Women Who Passed By 2: Married Women Part XNUMX

[Fukui has nothing]

This spring, the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Tsuruga. As a result, the conventional express trains that run on the Hokuriku Main Line have disappeared. Almost no one is interested, but Joe is a former train enthusiast, so he couldn't resist mentioning it. So, his little trip with Satsuki took place before the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended. Compared to the Shinkansen, the Thunderbird conventional train shakes more and isn't exactly comfortable, but it does mean you can enjoy the view from the window. And sitting next to him is Satsuki, the "face pussy" whose pheromones are overflowing.
　The reason is that before we left, her husband had raped her in the kitchen. But she still made a sandwich for Joe. The homemade mustard (without peppercorns. This is important. I think whole grain mustard tastes so much better on bread) was a perfect match with the ingredients, and it was a delicious, delicious sandwich (I mentioned this twice because it's so important). And there was a pot of hot coffee. This is what they mean when they say everything is taken care of.

　This may seem a bit sudden, but have you heard of Sabae, the city of glasses? Apparently, it accounts for a whopping 96% of the domestic market share for eyeglass frames (20% internationally). Therefore, most people who wear glasses seem to know the name of Sabae. Joe is an older man who prides himself on his eyesight, and has no interest in glasses at the moment, so he hadn't heard of the city until recently.
 However, even if many people know the name of Sabae, those who have actually been there are probably in the minority. I'm not bragging (actually, I am), but I've been there three times since I found out about Sabae. I'm not bragging after all (actually, of course, I am), but each of those three times I went with a different woman. And, I'm not bragging at all (sorry, I'm still bragging), but each of those three times I made my own sunglasses. Speaking of three times, I've seen the remastered version of "Roman Holiday," which was released in April this year, three times in one month. Maybe I shouldn't be bragging about this.

Apparently Fukui is in the bottom three in terms of inbound tourism. When I first visited the area before COVID-3, I saw a poster at the station.

There's nothing in Kyoto, nothing in Kanazawa, there's absolutely nothing. That's what makes it interesting.

 It's probably a self-deprecating joke, but I don't think it's funny. I do think it does reflect the subconscious of the people of Fukui Prefecture.
　Of course, it's not like there's "nothing."
 As mentioned above, Sabae, our destination, is a city famous not only in Japan but around the world for its glasses. Eiheiji is the head temple of the Soto sect of Buddhism and an ancient temple known for its rigorous training. Joe has undergone training there three times, and zazen has become a part of his daily routine.
 　The food is truly delicious. Echizen crab, grilled mackerel, soba noodles. B-grade gourmet options include Volga rice and pork cutlet rice bowls with sauce. Fukui has long been a food supplier, particularly to Kyoto. As proof of this, the road leading to Kyoto is known as the "Mackerel Highway." And don't forget about dinosaurs in Fukui. Along with Amakusa, Fukui is a mecca for dinosaurs, and the Dinosaur Museum is a fun spot even for adults (though it's difficult to access by car).

　Fukui, often mocked as having nothing, is home to many nuclear power plants. There are 15 nuclear reactors, including some currently in the process of decommissioning. Perhaps that's why some people refer to Fukui as "Nuclear Power Plant Ginza." Most of these generate electricity for the Kansai region, a destination unrelated to Fukui residents. And there are organizations with ominous names, like the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Decommissioning Research and Development Center. It's hard to immediately understand what the latter does, but when Satsuki tells you, "Not yet!", just chanting this name in your head is enough to hopefully ward off the first wave. Even if it's actually one of the places where people retire to, and it's a place where they're constantly making money.

[There's a reason why I got off at Tsuruga before that.]

I got off at Tsuruga Station to have lunch. At the time, construction of the Hokuriku Shinkansen was progressing at a rapid pace in front of the station.
 I went to a restaurant in front of the station where I could enjoy Fukui seafood. Naturally, this was my fourth time at this restaurant. I didn't even look at the lunch menu and ordered a few a la carte dishes. I couldn't resist the grilled mackerel, but I was torn between that and the satsuki, and decided to at least go for the grilled heshiko and sangayaki. Of course, beer is the order of the day. I'll watch my stomach and not forget the grilled mackerel.

