They all pushed me!

"Today, please don't wander into this room and look around. Leave the first time to Liang and Ai. There will be plenty of opportunities to come and play later, okay?"

A mysterious embarrassment of being caught doing something bad by parents quickly spread. Kitagawa Rumi and the other two awkwardly closed the bedroom door, nodded in agreement hurriedly, and retreated back to the second floor.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Qian's mother and Kana's mother both called me just now. It's getting late now, so why don't I take them both home first."

The elderly best man, who was more anxious than the bride and groom, felt that he was inheriting the sense of responsibility of the two middle-aged and young best men. He pretended to check the time and immediately made a suggestion in a friendly manner.

Although she could feel Kitagawa Rumi behind her looking at her eagerly, her mother had called after all, and Akane Kurokawa, who had always been a good child, couldn't refuse, so she could only nod and agree:

"Excuse me, Mr. Izaki."

Knowing that staying here would not only embarrass the Kitagawa couple but also make them disgusted, Arima Kana was even more decisive. Even though it was okay for her to occasionally disobey her mother, she still agreed to it.

Just like that, flower girl number one and number two also left the Kitagawa household along with Mr. Izaki.

Now, there are only three people left in this huge house.

About ten minutes later, Kitagawa Rumi heard Hoshino Ai calling her:

"Ruby? Are you free? Can you come and help me?"

Kitagawa Rumi, who couldn't find a suitable excuse for a moment, hesitated for three seconds and had to agree, dragging her heavy steps back to the third floor.

Then, she saw Hoshino Ai in another room on the third floor, with her hands covering her chest, her clothes half-undressed, sitting in layers of white gauze.

"Ok?"

Although she immediately recognized that this was the main veil that Hoshino Ai wore at the wedding today, Kitagawa Rumi also remembered that after the ceremony, she had taken it off and put on a simpler toast dress. Why was she putting it on again now?

Seeing Kitagawa Rumi coming, Hoshino Ai was obviously relieved and took a long breath. She held up the front of her clothes with one hand and waved at her with the other hand:

"Thanks so much... Ruby, help me zip up the back, I can't do it alone."

"oh oh."

Kitagawa Rumi carefully walked around the heavy veils, gently walked behind Hoshino Ai, reached out to help her zip up, and then according to her request, helped her take and put on the sleeves, headdress and stockings one by one.

During this process, she could clearly feel that Hoshino Ai's hair and even her whole body were steaming with some wet mist and heat, mixed with the fragrance of oranges:

"Did Sister Ai just take a bath?"

"Uh-huh."

Hoshino Ai nodded, but immediately smiled and said:

"From now on, you don't have to call me Sister Ai. It was fine before when only Ruby called me that, but now Kana has followed suit and it feels like there's no distinction anymore. And Ryo and I are officially getting married, so from today on, just call me Sister (Sister-in-law)."

[In Japanese, sister-in-law and elder sister are both the same thing: お姉さん]

When hearing what Hoshino Ai said, Kitagawa Rumi could clearly feel her facial expression stiffened for a while, but fortunately she was standing behind Hoshino Ai, so she was not noticed by the other party. After being silent for a while, she finally called out with some difficulty:

"...Yes, sister."

As soon as Kitagawa Rumi said this, the smile on Hoshino Ai's face became visibly brighter:

"Okay, I'll trouble you one last time, Ruby. This veil is too thick, too long, and too heavy. I can't carry it alone. Can you help me carry it to the bedroom? It's only two steps away."

Although she had realized the other party's intention, there was still no possibility of struggling or changing the established facts before her eyes. Kitagawa Rumi lowered her head and replied:

"I see."

"No trouble."

So, in the end, Kitagawa Rumi, who only got to experience the job of flower girl for a minute, had to help Hoshino Ai, who was wearing a wedding dress, back to the bedroom.

When she went downstairs to her room, she just heard the sound of the bathroom door on the third floor being pushed open. It was Kitagawa Ryo who came out after taking a shower, but Kitagawa Rumi didn't even have the courage to look at him and talk to him. She quickened her pace and hurried back to the second floor. Without even taking a shower, she escaped back into the quilt of her bed and shrank back to the doll.

However, unlike before, Kitagawa Rumi no longer heard the familiar sounds coming from the living room, no soft but clear footsteps, no sound of the refrigerator opening and closing, the sound of the bathroom heater exhausting, the sound of the washing machine running, and no subtle sound of the door opening and the murmur of "Are you asleep already?"

The soundproofing of the room is very good.

In this quiet silence, Kitagawa Rumi seemed to suddenly hear a clear and familiar sound like silk tearing.

She closed her eyes and thought for a long time before she suddenly remembered.

That was what I heard almost ten years ago, when I was sitting in the back row of the theater.

The sound of Kitagawa Ryo on the stage roughly tearing off Hoshino Ai's white stockings.

Chapter 63: The First Time

"Then I wish you two a happy honeymoon and have fun. Of course, I also hope that we can have a pleasant cooperation. To be honest, I have always been looking forward to Kitagawa-kun's performance of Tokyo Tower."

