I hurried home with a spring in my step, humming to myself as
I rode the thrill of completing my first game with Kanako's app. I
couldn't stop replaying it in my head. The way the cashier gawked,
how his eyes might have lingered for as long as I leaned down, that I
probably made his day with an eyeful of my cleavage now burned
into his mind.
A part of me wanted to tell Kanako, but given her penchant for
being a loud-mouth, I wouldn't hear the end of it. Worse, she might
tell Jun and he might end up telling Souji.
As I reached the third floor to my apartment, the sun dawning
behind me cast my shadow against the front door. The silhouette
stared back at me like a darker reflection of myself. Seeing it made
me realize that I could never show this app to Souji.
What was I going to say? That I was playing a game that had
me commit lewd acts in public for digital currency?
This was going to be the first time I ever hid anything from
him. We had always been truthful to each other, even when it came
to our past relationships, nothing was too private to share. We place
trust and love above all else.
My throat never felt more dry than at this moment.
The door adjacent creaked open. Mr. Tanaka came out with a
cigarette in one hand, and a beer can in the other, still unchanged
from the filthy clothes he wore this morning. He hasn't seen me yet,
and rests his arms against the railing before heaving a sigh.
"Mr. Tanaka?" I announced myself by calling out his name.
"Ah— ah?!"
That turned out to be a mistake. The beer slipped from his
hand and clattered to the ground two seconds later. He leaned over
the railing to see the spilled mess and groaned.
"I'm so sorry! You came out and didn't see me, so I thought I'd
say hi…" I apologized profusely, but he appeared just as apologetic.
"No worries, I'll just grab another beer from the fridge." His
eyes shifted to the groceries in my hands. "Oh, looks like Souji'shaving a grand dinner tonight."
Guilt wallowed within knowing that I caused even a moment of
distress to someone. Especially to a kind person like Mr. Tanaka.
"I may have splurged a little, but everything was super
discounted," I answered with a smile.
Mr. Tanaka nodded to himself, then glanced back down at the
pool of spilt beer like he'd lost a good friend. He continued to smoke
from his cigarette, taking a long drag until he started coughing up a
storm.
"Bah… Souji better be treating you right. If my wife was still
around, I would treat her like a queen." The somber pitch in his tone
struck a chord in my heart.
"Would you like to join us for dinner today?" I offered. "It's
been some time since you ate with us."
His eyes lit up, but they flickered out just as quickly. "I
couldn't! Don't get me wrong, I love your cooking, Mrs. Ninomae! But
you and your husband, well… plenty of things to talk about, even
more to do. Right?"
My face was getting hot at the insinuation. Despite the
inconvenience I caused and my offer to make recompense, he
regarded my thoughts first.
"In that case, how about I pack you some leftovers later?" I
asked.
"Well, I can't very well refuse since you're so insistent," he
said with a chuckle.
I was about to head in until my phone rang Souji usually
texted me around this time if he was craving something.
However, when I checked my phone, it was the NTL app's
notification staring back at me. Three choices were presented to me
again.
[Invite Mr. Tanaka to have sex with you until your
husband comes home.] +10,000pts
[Invite Mr. Tanaka to have a threesome with you and
your husband.] +15,000pts
[Offer to play pretend as Mr. Tanaka's wife for a week.]
+100,000ptsI was speechless.
These choices were asking me to commit adultery. The ones
before were so tame in comparison. Yet the points that can be
earned from them were incredibly high, especially the third choice.
There was no way I could do something like this, not with Mr.
Tanaka. Not because I didn't like the man, but because I would be
betraying my Souji.
"Mrs. Ninomae? Is something the matter?" My neighbor took
a step towards me, the smell of beer and tobacco heavy in the air
became more intense.
"It's nothing!" I answered hastily.
I hurried into my home, slamming the door behind me.
The NTL app was just a game, I didn't have to listen to it. Yet
a creeping fear scratched at my head. Once again, it knew who I
was speaking to.
Could it have recorded the conversation and automatically
entered the names I heard?
That was a big if.
My fingers were still trembling. I had to leave my phone in the
living room while I prepared dinner. 'Out of sight, out of mind,' or so
the saying went. Souji was going to be home in another two hours.
There was plenty of time, but I needed something to keep my mind
off what had happened.
With the ingredients prepared, I decided to run a bath to soak
in the hot waters.
