When I started Suspecting my Wife of Cheating, I Somehow Ended up Living in the Middle of Nowhere - Episode 12

The second couple accepted into “Itoyori Village” was a calm and composed elderly couple. Considering the first pair was a flamboyant pink-haired YouTuber, it seems likely the village mayor wanted to balance things out with a more conservative choice. But since all decisions are made solely on the village mayor’s whims and biases, his true intentions remain unknown.

The elderly couple was the Kuwakino couple. They were overjoyed with the house they received. Their dream home. In Fukuoka City, even a secondhand house typically costs in the high 30 million yen range, and average prices are edging toward 40 million.

In Tokyo, prices range from 50 million to 80 million yen, so Fukuoka is relatively cheaper. Still, the Kuwakino couple, who had spent their entire working life in Fukuoka, found such prices out of reach.

So, upon early retirement, they applied for this relocation program. They began farming for the first time, developing calluses as they worked together daily in the nearby fields. Initially, they had only planned to do a bit of gardening in the backyard, but their kind elderly neighbors corrected that assumption.

“We’re just two old folks, so we don’t need that many vegetables,” they had said. But the neighbors warned, “You’ll always get vegetables as gifts from neighbors. If you don’t return the favor, they’ll think you’re rude and ostracize you.”

They had moved to the countryside to escape the social pressures of urban life, only to discover that rural life had its own—often more intense—social obligations. They would fully realize the extent of this rural entanglement a bit later.

In the Case of Zenpuku Kumagorō

I mowed the lawn. Who knew goldenrod could grow so tall?

I fired up the gas-powered weed cutter and got to work on the yard. There are two types of weed cutters: electric and gas-powered. The electric ones are quieter, while the gas-powered ones are loud.

If you use a gas-powered one in the city, complaints are likely depending on time and place. That’s why I personally enjoy using them freely out here.

“Right to left, right to left…”

You have to do it this way—if the blade hits a rock or something, it can bounce back dangerously. The blade rotates counterclockwise, so this technique just makes sense.

I wore goggles to protect my eyes. That’s because I like to mow close to the roots—stones do fly from time to time.

Then I spray weed killer to finish the job nicely.

After mowing everything, today’s work was pretty much done. I could gather up the cut grass to make the yard look tidier, but freshly cut grass is heavy and bulky due to moisture. So I usually leave it out for a few days to dry.

I also scattered some grass I got from the village mayor’s house to dry it in my yard.

Today’s last task was to return the weed cutter—but then I discovered a problem in the yard: a large tree stump.

The tree had already been cut down, but the stump remained, about knee-high. It was in the way—not just for cleaning, but as an eyesore in the landscape.

Though it was a hassle, I decided to dig it out. But doing it with just a shovel would take months. So I brought out my electric drill with an auger attachment from my personal tool collection.

An auger is a twisty, drill-like tool for digging holes.

Shovels and spades work fine if there are no obstacles, but a stump gets in the way. A hoe might be strong, but not ideal around obstructions.

That’s where the auger comes in. It only digs holes of a fixed size, but it’s easier to dig deep. I dug around the stump using the auger to break up the soil. The loosened dirt was easy to move with a shovel.

After half a day of digging, a huge tree stump finally emerged, saying hello to the world. It was far more exhausting than mowing.

Rocks and stones kept coming up as I dug. One in particular—a large one—caught my attention.

There was a well in the yard, so I drew water from it and poured it over the rock.

As the caked mud washed away, a shape began to emerge.

With more water and cleaning, I realized it was a stone statue—like a small guardian deity. Maybe I had unearthed something that shouldn’t have been disturbed.

Afraid of curses or bad luck, I named the statue “Fudō Myōō” (Acala, a wrathful Buddhist deity), and brought it into the house.

The highest spot in the house was the top of the kitchen cabinet. I made a makeshift altar there and placed “Fudō Myōō” on it. I also prayed, asking not to be cursed.

Since I was in the kitchen, I figured work was done for the day. I was thirsty, so I grabbed some barley tea from the fridge. It was probably because I had barley tea at the village mayor’s earlier, and it was delicious.

After praying to “Fudō Myōō,” I felt oddly lighter. Maybe because I’d just achieved the mighty feat of digging out that stump. Or maybe it was just my imagination.

“Barley tea~♪ Barley teaaaaa~♪ Baaar-leyyy teaaa~♪” Lyrics and music by me. The Barley Tea Song.

Ruuuuing! Just as I gulped down some tea, my phone rang. Since my mother had just had surgery and was still hospitalized, I had a bad feeling. But when I answered, it was my eldest daughter, Tomoko.

“Tomoko? What’s wrong?”

My two daughters had left with their cheating mother two months ago.

“Dad! I want to leave this house! I want to live with you!”

I also heard Chieri, her younger sister, in the background. A distress call from my daughters. This was an emergency. I left everything as-is, barely locked up, and while on the phone, I found my car keys, got in, and started driving.

I put the phone on speaker for safety and listened as I sped toward Fukuoka City.

We met at a family restaurant chain in the city.

They had arrived before me and were already enjoying cake sets, which I had pre-approved.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

Seeing my daughters safe gave me some relief. It was already getting dark outside.

“What happened, you two?”

I sat down briefly, then took the bill and paid. Just from their voices, I could tell something serious had happened.

After paying, I got them in the car and started driving. With no set destination, I took the highway while listening to their story.

“What’s going on? Didn’t you go live with your new dad?”

“You told us to go!”

“Yeah, you did!”

Hmmmm? Their tone seemed a bit strange.

“You left with Mom one morning, right? I thought you preferred your new dad over me?”

“No way! Mom said we were going with her, and that it was already decided!”

That couldn’t be true. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to properly talk things through with my ex-wife. She just disappeared with the girls one day.

“To be honest, I was so shocked by the divorce that I didn’t properly discuss anything with her. Then she told me you two had chosen to go with her… It really crushed me…”

“That woman…”

The younger daughter said bitterly.

“Anyway, let’s go home! Dad, take us there!”

That was Tomoko’s request—but fulfilling it wasn’t so simple.

“Actually… I’ve already moved. I took some stuff with me to the new place too.”

“What? Where?”

Hard to explain. Telling them I no longer had our house and had moved to some obscure village… They might ask to go back to their mom’s instead. But lying wouldn’t be right. Besides, their rooms were empty now, and most of my stuff was already gone.

“Well… it’s a place called Itoyori Village…”

“HUH!? A village!?”

“A viiiiiillage!?”

They were clearly taken aback…

“Does it have internet!?”

“Does it have electricity!?”

That’s what you’re worried about!?

“Yes, it has both, no worries.”

“Then it’s fine. Let’s go there! Now!”

“We’ll explain everything on the way!”

The sisters were suddenly in complete agreement. And just like that, it was decided: my daughters were coming to live with me in Itoyori Village.