After Ai made her declaration, the Saito couple gathered together with them, having brought cake.
Kaoru’s delicious, lavish spread made Ichigo gape, and behind his sunglasses, he stared at Ai’s husband with wide eyes.
"What the hell is this guy?!"
Just looking at it, the difficulty level was clearly top-tier for one person to prepare. And he’d made all of this for Ai’s birthday?
If even the sashimi on the plate had been bought from a shop, then the karaage had to have been made at home himself, right? And he must have prepared it today, on her birthday, for freshness and taste?!
Ichigo genuinely wanted to grab Kaoru by the throat.
As someone whose only skill was boiling instant ramen, Ichigo trembled as he watched Miyako’s head-over-heels, love-struck expression beside him, her eyes sparkling with honeyed affection as she looked at Kaoru instead of her husband.
"W-why did you go to so much trouble? I’ll just make a reservation at a restaurant later, so let’s eat there. No need to make it such a hassle."
"Honey? Are you jealous?"
"J-jealous? What are you talking about? I could do this much too—if I watch YouTube or TV, I can copy it."
"……."
"……."
Ai and Miyako both stared at Ichigo with cold, merciless eyes. Ai’s starry pupils even seemed to ripple with black starlight.
After a moment, Ichigo looked between their stares and quietly got up, walking over to the crib where the twins were lying.
"Wurrrr— peekaboo!"
"Kyaaa~"
"Taaahh…"
At Ichigo’s attempt at being cute, Ruby flailed her arms and legs with bright delight, while Aqua made a flat little sound with an unbothered face.
Seeing Ichigo suddenly over with the babies after having been seated, Kaoru set the plates he’d brought down in front of everyone and said in an unreadable voice, "Aren’t you supposed to be eating? Why are you doing that?"
"Yeah. There’s no need for you to know about this, Kaoru-kun, so hurry up and eat. You must be hungry!"
Miyako, her face blooming with smiles, urged Kaoru to sit down quickly.
Ai, too, tugged at his sleeve with a look that told him to sit, so Kaoru reluctantly set the tray on the floor beside him and picked up his chopsticks.
"I’m a little worried whether it’ll suit your taste. I seasoned it to my own liking, but… Ai said the flavor was right too."
"Mmm~! Wow— this bulgogi is sooo good!"
Miyako had already picked up a piece of bulgogi with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth, her eyes shining as she cupped her cheeks.
Honestly, it was just a little bland for her own taste, but the fact that a beautiful boy like Kaoru had gone to such lengths to prepare this meal for her wife and foster parents already earned him ninety points before the tasting even began.
And besides—the meat was tender, and the sweet-salty bulgogi seasoning blended so perfectly that it grabbed Miyako’s long-lost appetite by the collar and dragged it back.
"Oh my, oh my! Oh wow. Kaoru-kun made all this himself? Really? Seriously? How can a high school student do this alone at this quality? Oh! Look at this karaage! It’s so crispy! And why is the eel rice bowl so delicious?!"
"……."
By the time Ichigo returned to his seat and swallowed a bite of eel rice bowl, he was once again reminded that the world was a deeply unfair place.
He could already see it—when he got home tonight, Miyako would be full of complaints and he’d be the one getting nagged. His vision was already going dark.
"Hee— Oru-chan is really good at cooking! It’s delicious, right? Eat lots! There’s rolled omelet too!"
Ai, who had gotten in a good mood from the Saitos’ praise, laughed happily and urged everyone to try the food her husband had made, even using proper, polite speech.
Ichigo, moved by Ai’s behavior—something he could never have imagined before meeting Kaoru—picked up the rolled omelet with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.
"…It’s fluffy. Fluffier than our bed."
He had to admit it. The texture was soft, and the taste was sweet with just the right amount of salt. The quality didn’t fall short at all compared to a proper restaurant.
"It’s good, right?"
"Yeah. It’s good. You could practically switch careers and become a chef. At this level, you could really sell this for money."
At the gourmet Ichigo’s assessment, his sunglasses gleaming, Kaoru let out a pleased little smile and lowered his head slightly.
"Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying it."
"Here— Kaoru, you eat too!"
Ai, still a little clumsy, used the chopstick technique Kaoru had taught her to pick up the rolled omelet and feed it to him herself.
Kaoru popped the omelet, full of her love, into his mouth in one bite, chewed happily, and nodded.
"Mm. It tastes even better because Ai fed it to me."
"Hee—! Then I’ll feed you this too! Ah!"
"Ah."
This time it was karaage…
Watching from across the table, Ichigo glanced sideways and gauged Miyako’s reaction.
As adults, as elders, as a married couple, weren’t they supposed to show something too?
