kankou-gifu.jp 　Reference date：2023.6.9

・自宅兼コインランドリー経営奮闘記＋地獄２号店　「さすがにそれは・・・想像の斜め上いを行くお客さんたち。コインランドリー経営あるある」　https://loundromat.jp/strange-custmer　Reference date：2023.6.18