My Wife Was Stolen by a Superior Citizen (4)
The thing the citizens of New Japan feared most was the newly established "Hoyoung Authority." Strongly pushed by Fujiwara no Himeko, this agency wielded power beyond the framework of any ordinary state institution.
First off, the Hoyoung Authority was exempt from the constitution. That meant there was no legal basis to punish them even if they killed someone just for fun. They also had the authority to decide the budgets of other government ministries, appoint and dismiss public officials—even nominate candidates for the National Diet and expel sitting members.
But their greatest power was the ability to arbitrarily monitor, control, and punish ordinary citizens. The Hoyoung Authority could judge and execute people based on subjective judgment alone, without needing court approval. To the Japanese people, it was a more terrifying object of dread than a plague demon.
It was the Hoyoung Authority that had installed listening devices and tiny cameras in Wagatsuma Shizuka's home. Wataru's reckless rantings about Kim Hoyoung and his assassination plot had been transmitted directly to them, and within three minutes, a special forces unit armed with automatic rifles burst into their ordinary family home.
Shizuka had wept, while Wataru was dragged away with a dazed expression, enduring a week of brutal torture and mental reeducation. By the Hoyoung Authority's standard protocol, Wataru should have been shot dead on the spot that day, right in front of his wife—but Kim Hoyoung, who wanted to savor the NTR, had ordered them to spare his life, so he barely escaped with his neck intact.
Even so, he couldn't avoid the inhuman punishments. First, every single hair on his body—head, beard, pubic hair—was permanently removed. Up to that point, it was still bearable. With clothes and a hat, he could cover it up.
But the Authority branded him in a way that made normal social life impossible: indelible tattoos on his face. On his forehead: "Retard." On each cheek: "Small Dick" and "Incompetent Male." On the back of his head: "Weak Beta Male Who Couldn't Even Resist After Losing His Wife." All utterly humiliating.
They also secretly took him—unaware and asleep—to a lab for human experimentation without his knowledge. Using the pinnacle of modern neuroscience, the Brain Chip created with a 100-trillion-yen national budget investment from the Japanese government to Ok Maehyang, they implanted it in his brain. Now his thoughts appeared as text on a monitor, stripping away any semblance of privacy.
He could no longer even think in secret. Finally, they locked a chastity cage on his groin, robbing him of some bodily freedom. The key was entrusted to Shizuka.
Only after these measures could Wataru return home. By chance, Kirino had come out from her dorm, so the family was together for the first time since the hot springs trip.
"I-I'm home..."
Wataru, having survived that hell and reunited with his family, was so moved that tears welled up. But the home's interior was completely different from what he remembered. Silk wallpaper, marble floors—all unfamiliar luxuries. They looked insanely expensive. When had they done this renovation? With what money?
The TV, fridge, dining table... everything had been replaced with high-end brands. And Shizuka was adorned with jewels far too extravagant for a common housewife—diamond earrings, blue garnet necklace.
Shizuka said His Majesty had bought them for her. "The neighbors are all jealous," she added.
The neighbors are jealous? Fuck, what's that matter? This doesn't even feel like my home anymore. I can't relax... The old interior wasn't fancy, but it was filled with memories of wandering department stores with Shizuka, decorating together... And they gutted the whole place without the head of the household's permission...
A house wasn't just about expense. Hotels were nice, but a home should be a sanctuary for rest. He couldn't sleep easy in a place reeking of Kim Hoyoung's lingering presence. The alienation and discomfort hit Wataru like nausea.
"What do you think, honey? Thanks to His Majesty's generosity, our home life has improved. Isn't it great?"
"……………Y-Yeah. Sure is. Th-Thankful, really."
But after the brutal brainwashing from the Authority, Wataru lacked the courage to voice his true feelings. Shizuka's gaze felt like that of a surveillance agent gauging his reaction—or maybe it was just his imagination.
"Right, honey. We should be grateful to His Majesty. You know, He specially decreed to let you live. Without Him, our family... we never would have met again alive."
"Ah... yeah."
Wataru tried to think positively. Good side: he was back with his family. And Kirino was home after so long.
...During dinner.
"Kirino... long time no see. Eating well?"
"Yes, yes!! As a subject of the Imperial State blessed by His Majesty's grace, it's the duty of a 'normal person' to intake nutrients and fatten this body—His Majesty's property!! I'm eating hard! I'm not micro-brained... I'm not micro-brained... I'm not micro-brained..."
