The ceremony went according to plan, apart from Ken feeling his nerves get the better of him. He had done interviews on National TV, yet reading out his vows in front of Ai and his family and friends proved far more difficult.
Thankfully, no one heckled him.
"…And most of all, I vow to cherish you and put you above all else."
Ken's voice was shaky, but he felt Ai squeeze his hands softly. He raised his gaze to see her smiling at him brilliantly. It was like the rays of the morning sun, washing away the dark unrelenting night.
A sense of calm overcame him.
Why did he need to be nervous in this moment? His soul mate was standing across from him. She was there for him, no one else. Even if this hall was empty, she would have still been here alongside him.
This moment of realization broke through whatever reservations were still hiding inside of Ken. Unknowingly, he had thought he was unworthy of Ai, yet as she spoke her vows in front of him, this feeling disappeared.
In the front row, Tetsu had to continuously wipe away his tears, especially after Naomi sent him glares every now and then.
"I, Ken Takagi, take you, Ai Koyama as my lawfully wedded wife."
"I, Ai Koyama, take you, Ken Takagi as my lawfully wedded husband."
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you… Husband and Wife! You may kiss the bride!" Yama announced and a round of applause followed.
Ken didn't need an invitation. He pulled in his new wife and locked lips, kissing her deeply. For once, he did not care who was watching. This was their first kiss as husband and wife, he wanted to make it memorable.
However, Ai seemed a little embarrassed, so she ended up pulling back at the end.
"Save some of that enthusiasm for later." She whispered to him, letting out a giggle.
Ken grinned before grabbing her hand and headed back down the aisle. Everyone was standing and clapping, welcoming the new couple.
Ken thought that they would go straight to the reception afterwards, but boy was he wrong. First, he was brought up to sign the marriage certificate, after which it needed to be witnessed by two others.
Daichi and Rie signed as witnesses and photos were taken.
After this, the entire grooms party and bridal party were kidnapped to get their photos taken over and over again. As someone who hated photos, it was pure torture.
However, he persisted. As Ai said, they would be able to relive their wedding through the photos and videos taken today.
Almost 2 hours later and what seemed like thousands of photos, everyone returned to the venue where the reception was being held. The bridal and grooms party were sent in first while Ken and Ai were told to wait.
"This is exciting isn't it?" Ai said, flashing him a smile.
"Mmm." Ken nodded, though he was feeling a little uncomfortable in his shoes.
"What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Ah… My feet hurt." He admitted. Ken didn't want her thinking he was dissatisfied with anything, that would just cause unwanted problems.
At this, Ai laughed. "If you think your feet hurt, try wearing these heels for 3 hours." She said, pulling up her wedding dress slightly.
Ken looked down, only to see that her ankles were beginning to swell.
"Take them off, there's no point in being uncomfortable anymore." Ken said.
However, Ai shook her head. "I can deal with this pain for a little while longer."
But Ken was having none of it. He bent down on one knee and grabbed her shoe, carefully untying it. "While you're my wife, I won't let you needlessly suffer. Not even for a single moment."
Ai's eyes widened in shock briefly, but she did not stop him.
"Mmm." She nodded.
"Now introducing for the very first time, Mr. And Mrs. Takagi."
At this, the door opened and Ken and Ai walked into the reception area receiving applause from all of the guests present. With Ai not wearing shoes any longer, the height disparity between the two was even more evident, yet they still looked like a perfect couple.
They made their way to the table of honor at the front of the reception area and sat down. Quickly, they were inundated with people wanting to talk with them.
Ken was pulled aside by some of his old school friends he hadn't talked to in a long time. Yuta and Yusuke from Yokohama, even Aki and Kuro. Riku was also present, however, he was talking with an unknown woman not far away.
"Hey, who is that with Riku?" Ken asked Hiroki who was nearby.
"Ah… That's one of Rie's classmates."
"Hmm? It seems to be going quite well. At least she hasn't slapped him yet." Ken mused.
"Oho? I should go over and wingman for him." Kuro said, fixing his hair behind his ear.
"No no, let him try himself. That way only he can be blamed if he messes it up." Hiroki added with a snicker.
"You've got a bar tab right? Let's go get a drink to celebrate." Steve announced, "All those damn photos took way too long."
"You guys go first, I have something I want to do." Ken said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Daichi, come with me."
"Hmm?"
Ken grabbed Daichi and made his way over to a group of people.
"Dad, Grandpa. Will you join us for the first drink?" He asked Chris and Mark.
"Hehe, how can I say no to that?" Chris replied with a grin.
"Of course, it would be rude not to." Mark added.
The four approached the bar and Ken ordered 5 whiskeys. "I'll be back in a moment."
"Tetsu, now that we're family, come join us for the first drink."
The mob-boss looking guy had thankfully managed to reign in his emotions after the ceremony, but he seemed delighted to be included.
"Ya bet yer ass I will." He said with a grin.