Miyako, however, ignored that entirely and kept eating while gazing at Kaoru and Ai’s affectionate display with honey-dripping eyes.
It was like the blissful face of a successful fan finally watching the movie they’d been dying to see, on opening day, from the best seat in the theater, with no one disturbing them.
Ichigo nearly stood up on the spot because he suddenly wanted to see the twins, but barely held himself back.
"Waaahhh—"
"Pbbwaaahhh—"
Just then, in the middle of that warm little gathering, the twins who had been awake both burst into tears at once.
Kaoru sprang up and rushed to the crib, and Ai did the same.
Ichigo and Miyako stared in surprise, but the quick-witted Miyako soon realized it was time for the twins to have their milk and clapped her hands.
"Ai-chan, you said you were going to breastfeed, right?"
"Yep~ So—"
Ai hurried off with long strides to the refrigerator and took out the breast milk packs she had pumped earlier and stored away.
Then she filled a pot with water and set it on the gas stove to warm them in a hot-water bath.
Kaoru also skillfully picked Aqua up and held him close, soothing his cries.
Ai dashed over and picked up Ruby, who was still crying, rocking her daughter gently to calm her down.
Just moments ago they had been eating, and now the two of them had instantly switched into professional mode, soothing the twins and preparing to feed them.
Ichigo crossed his arms and nodded.
"You really do become adults once you become parents."
"I… guess so."
Miyako couldn’t really deny that. Then a question occurred to her, and she spoke to Ai, who was feeding the now-lukewarm breast milk to the baby.
"But is your milk supply enough? I’ve heard some mothers don’t produce enough."
At Miyako’s question, Ai smiled brightly and winked.
"Yep! It’s totally enough!"
"Really?! So twins’ moms really are different?"
"I think so. I feed Aqua and Ruby about… mm… five or six times a day, and I’ve never felt like it wasn’t enough."
"I see. That’s amazing, or maybe I should say you’re impressive, Ai."
"Hee— Kaoru helps a lot too, so it’s fine."
"……."
For a moment, Kaoru looked at Miyako with an awkward expression, then quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.
He absolutely could not say what that "helps a lot" meant, and he couldn’t possibly agree with it either.
He kept his attention on Aqua, who was quietly sucking on a bottle with a languid look, and prayed that this sensitive topic would pass quickly.
"There we go~ Ruby, let’s burp~ burp~"
"……."
As the couple fumbled around with the twins in their arms to get them to burp, Miyako sipped the beer she’d brought and filmed the scene with the digital camera she’d also brought along.
This sight absolutely could not be allowed to disappear into the void. It had to be preserved forever and designated a cultural treasure! Absolutely!
Ai, who was born with a natural talent for standing in front of a camera, didn’t care in the slightest about Miyako’s filming. Her starry eyes sparkled as she winked and smiled.
"Kyaa~ So cute! How is she even a mom?!"
"Ruby, say hello too!"
"Burp—"
"Kyaaahhh~ She burped~~~!"
When Ruby’s adorable burp was captured on camera, Ai and Miyako both shouted at once and shivered with delight.
Ichigo and Kaoru looked at the women’s bright, otherworldly atmosphere, then at each other, and quickly averted their eyes in awkward silence.
"Burp—"
"Good job, son."
Aqua also managed a quiet burp, and Kaoru gently kissed his son’s plump, springy cheek with a smile.
Looking at his son—who looked just like the wife he loved—Kaoru met Aqua’s gaze with eyes full of affection. Aqua stared back at him for a moment, then slowly looked away and turned toward Ai instead.
"Oh my, Ruby-chan keeps looking at the camera?"
"She takes after me, so she must like cameras. My daughter is definitely a genius! Yes! She has to be a genius!"
Ruby, too, didn’t cry. Instead, she brightened at Miyako’s baby talk and waved her arms toward the camera.
Was she also taking after her mother, already enjoying cameras at only zero years old?
Kaoru decided not to put Aqua back in the crib for the moment and instead held him a little longer, joining the birthday party.
Ichigo, watching Kaoru sit down again, studied Aqua closely.
"Want to hold him?"
At Kaoru’s suggestion, Ichigo flailed his hands and said, "No, no, no. I’m not cut out for holding babies. I’m scared I’ll mess something up if I hold him."
"Haha. I think you’d hold him just fine. Go ahead and try."
"I-I said no."
Even as he said no, Ichigo didn’t seem to dislike Kaoru’s insistence, and reluctantly took Aqua into his arms.
He was cute, tiny, and soft. Warm, smelling faintly of milk, and making soft little breathing sounds.
