Nina's sobs shook her small fra as she buried her face in Kafka's chest, her tears soaking into his skin as the hot spring's water lapped gently around them. Her hands clutched the wooden sculpture tightly, its intricate details pressing into her palms as she trembled against him.
Kafka's arms encircled her, one hand patting her back in a steady, soothing rhythm as he whispered.
"Hey, shh...It's okay, Nina." His voice soft but laced with worry as he tried to steady her.
She shook her head against him, her sobs hiccupping as she pulled back just enough to speak, her voice thick with emotion and broken by sniffles.
"I-I'm sorry, Kafka...I-I'm so sorry I'm crying like this." She managed, her green eyes glistening with tears as she wiped at them frantically, her breath shuddering. "I don't want you to s-see like this...so weak and pathetic. I h-hate it and I've always hated feeling this way, but I couldn't help it."
"...The mont I saw this statue, it all ca rushing back...t-that day, that exact mont...It hit so hard I couldn't hold it in."
He frowned, his hand stroking her back as he murmured. "You're not weak, Nina, don't say that. Just tell , what's going through your head? Let it out."
She nodded, her tears still flowing as she clutched the sculpture closer, her voice trembling as she began, her words spilling out between sobs.
"T-That day, it was sports day at school, back when I was in high school. I'd won the race—got a gold dal, my first ever. My parents were there, right in the stands, watching cross the finish line."
"They were so proud, Kafka, you should've seen their faces. On the way ho, in the car, my father kept saying it over and over—'I'm so proud of you, sprout, so proud!'—like he couldn't believe it, like it was the best thing he'd ever seen."
"And my mother, she just laughed and said, 'Of course she won, she's my daughter, it's only natural!' I couldn't stop smiling the whole ride, chuckling at how they went on and on."
Her voice softened, a wistful smile breaking through her tears as she rembered, her fingers tracing the carved figures.
"When we got ho, Mom made this huge al —everything I loved. There was roasted root stew, those little honey-glazed pastries I'd beg for, and fresh berry bread she'd baked just for ...Dad kept praising , even as we ate he couldn't stop. He grabbed the phone and called every relative—'You won't believe what Nina did today!' he'd say, and I was so embarrassed, hiding my face in my hands while Mom teased him for bragging too much."
"...But I loved it, loved how happy they were."
She sniffled, her sobs quieting as she continued, her eyes distant with mory.
"At the end of the night, we went to the bath together. Dad went to the n's side, and and Mom took the won's—we'd splash water over the divider, mocking him. I'd yell, 'I stole Mom from you, Dad!' and he'd shout back, 'You little thief, give her back!'"
"We'd banter like that the whole ti, laughing until our sides hurt. And when we ca out, all warm and relaxed, we grabbed those bottles of Sasfra juice—cold and crisp from the cooler and drank them down in one gulp."
"...I can still taste it, Kafka, the most refreshing thing I've ever had, like all that happiness was bottled up in it."
She looked up at him, her teary eyes shimring in the steamy light, her voice breaking as she clutched the sculpture to her chest.
"That day—it was one of the happiest of my life. And when I saw this this perfect little mont you carved I felt it all again, like it happened today...Seeing them here, right beside in this wood. It's like they're still with , like they never left."
"...I-I miss them so much, Kafka. I-I'd give anything to see them again, just one more ti."
Her sobs returned, fiercer now, as she pressed her face back into his chest, her shoulders shaking with the weight of her longing.
Kafka's heart ached at her words, her raw grief cutting through him like a blade. He wrapped her in a warm, enveloping hug, his arms tight around her as he stroked her back, his voice urgent and soothing.
"Nina, hey, listen to ...I know that I'll never be able to replace the love your parents gave you that kind of love was so deep, so pure, it's impossible to replicate."
"But I promise you this, Nina: I'll love you just as much, with everything I've got, so much that even they'd look down from wherever they are and nod, satisfied that you're in good hands."
"...You'll never feel alone again, not on this day, not ever. I'll be by your side no matter what happens."
He pulled back slightly, cupping her face as he looked into her tear-streaked eyes, his voice steady with conviction.
"Unlike them, who left too soon, not because they wanted to, I'm staying. I'll be here for the rest of your life, Nina, making sure you're the happiest woman in the world."
"...I promise that with all my heart, every damn beat of it."
Her breath hastened, her heart swelling so fiercely it felt like it might burst as his words sank in.
No one—not since her parents had ever made such a deep, unshakable promise to her, vowing to keep her happy, to stand by her through everything.
They'd been her rock, her unwavering family, and now here was Kafka—this miracle of a man—offering her the sa devotion, a love so vast it felt like a gift from the heavens.
She stared up at him, her sobs softening as her green eyes shimred with awe.
"R-Really, Kafka? You'd really be by my side, f-for the rest of my life? As my family?"
Her voice trembled, fragile with hope as she searched his face.
He gazed down at her, his expression tender and unwavering as he nodded, his hands cradling her cheeks.
"Of course, Nina and not just , either. Camila's with you, my mom and my other mom as well, Bella too—they're all your family now."
He smiled deeply, a playful glint sparking in his eyes as he tugged gently at her cheeks, stretching them until she squeaked.
"And our future kids, those little tree-fairy babies we talked about, they'll be by your side too, always...From here on out, there won't be a single mont where you feel alone. I promise you that."
Her throat tightened, tears welling anew as his words wrapped around her like a warm blanket, choking her with emotion.
She looked up at him with a tender, limpid gaze, her voice barely above a whisper as she asked.
"Why, Kafka? Why are you so nice to ? Why do you give so much happiness when you could've given it to anyone else out there soone who deserves it more? Why ? Why am I the one you're with?"
He paused, his hands stilling on her cheeks as he t her eyes, his smile softening into sothing simple, pure, and unshakably true.
"Why? Because I love you, Nina. That's it—there's no other reason I need."
"...Love's all the reason there is and all the reason I need."
Nina's breath caught, Kafka's simple yet profound answer, 'Because I love you' piercing through her like a bolt of light, leaving her speechless and trembling.
Fresh tears spilled down her green-tinted cheeks, but they were different now—tears of overwhelming gratitude, of a love so deep it felt like it could carry her through any storm, any sorrow.
Her chest heaved, her heart pounding so fiercely she couldn't contain it anymore, the flood of emotions too vast, too wild to hold back.
And with a sudden, desperate lunge, she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck in a deep, clinging hug, her bare breasts pressing against his chest as the hot spring's water splashed around them.
"Kafka, I love you!♡~" She cried out loud, her voice raw and unrestrained, echoing faintly in the steamy night. "I love you so much!♡~ I-I can't even say how much!♡~ You give so much happiness, every mont with you is pure, utter joy, and I don't know what I did to deserve it!♡~"
"...Every laugh, every touch, every look you give it's like a gift I never earned, and you don't know how grateful I am that s-soone like you entered my lonely life!♡~"
Kafka's hands settled on her back, ready to pat her gently as he opened his mouth to respond, his voice soft and steady. "Nina, you don't have to do anything to deserve it, you just—"
But before he could finish, her tone shifted, dropping into sothing darker, almost frenzied, like a spark of love had ignited into a wildfire.
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her green eyes glinting with an intensity that bordered on madness, her voice low and fervent as she spoke.
"No, Kafka...Since you give so much happiness, it's my duty as your woman, as your obedient wife to give you the sa in return." She said, her words slow and steady, her gaze locking onto his with a fierce, unyielding devotion. "I'll do whatever you want, anything to make you happy, to love you as much as you love ."
"...It's what I owe you, what I need to do as your beloved little wife!♡~"
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