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Chapter Nine - A Walk in the Park
Yuki Nagato walked hand in hand with her husband along the Central City park path running next to the river. Birds chirped and tree limbs swayed as the chilly morning wind brushed past them.
"How do you like being married so far?" Taniguchi pulled his jacket shut.
"It's unexpectedly pleasant," Yuki replied. "I've never had a sexual relationship before."
"That makes two of us." He glanced down Yuki's backside. A black jacket terminated at the start of a red leather micro-mini skirt. Further down, white thigh-highs covered her legs after leaving a rectangle of skin. "I can't get over how sexy you look in that outfit."
She squeezed his hand. "I can't get over how great your semen tastes."
"That's good to know because I've got no reviews to compare against. You're the only girl that's ever blown me." He gazed up at the sky. "Come to think of it, you're the only girl that ever will blow me now that we're married. Assuming we don't stray."
"I won't if you won't."
"Hey, Yuki. A lifetime is a long time for two people to stay together. What's going to be our secret to beat the odds?"
"Easy peasy." She pointed down at the ground. "Low expectations." Then up at the sky. "And high availability."
Taniguchi laughed. "Low expectations, huh? You're definitely my kind of girl."
"To be honest, I started this marriage expecting the worst. After all, I didn't really know you. But now, after being married to you for six months, I'm not disappointed at all. This marriage business isn't all that difficult when you've got the right partner."
"You don't mind being my dress-up doll?"
"I love it. I feel so sexy in the things you buy for me. And I love the effect my outfits have on you."
"That's because you're so damned cute, I can't help myself. Hey, Yuki. There's one thing I've been wondering about."
"What's that?"
"I feel like I'm pretty much the same guy you married on the hill. I may have changed a little, but you've changed so freaking much. It's like night and day the way your personality has opened up."
"Really?"
"You're super smart, so I know you know what I mean. When we first got together, you hardly talked, and you never asked me any questions."
Yuki giggled. "But I sucked your dick a lot."
Taniguchi nodded his approval. "Yes, you did. And you haven't stopped, thank the gods."
"And I wore the outfits you suggested."
"As I remember it, you had a lot of clothes in you wardrobe already. I pointed to pictures I liked, you went to your bedroom, and you came out wearing it. Not that I mind buying you stuff now. What was up with that?"
"When we first started out, I worked for this company called the Data Integration Thought Entity."
"You never told me you had a job."
"I worked remotely, so to speak. You wouldn't believe the amount of data I could access. I knew everything about everybody." She frowned. "But looking back, it bored me to tears. Im mean, seriously? Why spend all day jacked into a data stream that gives me all the information in the universe and crazy amounts of power, when I could be sucking your dick?"
"Which do you like better?" Taniguchi asked. "Sucking me off or getting fucked?"
"Thanks to a confluence of events and changes in the universe initiated by a particularly powerful yet clueless person, they're both about the same." Yuki sighed. "Not really. I love it when your dick makes me climax, but nothing beats sucking you off. It's not even close."
"Just to be clear," Taniguchi said. "You get a bigger high from giving me blowjobs than getting fucked."
"Your semen tastes supernaturally good. It tastes better than an orgasm."
"Do you think blowing me so often helped change you?"
Yuki shook her head. "It's not just the blowjobs, Gooch. Being married to you made me want to be more human. I could probably rev up my old humanoid interface powers if I needed to in a pinch. As it stands now, I use just enough DITE mojo to keep me from going over the edge psychologically, and just enough DITE data to keep us financially fit."
"Okay, I get the data talk now. Your old job involved managing investments, and you're obviously really good because I checked our portfolio balance this morning and we're stinking fucking rich."
"It's only money."
"It's the stuff that's letting us hang out at the park instead of slaving away at dull jobs. By the way, what's a humanoid interface?"
"That was my job title before it became 'Taniguchi's wife.'"
"If you're no longer working there, I'm sure this Data Intergalactic whatever..."
"Just call it DITE."
"I'm sure this DITE place misses you. Did they find somebody else that's as talented to take your place?"
Yuki pondered the question. "I never considered that, but you're right. There is a backup that they'll likely activate." She shrugged. "Well, I wish her the best of luck. And I hope she doesn't break anything or kill anybody."
"So you won't go back, no matter how much money they offer you?"
"I have no desire to go back to my old life at DITE. I'm totally enjoying my new life with you."
"I'm totally enjoying my new life with you too." He stopped, faced Yuki, and took both her hands in his. "I don't think we tell each other 'I love you' nearly enough."
Yuki raised her chin and kissed her husband's lips. "I love you, Gooch."
He pulled her into his arms and returned the kiss. "I love you too, Yooks."
They resumed their walk hand-in-hand. Ducks quacked. People walked their dogs. A pair of school boys gawked at Yuki as they walked past in the opposite direction.
"Why so quiet?" Taniguchi asked after several minutes of silence. "Are you reverting back to your old self?"
"Not a chance. You gave me a few things to think about."
"Like what?"
"I'm thinking about my replacement at work. And the power that's required for me to stay sane. I'm able to manage it but I'm worried about Mikuru. She doesn't have my, um, my level of willpower."
"And Suzumiya?"
"Are you kidding? We're all merely pawns on that bitch's chessboard."
"I get the feeling you don't like Haruhi Suzumiya all that much."
Yuki shook her head. "No, just the opposite. I'm crazy in love with that chick."
Taniguchi searched his wife's face. "You're joking with me, right?"
"Nope. I spent three years in close proximity to her, sitting in my chair by the window, watching her body, listening to her voice. I often dreamed about taking her clothes off while kissing her lips. After a while, I got so good at imagining what she looked like naked, my mouth sucking her nipples, my tongue teasing her clit, I didn't even see her clothing. Her reverse mode outfits don't even register with me."
Taniguchi's jaw dropped. "What?"
"Don't worry, I'm not a lesbian. But if I were ever going to lean that way, she'd be my wife."
"Do you think she feels the same way about you?"
Their phones chimed simultaneously. They fished the devices out of their jacket pockets and checked their texts.
"Did you get the same text I got?" Taniguchi showed Yuki his phone screen.
"Yes, I did." She showed him hers.
"Do you think it's a coincidence that we were just talking about her?"
"Nothing related to Haruhi Suzumiya is a conincidence."
He shook his phone. "It says she wants to have an SOS Brigade meeting tonight at eight, but I'm not even a member."
"I'm pretty sure Haruhi considers you married into the family."
"Do you want to go?"
Yuki met her husband's eyes. "Do you?"
"Actually, yeah. I really do. I've always been kind of curious to what you guys were up to. Plus, you'll be able to check on Mikuru."
She winked. "Plus, I can hang with my wife."
Taniguchi playfully smacked Yuki's bottom. "Stop that."