"...K-Kirino."
Wataru was shocked by his daughter's blatantly changed demeanor. Normally, she'd snap, "Hah? Don't talk to me while eating." He'd never seen her trembling like a leaf.
What kind of education did they give her at the center? Was she being abused? As a parent, shouldn't he complain?
"Honey, if you're labeled micro-brained, you can't survive in Japanese society. You know that, right? Kirino's just getting the necessary education to become a proper citizen."
"...R-Right."
After seven days of mental training, Wataru's resolve was even weaker than usual. A powerless father who couldn't even get angry at his own pale, terrified daughter.
Kirino had to return to the center tomorrow.
That night, Wataru woke to someone roughly shaking him. Kirino's haggard face appeared. Careful not to wake Shizuka, she pulled her dad outside.
"Dad... I don't wanna go back to the dorm."
Kirino finally bared her true feelings to her father alone.
"It's like a den of crazy bitches. Dad, can't you save me? Call the dorm and say you're withdrawing me."
"But... we're under Authority surveillance now. Acting rashly is dangerous."
"Please, Dad! They say Kim Hoyoung's coming to give a speech at our center soon. Seniors say hearing him in person turns you into someone else. Like, if he says die, you smile and kill yourself—a total psycho! I don't wanna become that. Please, get me out!"
"……………………."
Wataru fell into deep thought. His daughter was relying on him—not his wife, him. His most precious girl in the world, worth dying for, was pleading desperately.
As a father, the path was clear: save his daughter.
But why couldn't he muster the courage? Memories of the week's torture kept flashing back.
Wataru slapped away her desperate hand.
"Meeting His Majesty is a family honor. Go listen to the speech gladly."
"...!! D-Dad!!!"
Kirino's expression then... the face of a child betrayed by trusted parents. Wataru averted his eyes from her resentful glare.
Not out of true respect for Kim Hoyoung. Just fear.
Then Shizuka appeared in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes.
"That's exactly it, honey."
"Gah...! M-Mom!"
Kirino recoiled like she'd seen a ghost.
Shizuka scolded her like a childish kid.
"Kirino, what do you mean you don't want to see His Majesty? Explain to Mom. What did you mean? Don't tell me... you're thinking of becoming micro-brained?"
"No! Kirino is not micro-brained. Kirino is not micro-brained. Please don't misunderstand. I declare here and now: I am not micro-brained!"
Kirino saluted like a soldier and recited stiffly. To her, Shizuka was no longer Mom—just an Authority ideologue monitoring thoughts.
"Good. I won't report tonight's incident to the center, so go to sleep quietly and head back tomorrow."
"Yes, Mother."
Even "Mother" felt off. She used to just say "Mom" casually. Later Wataru learned: Shizuka's ties to Kim Hoyoung granted her near-Superior Citizen status. Even family had to show obedience and deference to Superiors. Kirino was just following dorm training.
Thus, Wataru missed his last chance to save his daughter.
The next weekend, Kirino returned—not as the daughter Wataru knew, but a stranger. She ignored him, rushed to Shizuka, and prostrated in dogeza. But not from fear this time—genuine reverence.
"Mother! I saw His Majesty in person. From afar, but... ahh! The moment I heard His voice, I realized the obvious truth: I was born to serve His Majesty. How foolish was I not to know such common sense?"
"Oh, Kirino. You've finally grown up. A proper adult must be ready to devote everything to His Majesty."
"Yes, Mother. If I work hard, can I earn the honor of meeting Hoyoung-sama directly, like you?"
"Hehe... you must study hard and prove you're a useful tool for His Majesty. But Kirino, you didn't greet Dad?"
"Oh."
Kirino whipped around, fixing Wataru with ice-cold eyes. Not a daughter's gaze—just contempt for a "micro-brained."
"I'm home, Wataru."
"W-Wataru?! Kirino! I'm your dad! Use respect!"
"Sorry, but honorifics are reserved for His Majesty and Superiors. No law says I have to use them on an incompetent male who pissed off His Majesty and lost his wife."
"What the—!!"
Kirino ignored his protests completely. Only when Shizuka advised basic family courtesy did she soften slightly.
Unlike last week, she chatted only with her mother, ignoring Wataru entirely, then left for the dorm.
Later, she sent a letter saying dorm life was too enjoyable to return home.
The daughter Wataru knew was gone from this world forever.