I'm a Married Woman!
The things the older ladies had recommended went into the basket, and once I'd piled on everything else after that, it had grown surprisingly heavy.
…I really did buy a lot.
Feeling the weight of it, I had a brief, regretful thought that I should have just pushed a cart around.
I looked down at the full basket, then over at Celine beside me, eyes sparkling.
"Anything else you want?"
"Hmm…"
At the question she pursed her lips and swept a glance along the shelves.
We'd pretty much done a full loop of the store. If she needed something, she'd say so.
After worrying over it for a while, she shook her head.
"No. I don't think I need anything right now."
"Yeah? Then let's call it for today. If something comes up later, we can always come back."
"Okay. Let's do that."
She nodded, stole a look around, and gave my sleeve a light tug.
"But… before we check out, can I go to the bathroom real quick?"
"You don't have to be so careful about something like that. Come on. It's over that way."
I nodded and walked with her toward the restrooms in the corner of the store.
"…They running some kind of event today?"
Maybe because the place was packed, the line for the men's room ran longer than usual.
Ah… they'd been advertising a graphics-card sale over in electronics. Was that it?
It took longer than I'd expected. I finished up, washed my hands, and was heading out when—
"Ugh, you're seriously annoying! I said I'm not interested, so go away!"
Celine's sharp voice carried from the restroom entrance.
What was going on?
I started out to see, then stopped dead at the voice that followed.
"Aw, come on. You're seriously exactly my type, that's why I'm interested. Can't I at least get your number?"
A textbook pickup line, delivered in a voice straining for all it was worth because a woman was listening. I could guess the situation well enough.
Celine was very pretty. Honestly, I'd figured something like this would happen sooner or later.
Wherever you go, there's always some guy who just walks up and hits on you.
I meant to step in and sort it out for her, but her angry voice hit my ears first.
"I have a husband! I'm a married woman, so get lost! Do you not understand words?!"
Her voice rang clear all the way into the restroom, so firm I nearly burst out laughing.
A married woman… so she'd been aware of it too.
She had a bit of an airheaded side, and I'd half expected her to freeze and not get a word out. Turns out she could say what needed saying.
"Come on, you're way too young to be a married woman… I just wanted to get to know you…"
"Is there a problem with my wife?"
I pushed the restroom door open, walked out, and came up behind the man who'd been hitting on her.
What kind of confidence brought him over to Celine?
The way he'd gone at it so openly, I'd assumed he was decent-looking. His face had been assembled with remarkable creative freedom.
He was short enough that I ended up looking down at him.
"Huh…? Uh… ah, no."
At the sound of my voice behind him he whipped his head around, gave me a once-over, flinched, and backed away.
"…S-sorry… I didn't know!"
He glanced between me and Celine, bobbed a hasty bow, and fled like he was running for his life.
Watching him go, I let out a dry laugh.
No guts at all, and he still thought he could reach that high.
"You're back?"
Like a retriever that had found its owner, Celine brightened and trotted to my side.
If her tail had been out, it probably would have been wagging.
"You did well."
I reached out and stroked her hair.
The strands sliding under my fingers felt like fine cloth. Thoroughly addictive.
She seemed pleased by the praise. Her eyes slipped shut as she soaked in every bit of the petting.
"Of course! Even if I am a succubus, now that I have a child, I'm going to guard my chastity completely!"
"……You know that sounds really weird, right?"
A succubus and chastity. The least compatible pair of words in the world.
Mint and chocolate. Pineapple and pizza. Or, if I had to put it another way, a cat with a cat allergy.
At that she tilted her head, plainly lost.
"What does?"
And as naturally as a cat begging for affection, she rubbed her head against my palm.
I gave up on teasing her and kept stroking her hair until someone else came out.
"Should I… put a curse on that guy?"
"What kind of curse?"
"His hair falling out."
"…Don't. Let's just go pay."
"Okay."
The idea that she could force baldness on someone sent a chill through me for a second, but I did my best not to show it and let it pass.
…Yeah. She's definitely a succubus.
I steadied my trembling arm, made sure someone else had come out, took my hand from her hair, and headed for the checkout.
