I sat in the stillness of my room, meditating. Two additional encounters with Matsuo's wife in the span of two days left me somewhat drained.
It wasn't even physical exhaustion that got hold of me, but rather a mental fatigue.
I felt perfectly comfortable penetrating Keiko while Haruko was watching, awaiting her turn, her eyes gleaming mischievously. Or stuffing my cock into Kazuko's slave's mouth with Kazuko guiding it with her pampered hand. I had no issue with those adventures whatsoever. But cumming into a woman with her husband eagerly waiting for me to father his child wasn't something I was accustomed to. It was a peculiar feeling.
The third encounter was especially awkward, with a tent we used on another field practically falling apart, forcing Matsuo to hold one of the pieces of canvas with his hands to prevent it from completely collapsing.
My honorable estate manager tried to look away while Azusa was giving me preparatory oral sex, but when I put my cock into her pussy, I could see him watching us attentively.
Did watching me impale his wife with my cock give him pleasure? Was he secretly a cuckold, deriving a twisted satisfaction from seeing his wife taken by another man? Or was he simply studying my methods to improve his performance in bed?
I didn't know the answers – and frankly I didn't care that much.
The deed was done, thankfully, and I was really counting on Azusa to conceive and allow me to cross at least one item off my list.
If she didn't get pregnant now, I felt it entirely plausible that soon enough Matsuo and I would be sharing his wife on a regular basis, boundaries completely blurring. Various scenarios swirled in my mind: possibly spit roasting her, with Matsuo's eager eyes watching as I thrust into her from behind while he claimed her mouth; or him getting the sloppy seconds, his cock covered in my essence… Brrr…
As Takumi quietly entered my room, I sighed. It was really sad that I couldn't share my frustration with my trusted Chief Philosopher, given my promise to Matsuo. It was safer for no one to ever know the true story of Azusa's pregnancy, irrespective of my mental turmoil…
"Master," uttered Takumi, his voice unusually heavy. "You have to come to your father's quarters."
I glanced at him. He looked sad and nervous.
"What is it? Something happened?"
"I believe his lordship is passing…"
We rushed to my father's room.
In the inner yard, we passed a few servants, their heads lowered, and Kazuko, who made a tentative move to approach me, but I didn't stop.
"What about the doctor?" I asked Takumi before we got to the door.
"He should be there already. They called for him earlier."
The esteemed doctor Ishikawa was in fact already by my father's bedside, in his hifu—a doctor's overcoat—his hands holding a couple of medicinal bottles.
"Igaku-shi, how is he?" I asked.
"Hello, Matsuda-sama," the doctor replied gravely. "I fear there is nothing more I can do. The heavens and the earth return to their original path. The family lineage entrusts itself to the heavens."
I stood there, a stillness settling over me like a thick fog. Time seemed to stretch infinitely in the darkened room, and all I could do was watch the steady rise and fall of my father's chest, each breath growing shallower.
I glanced around, feeling a strange detachment, as if I was watching this all unfold from a distance. People, things, scents—everything seemed foreign and almost artificial.
After what felt like an eternity, the doctor spoke again, his voice a quiet murmur. "It is time, Matsuda-sama. His lordship's spirit is ready to depart. You must take the necessary steps now to guide him." As the doctor moved to give his respects, I turned to Takumi, his eyes cast downward, his expression full of sorrow.
"Prepare the ceremony, Takumi," I said. "Make sure everything is ready for the proper rites."
Additional incenses were brought in, and the faint sound of a bell rang outside. Takumi and the attendants moved with quiet reverence, setting out offerings of freshly harvested rice, sake, and fruits.
A priest appeared by the door, holding a branch of sakaki tree, and began to chant softly, invoking the kami to guide my father's spirit.
The priest moved slowly to my father's bed, waving the sakaki branch to purify the space around his body. He placed the ofuda near my father's head and prayed for a while. I stood at the back of the room, watching him, my hands clasped together.
I couldn't feel a thing.
At the end of the ceremony, the offering of sacred sake was poured into a small wooden cup. It was offered to the ancestors, the gods, and my father's spirit, ensuring that his journey into the next world would be honored.
After placing the offering on the altar, the priest bowed and made his way to the door, leaving the room in complete silence.
It was done.
Matsuda Senior was no longer among the living.