It had been several months after the three stooges had left for their new lives and new jobs.

Yuuto was still the number one host. He had been taking care of more and more of the club business.

The old man had recently gotten sick and entrusted Yuuto with the responsibility of keeping the club functioning along with Niko as an assistant.

The reason he had been chosen to take over was partly that he was rank one but the old man's wife had picked them saying that they were a good couple.

They entrusted Niko and Yuuto with secret information on the club in order to keep it running smoothly.

While Yuuto took care of most of the stuff, Niko had a lot of free time so she hanged out with Misa and Kana most of the time.

The three girls had figured out who had caused Yuuto a lot of trouble a while ago and took care of the devious woman with their own plan. In the end, Niko and co. won the battle!

The girls were out celebrating as Niko and Yuuto had finally gotten engaged and decided to get married during the next spring.

They were both steadily working off their debt and hoped they would have all or most of it paid off by the spring.

***

Spring had finally arrived, Niko had been able to completely pay off her debt a month before Yuuto had. They were now both debt free. Their worries switched from their debt to being busy making all the necessary preparations for their wedding and the reception to be held after the party.

They had decided to have a somewhat traditional Japanese wedding at a Shinto shrine.

While the wedding reception would be held at club Winter Night.

They had to create the list for guests and send out the invitations to family and a small number of friends.

There was the food and drinks that needed to be picked out for the reception along with the cake and thank you gifts for the guests that also had to be prepared.

It had all been a stressful few months leading up to the appointed day of the wedding making sure everything was near perfect.

A decent sized group of Niko's distant family members had come, along with her younger brother and sister.

The only family member to come on Yuuto's side of the family was his sister Maya. As a substitute for other family members Pretty boy, Motoki, and Rinji had been invited along with Kana and Misa.

The group was all waiting for the bus they had rented out to arrive and take the group to the Shinto shrine.

It arrived a few minutes after the last member of the invited group showed up and everyone began boarding it.

“Who would have thought that you would be getting married before us,” said Pretty boy jokingly.

Yuuto just gave him a smile and got on the bus after him.

They arrived at the Shinto shrine fairly quickly.

Both Yuuto and Niko split up and went to the changing rooms to switch their clothing to what they had rented for the wedding.

Yuuto changed into a dark blue kimono his family's color. He walked to the entrance of the Shinto shrine where the guests were waiting.

Yuuto fidgeted with the red umbrella made of coarse oil paper (a wagasa) that he was holding.

Several tense minutes went by then he heard a low mummer startup from the guests that had been relatively quiet until now.

He looked up over to where the crowd had turned to stare, seeing Niko walking from the changing room.

He was struck by how captivating she looked.

Her long black hair had been tied up in a bun and a large pink flower had been placed through it.

She wore no makeup but for some gloss on her lips to make them shine.

Her kimono was a traditional pure white color representing absolute purity. It fit her so perfectly, she was making Yuuto fall in love with her all over again.

She walked up to Yuuto and stopped next to him without a word, a shy smile on her face.

The blushing Yuuto opened the umbrella and held it up above the two of them.

They faced forward and entered the shrine grounds and walked down the path leading to the shrine. The guests followed after them.

They reached the shrine building and took off their shoes.

Everyone put on the slippers provided and entered to where the Shinto priest was waiting for them.

Yuuto and Niko stood in the front of the room before the priest and the altar to the shrine's deity, waiting for the guests to be seated on the cushions prepared for them.

When everyone had been seated and it became quiet, the Shinto priest stepped forward with his haraigushi and started the ceremony by giving a chant while waving it around them to purify Niko and Yuuto in both body and soul.

After that had happened, they both gave a few words of personal vows before the Shinto priest.

The priest stood up and walked over to the small table in front of Niko and Yuuto which held a ceremonial container with sake inside and three different sized sake cups called sakazuki. The first was the smallest whilst the third was the largest. Thus they started the San-san-kudo ceremony.

Sake was poured into the first smaller cup. Yuuto picked it up and raised it to his lips and brought it back away, raised it again to his lips and brought it away, and on the third time took a sip. Then he placed the small sake cup back on the table where it was refiled and Niko repeated the ritual.

They did this for all three sake cups and in exchanging cups they were symbolically exchanging their marriage vows, expressing gratitude to their ancestors and wishing for many descendants. Normally after they had finished, the parents of each the bride and groom would also take sips from the cups.

The first three sips represent the three couples, the bride and groom and their parents, the second three sips represent the flaws of hatred, passion, and ignorance, and the last three sips represent freedom from the three flaws.

The table was cleared and two branches of the shrine’s sacred tree, the Sakaki. The branches had a zigzag-shaped holy paper streamer that was used to adorn Shinto-related objects attached to it.

