"This is... my diary!"
Tsukishima Matsuo felt a pang of panic as he took the notebook from the bookshelf, the very one that Ito Youshito had just retrieved from a gap.
"Kyouko… she shouldn't have seen it yet! Right, she's not the type to casually invade others' privacy!"
Tsukishima Matsuo took a deep breath and slowly opened the few special entries he had tucked inside.
"Boom—"
It felt as if thunder struck, reverberating through the air, hitting Tsukishima Matsuo squarely.
He broke into a cold sweat, his usual calm demeanor evaporated as he leaned against the writing desk, ultimately collapsing into the chair.
"This is it; what will Kyouko think of me? She wouldn't file for divorce, would she?" Tsukishima Matsuo thought, a trace of terror gripping him.
After a moment of sitting there in a daze, he began to calm down, recalling details from earlier that day.
"Kyouko didn't seem unusual or angry. But could it be that she was mindful of her student being present at the time? No, that doesn't make sense. Even after the classmate named Ito left, she didn't confront me… Maybe she understands? Still, I should gauge her reaction!"
Tsukishima Matsuo sat there, lightly drumming his fingers rhythmically against the desk...
A peculiar habit of his when deep in thought.
The study door was left ajar, and when Tsukishima Kyouko entered carrying some fruit, she noticed her husband drumming on the tabletop with a furrowed brow and a troubled expression.
"Are you preoccupied with something?"
"I was thinking about the diary…"
His voice trailed off, Tsukishima Matsuo stiffly lifted his gaze to meet Tsukishima Kyouko's, having been lost in thought, and instinctively replied to her inquiry.
"Why didn't you make a sound when you came in?"
"The door was open."
"…"
After a long silence, Tsukishima Matsuo finally spoke again.
"What do you think about diaries…"
"Diaries, huh…"
Kyouko immediately sensed something was off given her husband's long pause. She recalled the notebook Ito had picked up earlier..
"Could that possibly be Matsuo's diary? Perhaps it contains secrets he's hiding from me."
Tsukishima Matsuo anxiously awaited his wife's response; he found it hard to lie to Kyouko.
"Diaries…"
Kyouko looked at her husband, placing the fruits on the writing desk before moving behind him, her delicate hands gently pressing against his temples.
"Matsuo, are you hiding something from me?"
"…"
"No need to rush your answer. We're married; I won't force you to share secrets. I just hope that if you're facing difficulties, we can solve them together."
"…"
Tsukishima Matsuo felt somewhat relieved; he had received good news—his wife hadn't seen his diary entries yet.
However…
He hesitated about whether he should tell Kyouko he had found a way for them both to experience pleasure.
But given Kyouko's personality… he was unsure if revealing it would damage their relationship.
"Kyouko, I…"
Recalling her previous words stirred something within him, prompting Tsukishima Matsuo to decide to be open.
He didn't want to deceive her, yet he struggled to find the words. In the end, he handed the diary to Kyouko.
"Maybe you should read it for yourself…"
As he passed her the diary, Tsukishima Matsuo cradled his head in his hands, anxiously waiting for her judgment.
Kyouko moved a chair and sat beside her husband, beginning to read the special entries he had deliberately opened to.
The first was the very entry Ito had read titled "Experiencing True Pleasure."
When she saw that her husband had a chance for recovery, she felt a delicious thrill of hope.
They say that in your thirties, you're as fierce as a wolf, in your forties, a tiger, and by your fifties, you can draw dust from the ground. Tsukishima Kyouko was already thirty.
Aside from the sweet post-wedding period, she had not tasted intimacy for far too long and was on the verge of breaking.
However, when she read the method described, the flame of hope in Kyouko's heart was immediately extinguished.
Taking a deep breath, Kyouko patiently continued reading, but her previously cool demeanor became even chillier.
————
[Kyoko...]
[I know that only you can help me experience that heavenly feeling once more.]
[I've struggled for so long; I want to share my feelings with you now!]
[But...]
[I dare not speak; I don't know if you can accept it. I fear that if I do… our relationship will shatter!]
[I'm not sure if you've realized this, but over the past year, the long lack of affection has made you a bit irritable.]
[Inside, I see the restlessness increasing behind your calm facade, deepening the shadows on your face.]
[I feel tremendous anguish over my own ineptness.]
[Now, an opportunity for change lies before me, and I wish to seize it…]
[After much contemplation, I understand this may lead to resentment, but I've nonetheless made my decision.]
[I want you to be 'happy,' and I wish to be happy too!] (ﾉ∇︎〃 )
[To that end, I began searching for a candidate; I must find someone who can stay discreet yet still bring my plan to fruition!]
[Choosing the right person is crucial...]
[Thus, I laid out my plan. It's simple: I ordered a type of incense with aphrodisiac effects.]
[I'll create an opportunity, lighting the incense to leave you alone with the man I've chosen in a room.]
[With all the pent-up desire you've held for so long, it's bound to ignite like dry tinder meeting fire.]
[As for the aftermath, I'll burst in and catch you red-handed… and ultimately, I'll generously forgive you.]
[Then, I'll accidentally reveal that I have regained my vigor, and in the end, I'll exploit your feelings of guilt to urge you to maintain that relationship with him...]
[Here's hoping everything goes according to plan! Amen!]
————
Tsukishima Kyouko scanned the entry, noting it contained records from only a day ago.
"Oh great, just one day, and you've decided to 'sell' your wife, huh!"
Furious, Kyouko could no longer hold back; she raised her hand and slapped Tsukishima Matsuo hard.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"…"
Tsukishima Matsuo silently endured, propping himself up weakly with his elbows as he slumped in his seat.
"Tick tock, tick tock." It felt as though his heart was gripped tightly by an unseen force, causing sharp pain that made it hard to breathe. 'Are my feelings with Kyouko truly destined to end this way...?'
Kyouko's inner rage simmered slightly after the slap, and for the first time, she watched the man who had always appeared strong break down in tears.
With her eyes gently closing, tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned her back to Tsukishima Matsuo.
"I'll think it over…"
(If this were a normal situation, one would probably just get a divorce, but unfortunately, this is the other world. ●ｖ●)