This fourth volume of Our Fake Marriage dials up the spiciness. The first chapter here is entirely about the main couple being intimate, and while it is the smuttiest part of volume 4, Takumi’s appetite continues throughout. Yae is often embarrassed by Takumi’s boldness, but she also finds herself desiring him, even blindfolding Takumi when she’s drunk and then drooling over his shirtless self. The publisher still rates this for ages 16+, so it’s not the most explicit manga, but these scenes are prevalent here.
But even fun time for Takumi is secondary to work, and this includes rushing to greet his mentor, Jun. Jun becomes a point of contention between Takumi and Yae when he starts spending time with her — and she plays the role of his wife for a photo gig and to get other women to back off!
Yes, somehow, Yae is playing two fake wives at once. Or because Takumi asked her to marry him, she’s a fake wife and a real fiancée? But she never officially said yes either, so…not really sure. Unlike some similar manga (Happy Marriage?! in particular), the main couple hasn’t had a heart-to-heart before progressing to the next level. Readers know Yae has fallen in love with Takumi, and he probably loves her too. But does he realize it? And did he like her as kids or only recently? Still no answer.
Anyway, like Takumi, Jun constantly has women throwing themselves at him, and having her attend a fake bachelorette party helps him both personally and professionally. (Although how many bachelorette parties have the bride and her friends dress in sexy bunny and cat costumes?) Yae’s open personality and dedication to her job — not to mention being Takumi’s wife — makes an impression on Jun, and they chat a lot once she picks up part-time work near his place of employment. Of course, guess who gets jealous and wants to “punish” Yae?
Again, Takumi’s expression when he asks if he can prove to Yae’s body that he’s “the only choice” strongly suggests he’s in love with her. Lots of couples are happy to live “in the moment”, but Yae doesn’t seem to be the type to not have some type of commitment or understanding. She drinks a whole bottle of wine as Takumi works right beside her during his day off, and she internally panics when news of her and Jun spreads.
It is good that Yae has found a job here in volume 4, but without having any type of real discussion with Takumi, there’s a real risk that Takumi’s role in the manga will just devolve into near-permanent possessiveness — saying not to get close to male customers, that she doesn’t need the money since he makes so much, etc. I don’t know if working at a coffee shop is what Yae wants to do with her life, but I don’t want her role to be just for all the guys to flirt with her for being a nice girl. That may not be a big issue here since Our Fake Marriage volume 4 introduces Tokina’s long-awaited character Jun, but it’s something I’m worried about for the future, especially if the author keeps any Takumi confessions until the very end of the manga.