However, Sayoko, a widow who had lost her husband, was so popular with the men in the village, which naturally made many of the village women unhappy.
Some jealous women began spreading rumors that she was promiscuous, that after her husband's death she had been involved with many men, saying things like if you go drinking at her bar, she sleeps with you, and so on.
And some of the men who had previously been rejected by Sayoko, like when proposing marriage, held a grudge. Either out of spite or to save face, there were also those who secretly spread rumors and boasted that they had slept with Sayoko, even fabricating and embellishing details themselves.
Under the combination of these two factors, Sayoko's reputation in the village was not very good.
In short, it was mainly that beauty of hers that caused the trouble.
"These people are really too much," Although he knew that village folks often liked to gossip, Hikari still found these people's actions disgusting.
Sayoko shook her head with a smile and said, "It's not without its benefits. After my reputation became like this, no men dared to get close to me or bother me anymore. That's fine too. It's just that Akito... forget it, it's nothing."
Although Sayoko didn't finish, based on her earlier hints, Hikari roughly knew she wanted to talk about Natsuki Akito.
That is, the younger brother of Natsuki Kazuto, Miyuri's fiancé, Natsuki Akito.
Natsuki Akito wasn't just close to Miyuri in the past; Sayoko had also looked after Natsuki Akito before.
But recently, because of these rumors, Natsuki Akito seemed to have been avoiding Sayoko. Hikari noticed the obvious sadness in Sayoko's eyes when she mentioned this.
"So, I'm sorry, Hikari-kun, my bad reputation has affected you too," Sayoko apologized to Hikari.
Hikari, however, smiled and said, "It's fine. I don't care about these gossips, and it's not your fault, Aunt Sayoko. There's no need to apologize."
"But Auntie, aren't you bothered by them spreading rumors like this about you?", Hikari knew that Sayoko was definitely a woman who valued her integrity, not the promiscuous type they made her out to be.
Hearing this, Sayoko just smiled helplessly, "After all, we all live in the same village, we see each other all the time. I know what I'm really like, so let them talk."
Hikari shook his head, "The more you let it slide, the more brazen and gossipy those people become."
Sayoko smiled, feeling a wave of warmth in her heart, and couldn't help but pat Hikari on the head.
Her fondness for this nephew she hadn't seen for years increased quite a bit.
"Hikari-kun, you're not only taller than Auntie now, with a strong body and broad shoulders, but your personality has become much more reliable too."
After praising him a few more times, the two continued walking.
On the way, they encountered another rather obese middle-aged woman sitting at her doorstep, enjoying the cool air.
"That sl*t is so shameless! At her age, a w*man who got her husband killed, still seducing young men. What a rotten w*man!"
Hearing this gossipy woman's sharp tongue, Sayoko, as usual, paid no attention and didn't even turn her head.
She just turned and gave Hikari an apologetic smile.
But before she could speak, she noticed that Hikari had stopped walking and was standing still.
Hikari stood by the roadside, looking towards the obese woman sitting on the stool.
"Who are you calling that, you fat w*man?", Hikari addressed the ugly, obese w*man.
"Huh? You're questioning me? And calling me a fat w*man?", The obese w*man seemed surprised that Hikari would turn back because of her gossip, but she was quite shrewish herself. Not only was she not embarrassed, she sneered, "You little brat, hanging out with such a shameless sl*t at such a young age. How were you raised?"
"You ask who I'm talking about? Of course, I'm talking about that mistress beside you, Asatsuyu Sayoko, the one who hooks up with everyone after her husband died."
Hearing the woman's shrewish words, Hikari narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"
The obese woman sneered, "Evidence? Does that w*man Sayoko need evidence for seducing men? Isn't that what everyone in the village says..."
Slap!
Suddenly, a hard slap landed on her plump, fleshy face.
"You... you hit me?", After being dazed for several seconds, the obese woman covered her swollen cheek, staring blankly at the handsome young man standing over her.
"Yes, I'm hitting you. Spreading baseless rumors, spending all day full and slandering others," Hikari looked at her expressionlessly.
