The next day was as pleasant and calm as the one before.
To distract myself from the nagging thoughts of Hana and the days still remaining until the wedding, I ventured into the inner yard. The sunshine almost blinded me, and I stood for a while, my eyes shut, simply adjusting to the warmth and the brightness of the gorgeous summer day.
After my eyes had finally adapted to the light, I noticed a figure by the edge of the small pond. The reflections of the sun shimmered on the surface of the water playing tricks with my vision, creating a halo around the sun umbrella the person was holding.
As I came closer, the figure under the lavender silk umbrella gradually became clearer. Her kimono, a soft shade of green with delicate, swirling patterns, billowed slightly in the breeze.
"Kazuko-dono!" I exclaimed.
The woman flinched, caught off guard. She quickly shifted her gaze that was fixed on the water and smiled at me. The vision with the umbrella was indeed my father's second wife.
"You startled me, master," she said, bowing.
I smiled. "I apologize for sneaking up on you like this," I said. "Frankly, I didn't recognize you from a distance."
She returned a small, sensual smile. "You are flattering me, Taro-dono," she said clearly, but softly enough not to be overheard by an accidental witness.
I chuckled. "Enjoying the gorgeous day?"
"Yes," she nodded. "And missing you…" She batted her eyelashes at me like a flirting young girl.
I didn't have a response, so I paused next to her to admire the pond. Or at least I looked at the pond, contemplating what to say.
"I wish you'd pass by this evening, Taro-dono…" she murmured.
I glanced at her. "Then what?"
"I could show you a different type of slave training," whispered Kazuko. "But don't stand outside my window – I've closed the gap. This viewing will be for your eyes only. Extremely intimate and tasteful. I'm sending my chujo away until tomorrow, so you can come into her room. I'll keep the divider between the two rooms half-open for your convenience."
I felt a sudden hunger in my lower body. Animalistic hunger. I took a deep breath.
"Kazuko-dono," I said with gravity, "I thought we had a serious conversation about it."
"Yes, master," she bowed respectfully. "I listened and I obeyed. No one will ever know except for the person in my chujo's room."
The estate manager's appearance interrupted our conversation. Matsuo wanted to know how many guests to expect for the wedding ceremony.
"Yes, allow me to join in congratulating your lordship on the upcoming marriage," said Kazuko loudly as he was leaving. "Consider my presentation tonight an early wedding present," she added in a whisper.
I shook my head.
"Why the disapproving look?" she exclaimed in a pretend surprise. "I've prepared for you the perfect toy that you can poke and slap as hard as you want when you're angry or frustrated by any of your wives. I thought I was being very helpful."
She smiled and walked away.
I stared at the pond some more. Maybe I did need an outlet for my anger, after all. It would be beneath me to take my negative emotions out on Yukiko or Hana. They were the women to cherish, to please, and to have children with. Taking my anger out on them would be a sign of poor taste and powerlessness, and I was a strong and powerful samurai.
I went back to the house, and, catching up with Kazuko, blurted, "I'll be there right after sunset."
And there I was, after all my doubts and contemplations, at the agreed hour, in the chujo's room, adjacent to Kazuko's bedroom.
The chujo's room was dark, so I wasn't visible from Kazuko's room, but I could see very well what was happening there. A sturdy screen was set up around Kazuko's mat, protecting it from view, except for the opening toward the divider between the two rooms.
Kazuko, in a dark home kimono, was standing in front of the same girl I saw last time through the window. The completely naked girl sat with her knees bent, her wrists tied with a silk scarf behind her back.
A brief flutter of the candle flame must've informed Kazuko of my arrival, because she gazed toward the divider and smiled before proceeding.
"You can't make any noises, no matter what I do," she whispered to the girl. She whispered loudly enough for me to be able to make out what she was saying. "If I hear a peep, I'll send you to work on the fields for the rest of the summer. You got it?"
"Yes, mistress," the girl replied in a trembling whisper.
"Start with the feet!" Kazuko commanded.
The girl quickly bent forward and started gently and thoroughly licking Kazuko's toes. Once she was done with those, she ran her tongue up each ankle, licking every inch of Kazuko's skin.
Kazuko was standing tall, triumphantly gazing in my direction.
When the girl reached closer to one of Kazuko's knees, Kazuko suddenly grabbed her face and pushed it up. "It tickles!" she hissed and slapped the girl across the face. The sound of the slap echoed around the silent room. The girl's head jerked to one side from the blow, tears filling her eyes. She choked out a muffled sob.
In response, Kazuko grabbed her face again and whispered angrily, "Don't you dare to start whining." She slapped the girl on another cheek and spit in her face. The girl's head dropped to her chest, her shoulders jerking as she suppressed her tears.
Kazuko nodded. "That's better." She jerked the girl's face up with her hand again, now lifting it even higher. "Open your little mouth."
The girl obeyed. Positioning herself so that I could see best, Kazuko gathered saliva in her mouth and let a long string of it drop into the girl's mouth. Kazuko grabbed some of the girl's hair and shook her head. "Swallow," she said. The girl obeyed, a slow tear running down her cheek.
"Tongue out!" hissed Kazuko. "Don't swallow this one."
She gathered more saliva and dropped it on the girl's tongue. The girl shivered, keeping her mouth open.
"Spread it on the flower," Kazuko ordered, lifting her kimono and stepping closer to the girl.
The girl leaned her face into Kazuko's pussy and swirled her tongue carefully spreading all of Kazuko's spit across her pussy lips and clit.
I could see Kazuko's eyes flickering in satisfaction. Her lips curved into a pout of pleasure, but she restrained herself from making a sound. She spread her legs a bit wider, allowing the girl to insert her tongue into her pussy. Kazuko's head tilted back involuntarily, but soon after she closed the kimono, signaling for the girl to stop.
Kazuko grabbed a long piece of cloth and blindfolded the girl. "Lie face down," she said. Then she put two smaller cloth pieces into her ears and walked up to the divider.
"What do you think, master?" she whispered, sneaking into the chujo's room.