"Since Mr. Nakagawa said so, I will naturally put in my best effort. Besides, Tokyo Tower has always been one of my favorite novels. I am also very honored to be able to participate in the filming of the movie version as the male lead. Then, Ai and I are very grateful to Mr. Nakagawa for taking time out of his busy schedule to attend my wedding today. After all, as you know, she is also a fan of Mr. Nakagawa's books."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled and greeted Nakagawa Masaya in front of him. After the two of them discussed some specific details including remuneration, schedule, contract, specific members of the production team, etc., they said goodbye to each other with satisfaction.

After Kitagawa Ryo saw off Nakagawa Masaya in the underground parking lot and returned home, he was somewhat surprised to find that the living room that was bustling with people just now was now deserted and had become empty again.

"What about people?"

Beichuan Liang muttered to himself in some confusion, put on slippers at the door, and subconsciously called out:

"Ai? Where are Uncle Min and the others? Are they all gone?"

Hoshino Ai, who was wearing an apron, also came out of the kitchen upon hearing this. Compared to the fancy dress she wore during the wedding, she looked very casual in her casual clothes with an apron and a ponytail. She simply wiped her hands with a soft cloth and answered as a matter of course:

"Yes, they left in a hurry, and we couldn't stop them."

Then, she pointed towards the second floor:

"Now only Akane and Kana are left. Ruby said she wanted to show them around the new house. I asked Mr. Izaki to watch over them to prevent any accidents."

"Today was tough."

Kitagawa Ryo saw the tableware for dinner in the kitchen sink, and immediately stepped forward to take the soft cloth from Hoshino Ai's hand:

"I'll do all that. Go take a shower first. You're sweating all over."

"Well, I'll wash and call it cool."

Although they had made plans to take a bath together on the wedding night, there were three small children at home after all. Considering that there would be many such opportunities in the future, Hoshino Ai, who had been busy all day, was too lazy to wait until Kurokawa Akane and the others left before carrying out the plan. She yawned lazily and went upstairs.

When Kitagawa Ryo finished washing all the dishes, put them neatly in place while humming a cheerful tune and walked out of the kitchen, he saw Mr. Izaki leading Kurokawa Akane and Arima Kana coming down from upstairs.

"Are you ready to go back?"

Hanging up the apron, Beichuan Liang looked at his two juniors with a smile. Since they had not been home for a long time, both of them were still wearing their flower girl dresses from the wedding. They looked particularly cute and lovely as they greeted each other with their heads slightly lowered.

"Senior Liang."

"Senior Liang."

"Arima and Kurokawa's families have contacted me, and I'm preparing to drive them back."

Mr. Izaki on the side spoke up to explain at the right time.

"That's right. After all, it's already this late. Parents will be worried."

Kitagawa Ryo smiled, as if he remembered something, turned around and took out two booklets from the cabinet in the living room, and handed them to Arima Kana and Kurokawa Akane, one on the left and one on the right.

"This is a gift selection manual for the two of you. Since you're here to help as flower girls, it's a little different from the others. You'll have more things to choose from. Just think of it as extra pay for Kana and Akane."

Weddings in Japan also have a tradition of returning gifts, with gift packages distributed on the day of the wedding, and guests are also given a booklet to choose what they want. For those guests who give a particularly high gift amount, the newlyweds have to personally choose gifts worth 30% to 50% of the gift amount within one month after the wedding. Generally, these gifts are snacks, tea, kitchen utensils, etc.

"Thank you, Senior Liang."

"Thank you, Senior Liang."

The two flower girls who were in sync once again took the booklet together. However, unlike Kurokawa Akane who put the booklet in her bag in a proper manner, Arima Kana took it and flipped through it casually. Then she suddenly raised her head and asked with a smile:

"If there's no gift I particularly like, can Senior Liang exchange it for something else I want?"

"Although these are the only gifts on the list, if I can meet Kana's request, I can still give it to her."

Perhaps because he had just mentioned in his conversation with Masaya Nakagawa that the director of the film version of "Tokyo Tower" was Joji Matsuoka, who directed the "Midnight Diner" series, Kitagawa Ryoya crossed his arms, raised the corners of his mouth, and said something almost identical to the boss's catchphrase in the "Midnight Diner" drama.

"Okay, I'll contact Senior Liang when I've thought about it."

Without even giving Kurokawa Akane the chance to copy her homework, Arima Kana immediately nodded in agreement, then pinched her skirt and said:

"Actually, I think this outfit you're wearing today is also very nice. Can you sell it to me, Ryo-senpai?"

"Forget about selling it. These dresses were originally tailor-made for Kana and Akane. You can just take them back and wear them. But I guess they won't be wearable after a while. After all, girls in their teens grow the fastest. Ruby's clothes are changed almost every quarter."

Beichuan Liang didn't care much about it. Instead, because he took a few more glances at the flower girl dresses on the two people, he naturally thought of Hoshino Ai's wedding dress of a similar style. Half of his mind was already on Hoshino Ai who was in the bathroom on the third floor.