With those blue eyes that looked just like his father’s studying his face from every angle, Ichigo, holding Aqua awkwardly, felt a strange, soft sensation bloom in his chest.
"Uh… haha. Aqua isn’t scared of me?"
"He’s gentle. He hardly cries, and he seems to recognize people well."
"Really? He’s smart. I guess that comes from taking after you."
"Hahaha."
Ichigo looked at Aqua with a warm gaze for a while, then cleared his throat and handed him back to his father.
Still feeling strange, Ichigo coughed a few times and, without meaning to, glanced at Miyako before taking another sip from his beer can.
After the twins were laid back down and their bellies full, they slept soundly, and the atmosphere gradually grew more relaxed.
Since Ai had temporarily halted her activities, the conversation drifted into the current state of the industry and all sorts of trivial rumors and stories, making the gathering feel warmer and warmer.
"Are the members doing well…?"
Ai, sitting with her knees up and drawn close, asked cautiously with concern. Ichigo adjusted his sunglasses and said, "Yeah. They’re doing fine. Don’t worry."
"……."
Ai smiled awkwardly for a moment, then lowered her gaze, her expression dimming slightly as if she were thinking hard about something.
Not missing that, Miyako set down her chopsticks and gently reassured her.
"It’s okay, Ai. Family comes first. Being a mother is the most important role of all, and the responsibility is huge. You can let go of the pressure from work for a little while."
"Mm… but…"
Ai had also been able to keep up with news about B Komachi by searching for it on her laptop from time to time.
She knew that because of her absence, B Komachi’s popularity had dulled compared to before, and that the members were dealing with malicious comments from her hardcore fans as well as complaints directed at the production company.
It couldn’t be helped, but Ai still felt sorry for the members and the company, who had ended up suffering because of her absence.
Kaoru knew that too, so he quietly took her hand and smiled.
"Still, you’ll have to come back someday. We can’t make Ai give up on her dream forever."
"R-right. That’s true."
Ichigo let out a low groan, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
To be honest, the company’s situation wasn’t exactly good either. They were trying not to burden Ai with that, but her absence was a huge loss for the company.
To put it bluntly, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Ai had been holding up all of B Komachi by herself.
Since she stopped activities, album sales and the buzz around events and broadcasts had all cooled off, and it had been giving them quite a headache.
Miyako, who knew the company’s internal situation well, also wanted to discuss the issue in her heart, but she wanted Ai to focus on her family more, so she hadn’t opened that door herself.
Feeling the silence settle over the room, Kaoru nodded and said, "You know I rejoined the Rararai Theater Troupe, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I know. I think it was a good decision. The dating rumor was just smoke and ended in nothing anyway, so it wasn’t the kind of thing that would really hurt you."
At Ichigo’s words, Kaoru gently tightened his hand around Ai’s and said, "When are you planning to bring Ai back? If she’s going to return, I think it’d be best to discuss the twins’ childcare and living arrangements too. What do the others think?"
"……."
"Uh… hoho."
Ai also quietly nodded and held Kaoru’s hand even tighter.
Just as Kaoru said, she knew the time was gradually approaching when she would have to return to being B Komachi’s Ai again.
She couldn’t keep delaying her comeback forever. This was her dream, and she didn’t want to keep worrying the members, the company, or her beloved fans any longer.
The time she could spend seeing the twins would shrink, and the thought of leaving this peaceful, quiet life behind made her feel heavy and conflicted, but she still couldn’t give it up.
Because Kaoru was there beside her, supporting her, the burden on her heart felt a little lighter.
Ichigo let out a sigh with his arms crossed, grateful to Kaoru for understanding what he had been thinking.
"How old are the kids now? About… three months?"
"Yes."
"April… would probably be the right time, I think. What do you think, Ai?"
April.
In Japan, everything resets in April. School admissions, corporate fiscal years, the start of what people call a "new life"—it all begins in April.
Ai nodded. To her, too, April seemed like a very suitable time for a comeback. Spring would be a good season to release a new album, and if they started preparing now, there would still be enough time.
"Kaoru, you still aren’t returning to broadcasting yet, right?"
"Yes. I’ve only put my name back on the troupe for now. I’m planning to talk to the school too. I can drop club activities by joining the go-home club, and my grades aren’t bad, so it should be fine."
"Hmm… I see."
At Kaoru’s answer, Ichigo nodded quietly.
Then Miyako stroked her chin with her index finger and said, "What about housing? If you’re coming back, will you have to live in the dorms again?"
"Mm… Well, it might sound like favoritism, but Ai should probably find a separate place again. As for the twins… Miyako. Could you shoulder some of that with Kaoru?"
