53rd Chapter: Newlywed Pretense

Several days after returning from the mall, Hayato finally managed to organize the supplies stored in the spatial containment.

He sorted and arranged them, distributed a large portion to Yui and the others, and left some in the room. Items nearing expiration were shared with the Sakurai family.

This allowed him to free up one space for an empty water bucket.

Hayato made multiple trips between the hotel and the residence, carrying numerous bags, and adjusted the inventory to fit the room's layout.

He occasionally opened the bags in front of the hotel staff, showing their contents, and gave some supplies to the Nishiyama group. Their frequent visits and heavy loads were tolerated.

The items given to the Nishiyama group were older than those shared with the Sakurai family, though still unopened. They should remain usable.

On some trips, he was approached by guests seeking assistance, drawn into minor interactions.

He had killed hundreds of zombies and secured a large supply of goods. It was no surprise. Hayato refused. The other side did not push forward, knowing Hayato was stronger than they were.

"Ah, tired."

Having finished everything, Hayato collapsed onto the bed in Room 714.

Anna approached and sat beside him.

"Welcome back. Dinner is ready."

Anna was in the room, where the faint scent of fabric softener lingered. Yui had allowed Anna to use the rice cooker and washing machine.

Hayato used the rice that he had shared with the Sakurai family. They did not share that.

But detergents, soaps, tissues, and toilet paper were stored in the room because the recovery volume had been excessive. Anna was free to use what she needed.

Laundry was hung indoors, including items belonging to Yui and Natsuki, so only Anna was allowed inside the room.

The key to Room 714 was opened by Yui or Natsuki. Aside from the cheaper portable power source and solar panel, no supplies of value were kept inside.

In this way, the situation stabilized.

Hayato had no memory of being married to Anna.

It was merely a fifteen-year-old beauty's declaration: "I can be your wife."

"Today what?"

Tired, Hayato accepted the new marriage role without deep thought.

Being tired was an excuse he made for himself.

Under Yui and Natsuki's watchful eyes, Anna continued her performance.

"Today, your favorite curry."

The curry itself was recovered from the first floor of the Shopping Mall.

Some items past their expiration date were set aside as well—treasures kept for Anna.

The fact that she would use them only under certain circumstances revealed her seriousness.

"I like curry."

Hayato, having lived in another world for three years, had not eaten curry in that time.

He truly liked it. It felt like a feast.

"But I'm tired. Not hungry."

"Then shall I prepare the bath first?"

Anna tilted her head slightly, smiling.

The gesture, combined with her appearance and age, was captivating.

Meanwhile, Yui was sending a sharp, silent pressure through her gaze toward Hayato.

Her eyes half-lidded, cold light in them—a sophisticated form of pressure.

Hayato felt the stare but pretended not to notice.

"Right. Let's have a bath."

"Understood! I'll heat it up right away. Shall I join you?"

"What… was… that…?"

A middle schooler bathing with his young wife would be a scandal worthy of the Edo shogunate’s wrath.

—Wait, no. If she’s a wife, is it legal even if she’s a middle schooler?

In the Edo shogunate’s view, concubines were included among wives.

Hayato asked Yui with his eyes, “How many concubines were allowed under the Edo shogunate?” Yui cut the air with a flat reply: “Zero.”

Regrettable.

Natsuki shot Yui a look: “What about me?”

Yui froze for a moment, then replied, “Zero point four.”

Even half a concubine was unacceptable.

“Yeah, yeah, out.”

“Why is that?”

“Age eighteen is safe.”

Yui’s exasperated voice echoed through the room.

Hayato lay on his back, paused, then asked again.

“Hm. So it’s safe if she’s eighteen.”

“Legally, yes.”

Yui did not say it outright, but she did not say no either.

A shade-of-gray response, holding the reins on Hayato without releasing them.

A skill practiced by Japanese bureaucrats, a hallmark of office tradition.

"Consent is safe for anyone over sixteen."

Natsuki, who had been quietly listening, seized the opening.

Yui faltered slightly at Natsuki’s betrayal—someone she had considered a trusted ally.

But this was Yui’s own failing. She had not treated Natsuki as an equal.

Hayato, gaining unexpected support, let a faint smile form.

"Intentional relationships with marriage in mind are acceptable even for minors."