As if she had noticed Beichuan Liang's suddenly wandering gaze, Arima Kana also raised her little face and spoke sincerely:

"Then we won't disturb Senior Liang and Sister Ai's newlywed days. I also had a lot of fun today. Bye Senior Liang—"

"Ah, goodbye, Ryo-senpai."

During the whole process, Kurokawa Akane, who didn't find any opportunity to interrupt, came to her senses and subconsciously said goodbye to Arima Kana.

"Well, let's play again next time we have a chance."

Beichuan Liang reached out his hand and touched the two little heads respectively, then said with a smile:

"After all, this place is much bigger than the previous house. It doesn't matter if you stay here overnight. There are a lot of empty rooms. Xiao Qian can come and play with Ruby more often. She has changed her bed to a bigger one, so it's more than enough for us to sleep together at night. The room is also soundproofed, so you guys can make as much noise as you want."

"Well, I see."

Akane Kurokawa nodded obediently, then she and Kana Arima followed Mr. Izaki out of the Kitagawa family and got into a car parked in the underground parking lot, ready for Mr. Izaki to take them home.

"Let's send Xiao Qian off first. I'm not in a hurry here. Thank you for your hard work, Grandpa Izaki."

As soon as they got in the car, Arima Kana spoke politely.

Then, under Kurokawa Akane's somewhat surprised gaze, she leisurely took out a small pillow from her bag and lay down on her side using it as the pillow:

"I'll take a nap first. Just wake me up when we get there. Thank you, Grandpa Izaki."

"No problem. You guys have worked hard today, Xiao Qian too. If you feel tired, just lie down and rest for a while. It's okay if you fall asleep. I'll call you when the time comes."

"Uh-huh."

Akane Kurokawa agreed hesitantly, but her big eyes were still fixed on Kana Arima, or to be exact, on the pillow-like thing she was resting her head on.

If she was not mistaken, that should be the ring that the two of them held at today's wedding. It contained wedding rings and was specially made in the shape of a pink heart. In order to prevent the wedding rings of the groom and the bride from being confused, the ring pillow was specially engraved with the names of both of them.

However, Arima Kana completely ignored Kurokawa Akane's gaze. As if she wanted to change to a more comfortable sleeping position, she moved her body slightly, rubbing her cheek and the corner of her lips against the engraved name.

Ryo (cool).

-------------------------------------

"It's time to take a shower now."

Not long after Kurokawa Akane and Arima Kana left, Kitagawa Ryo received a message from Hoshino Ai. When he walked to the bathroom on the third floor, he found that Hoshino Ai had already prepared clean clothes for him. He walked in directly with the clothes, took off his clothes in no time, and turned on the shower head.

The newly purchased shower head was very powerful, and Beichuan Liang just wanted to wash himself thoroughly in preparation for the future, so he simply turned it to the highest setting. After a while, the only sound in his ears was the rustling of water.

After taking longer than usual to clean himself up, the refreshed Kitagawa Ryo just pushed open the bathroom door and saw Kitagawa Rumi's back passing by the corridor.

Just when Kitagawa Ryo was about to call out to his sister, the voice of Hoshino Ai came from the bedroom with the door open not far away:

"Is Ryo finished his bath?"

"Well, I'm here."

Putting aside the matter about Rumi for the moment, Kitagawa Ryo quickly responded, walked into their bedroom in two steps, and closed the door very familiarly.

Hoshino Ai, wearing a wedding dress, was sitting at a small table, looking at him with a smile on her face. In front of her were three large, medium and small wine glasses, all filled with wine.

Weddings in Japan also have the custom of drinking from the same cups called "339 degrees". The bride and groom will exchange three wine glasses, and each glass will be exchanged three times, for a total of nine times. It means "after asking the heaven and earth, and performing the three realms, the two have made this contract to depend on each other for life and death, and never leave each other."

Although 339 degrees usually appears in Shinto weddings, and a special shrine maiden is required to pour wine for the newlyweds in front of the guests at the wedding, after all, Kitagawa Ryo and Hoshino Ai are not believers in this. Kitagawa Ryo himself just remembered the wedding wine-exchanging ceremony that he had seen in a book in his previous life, so he picked it up and used it for the purpose of seeking good luck.

Rather than calling it a ritual, it would be more accurate to describe it as a fun form of foreplay for two people.

"The small cup means the past. I thank my parents and God for allowing us to be born and meet each other... Eh, is that what it means?"

The two men exchanged glasses and drank the first glass of wine. Kitagawa Ryo spoke belatedly, his tone full of hesitation.

"It doesn't matter, and I don't feel like I need to thank my parents."

Although it was just a little bit of wine, Hoshino Ai's face was still stained with an intoxicating blush, and she said nonchalantly:

"It doesn't matter what..."

"Besides, the wine doesn't taste good at all."

Hoshino Ai pouted and put the remaining half glass of wine to her lips with a bitter face, but she found that Kitagawa Ryo also smiled and brought another glass of wine over, passing around Hoshino Ai's arm, and the wine glass and forearm were entangled in mid-air.

"I've read in a book that this is how people drink the wedding wine in China."

"Really? Ryo actually knew this."