"How am I spreading rumors? Everything I said is true!", The obese woman rubbed her face, feeling her cheek swelling more and more, her teeth feeling loose, a taste of blood spreading in her mouth.
"The truth? I think it's because you're a fat, ugly hag that no one wants, and you're afraid your husband will be seduced away, that's why you gossip so much," Hikari launched a personal attack without holding back.
"You!", Hearing Hikari's words, the obese woman wanted to unleash her cursing skills and trade insults with him.
But her bellyful of foul language got stuck in her throat when she saw the coldness in Hikari's eyes.
After all, the slap she just received was painful enough and had dazed her.
She didn't want another one.
But being hit and insulted so 'unreasonably' was something she couldn't swallow.
She immediately pointed at Hikari and angrily said, "You little punk, bullying a woman just because you're strong, huh? You wait! I'll go get my husband!"
"Don't you leave! You wait! Wait till I call my husband! What kind of man bullies a woman? You just wait!"
Seeing the other party's aggressive demeanor, Sayoko looked worried and came over, wanting to persuade Hikari to avoid trouble and tried to pull him away.
But before she could say much, the obese woman had already dragged her husband over.
The obese woman's husband wasn't tall, less than 170 cm, but he was quite burly.
"Hubby! It's them! Sayoko and that young punk of hers!"
The obese woman hugged her husband's arm aggrievedly, pointing at Hikari and Sayoko.
"Huh? How dare you hit my wife?", The obese woman's husband's eyes lit up when he saw Sayoko, and he was immediately ready to demand an explanation.
But soon, he noticed Hikari beside Sayoko.
Upon realizing that this young man was not only several heads taller than him but also much more solidly built, his originally loud voice gradually softened.
"You... why did you hit my wife?", The man's intended roar, due to the obvious physical disparity, came out much quieter and lacking in force.
Hikari said to him calmly, "Because she has a foul mouth. You can ask her what she just said."
The man turned to look at the obese woman.
She immediately said with an embarrassed expression, "I... how was my mouth foul? I just said a bit of the truth, like usual. I just said that Sayoko woman is... um... lacking in virtue."
"You... how can you say that about her?", The man scolded his wife harshly several times.
Then, without looking at Hikari, he pulled her back into their house while scolding her.
Seeing this scene, Hikari showed no expression.
Because he understood clearly that the man wasn't actually being reasonable or admitting fault.
He was just afraid of Hikari's physique, worried he couldn't win a fight.
If Hikari weren't there, or if Sayoko were alone, or if he himself were physically weaker, this man would absolutely have shown a different face.
In villages like this, male presence is very important.
The reason Sayoko kept getting slandered was precisely because she was a woman alone, with no one to back her up.
That's why these people were so brazen.
Seeing the gossipy couple leave, Sayoko, who had been extremely worried, breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly led Hikari away from there by the hand.
Walking along the road, Hikari turned to Ask Sayoko, "Aunt Sayoko, were you scared?"
Sayoko shook her head, "No, I was just a bit afraid that you might get hurt if a conflict broke out with others. I would have felt really terrible if that happened."
"But Hikari-kun, you're much more capable than Auntie imagined, hehe," Sayoko smiled.
Hikari also smiled and said, "It's alright. These people are all bluster on the outside, empty inside, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. If I weren't here, it would be one thing, but I can't just listen to these people slander you to your face, Aunt Sayoko."
Hearing this, Sayoko's hand holding Hikari's tightened slightly, her eyes showing moved emotion, "Hikari-kun... thank you..."
Having endured rumors in the village, it was impossible for Sayoko to be completely unaffected.
Although these gossipers only used words, they were no different from swords; they could still make people bleed and hurt, just that the wounds were invisible.
How could Sayoko not wish for someone to help her?
But being alone, she knew it was impossible.
So she never held out hope.
Especially since before, when she accidentally met Natsuki Akito on the road and they spoke a few words, people also gossiped like this.
At that time, Natsuki Akito quickly walked away as if avoiding her.
Sayoko understood this very well and even felt somewhat apologetic.
After all, it was indeed her bad reputation causing trouble for those around her.
