When Hikari was still quite y*ung, he had lived in the village for a period of time. He had occasionally returned during holidays before, so Sayoko and Miyuri generally still viewed Hikari as a nephew they were on very good terms with.
Hikari detected the dismissive tone in Sayoko's voice and knew that this aunt, like Miyuri, still saw him as a chil*d.
But he couldn't very well just pull out s*mething to prove he wasn't a kiid anymore, nor could he keep insisting that he really had grown up and matured; that would just seem even more childish.
So Hikari didn't say much more, simply smiling and saying, "Aunt Sayoko, on the other hand, you're still y*ung, even more beautiful than before."
"Really? Is Hikari-kun just trying to make me happy?", Hearing Hikari's words, Sayoko smiled and touched her own face, half-convinced, half-doubting.
And Hikari, following her fair and tender hand, naturally took a look at Sayoko, who was standing before him.
Perhaps because she had come specifically to clean his house, Sayoko's attire was quite cool and convenient.
On top, she only wore a thin camis*le, and below, just a pair of sh*rt h*t pants.
This light clothing left Sayoko's fiery and voluptu*us figu*e directly exp*sed to the air.
Her slender waist, r*unded and perky butt*cks, straight and long beautiful leegs.
Coupled with a magnificent bu*st that was no less impressive than Miyuri's, perhaps even surpassing it due to the difference of age.
One could say Aunt Sayoko's figure was among the top ranks of the women Hikari had seen.
Moreover, Sayoko's face was quite beautiful too. Not only were her features delicate and her skin fair, but she also had a small beauty mark near the corner of her mouth, giving her a very charming look.
Naturally beautiful and well-maintained, Sayoko, though nearly thirty, still looked like a beautiful y*ung woman in her mid-twenties.
But the irony was, her demeanor was extremely mature, very smile, every frown exuded the allure of a grown woman.
Simply put, just judging by her appearance, she was an absolute stunner, so irresistibly enticing that one couldn't help but want to devour her in a single bite.
That mature, maternal charm especially made one feel the impulse to throw oneself into her arms and shout, 'Mommy, I want milk!'
So, seeing Sayoko's skeptical expression, Hikari nodded honestly and said, "I'm just telling the truth. Aunt Sayoko, you really are very charming."
Hearing Hikari's repeated praise, if it were Miyuri, she'd probably be overjoyed and ready to give him some kind of reward.
But Sayoko just smiled dismissively, first gratefully patting Hikari's head.
Then she raised her fair, slender left hand, showing the ring on her ring finger, and said with a smile, "Hikari-kun, don't tease your aunt. I've been married for several years now. Right now, I'm just an aging and fading, plain-looking widow."
In response to Sayoko's words, Hikari smiled and didn't argue with her about it.
Instead, he asked Sayoko, "Auntie, when I came back at noon today, I noticed the house had been cleaned. Was it you who helped clean it?"
Sayoko nodded, "Yes, it was me. I originally planned to have it cleaned up before you arrived, but something came up at the izakaya, so I had to go over for a bit. Now that I have time, I came back to continue cleaning for you."
"I didn't expect to run into you just as you returned, Hikari-kun. I was planning to look for you after finishing the cleaning."
Hearing this, Hikari first expressed his thanks to Sayoko, "Aunt Sayoko, you've worked hard. Such a big house, it must have been really taxing for you."
Then, he took the rag from Sayoko's hand and said with a smile, "After all, this is the house I'll be living in myself. How can I let Aunt Sayoko clean it all by herself? You're busy enough with the izakaya. Let me handle the rest."
"Eh? Hikari-kun, you just came back to the village, how can we let you work so hard? Let your aunt do it!", Sayoko tried to grab the rag back, but she was no match for Hikari, whose strength was now much greater than hers.
She had no choice but to take another rag and help Hikari, the two of them washing and wiping together.
.
.
.
[Half an Hour Later]
Hikari sat with a panting Sayoko on the wooden steps of the house, using the breeze to dry the sweat on their bodies.
Turning his head, he saw Aunt Sayoko's hair, stuck to her forehead with sweat after working, and the heaving of her prominent ch*st. Hikari smiled and said, "Aunt Sayoko is still as capable as ever. If it were just me, cleaning this house would be such a headache."
Hearing this, Sayoko just smiled, "Hikari-kun, you're all grown up now. You could definitely handle it by yourself. And besides, with me here, how could I let you do it alone?"
"By the way, Hikari-kun, you're in high sch*ol now, right? Are you dating anyone?"