Anna joined the attack, pressing forward while Yui remained on the defensive.

Yet it was not a three-on-one situation.

Anna was competing with both Yui and Natsuki.

Yui was under attack from both sides. Natsuki was attempting to correct the imbalance of 0.4 person, but did not support Anna. Anna was exploiting the gap between Yui and Natsuki.

Hayato remained troubled, still wondering how many people the Edo shogunate had…

“But our bath is a bit small, isn’t it? Should we move soon to a place where two of us can share the bath?”

Anna spoke with a somewhat innocent tone, leaning in to look at Hayato’s face.

The bathroom in Room 714 was cramped. A washing machine was stored inside.

Hayato thought it was narrow. He imagined a room that was not narrow.

“Room 1002.”

The room next to the one Hayato and the others were staying in—Room 1001—was vacant.

The cost of staying in a room with a bath was twenty kilograms per person per month, with a minimum of two people. In the current state of severe food shortages, such a room was not easily available.

But Hayato had rice piled high like a mountain.

Go to the country elevator and there will be more pine resin than can be used—capable of producing sixty kilograms of raw rice per hour.

Three hundred and sixty kilograms after six hours of work—enough to cover nine months of lodging for two people.

Shall we go in together?

Anna pressed紧贴 Hayato's body.

Hayato moved with the ease of flowing clouds and water.

To live with the flow of things is to let oneself be carried by the natural course of events, like clouds drifting through the sky or water flowing through a river.

If we secure the room next door, we won’t get complaints even if the machinery noise is loud.

If we secure rooms 901 and 902 below, we might be able to operate the rice mill using the portable power source.

When Hayato began to move his body, intending to rise, Yui called out a halt.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. We’ll go in together—stop that."

Not "I," but "we," forming a barrier—Yui’s strategy.

Natsuki had no objection to a mixed bath with Yui present, so Hayato let it pass without protest.

"Anyway, why are you pushing so hard?"

Yui would not have made such a display even in Anna’s position.

Hayato sided with Anna against Yui’s questioning.

"Instant attraction."

"Wow, perfect answer."

Anna widened her eyes at Hayato’s words, showing surprise and nodding in agreement.

Yui raised an eyebrow at Anna’s unhesitant response.

"Impossible."

Yui dismissed Hayato as if he were a glittering celebrity—brusquely and decisively.

A most disrespectful remark indeed.

With Hayato’s grizzly strength, one might even manage a quadruple Axel in figure skating.

Figure skating is unfamiliar, so a major fall during landing is likely.

After Hayato was swiftly dispatched upon arrival, Anna spoke.

"I realized I had become too much of a burden to my father, seeing him injured on his left hand."

The room collectively nodded in understanding at Anna’s words.

Sakurai’s left arm injury was common knowledge among all present.

"But the burden simply shifts to Hayato, doesn’t it?"

Yui tilted her head, pointing out.

Anna smiled and turned to Hayato.

"If it were you and your wife, would that be acceptable? Actually, I have the surplus, don’t I?"

Enough information was available to make such a judgment.

Dispatching the five members of the New Order Coalition with bare hands, in an instant.

After bringing Sakurai back to the hotel, Hayato secured a new vehicle and a large quantity of canned goods during the first expedition.

The next day, he returned with a large quantity of rice and upgraded the room.

The following day, he eliminated nearly five hundred zombies with bows and arrows, then returned from the Home Center with portable power sources and solar panels.

Crossing into the next day, he brought back a mountain of supplies from the Shopping Mall where zombies still remained.

"Perhaps it's overly easy."

Ease was a fact.

The zombies' emergence was not Hayato's fault, and he did not blame the ease for it.

As an innocent citizen with no responsibility, he intended to continue living in ease.

"If it were my husband, that would be acceptable."

Anna placed her soft hand on Hayato's.

Hayato lingered in the sensation of the woman's touch, and wondered, "How far can a couple go?"

But Hayato, unmarried, found it too complex to answer.

Assuming hypothetically, if one hundred newlywed couples were asked whether to use a cable tie, how many would answer affirmatively?

In a democratic state, the majority is justice.

A majority would be normal. It would surely be permitted.

As Hayato’s gaze wandered, unsettled, it met Yui’s.

When Hayato silently asked, “What do you think?”, Yui answered with her eyes: “Guilty.”