　After filling our stomachs, we have to satisfy another desire. Satsuki, in particular, complains, "This morning, I got the fire half-started, so I need to put it out before I can go buy glasses." Joe is usually a total mess, but he's not going to let that happen. We head to Ai no Yado, a 10-minute taxi ride from the station. Ai no Yado is a typical rural inn, old and a little moldy inside. And yet the room is unnecessarily spacious. Normally, I would never choose this, but for the sake of putting out a fire (not my dick), I can't afford to be extravagant, and I have no choice (is that the right word?). Incidentally, this is my second time staying at this inn.

　They start with a slow kiss, as always. They don't have much time because they're catching the next express train to Sabae, but they take it slowly. And Satsuki starts to sigh naturally. But now it's not just sighs that are escaping. He turns Satsuki around and makes her put her hands against the wall. Without a second thought, he lifts her skirt, revealing her white garters and lace thong. Trying to contain his excitement, Joe gently inserts his fingers into Satsuki's private parts from behind. Of course, the Japan Meteorological Agency is in full force with a heavy rain emergency warning (flooding). Then her sighs turn into moans, and she begs him to keep going. There's no stopping it now. He pushes her thong aside and, although small, Joe's body is still stiff enough to fit in from behind. The moans then turned into screams, and Joe continued to thrust his hips while repeating in his head the magic spell "Genshirohairosochikenkyukaihatsukikou" to prevent him from leaking prematurely, and he somehow managed to put out the fire.
　Ah, at last this is starting to feel like a Space Club column. Happily ever after.

　The schedule is tight, so I have to hurry. I call a taxi from Ai no Yado and head to the main seafood shop in Tsuruga. If a Japanese chef doesn't know about this konbu, I'll be completely out of luck. Honestly, there's no need to go all the way to the main store; there's a branch in Tokyo, and it's not difficult to get hold of in major department stores around the country. However, there's no way I wouldn't come to Fukui and come here. That's why this is my fourth visit (wry smile). The problem is, whenever I come here, I end up spending too much money on this and that. Even though there are other places to spend money later (Megane no Sabae). Of course? This time too, I didn't put my previous three lessons to good use, and I ended up buying so much that I wondered, "Are you going to open a konbu shop?" Satsuki was happy, though, saying, "I got a souvenir."
 To finish off the day, we took a taxi back to the station and went to the bookstore next door. Joe loves this place. It's different from the trendy bookstores in complexes.
 The shelves are arranged in a unique way. Supervised and operated by the Editorial Engineering Institute, it's no wonder. If the book you're looking for is already there, it may take a while to find it. But if you want to summon a book and be summoned by it, this is the place. The chairs and tables are also thoughtfully arranged, so you can enjoy tea from the on-site tea shop or rice balls with the book you've purchased or are thinking of purchasing. Many of the seats also have power outlets, so you can easily fire up your laptop and do research. In other words, this bookstore has everything you could want for book lovers like Joe (though he's not really good at reading). If you're reading this and thinking, "Tsuruga? I can't travel that far just for a bookstore," I'm sorry to say, but you're a complete fool. Tsuruga is less than an hour away from Kyoto on the Thunderbird train. Even from Tokyo, it's just a little over three hours on the newly opened Hokuriku Shinkansen. It's easily doable as a day trip. This is my fourth time in Tsuruga, so I made sure to prepare thoroughly. I brought an empty suitcase with me, so I put a lot of kelp and books in it and took the local train to Sabae.

[And now to Sabae for the fourth time]

