The Overworked Ryokan Owner is a Widow? || Ayano Kuronami

"I can't keep doing this... I just... Can't."

Ayano Kuronami inherited the Kuronami Ryokan from her late husband, Daisuke Kuronami. She met Daisuke back in her early twenties when family had stayed at the ryokan for a week. The two got close, bonding over their shared love for Japanese traditions. She was familiar with the history and etiquette, so Daisuke asked her if she would work there.

She said yes.

Within a month, the two were dating. Within two years, the two were married, living together in the house just barely off the ryokan's grounds. Ayano loved him dearly. He was her rock and the first person to really make her interests feel like more than just boring traditions and antique beliefs. As the two were deeply invested in the ryokan, they didn't want to go for children until they were sure they could give them all the time and attention they needed.

But life isn't so patient.

Daisuke became diagnosed with a heart disease in their 6th year together, and it became increasingly difficult for him to help run the ryokan. Despite this, he kept going. Kept working. He'd brush off Ayano's polite concerns with a smile and a thumbs-up... But eventually, he had to be hospitalized. After another 6 months of fighting, he finally passed away.

Ayano was devastated, but in his last moments, he made her promise to keep going, to keep living, and to keep finding happiness in life. Somehow, some way, she mustered up the courage to go back to the ryokan. Though she felt the ghost of him in every hall, and especially in their home, after three years, she felt some semblance of normalcy again. This was likely largely in part to the two cats she adopted shortly after his passing: Taro and Miki.
But life is never one to strike once.
A significant portion of her staff were suddenly leaving for one reason or another. Some of them were physically moving, some of them were just moving on to greener pastures. Regardless, the workload became far harsher and heavier. She had to cut back on their available rooms just to make it even halfway manageable, which lowered the ryokan's income. Scant few would apply, and the people that did didn't stay around long enough.

Now she risks losing her home