In the wee hours, inside the VIP room of the hospital.
The bright hologram advertisement lights of the city subtly seeped through the blinds of the window.
I was sitting in the plush chair exclusive to the VIP ward.
The joy and worry of childbirth never truly lessen, even after experiencing it multiple times.
Fortunately, Julia, whom I worried about the most, had just finished her delivery safely, and now she only needed to be hospitalized for a few more days.
I quietly turned around.
What should have been a single-bed VIP room had somehow been converted into a seven-bed room. As a result, seven beds were naturally arranged in the center of the room.
The dawn was approaching.
Only the sound of sleeping women could be heard from the beds.
Perhaps it had become a habit for everyone to spend the night together; it was quite a pleasant sight to see them tangled up on the medical beds.
I turned my head back toward the window.
There was a reason I had been awake this whole time.
It was because I had a “surprise event” to prepare for—a secret from everyone.
“What are you doing?”
“……!!”
Startled, I quickly turned around.
There stood Eve, who until a moment ago had been lying in bed with the others.
I wanted to get up casually and say, “No, I wasn’t surprised,” but looking at my trembling legs like a newborn deer made that a bit difficult.
In the dark room, her white eyes glimmered.
I quietly lifted my index finger to my lips.
“…Shh.”
There’s a thing called non-verbal expression.
It was a linguistic system commonly used even in this cyberpunk world where excellent translation modules are widespread.
Understanding my body language, Eve slightly nodded. Then she snuck back to her bed.
I was even more surprised that she was wearing a pure white hospital gown.
My heart was still racing.
Anyway,
I had a surprise event planned that I needed to keep secret from everyone (except one person).
I activated my visual interface.
I kept searching on the net space by entering various keywords.
Top 100 honeymoon destinations, the eight greatest honeymoon spots in the world, must-visit places for a honeymoon, reasons why people go on honeymoon trips twice, and so on….
That’s right.
I had already gotten married months ago, and I had completed the formalities to be registered in the city database while paying a hefty tax, but…
We hadn’t gone on a honeymoon yet.
Honeymoon.
—
Side EP. The Places I Want to Go When Traveling
—
To start with, I must say there were a few unavoidable circumstances on my part.
You could say the timing was a bit off.
After all, the wedding happened after I found out Catherine was pregnant.
Moreover, all the other women also managed to get pregnant afterward, so taking seven pregnant women on a honeymoon was quite unlikely.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go either.
Well, I couldn’t just not go for the rest of my life. Dreaming about a honeymoon was the brides’ prerogative.
What that meant was,
If we were going to go on a honeymoon, now was the only opportunity. To be precise, I wanted to plan it before the child grew any bigger.
There was a way to go when the kids were old enough to board an airplane, but then it would turn into a family trip rather than a honeymoon.
I had to check with the wives about all these things at least once, but this was the plan I had in mind.
Anyway,
I had three travel destinations in mind.
The world-renowned “USA City,” the innovative hub known as “Neo Japan,” and my heart’s hometown, “Unified Korea.”
If it were before I got thrown into a game, places like Hawaii or the Maldives would have been options, but in this world plagued by the aftermath of war, those regions were overflowing with radiation.
Not exactly the best places for a honeymoon.
…What should I do?
While contemplating, I took a sip of ice-cold cola.
Should I write a question post and ask?
I decided to execute net space since the idea struck me. I found a suitable bulletin board and wrote a question post.
《Neon City, Marriage Life Bulletin Board》
[I put cola in my humidifier because I ran out of water, is that okay?]
I’m debating honeymoon destinations among USA City, Neo Japan, and Unified Korea. Suggestions on where to go would be great. o_o
…Hmm.
Given that it was a purely innocent question post, no one would probably care, so I wrote a different title.
Soon, a comment was swiftly posted.
— These days, all my peers are traveling to Neo Tokyo… the hotel operated by the Kojaka headquarters is really clean… if you have credits, the honeymoon package is great… and I recommend Pete Mc merchandise…
“…?”
It seemed like a concerning comment, but surprisingly the content was quite good.
A hotel at the headquarters…
Given my ties to the Kojaka vice president, Neo Japan wasn’t a bad choice. Plus, I could see Maya’s father, my father-in-law.
However,
— (This comment has been deleted.)
As soon as I started reading, the comment was immediately erased.
And a new comment was posted right underneath.
— Considering safety, I recommend Unified Korea. There are rumors that Orcs living in the mountains are dangerous, but that does not apply inside Seoul. Besides, Seoul is a city where many Elves and Dwarves live as well.
I felt like I knew who posted that comment.
Hmm….
It made sense that Eve would be curious about Korea since my name is Korean.
Korea wouldn’t be a bad choice either. I was curious too.
Then, a short time later, another comment popped up.
— Are you crazy? Anyway, I recommend USA City o_o Less polluted areas, and many tourist spots.
