Fujiwara Kirito gently stroked Mrs. Mikoto's delicate back and said softly, "Do you want me to frame it for you?"
"No need. I've already taken up a lot of your time today. You should go to Izumi now. I've been through this before. When a girl loses her virginity, that's when she feels the most insecure. Compared to me, Izumi needs you more right now." Mikoto said with a knowing smile.
"You're really thoughtful," Kirito responded with a warm smile.
"Alright, stop delaying. I'll clean up the table later. You should take the food to Izumi's room quickly before it gets cold," Mikoto urged, her cheeks blushing slightly from Kirito's praise.
"I'll go right away." Kirito did as instructed, carrying the prepared meal toward Izumi's room. However, before leaving, he couldn't help but steal a touch from Mikoto, earning a reproachful look from her.
Reaching Izumi's door, Kirito turned the doorknob counterclockwise.
Locked.
He had miscalculated. Kirito sighed, balancing the dinner plate in one hand while rubbing his forehead with the other.
Pulling out a thin iron wire from his system storage, he inserted it into the lock and twisted it skillfully. With a quiet click, the door swung open.
Hmph, just a door. Back in my Anbu days, unlocking a door was the most basic skill. How could a mere lock stop me?
"Izumi, it's time for dinner…" Kirito called out as he gently pushed open the door.
He already knew that while he had been talking to Mikoto, Izumi had been eavesdropping behind the door. If he had pushed the door open too quickly, he would have bumped into her, making her even more embarrassed.
Izumi was already feeling conflicted about what had happened between them, and now was not the time to push her further.
He waited until she had crawled back into bed and covered herself with a blanket before stepping inside.
Seeing her pretending to sleep, Kirito smiled and said, "Izumi, it's time to eat."
Izumi, who had been feigning sleep, slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she did, she saw Kirito's familiar, gentle smile. Pretending not to notice her discomfort, Kirito reached out, gently brushing aside the strands of hair that had fallen across her face.
"Wake up," he said softly.
"…Yeah," Izumi nodded, her voice quiet. She tried to remain composed, but the warmth in her face betrayed her emotions.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a lump rise in her throat.
Her most precious first time had been given to the man she loved the most. Although the experience had been a little painful, it should have been something to cherish.
Yet, the same man who had once dared to betray Konoha for her, who had mercilessly slaughtered the Sarutobi clan and wiped out Danzo's Root organization, was also a notorious womanizer.
It wasn't enough for him to have her—he had to pursue other women, too.
And one of them was the former wife of the Uchiha clan leader.
How had things come to this? Izumi sighed inwardly.
It wasn't the first time she had questioned it.
She had tried convincing herself not to care, especially since Mikoto was genuinely kind, and what had happened was already irreversible. Besides, she adored Chika and felt like an older sister to her.
But deep down, people were selfish.
No woman willingly shares her man without reason.
And tonight, she had shared completely.
Today was her eighteenth birthday.
She had learned from Konan that Kirito would be returning, and knowing what kind of person he was, she had prepared herself. After all, he had been teasing her ever since they started their relationship, and the birth of Chika only confirmed his flirtatious nature.
So, she had taken a long bath, put on a beautiful new dress, and had been ready to present herself to him as a grown woman on her birthday.
Who would have thought that, in the blink of an eye, Kirito would whisk her away to Mikoto's room before she could even react?
She had no words to describe her emotions.
"You must be hungry. Do you want me to feed you?" Kirito asked with a smile, carefully avoiding mentioning what had happened earlier.
"…Yeah," Izumi nodded. In truth, she wasn't that hungry, but she wanted to savor this moment. She knew that, given Kirito's nature, there would only be more women in the future. These moments, when they were alone together, were hers alone.
Kirito placed the dinner plate on the bedside table, gently lifted the blanket from Izumi, and whispered, "Come, I'll help you up. Slowly. It might still be a little painful. If it hurts, tell me, and I'll take care of it."
Izumi obediently let Kirito wrap his arms around her, helping her sit up. He propped a couple of pillows behind her for support. Blushing, she hesitated before asking, "…What do you mean by 'taking care of it'?"
Kirito leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear.
Izumi's face turned beet red. She wanted to find a hole to crawl into, but instead of getting angry, she giggled softly.
Being alone with him like this reminded her of the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, back when she still relied on him for protection.
"Do you want to see it?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course," Kirito responded immediately. Then, as if realizing how blunt he sounded, he added with a chuckle, "Which man wouldn't want to look at the woman he loves every day?"
It was an indirect confession, one that even he felt was particularly smooth. I'm a genius, Kirito thought.
"Well… then I'll let you enjoy the view from now on," Izumi said playfully, her voice soft. "But you should know, women aren't like certain womanizing men. They only want to show their beauty to the one they love most."
It was a confession in its own way.
They exchanged knowing smiles.
Kirito picked up a bowl of special porridge, tested the temperature, and brought it to Izumi's lips. She rolled her eyes at him before taking a sip. A look of surprise crossed her face.
"This… this is amazing! What kind of porridge is this?" she asked.
"I spent a lot of money to buy this recipe from a famous chef," Kirito lied smoothly.
Izumi gave him another playful glare, but she wasn't truly upset. After all, he still remembered her birthday.
"You're not going to send me off with just a bowl of porridge, are you?" she asked teasingly.
"Of course not." Kirito made a single hand sign, and with a loud poof, the room filled with countless gift boxes, large and small, piled high in the corners.
All of them were things Izumi had mentioned she liked in passing.
Her eyes lit up.
It seemed he really had remembered her birthday.
Kirito then took out another small gift box. "This one is the most special."
Izumi opened it, revealing a dazzling diamond ring. Made of pure gold and inlaid with 180 diamonds of varying sizes, it had been crafted by a master jeweler under Kirito's genjutsu.
Her breath hitched.
For a moment, she forgot all her earlier frustrations.
Kirito smirked. "Happy birthday, Izumi."
(End of this chapter)
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