Mika leaned against the hallway wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the carpet. She buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god," she groaned, her voice muffled. "Oh my god. My parents are kinky freaks. My mother is a dominatrix, and my father loves it."
She looked up at Makoto, her face flushed but her eyes sparkling with hysterical relief. "And we survived her. We actually survived."
"Well, we survived together," Makoto let out a relieved sigh, sitting on the floor next to her. "Didn't know my mother-in-law was that scary. I thought I was going to be killed on the spot."
Mika let out a long, shaky breath that turned into a hysterical giggle. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her body still trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash. "Killed? Oh, darling, you were lucky. That was her being calm. When she's really angry, she doesn't raise her voice. She just gets very, very quiet, and calculates the most efficient way to ruin your life."
She lifted her head to look at him with amusement in her pink eyes. "Did you see my father?" she whispered, a shudder running through her. "I will never be able to look at him again without picturing that. I'm scarred for life. We're both scarred for life."
She squeezed his hand, her fingers lacing through his tightly. "But you didn't back down earlier, darling," she said softly, her voice filled with a newfound reverence. "You just knelt there and took it. And then you even asked her to the wedding."
Mika leaned in and gave him a grateful kiss. It was the most tender kiss she'd ever given him. "I've never been more proud of you, darling," she whispered against his lips. "Even though I've never been more terrified in my entire life."
She let out a final shaky sigh and stood up, pulling him with her. "Come on," she said when straightening her yukata and trying, and failing, to regain her usual composure. "We have to go back. Let's just buy some local desserts for them and pretend none of this happened."
Mika gave him a wry, tired look. "Your punishment tonight is canceled. I think we've both been punished enough. Let's just go back and try to forget what we saw in that room." She paused, then added with a tiny smirk, "Or at least try to forget my father's part in it."
===
The couple started buying some grilled and matcha mochi on the way back. "That reminds me of the time when you and Yuna forced me to get a collar," Makoto said as they were walking.
He shrugged, then realized something. "Hey, remember how you and Yuna threatened to get me a chastity cage, just so that I agreed to get a collar instead? Were we being set up by your Mom like that, too?"
Mika froze mid-step, a piece of matcha mochi halfway to her mouth. She blinked, her mind visibly racing as she replayed the entire confrontation. "My abortion…" she whispered, her eyes widening. "Her threat to ruin your career… and the ultimatum…"
She lowered the mochi, a look of horrified realization spreading across her face. "She never intended to do any of it," she breathed. "She knew we wouldn't agree. She pushed us to the absolute brink, terrified us with the worst possible outcome just so we would accept her actual terms."
Mika let out a short, incredulous laugh. "The Saionji name. Me finishing my college and securing a stable job. The baby's monthly updates. There is no way she could think of those conditions on the spot. Those must have been the things she wanted all along."
"And we fought for them. We felt like we won them." She sighed, looked at him, her eyes caught between awe and annoyance. "She played us," she continued, shaking her head. "She played us like a damn fiddle. It was the door-in-the-face technique, executed flawlessly. And she did it while testing us both. Two birds with one stone."
Mika took a bite of the mochi, chewing thoughtfully. A grudging smile of respect appeared on her lips. "She's good. She's very, very good. No wonder she runs the Saionji family."
She looked at Makoto, her eyes glinting. "It seems I have a long way to go before I can truly call myself the harem manager. But…" She linked her arm with his, pulling him close. "At least I learned from the best."
Then Mika sighed, making a sound of exhaustion and relief. "Let's just not tell Yuna. If she finds out my mother manipulated us that easily, she'll never let me live it down. Let's just let her believe we conquered my mom with the power of our perverted love."
"Well, I bet your mom's gonna follow through the moment I agree and abandon you two," Makoto sighed as they slowly walked back to the ryokan. "Let's hope little Aiko won't inherit all that…"
"Oh, she will," Mika said instantly, her voice tinged with both dread and a fierce maternal pride. She took a bite of Makoto's grilled mochi without asking. "She'll have my mind, your stubbornness, and my mother's aura. We're doomed!"
Mika glanced at her own stomach with a soft, protective look in her eyes. "But she'll also have a father who isn't afraid to kneel for her. And a mother who will burn the world down to keep her safe. So maybe she'll be okay."
As they approached the ryokan, the familiar sounds of their chaotic family drifted out from the open windows of their room.
"Give it back, you hag! That's MY limited edition pudding!" Yuna's voice was shrill and indignant.
"Finders keepers, main wife! You snooze, you lose!" Ayane's voice was as smug as usual.
"Please don't fight, there's more pudding in the bag," Mafuyu said with her gentle, pleading voice.
Mika stopped to listen to the noise. A calm smile spread across her face, replacing the stress of the last hour. "Home sweet home, darling," she murmured and squeezed his arm. "Ready to face the real bosses?"
Makoto slid the door open: Yuna was currently in a headlock, courtesy of Ayane, who was dangling a pudding cup just out of her reach. Mafuyu was frantically trying to mediate with a box of cookies. They all froze as Makoto and Mika entered.
"You're back!" Yuna gasped, breaking free and scrambling to her feet, her hair a mess. "Where were you?! You missed dinner! And Ayane ate my pudding!"
"I did not!" Ayane protested, wiping pudding from her lip. "I was taste testing it for poison! For the baby!"
Mika stepped in, holding up the bag of mochi like a peace offering. "We brought dessert," she announced calmly. "And we survived."
Yuna eyed the bag, then Makoto. She stomped over, grabbed his arm, and sniffed his shirt suspiciously. "You smell like sweat," she said, her nose wrinkling. "And expensive perfume. What happened?"
Mika just smiled, her usual serene, angelic smile that hid a thousand secrets. "We just ran into some old acquaintances. Nothing to worry about." She plucked a mochi from the bag and popped it into Yuna's open mouth before she could ask more questions. "Here, eat! We have a long night ahead of us."
"A long night?" Ayane perked up, abandoning the pudding wars. "Does that mean the punishment game is back on?"
Mika looked at Makoto, then at the girls. She sighed, making a resigned sound. "No punishment. Just family time." She walked over to the futon and collapsed onto it, patting the space beside her. "Come here, girls. I'm tired, I want cuddles. And I want to tell you all about the interesting plan for our group wedding."
Yuna grumbled but immediately crawled over to claim her spot on his other side. Ayane flopped down at his feet. Mafuyu settled in quietly beside Mika.
Makoto lay down in the center of the pile, surrounded by warmth, chaos, and love. He realized that, despite the terrifying mother-in-law and the constant threat of castration from Yuna and Mika, he wouldn't trade this for anything.