Everything started when I discovered Julia rummaging through the fridge late at night.
“…….”
“…….”
We looked at each other under the dark, turned-off light.
It was like we were Pokémon trainers who happened to make eye contact while passing by.
Julia’s flustered face peeked out from the faint glow of the open fridge.
I understood Julia’s reaction.
No matter how much we’d gotten married and were a family sharing everything, everyone has at least one thing they want to keep hidden.
By the way, I was flustered for a similar reason.
I had secretly crawled out of bed to play a game by myself, and I never imagined I’d run into Julia here.
Like many husbands, indulging in a game while having a pregnant wife is a sin.
(Even more so if you have seven wives.)
Of course, until now, I had plenty of legal time to play games with Julia during the day, but lately, Julia had reduced her game time.
That meant it was getting increasingly hard to suppress the urge for games within me.
It wasn’t easy sneaking out from the bed where several wives were sleeping, but as a skilled mercenary (that I was), it was possible.
So I intended to play for a bit and return, but running into Julia was completely unexpected.
However,
I couldn’t be flustered, especially during times like this.
I looked at Julia calmly.
Julia had a popsicle in her mouth and was holding chocolate snacks and cheese in both hands.
“…Hungry?”
I asked without thinking.
It was a bit strange when I thought about it.
Julia usually has a small appetite. The fact that she was rummaging through the fridge at this hour didn’t quite add up.
Julia responded to my question with a small smile.
She put down the chocolate snacks and cheese she was holding and grabbed the popsicle from her mouth.
“…I suddenly craved something sour.”
Her face turned red in embarrassment.
“But when I came here, there was nothing sour, and then I just wanted something else… Heh.”
I sighed softly at Julia’s words.
“Ah.”
Right.
She was also a “pregnant woman,” though relatively small in stature and not easily noticeable.
I realized my mistake there.
I immediately opened the styler and threw a neatly arranged coat over my shoulder.
Looking at Julia, I said,
“You said you wanted something sour?”
Julia shook her head slightly.
“…Ah, but I’m okay now. I suddenly craved something sweet…”
“Then we can stop by the bakery.”
“…Huh?”
I left a note to Julia saying I’d be back in ten minutes and opened the front door.
I quickly organized the route in my mind.
Sour things could be fetched from the smart farm on the 20th and 21st floors. I’d seen the Chairman, Taylor, eating a lemon last time.
And the open bakery now…
Ten minutes was a bit tight, but it wasn’t impossible.
First, I’d need to head to the rooftop.
Using magic to travel would help cut down the time a little.
Anyway,
Resolving my wife’s morning sickness was equally essential.
Side EP. A Must-Do Job
I let out a long yawn.
I had neatly completed the mission from last night, but the sleepiness was unavoidable.
Still, thanks to that, Julia was happily snoozing in bed, having skipped breakfast, so my efforts weren’t entirely in vain.
Andrea groggily opened her eyes while nibbling on sweetly baked toast.
“Where did you go last night?”
“Uh.”
It wasn’t a time for lies.
I answered her question calmly.
“Last night, Julia… happened to be awake, so I asked her if there was anything she wanted to eat. You know, morning sickness and all.”
If I mentioned that she had been rummaging through the fridge at that time, it might bruise Julia’s pride a little, so I hid a few truths in my story.
By the way, one of those hidden truths was “the game I had planned to play secretly at night.”
Anyway,
A strange smile appeared at the corners of Andrea’s mouth upon hearing my words.
“…Hmm, really?”
The elf King of Rights with red hair stroked her bulging belly with her slender hand, muttering as if to herself.
“By the way, I’m craving about ‘three’ of the limited edition triple cream mushroom berry mix yogurt muffins that were released from LAH…”
Her intention was pretty obvious.
I put down my dish and looked at Andrea.
“…Where can I get those?”
“It was originally a reservation delivery, but it seems delivery vehicles have been getting attacked often. They’re sold separately at East Monica, in the Citizen Zone.”
I gulped at Andrea’s words.
“…Only there?”
“Yep.”
“…Of course, I’d have to line up to buy them, right?”
“Of course.”
I couldn’t answer immediately.
The weather was blistering hot now that winter had passed.
Even the weather program was spitting out phrases like “the Earth is really in pain.”
Besides, in the Citizen Zone, that’s in the lower-class area. The temperature control system was bound to malfunction.
I quietly activated the visual interface.
I was checking the weather forecast service I had subscribed to a while back.
The location was Neon City, the area was East Monica…
By the way, East Monica was right next to East Dale, where I had proposed a long time ago. It wasn’t exactly safe there.
Upon checking the weather, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
…Hmm.
The perceived temperature was 37 degrees.
There was absolutely no way people would line up to buy food in that weather.
I forced a bright smile.
I was about to tell Andrea it was a no-go, but her bulging belly kept catching my eye.