"…Huh?"
What?
Miyako blinked blankly, and Ichigo said to her with a hint of amusement in his voice, "They’re our kids on paper, aren’t they?"
"Ah, um… I understand what you mean, but I… how am I supposed to…"
"I’ll help you too, ma’am. Don’t worry too much."
"…Hohoho."
That’s not the point, Kaoru-kun?!
Despite Miyako’s pitiful stare and lukewarm reaction, the other three were already treating it as settled that she would be helping care for the twins. Ai’s starry eyes sparkled as she said to Miyako, "Thank you, Miyako-chan! I’ll never forget this kindness…!"
"…Hohohoh…"
"Then, when Ai’s with the twins… since no one else knows about our situation anyway, we can just brush it off as the kids being cared for by relatives or something. Once you two eventually register the marriage and move the family registry, too many lies will only work against you. We’ll just have to handle it by keeping things vague."
At Ichigo’s words, Kaoru nodded.
"Then let’s go with that for now… Kaoru, have you gotten any scripts from the troupe?"
"Haha… Well, I heard there were one or two, but I turned them all down. Like I said earlier, broadcasting is still premature in many ways."
"Oh? Really? Wow, Kaoru-kun really is the hot actor right now."
At Miyako’s surprised remark, Kaoru waved his hand and said, "No. They’re not that big a deal. It’s a supporting child role in a romantic comedy drama."
"Wow~ A romantic comedy? If Kaoru’s the child actor, the visuals are obvious without even looking!"
As Miyako, who had been gloomy until then, suddenly lit up, Kaoru smiled awkwardly and said, "I’m planning to start my comeback with a troupe production first."
"Still— if a similar romance drama comes in later, you’d get tempted too, right? Huh? Kyaa~ That sounds so cool. The heroine and you slowly getting close, flirting, then cuddling—"
"And then kissing."
Ichigo’s hard smash followed Miyako’s setup. At the Saitos’ joking banter, Kaoru broke into a sweat and hurried to explain.
"I’m completely immune to that kind of thing…"
"I hate it."
Silence.
At Ai’s cold voice, all three of them turned to look at her at once.
"If I have to film a kiss scene, I’d rather not come back at all."
"…A-Ai?"
"Ahem. Ah, I need to use the bathroom for a moment."
Sensing something dangerous, Ichigo jumped up and headed for the bathroom.
Miyako noticed the gloom in Ai’s starry eyes and laughed softly.
"Come on now— do you really think Kaoru-kun would film something like that with you just standing there?"
"You never know what the future holds."
"……."
"Kaoru, promise me."
"Promise what?"
"Don’t film kiss scenes. If you absolutely have to, then get my permission first. I never want to see Kaoru kissing anyone other than me, even if it’s just acting."
An enormous possessiveness toward Kaoru shimmered in her starry eyes.
Kaoru briefly looked away to gauge Miyako’s reaction.
"……."
She had both hands over her mouth and her eyes were wide. That was definitely not the face of someone worried. It was the face of someone in full "I’m enjoying this" mode.
Deciding that calming Ai down came first, Kaoru smiled softly, moved close beside her, and looked down at her.
"Do you really think I’d do that to you?"
"Ngh— th-that’s not—"
"Do you not trust your husband?"
"Eh!? No, it’s not that! It’s just— Ka-Kaoru, what if I filmed a kiss scene instead? Would you be able to watch that calmly?"
"Uh…"
Ai, her face red from flustered embarrassment, suddenly counterattacked, and Kaoru was left speechless for a moment.
Ai kissing someone else? Another guy?
No matter that it was acting. No matter that it was consensual.
It was a kiss. A kiss? Ai’s lips already had an owner, didn’t they?
No, what kind of bas—
"……."
"Seee? Kaoru couldn’t answer right away either! Bleh!"
"…Ai, what you’re worried about will never happen, so relax. Okay?"
"…I’ll remember that! If you try to say this and then film a kiss scene later, I’m going to protest at the set!"
"Oh my~~~"
Miyako covered her mouth again with both hands and widened her eyes.
To think she’d get to witness such a masterpiece right in front of her. Was this the so-called mutual obsession between a beautiful boy lead and a beautiful girl heroine?
A married couple bickering without hiding their possessive love for each other. How sweet was that?
"I can understand Ai telling the fans she loves them all she wants."
"That’s not a real "love" said with sincerity. The one I truly, sincerely love is Kaoru!"
"……."
It was a line that would have hurt the fans if they heard it, but Kaoru didn’t care in the slightest.
Just as he was sweating over how to calm Ai down after her outburst over the kiss scene issue, Ai lightly slapped the table with both hands, pouted her lips, and glared at Kaoru as fiercely as she could manage—which, in her case, was still adorable.
