Translator: Ranzan

  Editor: ryunakama

  「W, who the hell are you?!」


  The man had a questioning voice and a hurried look and tone.

  Taiyou gripped onto his wrist, so hard that the man’s hand started to turn white.

  His face writhed in pain. Taiyou said with a straight face:

  「I think this girl did something wrong, so I’ll apologize for her. Sorry.」


  「Natsuno-kun…」


  Aoba wanted to say something, but Taiyou waved her off.

  And Aoba then closed her mouth.

  Taiyou looked back at the man.

  「Sorry.」


  「Stop this! It’s not you but that girl…」


  「Sorry.」


  「Bastard!」


  「Sorry.」


  Taiyou simply said sorry each time.

  And as he said it, he put more and more pressure on the man’s arm.

  The third time he said sorry, the man’s hand turned from white to red.

  Above the hand that Taiyou was holding the man with, the man tapped as if to give up.

  He let the man go and the man rubbed his wrist.

  He looked at both Aoba and Taiyou with an angry glare, said 「I won’t forgive this」 and ran out the room.

  The woman with him, who was probably his lover, ran after him.

  The onlookers around them then broke up, and Aoba and Taiyou with Hera holding her hand to her mouth, were the only three left.

  Taiyou turned to Aoba and asked her.

  「What was all this about?」


  「Um…」


  Aoba drooped her head, and had trouble telling him.

  Taiyou then turned to Hera and asked.

  「What happened?」


  「Um, desu…a battle.」


  「A battle?」


  「Yes, desu. A commonplace battle because the man had slept with the woman’s younger sister.」


  「There’s nothing commonplace about that! I mean, it does happen often, right?」


  He responded with a challenge, but then thinking about it, conceded.

  Then he looked back at Aoba and remembered.

  She had done the same thing before.

  「You did the same thing at school」


  「Uh.」


  「You shouted “You cheater!” at your man, and then almost dropped out.」


  「I…I’m sorry. I caused trouble for you again.」


  「No, that kind of trouble is okay.」


  Taiyou grimaced a bit.

  「As long as you do it in a place I can reach you, it’s fine.」


  「Huh?」


  「If anything happens, and it happens at a place I don’t know about, that’s the only time it’s going to bother me out of regret.」


  「…」


  「Well, it’s not important now.」


  No matter what happens, as long as I have the power to protect her, Taiyou thought.

  The goal was clear, you just had to find the means.

  That’s why there was no confusion, and for Taiyou that was enough.

  「So, are you finished?」


  「Y, yes. I’m done shopping.」


  「I see, then let’s go home.」


  「Sure.」


  They both walked out and returned the way they came.

  In order to get to the bottom quick, they took the elevator down.

  He pushed the down button, looked up, and checked where the elevator was now.

  Then, he felt something soft press up against his back.

  Aoba was holding him from behind.

  「What is it, Aoba?」


  「Sorry.」


  「No, it’s just…」


  「I haven’t grown at all.」


  「Huh?」


  「You’ve grown so much Natsuno-kun, and I’m the same as before.」


  「…」


  He didn’t know what to say in response at first, but he looked for the words quickly.

  What would a normal woman want to be told in a time like this?

  Would she want agreement, or disagreement?

  Would she want to be cheered up, or be broken down?

  Aoba was a normal woman, but she had one thing very different from other women.

  That was that she cause Taiyou to make mistaken decisions.

  And who saved him in that case was a small fairy.

  「Aoba-chan, Aoba-chan, is that so wrong?」


  「Wrong? What do you mean?」


  「Aoba-chan, you’re Taiyou-chan’s wife, right?」


  Upon hearing Hera’s words, Aoba made a face that said, So?

  Hera continued.

  「You can’t just apologize and beg when you want something as a wife, right? In times like this, you have to apologize with your body.」


  「My body?」


  「Yes, desu! I’m sorry master, please punish a naughty little piggy like me…you won’t be forgiven until you say something like that.」


  「Hey, wait, don’t throw weird stuff into the mix.」


  「I have to do something like that?」


  「Don’t believe her Aoba. There’s no reason for you to do stuff like that.」


  If she did beg me like that, I’d have trouble, Taiyou thought.

  Aoba thought a bit, and then responded.

  「So punishment is necessary.」


  「What?」


  「If I don’t get punished, I’ll do the same naughty thing over and over.」


  「…I see.」


  Aoba nodded, and seriously thought she would.

  There was no reason to deny that humans learned from the process of mistakes and punishment for them.

  That would cause growth…and though it was a fuzzy growth that didn’t involve growing experience, it did fit the category of something a man would like.

  Goals and means, there was no reason to refuse them.

  「I see…so then let’s do that.」


  「You can but first…」


  They heard a voice behind them.

  He remembered it, the voice of the young man.

  He turned to look, and it was Katsuki Nakashima’s amazed face.