At that moment, my body was completely still, perhaps out of embarrassment or perhaps from being caught. I didn't know what to say.

"Fumihiro?" Kanna said. Her tone was a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

Kazuha, on the other hand, asked, "Who are these two, Fumihiro?" with a tone of pure curiosity.

Ema's eyes widened, and a menacing, almost demonic aura could be felt emanating from her. She was completely furious.

"Fumi. Who is this girl?" she said, flashing me a menacing smile as if she wanted to kill me.

I didn't respond, as I didn't know what to say. This only exacerbated the situation.

"I'm waiting for explanations, Fumihiro," Ema added, veiled threats in her tone.

Just as I was about to respond, Kazuha answered in my place. "I'm Kazuha Hasegawa, an old childhood friend of Fumihiro." Her tone was decisive and had a sense of superiority.

"Childhood friend? That's strange. He's never mentioned you to me," Ema replied, her murderous aura growing exponentially, expanding in that minimarket. "I'm the only childhood friend of his as well as his future wife," she added.

Kazuha chuckled. "Hahahaha... Alright... He already told me he's taken, so don't worry," she replied, extending her hand and showing a fake smile. Kazuha was truly annoyed by this.

Ema's aura diminished, and she shook hands with Kazuha. In an instant, my girlfriend returned to her usual self and smiled very spontaneously.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Ema," she said, with a direct and falsely friendly tone.

For some strange reason, it seemed like Ema was saying, "Now you understand that you need to stay in your place, right?"

After that handshake, her eyes turned to me and she asked, "So? What are you doing here?"

I managed to reply, "You sent me a message telling me to get some things for dinner, and that's what I did."

I was lucky that Ema didn't notice I was right next to the store she had entered before.

Ema then saw everything I had picked up and bagged, making sure I was telling the truth, and after confirming everything, she smiled and clung to my arm. She gave me a small kiss on the cheek in front of Kazuha, as if marking her territory, saying, "Stay away from him."

Ema had never shown such protective behavior towards me, but for some strange reason, she seemed particularly annoyed by Kazuha's presence.

It seemed like the two already knew each other and deeply despised each other.

As Ema clung to my arm, her gaze firmly locked on Kazuha, it was evident that tension crackled in the air between them. Kazuha, unfazed by Ema's territorial display, simply smirked and adjusted her stance, clearly ready to face whatever was to come.

Meanwhile, I found myself caught in the middle of this unexpected confrontation, unsure of how to diffuse the escalating tension. Ema's possessive gesture, while flattering, also hinted at a side of her I hadn't seen before—an intensity that bordered on possessiveness.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Trying to ease the palpable discomfort, I cleared my throat and spoke up, addressing both women in an attempt to divert the focus away from their brewing conflict.

"Um, ladies, perhaps we should...uh...focus on the task at hand?" I suggested tentatively, gesturing towards the groceries in my hands. "We still need to get everything for dinner."

Ema's grip on my arm tightened slightly, but she nodded in agreement, her expression softening just a fraction. "Yes, you're right," she replied, her voice calmer now. "Let's not waste any more time here."

Ema had a satisfied air about her.

She had won.

She had marked her territory and claimed her possession, eliminating the competition.

I had never seen this side of her accentuated so much, so I was very surprised.

Kazuha sat in silence for a few seconds, then looked at us and said, "Wait! Can I at least leave you my contact?" laughing nervously.

Ema looked her up and down. "Mmmmh. No~" She replied, laughing like a high society princess.

Kazuha sighed with boredom and looked down, resigned.

"Well... never mind..." Meanwhile, Kanna was secretly laughing from afar, enjoying this little scene.

Ema, still clinging to my arm, said, "Come on, Fumi... let's go home.

We have dinner to prepare. My parents are coming back today." Ema lightly pulled my arm towards the exit, indicating that she wanted us to leave.

Meanwhile, Kanna approached and took the groceries before going out.

"Bye, Hasegawa-Chan!" Ema said while waving and faking a smile to her.

Kazuha waved back , still not smiling.

But without noticing, i felt a strange touch on the back of my jeans.

"Bye, Hasegawa! Make sure to come back!" I said while smiling at her.

This time she smiled and said "Bye, Aoyama-Kun!".

There was a glimpse of sadness in her voice.

She didn't expect me to have a girlfriend, in fact she was very surprised.

Me and Ema then walked out and her grip around my arm tightened by a lot.

She was probably making sure that i couldn't escape from her.

When we were outside the minimarket, Kanna looked at us.

"So, lovebirds? Are we heading home now?" She asked while smiling.

Ema nodded in agreement.

"Yes, sister. WE are going home." She said while her grip tightened even more, enough to stop my blood circulation. "Right, Fumi?" She added while smiling at me with a murderous intent.

"Y-Yes, my love." I replied.

"Good boy~" She said while kissing my cheek again.

As we walked down the street towards our apartment, Ema's grip remained firm on my arm, her possessiveness palpable.

Despite the discomfort, I couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth at her affectionate gestures, even if they were accompanied by a hint of dominance.

As we approached our building, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

Glancing around, I caught sight of Kazuha lingering at the corner of the street, her expression unreadable. I

t seemed as though she hadn't left just yet, her presence casting a shadow over our otherwise peaceful evening.

Suppressing a sigh, I turned my attention back to Ema, who was now leading me up the steps to our apartment door.

With each step, her grip tightened, as if to remind me of her claim over me.

Once inside, Ema wasted no time in bustling about the kitchen, preparing ingredients for dinner with practiced efficiency.

She didn't speak so many words.

She only asked why i was being too friendly with that girl.

"So, Fumi, you weren't thinking about cheating on me, were you? You know that you're mine and only mine, right?" She said with a small pout on her face.

Ema's sweet side returned.

I watched her, a mixture of admiration and unease stirring within me.

There was something different about her tonight, something that made me tread carefully around her, unsure of what might set her off.

"No, not at all. I was just surprised because she told me that she was a childhood friend of mine."

I said while cutting the potatoes.

"Mmh... You're becoming too popular. Come on! Arai-Sensei, this Evangeline and now this Kazuha? Oh, please!" She mumbled.

I softly laughed at what she said.

I loved her jealous side , but still, it wasn't natural.

We kept going on for a while until everything was ready.

We looked into each other and smiled.

We looked like a married couple.

Our sweet moment got interrupted by Kanna's voice from the other room.

"Ema! Can you please come here to help me?" She said.

"Yes! I'm coming!" Ema replied.

She then looked at me again.

"Just wait here for a second, okay?" She said before giving me a small kiss on the cheek.

And there she left me alone in the kitchen.

I then started touching my pockets and i felt a strange little bulge in them.

I put my hand inside and i found a small piece of paper.

I unfolded it and i found Kazuha's contacts.

"What the..." I said to myself.

"If Ema sees this... She's gonna kill me...!"