บท 198: Ch 198. The Wedding and Cultivation Method in Dream
Yukino was indeed very angry about the "marriage," but after calming down, she realized it wasn't that big of a deal. Compared to Hoshimi's previous pranks, it wasn't much.
As for the issue with Kotoko, it had been ongoing for a long time. Hoshimi had never apologized before, so why was he suddenly apologizing now?
Vaguely, Yukino sensed something unusual.
But with too little information at hand, she couldn't determine what was really going on.
After pondering for a while, Yukino silently pressed the matter deep into her heart, deciding to deal with it later.
...
In a dream, in an empty park, Iwanaga Kotoko sat on a dark red bench with her eyes closed, as if she were taking a nap.
"Sasa--"
A gentle breeze blew by, and the fresh green leaves fluttered in the wind.
Iwanaga Kotoko opened her eyes, calmly looking at Hoshimi, who had suddenly appeared before her.
"Yo~ Kotoko, have you been waiting long?" Hoshimi smiled as he raised his hand to greet her.
Kotoko blinked and silently patted the seat next to her.
Understanding her intent, Hoshimi obediently sat down beside Kotoko.
Immediately afterward, Kotoko stood up and sat down on Hoshimi's lap.
She shifted her position, finding a comfortable spot in Hoshimi's arms.
"Hoshimi, is your cold better now?" Kotoko asked, looking up at him.
"It's completely gone, no need to worry," Hoshimi replied with a smile, wrapping his arms around Kotoko naturally, resting his hands on her small abdomen.
"Good." Kotoko blinked and then asked, "Hoshimi, did something happen today?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask?"
Kotoko raised her hand and pointed to the sky. "The sky was overcast before, but just before you appeared, it cleared up. What happened? Did you have an unpleasant interaction with Yukinoshita?"
When mentioning "unpleasant," Kotoko's strange purple eyes gleamed with a spark of light.
She was quite eager for Yukinoshita, that cold and haughty girl, to make a mistake. That way, she could win without a fight.
"No~" Hoshimi lightly traced a finger across Kotoko's lower abdomen. "Yukino was tutoring me earlier. You know how I don't like studying, so naturally, my mood was a bit affected. But as soon as the lesson ended, and I thought about meeting you, my mood brightened up again."
Kotoko puffed out her flat chest, satisfied. "Even though I know you're just being a smooth talker, I still like hearing it."
Hoshimi raised his eyebrows, about to say something, but Kotoko interrupted him, "So, Hoshimi, did you change into your school uniform to enhance the learning atmosphere?"
Hoshimi's eyes curved with a smile as he praised her, "Kotoko, you're so smart."
"Yes~" Kotoko said, full of confidence, puffing out her chest. "Not bad, keep praising me. I love hearing it."
Hoshimi thought for a moment, then leaned down, breathing warmly into Kotoko's ear with a deep smile, "Kotoko, you're flawless, forever young."
"...," Kotoko's face fell as she pouted and pressed her cheek against Hoshimi's face. "Hoshimi, I don't like hearing that. I will grow up! I'm sure of it!"
"Really?" Hoshimi remained unconvinced.
When he first met Kotoko a year ago, she looked like this. A year later, she still looked the same, with not a hint of growth. He had reason to doubt her future development.
"Yes, I will grow up," Kotoko said, blinking with a meaningful look. "As long as you're willing to help me in reality, I can definitely grow up."
Understanding Kotoko's implication, Hoshimi's expression became a bit subtle. "Kotoko, are you sure?"
"Yes, but..." Kotoko looked into Hoshimi's eyes with an unusual expression. "Hoshimi, you have to meet my parents first. After that, you can do whatever you want."
Alright, I knew it wouldn't be that simple.
Hoshimi avoided Kotoko's gaze, looking off into the distance. "Let's wait until you're older. Then I'll go meet your parents."
"..." Kotoko didn't respond. She stared deeply at Hoshimi for a moment before smiling and changing the subject.
"Hoshimi, the cultivation method you asked me to find has already shown some results. Do you want to know how it's going?"
"Yes!" Hoshimi answered decisively.
Kotoko extended her soft, white hand. "And the payment? Aren't you the one who values rules and equivalent exchange the most? You can't expect me to work and talk for free, can you?"
Hoshimi blinked in confusion. "Kotoko, aren't we a couple bound by fate, sharing honor and disgrace? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. Why keep things so separate?"
Kotoko rolled her eyes at Hoshimi, pouting. "And now you suddenly remember we're a couple? Hoshimi, you really are something~"
Hoshimi laughed and nuzzled Kotoko's soft cheek. "I've always remembered. After all, Kotoko, you're the first woman I've gone through the entire wedding process with."
"Hmm? The first?" Kotoko caught a blind spot, and her gaze instantly sharpened. "Hoshimi, besides me, is there a second, or a third woman you've gone through the wedding process with?!"
"...," Hoshimi's eyelid twitched as he pressed down slightly on Kotoko's lower abdomen. "Kotoko, don't overthink it. You're the first and the only one."
This was the truth. In his previous life, though he had been engaged to his boss's daughter, they hadn't made it to the wedding altar.
His first real wedding was with Kotoko in the dream world.
"Hehe~" Realizing she had been overthinking, Kotoko playfully stuck out her tongue.
Before Hoshimi could say anything, she quickly returned to the previous topic.
"Hoshimi, there are currently two cultivation methods that I've confirmed we can obtain. One is the general cultivation method of Onmyoji, which includes spells, shikigami, and the Five Elements Formation, among other things."
"But since it's a general method, it's not very advanced. It doesn't include techniques for longevity or beauty."
"The other is a magician's meditation method. However, I don't particularly recommend this one because it's rumored to have been created by a witch, and there seem to be some issues with it."
"At this stage, these are the only two methods that have shown promise. You can choose to wait, or I can retrieve the methods first, and you can see how your 'talent' in the mystical arts is."
Hoshimi thought for a moment and said, "Let's get both first, and I'll see how my 'talent' is. If my talent is poor, I might just give up on this path and spare you the trouble."
Though he said this, Hoshimi didn't believe his talent would be lacking.
Having Kotoko retrieve both methods was partly to test his own talent and partly to enrich his knowledge base for future use.
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