Stealing Spree

Upon my return trip back home to our house to check on Akane and get a new set of clothes for my sleepover at Rumi's house, I received a file on my phone.

It was from the eccentric old man. He already got it. The favor that I asked him a few nights ago.

The file contained information about Marika's family, the Kujou Family.

I opened it while walking back home and skimming through the details, I couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. This family was definitely not your typical noble family. Even though they were said to have already lost a lot of capital that even urged them to make a deal with the Ichihara for the repair of their ancestral estate, they had enough connections to make them a force to be reckoned with.

I guess that's what one should expect from a former noble family rooted in Kyoto.

The Kujou's had a history of power and influence that went back centuries. They were one of the last families to hold onto their status even after the Meiji Restoration. They had their hands in various industries, but their most notable contributions were in the arts, specifically traditional Japanese art and culture. They were known patrons of the arts and had produced several artists and poets throughout the generations. Marika's love for acting also stemmed from it, as the family had a strong theatrical lineage.

In any case, since they're the ones who pushed her into the arranged marriage to Ichihara Jun, I had no other choice but to treat them as temporary enemies. And with one of her relatives coming over to preside over the disturbance I caused for stealing her from Ichihara Jun, I had to be prepared.

I looked over the names of Marika's immediate family. She was from the direct lineage but her great-grandfather still presided as the Patriarch of the family.

Her father, Kujou Kohei, was a man of culture and arts. Known to be quite the playboy in his younger days, he settled down when he had his first child. Her mother, on the other hand, was from a family that had connections to the entertainment industry. She was a former model and an actress before marrying into the Kujou family. She is retired now.

Marika had a guess, but she also wasn't sure if she was right. According to her, it might be one of her aunts who's in favor of her marriage to Ichihara Jun.

When I looked into the file, she didn't have many aunts. Only three. The women who married into their family aren't counted.

The first one was Aunt Yukie, the youngest of the three. She was married to a politician and had two kids. She was more of a social butterfly than an actual decision-maker. The second was Aunt Kagura. Marika mentioned her as a strong-willed woman who was known to be quite a handful. She was single and loved to travel around the world, not really caring much for the family's traditional ways. The last one was Aunt Atsuko. She was the eldest and the most traditional of the three. Marika described her as cold and calculating, someone who would stop at nothing to ensure the family's status remained untainted.

I skimmed through their profile but there's still no indication of who among the three would be coming over. Each one of them can have a reason for doing so.

Aunt Yukie to earn more political leverage, Aunt Kagura to check if her wild behavior is really over and Aunt Atsuko to ensure the marriage goes through for the renovation of the ancestral estate...

If they wanted to squash the opposition, it should be the eldest, right? But given that she probably had a high position in the family, she might not have the time. So, it's either of the two. Narrowing it down from there was impossible.

But it's not like I can ask Marika to just call her aunties and ask them if they're coming or not. That would be suspicious and probably not good for my standing with them. Whoever would be coming, they were probably going to put a target on my back, dissuade me from meddling or just straight up telling me to get lost.

But I was ready for this. Like I said to the old man, there's no turning back from here. Either I convince them to give Marika to me or we elope. Well, not really eloping but we're just going to ignore their outrage.

As the train continued, I read further into the file and upon reading the additional message that the old man put at the end, a smile couldn't help but form on my lips.

I will owe that eccentric old man a lot if that truly happens.

Anyway, I spent my time reading through the file to understand the family I was going to deal with. Because in the future, there's a possibility for Marika and I to return there. I'll still have to ask them for her hand in marriage, right? No matter how absurd it will be.

The file contained details about their assets, their connections, and their history. The Kujou family had a vast network of allies and enemies alike. They had a knack for making friends with powerful families and had even survived through several feuds and political upheavals. It was fascinating, really. But even with all that, ever since the arrival of the new era, their power and monetary strength had been waning. They were trying to keep up appearances, but the cracks were showing.

That's why the plan to renovate their ancestral estate came up. They wanted to make it a show of power. To display that they weren't in decline yet. Unfortunately, Marika became the pawn for it.

Maybe if I hadn't gotten entangled with Marika, everything would happen smoothly. Too bad Ichihara had to go and approach us in that library which led to my eventual connection with the girl.

But I knew I couldn't change the past. And even if I could, I wouldn't. The only thing I could do was to face the future with confidence and be ready for whatever it had to throw at us.

Several minutes later, I arrived home and found Akane and Fuyu welcoming me home together.

I already told them about my promise with Rumi -- although Fuyu pretended not to care about it. They were here to see me off, I guess? And I wasn't one to deny them of it.

"Won't you eat with us first, Ruki-kun?" Fuyu looked up at me with her lovable smile that I've grown used to seeing these days. However, I could see a slight tinge of sadness in her eyes.

Akane, on the other hand, gave me the same understanding look as though she had always prepared for days like this one where I had to stay the night somewhere else and not in our bedroom.

"Sure. I can smell the food already. It'll be a waste to pass up on that." I said as I pulled them both close to me, giving them our usual kisses.

Fuyu blushed as always while Akane's eyes gleamed with her undying love. We sat down together for dinner and talked about our days. They were both eager to hear about more of my day. Especially the ones in the boxing gym. As for my interactions with Sena and Marika, Fuyu busied herself with the food because she was still not ready to accept that I had more girls. Of course, they also updated me about what happened to them during the day. Where they went and what transpired when Akane brought Machida to meet Futaba and Eri. "Machida didn't want to take full responsibility for their conflict, just a part of it because it was her group of normies who collectively decided to do that back then," Akane said, her voice somehow teetered between understanding Machida's reasoning and despising it. "Futaba and Eri didn't buy it but they also didn't push on making her apologize. That's why... it was a little awkward before you showed up. Husband, it was your presence that somehow made it less tense."

"Less tense? How?"

"Machida started fidgeting when we told them we're waiting for you there. Futaba and Eri got their chance to tease her, a little payback to what she and her group did before." Fuyu answered this time.

I chuckled at the thought of those two girls bullying the poor Machida. But well, I guess she deserved some of that as retribution, right? They were pretty obnoxious back then.

"What about after I separated from you? In the karaoke?" I asked, curious about how Machida reacted once the pressure was off.

Akane smirked. "Oh, she was fine once she realized she had no chance against our combined teasing. She accepted her defeat by singing something like an apology song."

Fuyu giggled. "It was hilarious. She's actually not that bad at singing."

"Heh. Sounds like you all had fun. I assume no one bothered you in that room?" I asked. I paid the staff of that karaoke place. If they told me here that someone bothered them, I'd go back there and thrash the place... Or whatever, just to get back with their poor customer service.

"Nope. No one dared. They couldn't even peek through the glass opening at the door." Akane said confidently as she ate her meal. "You did something, did you? Those employees were quite enthusiastic at repelling anyone who tried to check on our room."

As always, Akane saw through me.

"I just had a little talk with them, that's all," I replied with a wink before taking a mouthful of the dish they prepared for me.

The two girls giggled and we continued our meal over more mundane topics and laughter.

Once we finished dinner, I packed my bag with the essentials for the night. Akane helped me, making sure I had everything I needed, while Fuyu hovered around, occasionally peeking into my bag with a hopeful glint in her eye.

Since Fuyu also had to go home while Akane would be staying with her parents next door, the three of us left the house together.

Of course, I didn't forget to pamper both of them. It made our night more worthwhile.

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