"Anyway, Ai will never hand Kaoru over! The seat beside Kaoru is for Ai and Ai alone! Promise!"
"…Yeah, okay. I promise. I promise."
Kaoru could only give in, unable to hold back his laughter at the sight of Ai looking like a tiny puppy throwing a jealous fit.
"Hee~★ Yep! You promised! No pretending you forgot later!"
At that, Ai relaxed and snuggled into Kaoru’s arms, rubbing her face against his chest as much as she liked.
Miyako filmed the scene again with the digital camera, squealing about it, while Ichigo…
"Let’s go, honey. It’s… late already."
With a tired voice, he weakly declared it was time to go home.
-
After the Saitos left and the table was cleared away, Kaoru stood with Ai on the veranda and quietly looked out over the cityscape.
In his pocket was the necklace case he had ordered a week ago.
He was wondering how he should give it to Ai, who was resting her head on his shoulder, when she said in a low voice, "Kaoru…"
"Yeah?"
"What I said earlier… I was just being a little unreasonable because I got caught up in the mood, okay? Hehe— Ai is fine with everything. You can do whatever you want, Kaoru. I trust you!"
"……."
Hearing Ai’s words, Kaoru was unable to say anything for a moment. The words "I can give up a lot for the person I love" were not something he could toss off lightly.
He lifted his right arm, wrapped it around Ai’s shoulders, and pulled her into his arms.
"You said you’d stay right by my side."
"Huh? I said beside you—"
"Closer. Stay even closer."
"Ngh—"
How long had they stayed like that? Kaoru steadied his breathing and decided to give Ai the necklace.
"Ai."
"Mm?"
"Today is your birthday. So—I wanted to give you a birthday present."
"Eeh—?"
At Kaoru’s real surprise, Ai’s eyes went wide like a rabbit’s and she covered her mouth with both hands.
Clearly not expecting this at all, her starry eyes trembled violently as she watched Kaoru take the necklace case out of his pocket.
Kaoru smiled shyly and bit his lip.
"We’re married, but we didn’t get to date for long before the twins were born… I was really sorry that I couldn’t give you a gift like this while we were dating. I thought a lot about what kind of present would suit someone as beautiful as you… Want to open it?"
"……."
With trembling hands, Ai took the necklace case and carefully opened it.
Inside was a necklace set with a beautiful star-shaped diamond, resting quietly in elegant splendor.
Ai had never received a gift like this before, and the moment she saw it, she could only stare in a daze, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
"Ah, uh— a— th-this—"
"Do you like it?"
"Uh— uh— wha— wow—"
Not knowing how to react, Ai stammered like a broken robot, her face bright red, and Kaoru burst out laughing again as he touched her cheek.
"Hmm?"
"Th-thank you… Kaoru…. I’m really… so happy that I can’t even… It’s my first time getting a gift like this… It feels like I’m dreaming."
"……."
Seeing her so happy that her thoughts had completely stopped, Kaoru felt deeply sorry that he hadn’t given her something like this sooner.
He hadn’t even been able to give such a lovely wife a single ornament.
Kaoru stared at her for a moment. Ai’s starry eyes held only him, sparkling brilliantly.
Those eyes shone far more dazzlingly than the gold and diamonds of the necklace ever could.
Taking the case from Ai’s hands, Kaoru removed the necklace and said, "Ai, could you turn around for a second?"
"Yep!"
Kaoru personally fastened the necklace around Ai’s neck as she turned away. When she lifted her long violet hair to reveal the pale skin of the back of her neck, he carefully secured the clasp.
"……."
Kaoru turned her back around to face him. Ai touched the beautiful necklace at her throat and looked at it closely, her eyes glistening with tears as she smiled in joy.
"Thank you. Kaoru. I’ll treasure it forever— forever…."
"If you do that… I couldn’t ask for anything more."
"Kaoru!"
Ai burrowed into his arms and wrapped both arms tightly around him.
At last, she felt the "hard resolve" the TV host had mentioned earlier melt away softly.
Kaoru would never leave Ai’s side.
Whether there was an empty seat beside him or not, that had never even been a consideration.
From the very beginning. From the very beginning, he had been someone who would let no one in except the wife he loved.
Feeling joy welling up deep in her heart, Ai wore a smile that spread across her lips and said, "I love you! I really love you! I love you more than anyone in the world!"
"I love you too…. Ai."
The couple held each other close, sharing their affection.
They vowed never to forget this birthday night, as the deep night quietly went on.
Until the twins were on the verge of crying. The two of them never let go.
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