Andrea asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
I guess I’d just have to consider today a wash.
…All the husbands in the world,
I commend you.
But,
I had more than one request to handle.
“I want fresh pineapple. I checked, but it wasn’t in the smart farm in our building.”
Catherine’s words raised a question mark above my head.
If it’s not there, then it really isn’t there…
To find fresh and intact fruits in this city, I’d have to go into the upper-class area. There are plenty of pineapple flavored drinks, though.
As I tilted my head, I started hearing the voices of my other wives one by one.
“I want fresh fish! I want real living ones, not printed ones from a 3D food printer!”
Maya’s request was even more challenging.
There wasn’t even a fish farm in our building yet. My head was starting to spin slowly.
“Um, I want pizza for dinner.”
At least Natasha was normal, thank goodness─.
“Authentic pizza baked in Naples… Just kidding.”
Seeing the despair on my face made Natasha chuckle.
“The hormones of the AI are perfectly regulated. Therefore, I don’t really have anything special I want.”
“Oh, I see.”
“But not getting anything at all is a bit much, so I’ll do away with the planned ‘warrior profession’ buff.”
“?”
What does that have to do with this…
Lastly,
All eyes turned to Taylor, who hadn’t spoken yet.
Taylor was elegantly slicing a steak this morning to make up for her lack of fats and proteins.
I could almost guess how the breast of the cyborg was structured, just from that diet.
Noticing everyone’s gaze, Taylor gulped down her meat like a squirrel.
“…Um, I’m good.”
She really was the Chairman of Monolith.
But Taylor’s words didn’t end there.
“I’ll just eat whatever I want at night anyway. The frequency has decreased a lot lately, but I’ll put in more effort after giving birth.”
What she eats at night… Ah.
…….
I stopped thinking.
It was a scorching hot summer.
*
After going through such events for a few months, the time had come for the childbirth.
The most famous and skilled hospital in Neon City is, of course, the “Neon City Central Hospital” named after the city itself.
This part was guaranteed by a certain Executive Secretary of a megacorp that often has holes in it.
As such, the medical costs were exorbitantly expensive, but that was of little concern for us.
“Congratulations. You have a healthy daughter.”
I once again realized how deeply people could be moved.
The hair that Catherine had pulled was not even painful at this moment.
Catherine held a small, precious baby that burst into a boisterous wail, then fell gently asleep.
Perhaps she resembled her mother.
The child was like the sun itself. I caught a glimpse before, and her hair and eye color were exactly like Catherine. At this point, she could be called Catherine MK2.
Catherine, though exhausted, looked down at the child with affectionate eyes just like mine.
“…Nice to meet you.”
At Catherine’s murmured words, the child squirmed, reacting in a ticklish manner.
My gaze toward Catherine was probably the same as hers.
A warm feeling that I couldn’t comprehend swelled up from within my heart. Both the child and Catherine were simply adorable.
Deep down, I wished I could stay here forever, but unfortunately, there was another appointment.
I cautiously took a step back.
The female specialist beside me looked at me curiously.
“You can stay with your wife a bit longer… Ah.”
That “Ah” clearly didn’t mean iced Americano.
The specialist looked at me as if I were garbage.
With my expertise in reading facial expressions, I sensed the intent behind the look: “So you’re that guy, huh?”
Indeed.
There was one more place I had to be today.
But even knowing that, it was hard to move my feet.
Noticing my hesitation, Catherine turned her gaze from the baby to me and smirked.
“…Don’t worry, just go ahead and come back. Hospital rooms can be used again anyway.”
“…Uh.”
After hearing Catherine’s words, I finally moved my feet.
Then,
“…You’ve arrived?”
I looked at the tired Taylor.
“…And how about you?”
“Both are safe.”
“…Phew, that’s a relief.”
Though she was surely feeling immense anxiety, I was more concerned about Taylor, who was worrying about Catherine instead.
Being smaller than others, Taylor was at greater risk during childbirth.
Noticing my worried gaze, Taylor gave a weary smile and spoke.
“…It’s alright. It’s a bit earlier than expected, but there shouldn’t be any problems.”
I held Taylor’s hand tightly without answering.
Through her small, delicate hand, I felt the birth of a new life moving.
As I squeezed her hand tightly, Taylor slowly closed her eyes with a relieved expression.
The female specialists around us hurriedly started moving.
By the way, the reason I held Taylor’s hand was to reassure her, but it was also a measure to protect my own hair.
…
“…Breathe slowly!”
“……!”
Of course,
My small wish did not come true.
I could only watch as Taylor’s hand naturally moved toward my hair.
I was unable to move.
Even in this moment, Taylor was giving it her all.
If sacrificing my hair meant she regained her composure, that was definitely worth it.
…Still,
Once all my wives’ childbirths were over, I should probably buy some cyberpunk-style hair growth potion.
With that thought, I tightly shut my eyes.