But when it came to these people's gossip and slander, Hikari didn't back down at all and was even willing to stand up for her.
Even when facing adults decades older than him, he didn't flinch.
Because of Natsuki Akito's cowardice beforehand, Sayoko understood even more how precious Hikari's bravery was.
Thinking of Hikari's straight-backed figure facing the gossipy couple earlier, waves of warmth flowed through Sayoko's heart.
A sense of security she had never felt before spread within her.
"Hikari-kun, why is your hand so hot?", She had only held his hand earlier to hurry him away, but now Sayoko was reluctant to let go.
"Aunt Sayoko, it's your palm that's hot, and it seems to be sweating quite a lot too," Hikari moved his fingers and smiled at her.
"Ah?", Hearing this, Sayoko immediately let go, embarrassed.
Her pretty face flushed slightly, clearly very embarrassed and ashamed about the sweaty hands.
"Aunt Sayoko, you seem to have a constitution that easily gets wet...", Hikari looked at Sayoko's cute, blushing face and couldn't help but smile. This widow auntie seemed quite sensitive, somewhat similar to the exceptionally gifted Yukino Midori.
"Hey! Hikari-kun, you dare make fun of Auntie!", Seeing Hikari's strange smile, Sayoko grew even more embarrassed.
She reached out her hand, wanting to pat Hikari's head to maintain her dignity as an elder, but found that due to the height difference, she couldn't reach even on tiptoe.
Only when Hikari smiled and bent down slightly could Sayoko rub the head that she used to easily reach just by lowering hers.
After ruffling Hikari's hair into a bit of a mess, the always gentle and considerate Sayoko finally smiled slightly.
"Hikari-kun, you've really grown up, so reliable...", Although her hands were still sweaty, Sayoko took the initiative to hold Hikari's hand again.
"Is that so," Hikari smiled slightly at the mature auntie's praise.
"Yes, it is. A reliable Hikari-kun makes people want to depend on him...", Feeling the warmth continuously transmitted through their joined hands, Sayoko's heart felt warm too.
"Depend? If it's Aunt Sayoko, that's fine. After all, you often took care of me when I was little," Hikari smiled.
"Hmph! Don't get too carried away just because you're a high schooler. Auntie is still older than you, you know? Save those cool lines for your female classmates," Sayoko's cheeks were slightly red, as if she were a bit embarrassed.
"Aunt Sayoko, are you getting shy?", Hikari teased.
"No way!", Sayoko shook her head directly.
"Then why is my hand all sweaty again? It's wet and sticky, and there's so much of it," Hikari laughed.
"I... don't... don't talk about that! Auntie just sweats... a lot, okay! By the way! If you're free tonight, you must come to my bar to eat," Clearly still quite embarrassed about her easily-dampened constitution, Sayoko quickly changed the subject.
They were almost at Sayoko's place, so Hikari smiled and nodded to her, "Okay, Aunt Sayoko, I'll definitely visit your bar tonight."
'Because, it seems you've been targeted by a cuckolder.'
After seeing Sayoko to the corner of the street, Hikari watched her wave goodbye and raised his hand to return the gesture.
Judging by the intense black aura above Sayoko's head, Hikari estimated that a netorare situation was already targeting her.
After all, she was such a beautiful and alluring woman, and a widow at that.
From any angle, she was an easy target.
Withdrawing his gaze, Hikari looked at the nearly set sun, turned around, and headed towards Miyuri's house.
He had already made plans with Miyuri to have dinner at her place tonight.
Plus, the Pure Love Alert paper crane bound to Miyuri earlier seemed to have trembled a few more times.
Therefore, Hikari declined Sayoko's dinner invitation and hurried towards Miyuri's house.
———
"Hikari-kun, you're finally here!"
Arriving at the entrance of Miyuri's house.
Miyuri, who had been waiting for a while, warmly welcomed Hikari inside.
After leading Hikari to the dining table, Miyuri went to the kitchen to bring the dishes out one by one.
[T/N: I have released a new novels set on Type-Moon universe: "Playboy Watchman of Camelot". Search it by name, it is not in this account. Do give it a try. Have a great read~ I have also pinned it below.]
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