The moment we finished paying and got back to the studio apartment, I started unpacking the groceries.
Almost everything was fresh, so the sooner it went into the fridge, the better.
"Haa… keeping my tail and wings tucked away really wears me out…"
While I organized the fridge, Celine changed into something lighter on the sofa, let her tail and wings out, and leaned back against the cushions.
Like someone who had finally shed uncomfortable clothes, she hummed to herself and fidgeted her legs.
Putting the vegetables and milk away, I called over to her.
"Hungry? Need anything?"
"Mm… now that you mention it, I might be a little hungry. Maybe from all the walking?"
She rubbed her stomach, nodded, and smiled at me.
"I think our baby wants food."
"…Got it."
We hadn't even known each other a full day, and the things she tossed out so casually still made me flinch sometimes.
Does she know what she's saying… or not?
A glance at the time said it was a little early for dinner, but if a pregnant woman was hungry, you fed her.
"It's a bit early, but want to eat now?"
"Yes!"
Her eyes lit up at the mention of dinner. She hopped off the sofa and came straight to my side.
"That daechang we bought at the store—the beef intestine! I want to try it."
"All right. We'll grill that with the beef."
I put the vegetables in a bowl under running water and set the packs of meat for tonight up on the counter.
"I'll help!"
"Then take these side dishes and set the table."
She peeked at the kimchi container, gave it a sniff, shot her tail straight up, and marched toward the living-room table with a grim look on her face.
First time seeing kimchi, it is pretty intense.
Even some Koreans can't eat it.
I set the electric grill in the middle of the table and plugged it in.
"What do you want first?"
"Hmm…"
She looked back and forth between the grill and the packs of meat, smacked her lips, then turned to me, lost.
"…I don't really know what any of it is, so just whatever cooks fastest!"
"Beef, then."
I laid the well-marbled beef on the grill, already nicely hot.
Sssss—!
The most blissful sound in the world started up the moment the beef hit the plate.
The fat melted down, a savory smell stung my nose, and the meat browned fast.
…Beef alone feels like a waste. I ought to have a drink to mark getting out of the service.
From the corner of the shelf, where the whiskies my parents had left sat in state, I took the one I'd most wanted to try: Yazakama 18 Year.
I was going to drink this.
The first glass has to be neat.
I poured a generous measure into the proper glass, sat down, breathed in the aroma, and took a sip.
Fruit sweetness spread over my tongue first. Then a heavy oak, and the bitter edge of dark chocolate, trailed across it.
Even after I swallowed, the oak lingered.
This is good…
As I went for another sip, Celine—who had been staring straight at me—puffed her cheeks full of air.
"You're drinking alone? That's mean."
"Have you ever had alcohol?"
"No. But I've heard the older sisters talk about it. They said drinking makes you feel amazing."
"They're not wrong. But you're pregnant. Alcohol right now would be a serious problem."
I drew a hard line, and she pouted, muttering.
"……It'd be fine if I used magic."
"What magic?"
A minute ago it had been a curse. Now it was magic.
Curious, I asked, and she looked delighted to finally be the one explaining something instead of only being told. Her tail swayed proudly as she answered.
"Where I grew up, there's a lot of poison, so detox magic is essential. The sisters said that same magic can neutralize human alcohol too."
"For real?"
"Yeah!"
She nodded so confidently that a hollow laugh slipped out of me.
She said it like that… one mouthful probably wouldn't be a huge problem.
"Then don't drink a lot. Just a taste."
I poured only enough into my glass to coat the bottom and handed it over. She took it and tilted her head, looking put out.
"Do people normally drink this little?"
"Whiskey isn't something you knock back. You enjoy the aroma, a little at a—"
Gulp.
Before the explanation was even finished, she lifted the glass and dumped the whiskey into her mouth in one go.
"Are you insane—"
I reached out in a panic to stop her.
"……?"
Glass empty, she blinked, smacked her lips, and tilted her head as if nothing were wrong.
"It's just sweet?"
"…You don't taste anything harsh?"
"Nope. Maybe because I drank it with purification magic on?"
She said it, then eyed the Yazakama beside me, flicked her tongue out, and savored the taste.
"…I want more."
"No."