Following that, a string of replies piled up.
No way,,,? No matter how I think about it, Neo Japan is the best,,,? Refuting this will get the Kojaka ninja unit breaking into your house,,, (This comment has been deleted.)
No, I think Unified Korea is the best honeymoon tourist spot based on the following search results. (link) (link) (link)
These crazy fools;; I don’t know, if you’ve got an issue, go talk to the author. If you’re mad, you all go!
My head was slightly spinning.
I ended the visual interface.
I felt like two cyber stalkers had latched onto my peaceful net space life.
“Hmmm….”
Still, the last person’s opinion was decent.
Everyone going…
That wasn’t a strange idea.
Thinking back, we had the time, credits, and the abilities that transcended all of that.
“…There’s really no reason to go to only one place─.”
“What do you mean by that?”
As though I had unconsciously muttered to myself, I heard a woman’s voice directly behind me.
By the way,
I had returned home earlier than my wives from the hospital.
“……”
I slowly turned around.
There stood my ‘Master,’ looking up at me with an indifferent expression.
“…What brings you here all of a sudden?”
“I heard that everyone finished their deliveries. So I dropped by briefly while passing by.”
My Master walked calmly toward me.
As she stretched slightly, a large tail appeared behind her. Two prominent horns were an added bonus on her head.
The Dragon who had been underground adapted quickly to the cyberpunk world.
Proving this fact, luxurious cyber sunglasses rested on her nose.
My Master observed me with her emotionless eyes.
“And where are your wives?”
“For now, I came here by myself.”
She scanned my surroundings and cocked her head apathetically.
“I see.”
It was obvious enough where she heard the news about the childbirth.
“The Spirit must have informed you.”
Upon my words, she nodded.
“It seems I arrived a bit earlier, though.”
The communication through the Spirit didn’t seem that precise.
Or maybe she timed her visit deliberately.
Regardless, it was socially inappropriate for a married man to be alone with an unmarried woman.
I planned to suggest moving to the café terrace on the second floor.
But the Dragon reacted differently.
“Then I should go back and come again later.”
“…Why not have a cup of tea before you go?”
“I just happened to drop by, you know.”
It was a strange thing.
Usually, as a Dragon, she would have naturally sat down on the sofa with a cheeky smile.
(This actually happened.)
My Master turned on her heel without hesitation.
I escorted her to the entrance. At least she took off her shoes before entering.
Before leaving, the Dragon turned to look at me one last time.
“…By the way.”
She seemed to have forgotten to ask something.
“What was it you muttered earlier?”
“Ah.”
I slowly scratched my head.
It wasn’t difficult to explain.
“I’m planning for all of us to go on a honeymoon trip together this time.”
“…Hmm, a honeymoon trip.”
I couldn’t say for sure if the concept of a honeymoon existed in the Dragon’s world, but my Master’s eyes elongated vertically like a reptile upon hearing my words.
…Why am I suddenly getting chills?
She seemed displeased.
But maybe it was just my feeling; soon, the atmosphere shifted back to normal.
A large tail peeked out from behind her shoulder. My Master continued while gently stroking her tail with her fingertips.
“You’ll likely use an airship to travel, or perhaps the underwater tunnel.”
“…Well, I guess so?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
The former option was more likely. The trains took much longer, and the conditions didn’t compare to a dedicated airship.
Upon hearing my response, a small smile appeared at the corners of the Dragon’s mouth.
“I hope it turns out to be a good trip.”
…Something feels uneasy, but I can’t pinpoint what it is.
Regardless, it was a kind wish.
I saw off the departing Dragon.
And then,
That’s when I shouldn’t have let it go like that.
—
*
—
《Breaking News from NCB24. Due to sudden abnormal weather, all aircraft operating in Neon City have been canceled. Additionally, an earthquake warning has been issued underground, leading the city to temporarily suspend operations at the underwater terminal. We are continuously monitoring the situation and will promptly update you with more news as it comes in─.》
…..
Hmmm….
It’s just a coincidence, right?
After all, it wasn’t just today. It wouldn’t matter if we left tomorrow without a scheduled timetable.
But,
The problem didn’t end there.
I quietly murmured as I gazed out at the rain pouring down outside the window.
Just to note, there was no one around.
“I think I should go on a honeymoon.”
– Whoosh!!!
“I shouldn’t go.”
– Whoosh….
“……”
No, I’m not joking; this genuinely happened.
If I hadn’t become the Great Wizard capable of manipulating the weather with a single word, then this situation shouldn’t be happening.
‘Not even the Great Wizard can do that, kiddo….’
Hearing the voice of my inner Great Wizard made me let out a hollow laugh.
“…Heh.”
I looked up at the dark clouds pouring down rain.
For some reason, the smiling face of a certain Dragon came to mind.
Going on a honeymoon had proven to be this difficult.