　Sabae boasts a 96% market share for eyeglass frames, but the station is surprisingly deserted. There are signs everywhere saying "Sabae, the city of glasses," and monuments shaped like eyeglass frames can be seen here and there. However, there are no people. There must be more signs and monuments than there are people.
　As proof, this is my fourth time in Sabae (wry smile), but I have never seen a taxi waiting at the taxi stand in front of the station. There is no one there, so I guess they know to pick up passengers even if they are waiting. With the taxi stand in this state, it is extremely difficult to hail a taxi on the street in Sabae city. This is my fourth time in Sabae, so I am familiar with all of these situations. If it had rained, I would have booked a taxi in advance, but since the weather is nice, I decided to walk to my destination.
　Our destination was the Glasses Museum. It was a sunny day, neither too cold nor too hot, and it was already a pleasant day, but I was surprised to find myself walking hand in hand with Satsuki. The 15-minute walk was not at all difficult. The road in front of the station was wide and new. Even after leaving the main road and turning onto a side street, the road remained the same width, looking as if construction had only been completed yesterday. Once we turned onto the side street, there were no cars or people. As is often the case in rural areas, the only thing that was in good condition was the road. As mentioned earlier, Fukui is a nuclear power plant paradise, so related subsidies must be pouring in like water.
　After walking for a while, a building comes into view. The street we're walking on is called "Glasses Street." There's no way we'll get lost. The building is apparently 10 stories tall, and since there aren't any high-rise buildings around, it stands out. As the museum comes into view, Satsuki excitedly declares, "The glasses sign on the roof is cute." Whenever I hear this, I'm reminded that men and women have different standards for what's "cute." In any case, the monument of the round, red-framed glasses is the symbol of Sabae, the "city of glasses." We arrive after a 15-minute walk from the station. Looking up from the entrance, we see an elaborately designed building. There's a reception desk on the first floor, but since admission is free, there's nothing to do. The sales area is located at the back right. While the museum is called the "Glasses Museum," the main attraction is in this sales area.
　The sales floor isn't particularly large, but it's lined with 3,000 eyeglass frames from local manufacturers. If you ask a salesperson, they'll take them out of the cases and let you try them out. Satsuki is excited by the 3,000 items in front of her. She tries out a bunch of different ones, but she just can't decide. It's two hours after arriving that she finally decides on her favorite, and then it takes over an hour to fit the lenses and adjust the frames. Patience is really all you need when accompanying a girl on a shopping trip.

[And then to a delicious, delicious soba restaurant]

　As mentioned above, Fukui is home to many delicious foods, but Joe thinks that soba noodles are the best. And since this is his fourth time in Sabae, he made sure to make a reservation and headed to a soba restaurant that is ranked in the top three in the world (according to Joe's ranking).
 The soba here is truly delicious. A distinctive feature of Fukui soba is that it uses indigenous varieties cultivated in a specific region. The restaurant works with several buckwheat farmers and creates menus tailored to their tastes. The milled soba has a rich aroma and a wonderful texture, and it pairs perfectly with grated daikon radish. The extensive appetizer menu in the evenings will delight left-leaning palate-goers like Joe and Satsuki.
　After much deliberation, Satsuki finally decided on the glasses and immediately put them on.
"Thank you so much, Joe. I had a really hard time deciding, but I absolutely love it," Satsuki said with a big smile. Seeing her smile, Joe was naturally happy too.
 First, we toasted with beer. The sesame tofu appetizer was delicious, making us look forward to the dishes we'd already ordered. The specialty here is kakiage, a distinctive cylindrical fried tempura. According to the owner, this shape brings out the flavor of the vegetables and shrimp. We started with salt, then dipped it in tempura broth to change the flavor. Both were equally delicious. Either way, it made for a great drink. After the beer, we chose a local sake, Kuroryu. This was our fourth time at this restaurant, so Joe felt like we were old friends. The owner thoughtfully poured a generous amount of the limited edition Kuroryu on the accompaniment. Naturally, it was excellent. After enjoying the sake, snacks, and grated daikon radish soba noodles to finish off the meal, we left the restaurant feeling very satisfied.

[From Sabae to Kyoto, and then...]

　We took a taxi from the shop to Sabae Station and then took the local express train, which was still running at the time, to Kyoto. We arrived in Kyoto just after 10 o'clock. If we parted ways here, we'd have plenty of time to make it home in time for Cinderella Time, our promise to my husband. If we took a taxi from here to the love hotel district in southern Kyoto, it would be nearly 11 o'clock. Since I'd promised my husband I'd be back by Cinderella Time, we'd only be staying at the hotel for a few minutes. Joe has premature ejaculation, so there's no problem in terms of ejaculation, but he doesn't like rushed sex.
 As Joe hesitates, Satsuki calls her husband and says with a big smile, "He'll come pick me up at the hotel at 12:30." Joe and Satsuki joke around, saying, "I like you too, don't I? Just for a little while," as they get into a taxi.

[I'm excited about playing with glasses, but...]

I never thought the glasses play would be so exciting. Wearing her glasses and donning the sailor uniform she rented from the hotel made her "face pussy" look three times more erotic than usual. Then, with the arrival of the room's beloved vibrator, a splash was inevitable. Joe himself was satisfied and exhausted. It was a hectic day, so it was understandable that she'd lost consciousness, but her husband, waiting outside the hotel, didn't understand that logic. She quickly changed clothes and left the hotel, where a Mercedes was waiting. It was well past 1 o'clock. As Joe approached, the window rolled down, and her husband simply said, "Joe, today is your last time seeing Satsuki. Thank you for everything," and then rolled it back up. Perhaps because he knew this day would soon come, Joe, surprisingly calm, simply said, "Thank you," and entered the hotel again, gazing blankly at the Mercedes.

