My Edo-Era Harem

I heard a tap on the screen door. "Young master, may I speak with you?"

I sighed to myself and said, "Yes, come in."

As of this morning, my name is Matsuda Taro. It would've been Taro Matsuda if I still lived in my previous life, in what I used to call the present. In fact, when I was a regular young student living my old life, my name was Seiji Kobayashi. But this isn't my old life anymore—this is the middle of the Edo period, and I'm an honorable samurai living near Nagano.

I'll tell you a bit later how I got here because as the door slid gently open, a man passed through the opening and then slid the frame closed.

Because I'm Matsuda Taro, I'm supposed to know him. Takumi is a jo, a head servant of the Matsuda household, which means that as of today he is my head servant. I learned that my father had a stroke and had been paralyzed for a while and that the other day the family council decided to make me the official head of the household.

I wish I was at that meeting…

"Young master," Takumi said, bowing. "Madam Kazuko requests to speak with you."

Takumi's voice is never loud and always calm and measured. There's a quiet authority about him. He only speaks when necessary, but when he does, everyone seems to listen to what he has to say. Pretty annoying, to be honest.

I looked out the window. The sun had already set, and I felt ready for bed.

"Does she?" I replied vaguely.

"She says she would really appreciate it if you saw her today," Takumi added, his tone as neutral as ever. "You didn't get to speak with her yesterday."

"I didn't?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. I wouldn't know, because I wasn't here yesterday. My life as a samurai started only today. "Fine, let her in," I said.

"Yes, young master."

He disappeared, and a couple of minutes later another figure appeared at the door. The woman moved as silently as Takumi, but she was definitely more pleasing to the eye than the middle-aged servant.

She bowed slightly. "Young master, I hope I do not disturb you."

I waved my hand. "Not at all, Kazuko-dono. Please, sit."

She lowered herself onto the tatami mat, her movements slow but deliberate. She wore a soft blue kimono, and her hair was flawless, with a flower hairpin nestled among the strands.

"Thank you, Takumi," I said, noticing the servant's head still in the crack of the door, and Takumi, with a slight reluctance, slid the doorframe closed.

I nodded to Kazuko, and there was a flicker in her gaze. She sat up, her posture perfect, accentuating her beauty. My father's second wife had a magnificent body, I must say. She was about 30 years old, but she looked untouched by age.

After a moment of silence, she spoke, her voice with a slight edge. "Young master, I've come to beg you to put my mind at ease."

I wasn't quite sure what she meant. "Why? What's wrong, Kazuko-dono?"

She lowered her gaze, her hands resting on her lap. "So much has changed recently. With your new duties, and with your father's illness… I'm worried about the future. More about my daughter's future than mine. Please reduce my worry, Taro-dono." She lifted her eyes, as she called me by my first name, instead of the formal Matsuda-sama.

Her lips, tinted a soft pink, were perfectly sculpted, an ideal contrast to the porcelain-like smoothness of her moon-shaped face. They stirred something inside me.

"There is nothing for you to worry about, Kazuko-dono," I said. "Why would you?"

"Your kind words soothe my heart, Taro-dono. But people change, and circumstances change," she said slowly and sadly. "My future – and my daughter's future – will rest with you, once your father… is gone…"

I interrupted her gently. "Let's not foreshadow the future."

"But you can't stop time," she responded. "Look how you've changed, Taro-dono. You're a strong man now."

I smiled inside. "So not all change is bad, then."

"No, not all," she said softly. "But I still fear the unexpected."

"Well, don't worry," I repeated. "You and your daughter will be properly cared for. I promise you."

A blush appeared on her pretty cheeks as she locked her gaze with mine. "You are very kind, Taro-dono… You know that I never forget kindness…" Her hand slipped slightly forward brushing against the edge of my kimono. "Do you still remember my lessons, Taro-dono?"

"Your lessons?" She had me confused there.

"The lessons of tenderness your father had asked me to give you." Her eyes glowed in the low light of the room. "Will you still have your tenderness in the future?"

Hmm, tenderness? Was she my sex education teacher? I must've been such a lucky guy. I wish I had been there…

"Do you feel any tenderness toward me now?" she muttered.

"Yes, I do," I replied without thinking.

"I wonder…" she said, shifting slightly, "if the touch of your hand would feel as soft as your words…"

Instinctively, I took her hand in mine. Her lips curled in a suppressed smile.

She lifted my hand to her chest. "Do you remember…" she murmured, parting her kimono with my hand. She guided my hand to her breast. Then she took my other hand and gently guided it to her other breast. Her breasts were full and firm, very pleasant to touch. My father had a good taste.

"Do you still like them?" I heard her ask me.

I softly squeezed and stroked them. Kazuko's face contorted with pleasure as I did.

"Taro-dono, I've missed it so much," she whispered. "Please kiss them like you used to."

I opened her kimono further, and leaned to kiss her chest, sliding my tongue toward and around one of her breasts, and then another. Kazuko's hands ran through my hair, drawing me closer, pushing me into her flesh.

When I started to flick her nipple with my tongue, she moaned softly into my ear and whispered, "Tell Takumi to go. Send him to your wife's chujo to discuss tomorrow's ceremony."

Ah, yes, I'm married.

"Takumi," I said, clearing my throat. "Go to my wife's quarters and review all the preparations for tomorrow. Thoroughly!"

"Yes, young master," I heard a muffled voice from behind the wall.

I could barely hear his soft steps, but in a few moments, Kazuko's lips were locked with mine again. She then kissed my cheeks and ears, whispering feverishly, "Untie my belt, Taro-dono."