Both Yuuto and Niko offered the branch to the shrine deity out of respect and placed it on the table in front of them. They gave a short silent prayer for happiness and then clapped two times and gave a small bow which all the guests followed as they clapped and bowed along with them.

When they both finished, the priest walked up to the altar to the deity and knelt down and announced the two to the deity.

And thus the traditional wedding was over.

***

The guest, the bride, and the groom all traveled back to the host club where the reception party would be held.

When they arrived at the host club, Yuuto entered the main room and sat down at the square table that was set up on a small platform in front of the other tables.

Niko had gone to change into a blue kimono symbolizing joining Yuuto's family by washing away her family's color and wearing her now husband's family color.

She was also wearing a ceremonial uchikake an elaborate silk robe covered with embroidered flowers and cranes that is meant to be worn over the kimono.

After she sat down next to Yuuto, the guests all came up to the table and offered gifts of money in beautifully decorated envelopes to congratulate the newlyweds, also representing a wish for happiness.

Niko and Yuuto gave them a gift bag to thank them for coming. Gifts for guests were normally either a more formal present of food or something that you could use in everyday life.

What Yuuto and Niko had chosen to give in the gift bags were folding fans and sake cups.

When the gift exchange finished and the guests gave speeches honoring Yuuto and Niko.

Then the food that was served full of Japanese cuisine.

After everyone had eaten some food, there was a sake barrel rolled out and a wooden mallet placed on top for the kagami-biraki or “opening the lid” ceremony.

Both Yuuto and Niko took turns hitting the lid of the barrel until it was broken open and then the sake was served to everyone. The lid is a symbol of harmony because of its round shape.

When the main course of eating was finished Yuuto and Niko stayed on the raised platform and table while guests would give speeches and some did performances as entertainment.

“Well I guess I have to get someone else now that Niko has snagged you, Yuuto,” said Misa smiling causing everyone to laugh awkwardly.

“Niko you are a very cute girl. Yuuto, you are still such a shy boy. Don't think I will go easy on you now just because you got married,” said Madam Succubus who had joined in only for the reception.

After everyone had finished their speeches and performances, Yuuto and Niko both gave speeches thanking their parents for raising them.

Before it was time to cut the cake, both Niko and Yuuto left to change.

Niko changed into a party dress and Yuuto changed into a samurai costume with a sword.

They walked over to the cake with glasses of sake and toasted to their guests. Then Yuuto cut the cake that was twenty layers high with his sword.

Both Niko and Yuuto fed each other a small piece of cake. The cake was further cut by the waiters and served to the guests.

When everyone was finished eating the cake, Niko and Yuuto both thanked them again for coming to the wedding and the reception and told them they could leave when they wanted.

After a half hour, the last guests said their goodbyes leaving Yuuto and Niko alone in the room.

“What an eventful day,” sighed Yuuto.

“Let's get changed and go to sleep,” said Niko.

Eri and Tabito had been sent to stay with other hostesses for the night.

Niko and Yuuto went to Yuuto's room after changing which he had to himself and got into bed.

They were, unfortunately, unable to get any sleep that night due to stuff happening. A lot of it, a whole night's worth.

They spent the next day sleeping until late afternoon. Where they were tempted to do more “stuff” but they were hungry so they decided to wash up and eat.

Thus they started their married life.

A week later, they sat at the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden under the sakura trees eating the wonderfully tasty food and barley tea Niko had made.

After eating, they watching the blossoms on the trees swaying in the wind and fluttering to the ground.

A vendor was going around selling different types of flowers.

“Let's both get one,” said Niko.

“Alright,” said Yuuto as he stood up and helped Niko up.

They each bought a rose that had its petals dyed blue and exchanged them between each other.

“When we get back to our room, I have something important to tell you,” said Niko seriously.

“Alright when we get back I’ll listen,” said Yuuto seriously.

When they returned to their now shared room at the club, Yuuto decided to preserve the flower.

He picked up a large book and then found two pieces of printer paper. He put the flower between two pieces of paper, and then place them within the pages of the book.

Niko saw him do this and then copied what he did.

“So what was it you wanted to tell me?” asked Yuuto.

“Your...(mumble),” Niko spoke that last part to quiet for him to hear.

“Sorry I couldn't hear you. What was it you said?” asked Yuuto.

“Jeez you're making me say something so embarrassing,” said Niko shyly and kicked him in the shin.

“Well I'm sorry that it's making you embarrassed,” said Yuuto who reached out and embraced her and gave her a quick kiss on her lips, “So can you tell me now?”

She stared into his eyes and said, “The result of the test this morning. You're going to be a father.”