Between a man and a woman

Of course, he still had feelings for her. But Joe, who was a show-off, couldn't bring himself to show it so openly, and he also had a perverse (or perhaps perverse) stubbornness that made it uncool to break a somewhat unusual agreement (or maybe not). However, that didn't mean he completely stopped seeing Satsuki. Whenever he attended tea ceremony lessons, Satsuki was almost always there, and although not as often as before, they still exchanged words freely. Their relationship was an open secret among his tea ceremony buddies, but I don't think any of them noticed that they were no longer secretly reunited. As usual, they often went out to eat together after lessons, and sometimes they ended up sitting next to each other by chance. But even then, talking about their past relationship was taboo, and they never went out alone together again.
  However, some time passed, and one day in May of this year, two months after the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Tsuruga, Satsuki called out to me after practice.
"Joe, do you want to have lunch with me today? I have something to tell you." Joe had a feeling the news wasn't good, but his curiosity got the better of him.

　They take a taxi to a café in Sanjo that they used to frequent. Joe is usually quite talkative in the car, chatting with the driver, but today he is quiet, worried about the contents of the "report." Satsuki echoes him, staying silent as well, and the car is enveloped in an awkward silence.
 When I arrived, I ordered the daily lunch special as usual, and then a beer. This is a cafe, but one of their selling points is their delicious draft beer.
 Today's daily lunch is teriyaki chicken, which comes with a small side dish, salad, and miso soup. It's a simple menu, so you can really tell if it tastes good or bad. Joe has never had better teriyaki chicken. Before even touching the delicious-looking chicken, he raises his glass and gulps down half of it. Satsuki also raises her glass in silence and takes a sip. As usual, they're both silent, but the beer eases the awkward atmosphere. Then, without even thinking, they start talking, talking about inoffensive topics and updating each other on their recent activities.
 　It was after they'd finished their lunch, Joe on his third beer and Satsuki on her second, that Satsuki's tone changed. Both of them were feeling quite relaxed. At least, Joe seemed to be.
"I separated from my husband and filed for divorce last week," Satsuki said.
"Oh, that's surprising."
　Contrary to his words, Joe answered as if he wasn't surprised at all. In fact, he wasn't all that surprised. He thought that a truly shocking confession was about to come. Instinctively, he braced himself and waited for Satsuki to speak.
"I've fallen in love with someone else, so I don't think I can be with my husband."

Joe knew that when you are truly shocked, you cannot feel anything for a while. It was several days later that Joe was overcome with pain and sadness when he found out that the princess was no longer in this world. This time it wasn't several days later, but Satsuki told him the whole story over the course of about an hour. I don't think his emotions fluctuated much. When he had finished listening to most of it, she called two taxis for him. Usually they would have gone home together, but Joe had sworn that they should never be in the same space together again.
 On the way home in the taxi, Joe is overcome with an indescribable emotion that makes it hard for him to breathe. If he were to put that emotion into words, "jealousy" would be the closest word, but that doesn't quite fit the description, and in fact it seems like the furthest thing from the outside. So, let's try to explain the emotion he felt at that time in Japanese, rather than in Chinese.

In short, that feeling isI wasn't the chosen man."That's what it came down to. Joe's relationship with Satsuki was special, and he even thought that their personal compatibility, or rather, their "good chemistry," made their relationship the ideal one. At the same time, he was dissatisfied. This was Satsuki's desire to reciprocate her husband's love. It wasn't so much that she loved her husband, but rather that she wanted to maintain their relationship by responding to his love. To be honest, when their relationship ended, he had hoped that Satsuki would say to him, "What are you talking about? I'm going to continue dating you, Joe." Well, he hadn't thought that would ever happen, so he hadn't suffered too much. But now, with this incident, he has found a man he loves enough to stop responding to his love. I know this is presumptuous, but I'll write it again.

That wasn't me.

And as always, Joe mutters the words you mutter when you lose a good woman.
Satsuki, you were a good woman, and I loved you. I'll never forget you, even if we never meet again.

Shortly after that, Joe quit his tea ceremony lessons.