Soon, Souji would be home. I would welcome him at the door,
have dinner together, and then hopefully…
The same fingers that were trembling a while ago slid
between my legs, teasing the nub at the top of my crotch. I didn't
need to stick a finger in to know I was wet, and it wasn't the water's
doing. While I was teasing myself down there, my free hand
massaged my breasts.
Souji came to mind. His gentle touch replaced my own as I fell
into a delusion of us making love in the bath. Just before I reached
climax, Mr. Tanaka's face appeared. Had I chosen one of thoseoptions, we would be having sex right now. His large body pinning
me down, thick hands that would violate my body—
"God, what am I thinking?!" I shouted, throwing my hands into
the air. I stopped short of orgasming. I was so close, but I didn't want
Mr. Tanaka on my mind while it happened. "I'm so pent up I started
masturbating in the tub… I have to see Mr. Tanaka later, too, since I
promised him food…"
Not finishing left my body extra sensitive, but I only needed to
wait a while longer until Souji came home.
I spent the next hour watching television until the lock on the
door turned. I raced to the door to greet Souji, but he looked like he
aged ten whole years since this morning. Even as I embraced him,
his arms hung by his side.
Souji lugged his feet towards the dinner table and plunked
down on the seat. He didn't even bother letting me undo his tie, and
started eating dinner right there.
"Did… something happen?" I asked him as he stuffed his
mouth full of rice and spinach.
He heaved a sigh before answering, "My boss chewed me out
on messing up some numbers for our fourth quarter earnings so far.
Apparently I made a mistake in the month of July and missed a
comma. I quadruple check everything I punch in, so I don't know
how that slipped by."
The business jargon he brought home from work never made
sense to me. I always listened with a silent nod and gave blank
responses. But it didn't seem appropriate for me to say anything right
now.
His hand was clenched on the table clutching the pair of
chopsticks. I placed a hand atop his, and it was enough to calm his
nerves.
"Souji, you're only human. Mistakes happen but what's
important is that you don't let it get you down. If quadruple checking
didn't work, then you need to… what's the one that comes after?" I
asked, suddenly feeling embarrassed at my failed attempt to cheer
him up.My husband burst into laughter. He held my hand, rubbing the
fingers that were moments ago bringing me pleasure in the bath. His
touch sent shivers up my spine.
"It's quintuple. Or pentuple?" Souji answered. "You're right. I'll
just check things over five, six, hell even seven times over from now
on. My responsibilities are vital to Ushigome Enterprise after all.
Thanks, Yuina."
A wave of relief washed over me seeing Souji happy. He
continued eating my food with more vigor, none the wiser that I
dashed some red ginseng powder into every dish, including the rice.
My phone vibrated with a notification. It was the app again.
Fortunately, Souji was here, so if it asked me to do anything with
him, I would be more than happy to.
However, there weren't any choices on the screen. It showed
Ushigome Enterprise stock values having dropped 1.5% in a single
day— due to regional sales mismanagement.
There was no reason this game app should be showing me
stock market values, but it did. The air became thick and suffocating,
the four walls of my home felt a lot closer.
Somehow, this game knew about Souji's mistake and…
reported it to me? Why?
"Yuina?" I glanced up to see my husband pointing to my bowl
of rice. "You gonna eat that?"
Just looking at my husband dispelled the tension. There was
nothing supernatural going on. My phone was connected to the
internet, this information was available to everyone. I was convinced
this had some sort of recording with a built in virtual AI to collect
data. Things like that already existed in the form of Alexa and Siri.
"Geez. The things I do for you," I said, dumping half my rice
into his bowl.
After dinner, Souji took a shower and went straight to the
bedroom while I was cleaning up in the kitchen. I couldn't find an
opportunity to bring up the subject of babies. I chalked it up to being
shy, but I didn't want the day to end without making any progress.
My heart raced. I wanted to have sex with him. I needed him
in me to release all this tension built up from today. If we couldn'ttalk, we could at least make love.
When I walked inside, the lights were out
"Souji~" I cooed, stepping into our bedroom. The lights were
off. He was on the bed, turned over with his back to me. "Souji?"
I tiptoed to the other side of him to find that he was fast
asleep. The frustration came pouring back in. It was only 10 at night,
but he had already passed out.
No.
Being angry was the wrong move. Souji had a tough day, it
was only natural he went to sleep early.