Seeing Sayoko wearing the same gossipy expression as Miyuri, Hikari smiled and said, "Yes, I have about a dozen girlfrie*ds right now."
"Pfft!", Hearing Hikari's words, Sayoko, like Miyuri, took it as him joking, "A dozen girlfrie*ds? Although Hikari-kun is indeed handsome, that's still too exaggerated. If you're going to make something up, at least make it believable."
"If you really had that many girlfriends, then your aunt would want to date you too."
"Really now..."
After being teased by Sayoko a few times.
Hikari casually asked, "My love life isn't urgent. I'm still a high sch*ol student; studies come first. But Aunt Sayoko, your husband passed away several years ago, right? Have you found anyone new and reliable?"
Sayoko was a few years older than Miyuri.
So, several years ago, Sayoko had married a man named Genji.
But it seemed not long after the marriage, her husband Genji died.
Sayoko became a widow, running an izakaya by herself.
Facing Hikari's concerned gaze, Sayoko brushed aside a strand of hair on her forehead. Her mature and beautiful face turned slightly towards him, revealing a stunningly charming smile as she said in a light-hearted tone, "A reliable person? That kind of person... there isn't one. Right now, I'm by myself, and I feel very free, very comfortable."
"Why must I find someone to rely on? There's no law that says that, right?"
"Auntie can live perfectly well on her own!"
Although she said this, and her tone was light, Hikari still noticed a faint trace of loneliness flash in Sayoko's eyes halfway through her words.
Clearly, being a widow alone in the village inevitably brought some loneliness, and there were probably times when daily life was somewhat inconvenient.
Hikari immediately reached out, patted Sayoko's smooth, jade-like back, clad only in the thin camisole, and said with a smile, "Since Aunt Sayoko says so, then I'm relieved. I believe in your ability to live a vibrant life on your own."
Sayoko promptly swatted away Hikari's hand with mild annoyance, puffed out her cheeks, and looked at him reproachfully, "Hey, Hikari-kun, since when are you comforting your aunt? I'm the elder here, you know!"
"You little rascal, so y*ung and already acting like an adult!"
As she spoke, Sayoko reached out with both hands, pinched Hikari's cheeks, and pulled them outward.
"See, you're just as cute as when you were little!"
Looking at Hikari's comical face, stretched just like when she used to pull it in his childhood, Sayoko couldn't help but break into a heartfelt smile, as dazzling as a blooming rose.
"That hurts, Aunt Sayoko," Hikari complained.
"Eh? Sorry, Hikari-kun! Auntie accidentally used too much force!"
Hearing Hikari's words, Sayoko quickly let go, then placed both her tender, fair palms on his cheeks and gently rubbed them.
She then leaned in close, her pink lips parting slightly, and blew a few gentle, fragrant breaths onto his face.
"No pain, no pain, Auntie will blow on it for you~"
Feeling the tingling sensation on his cheeks from her blowing, Hikari was caught between laughter and tears.
Aunt Sayoko really still treated him like the little kid from back then.
After letting Aunt Sayoko fuss over him, Hikari chatted with her for a bit more.
Just after he had made her laugh with some casual banter, Hikari pretended to be curious and asked offhandedly, "By the way, Aunt Sayoko, have there been any ill-intentioned people around you lately? Especially men."
Hearing this sudden question, Sayoko was slightly taken aback, 'Is Hikari-kun concerned about me? Is it because I'm a widow?'
Sayoko pressed her index finger against her pink lips, thinking, "Ill-intentioned people... I don't think there are any around me..."
Given that she was a widow with such high looks and such a voluptuous, fiery figure, ripe like a peach, the likelihood of that was obviously not high.
But thinking of Sayoko's exceptionally kind, gentle, and considerate nature, Hikari changed his approach, "Then... are there any men who often like to stay around you, Auntie?"
Sayoko thought for a moment and smiled, "I'm a widow. What man would dare to hang around me often? If I had to say, there's only my deceased husband's y*unger brother, Sakai Yutaka. He occasionally helps me out with things in life. And then there's."
"My deceased husband's other y*unger brother, Ryusei Haruyoshi, and his son, Ryusei Jun. They often come to help at my shop when they have time. But they're not bad people."
Seeing Sayoko's smiling expression, Hikari didn't say much more, simply nodding with a smile, "Yeah, I was just asking casually. It's fine."
The two chatted for a while longer, mostly about Sayoko reminiscing about the days when she used to take y*ung Hikari around the village to play, excitedly talking to him for a good while.
