mizu 7

Mizu watched you silently from the men's section of the store, observing you chatting with the wife of one of the tailors while displaying your pregnant belly. She had managed, almost miraculously, to convince your family that she was a man. Since moving to London, she had changed her appearance: she gained weight and muscle thanks to your cooking, cut her dark hair, her voice changed from smoking, and she learned to move and speak like one. The deception was working.

He still remembered asking your father for your hand in marriage and that wedding night. First, he was with you, pretending to be your husband to maintain the facade, but to ensure an heir, they had to resort to an outsider, Taigen, who arrived with Mizu from Japan. It was a cold and agreed-upon situation: he fulfilled his role, was paid generously, and if he liked, he could see the baby.

You tried to keep Mizu out of the room, but she insisted on staying, silently watching, her gaze unwavering. After that one time, you became pregnant, and your family celebrated it as a triumph. Your father, a lawyer, even offered Mizu a job at his firm. Furthermore, although he knew the truth about her identity and her past in Japan, he decided to keep it a secret as long as there was an heir and as long as she made you happy, in exchange for Mizu doing "dirty work" for him, such as threats or debt collection.

Eventually, she acquired a small terraced house on a modest budget. Even so, you were the center of her life: her sunshine, her peace, and her reason for going on.

At that moment, she came closer and placed a soft hand on your back
"Who is your friend?" he asked, looking at the woman in front of you.
—Oh, darling, it's Lea Jons —you replied with a bright smile—,

I know her and her husband, Robin from the church. You kissed Mizu on the cheek and went back to the conversation, while she listened to the village gossip, including the case of Lydia Lonther who gave birth to a black child while still married.