Hapi Mari Novel: Update 9

Usually I would prefer not to post something so little...but I understand that you guys have been asking for it quite often.  I'm still waiting for people to volunteer to help out since I won't be able to make timely updates, so I hope this post won't be construed as a promise for more and soon.  

He narrows his gaze.  I wonder if it’s because the necklace doesn’t suit me?  Inside I do think that a two carat diamond is way beyond my means.

“The clothes do make the man.”

“Eh?  What do you mean?”

Is he angry?  Or is he just finding a roundabout way to diss me?

“I’m praising you so be honest and don’t hide your happiness.”

“Then praise me more honestly.”

I am…really happy even with such a twisted way of praising me…

“I won’t show my fishing harvests (chouka) to those who aren’t honest.”

“Choukaa?”

“Dummy, it’s chouka, or the catch of fishing,” Hokuto says with a tired expression as he lets the necklace drop back into place and set down the ice box he was holding earlier.  It looks quite heavy.

“What’s in there?  Tuna and swordfish?”

“What nonsense are you spewing.  There’s no way you can catch those by fishing on land.”

“Even if you say so, I just don’t know a lot about fishing,” I pouted.

Hokuto opens the ice box to show me, and it was packed with fish!  There are ones I’ve seen before, but ones completely alien to me too.

“Hokuto, did you catch this all by yourself?”

“I did grow up in a seaside town.  I fished quite often as a kid.”

Ah, there he goes looking smug again.  Now that I think about it, he was like this on the cruiser too.  The ocean has a way of bringing back some childish innocence in him.  Not that anyone but me knows about this.  Hokuto probably doesn’t realize it himself either.  This is a secret of Hokuto’s that I’m the only one to know about.

“What are you smirking at?”

“N-nothing in particular.  I’m not smirking either.”

“Yes you are.  It’s creepy.”

He doesn’t have to go and actually make an expression of disgust now, does he.  Hokuto closes the lid and hands the ice box to Cindy-san.

“If there are any edible ones in here, please cook them in a palatable way and serve it to us for lunch.”

“Understood.”

Cindy-san places the ice box on the bottom shelf of the food cart and bows politely before leaving.  After I wait for her to distance herself away from the villa, I glare at Hokuto again.

“By the way, you do know why I’m angry, right?”

“Nope.  If it’s about the hickey, then you have no right to be angry.”

“Of course it was my bad for falling asleep during dinner, but to do something like this to your wife when she is dead drunk and completely unconscious is considered rape!”

“Ra…what on earth are you going off about?”

Even though he’s always nonchalant, Hokuto stiffens up at my comment.  Here’s my chance!

“Plus when I awoke, you weren’t here anymore.  I felt so lonely when I had to eat breakfast all by myself.”

“Even then you still managed to wipe your plate clean.”

In order to not lose to Hokuto’s rebuttal, I pouted and put on my angry face.

“Make amends.”

“Make amends?”

“Yup.  To make up the time that has already been lost, you have to promise to make effort to spend every moment with me, so much so that you tire of it.  That’s the point of the trip.”

Am I being capricious?  Or would he let this pass?  I sneak a glance at him nervously.  He widens his eyes somewhat in surprise and lets out a sigh.  Is that a smile?

“…alright.  I surrender, wife.  I shall do as you wish.”

“Yay!”  I take Hokuto’s hand in my own.

“Then let’s take a stroll on the beach.  With our hands held together tightly like lovers, of course.”

“Tightly…you’re joking.”

“I’m not, not at all!  It should be normal since we’re husband and wife.”

I quickly slip on my mules when I catch Hokuto sighing wearily, “Such a greedy wife.”

“Go ahead, I don’t care what you say.  A promise is a promise.”