It wasn't until the sky began to darken that Sayoko reluctantly stood up and said, "The izakaya will have quite a few customers in the evening. I should head back now, Hikari-kun."
"If you're free tonight, you can come to my izakaya. I'll treat you to some snacks~"
Hearing Sayoko's words, Hikari smiled and replied, "Okay, Aunt Sayoko. If I'm free, I'll definitely come find you."
"Ah, remember to put on your coat. The evening wind is cool."
As he spoke, Hikari went back into the house, fetched the long coat shawl that Sayoko had left inside, and draped it over her, who was only wearing the camisole.
He even helped her zip it up, only letting go after her full, mature, and enchanting body was completely wrapped up.
Sayoko quietly watched Hikari. Only after he finished zipping her up did she pull him into a hug.
The mature, beautiful widow laughed happily, "Oh my! Hikari-kun really has grown up, become an adult! So considerate and caring, Auntie likes it so much!"
After enduring a few more minutes of the 'facial wash' torture, smelling the milky fragrance at his nose tip, Hikari saw Sayoko out the door.
"Well, Auntie is off now~", Standing at the door, Sayoko smiled and waved at Hikari.
Hikari glanced up at the dense black aura above her head, thought for a moment, and still said, "Let me walk you a bit further, Aunt Sayoko. I haven't chatted enough with you yet!"
Hearing this, Sayoko couldn't help but laugh, "Oh my, Hikari-kun, you're so clingy. Just now you were talking about being all grown up, men and women shouldn't be too familiar. But you're just like when you were little, always clinging to your aunt."
"Do you remember when you were lit*le, you insisted on sle*ping with me, threw a fit if we didn't share the same blanket, and even wanted to take baths together?"
Hearing this, Hikari smiled awkwardly, "Did that really happen?"
"Of course it did!", Sayoko said with conviction, pulling Hikari along as she started talking about it. Hikari occasionally chimed in or defended himself.
The two chatted happily; Sayoko genuinely wanted to keep talking about the old days with Hikari, feeling like she could never say enough.
But Hikari's reason for wanting to walk her further wasn't really because of that.
Mainly, it was because through his Pure Love Aura Sight, he had detected a dense black aura above Sayoko's head.
It was very clear that this mature, beautiful, ripe-as-a-peach widow was likely being targeted by some bull.
That's why, earlier when they were chatting in the house, he had intentionally asked if any men were getting close to her.
And that's also why he wanted to walk her a bit further.
While chatting with Sayoko along the way, Hikari also bound a Pure Love Warning origami crane to her.
After all, she was an aunt who, like Miyuri, had taken special care of him when he was young and still treated him very well now.
Naturally, Hikari wouldn't let her fall victim to any bull.
Just as Hikari finished binding the Pure Love Warning origami crane to Sayoko and was about to respond to her latest remark, he suddenly overheard some rather loud 'whispering' from a few passersby on the country road.
"That w*man is walking with a man again, all flirty and touchy. So shameless!"
"Exactly! I always knew she was a shameless wid*w. Her husband died early, and instead of properly observing widowhood, she's still flirting with other men, even opening an izakaya. She really has no shame."
"Maybe her husband was cursed to death by her."
Hearing these w*men who, while not naming names, were clearly looking at Sayoko and whispering as she passed, Hikari couldn't help but glance back at them.
Noticing his gaze, the passersby quickly hurried away.
Sayoko also tugged at him to keep walking.
"Auntie..."
Hikari was about to speak to Sayoko, but she gave him an apologetic smile first.
"Sorry, Hikari-kun, for making you the subject of gossip just by walking with me...", Sayoko patted Hikari's head, a gentle yet somewhat apologetic smile on her face.
"It's fine. But why do these people say such things?", Hikari asked.
"Well... there's no real basis for it. People in the village just like to gossip," Sayoko shook her head with a wry smile and explained to Hikari.
From Sayoko's explanation, Hikari roughly understood the situation.
It turned out that after Sayoko's husband, Genji, died, Sayoko became a widowed woman. [T/N: No shit. Really?]
And due to Sayoko's striking beauty and voluptuous figure, she naturally attracted the attention of many men in the village.
But she never showed any particular favor to any man, rejecting all suitors who came to propose.
The resilient Sayoko chose to open an izakaya herself, determined to support herself.
[T/N: Censored because of Guidelines.]
[🎉 Shoutout to Avish, Gaster, Manuel, Rohan & Baron for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]