Saturday, 7 September 2001.
Meanwhile, at the Renkonan household in Japan, Zaboru finally decided to take a proper rest for once.
The house felt strangely quiet that day. Zenshin and Arumi had gone to the Hamazou family residence because Ayumi's mother and father missed them too much. Apparently, they had only been away from the children for a few days, but Ayumi's mother had already spoken as if her grandchildren had left the country for several years.
Keiko and Zanichi had also gone out together, apparently on another weekend date. Recently, Zaboru's parents had started acting like young lovers again, going out almost every weekend with suspiciously bright faces.
Before they left, Zaboru had leaned against the doorway and looked between them with a grin. "At this rate, don't tell me I'm going to get another sibling soon."
Keiko immediately hit his arm. "Don't say strange things so casually!"
Zanichi, meanwhile, denied it with such a stiff and serious face that it only made Zaboru more suspicious.
"Why are you answering like someone being questioned by the police?" Zaboru asked.
"I am not."
"That was an extremely suspicious 'I am not.'"
Keiko dragged Zanichi away before Zaboru could continue, but seeing his parents still loving each other like that made him genuinely happy. They were older now, yet they still found reasons to dress well, go somewhere together, and return home looking more relaxed. After everything their family had experienced, it was nice to see them live softly.
Sanika was also not home. She had gone on a date with her boyfriend, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Apparently, Miyazaki had become more forward with her lately, and Sanika was clearly happy about it. Zaboru already approved of Miyazaki as a possible future brother-in-law. He only hoped the man would quickly gather enough courage to propose, because at this point, even Zaboru felt like standing behind him and quietly pushing him toward Sanika with both hands.
Because of that, the house belonged only to Zaboru and Ayumi.
It should have been a peaceful day.
Zaboru sat on the couch in the living room, relaxed in casual clothes and holding a plate of gyoza Ayumi had made earlier. Normally, Ayumi's cooking was excellent. She had learned directly from Keiko, and over the years, she had become a frighteningly good cook in her own right. Her gyoza especially was usually full of flavour, with juicy filling, proper seasoning, and the kind of warm homemade taste that made Zaboru eat ten before admitting he had lost control.
But today, after one bite, Zaboru froze.
He chewed slowly.
Then he frowned.
"What… why is this tasteless?"
The words almost escaped his mouth, but he stopped himself at the last second. He looked down at the gyoza again, wondering if perhaps he had accidentally eaten part of the wrapper without filling.
He took another careful bite.
No.
There was filling.
It simply tasted as if every seasoning had collectively refused to participate.
Zaboru slowly turned his head toward Ayumi.
She was sitting beside him on the couch, but her eyes were distant. She hugged a small pillow against her chest and stared at nothing, clearly trapped deep inside her thoughts.
Zaboru studied her face.
Ayumi did not notice.
He leaned a little closer.
Still nothing.
He waved one hand in front of her eyes.
No reaction.
Zaboru's grin slowly appeared.
Very carefully, he lowered his hand toward her calf. Then he made his voice deep and stupid, like a large dog performing a terrible monster impression.
"Rawr."
At the same time, he pinched her calf.
Not too hard, but enough.
Ayumi jumped so badly that the pillow nearly flew out of her arms. "Kyaa!"
Zaboru burst out laughing. "Ayumi, what's wrong with you? You were so deep in thought that even the cheapest monster attack in history worked."
Ayumi glared at him while covering her calf. "Zabo! You surprised me!"
"That was the entire strategy."
"You're terrible."
Ayumi looked ready to hit him with the pillow, but Zaboru lifted the gyoza between his chopsticks before she could attack. "But seriously, what are you thinking about? You are not yourself today. Even this gyoza is tasteless."
Ayumi blinked.
Then her eyes widened. "Wh-what?"
She quickly took one from the plate and ate it. The moment she tasted it, her expression slowly changed. She chewed once, then twice, before lowering her gaze with visible embarrassment.
"It really is tasteless…"
Zaboru tried very hard not to laugh at her defeated face.
Ayumi sighed and covered her mouth. "I think… I forgot to add a lot of things. The seasoning, maybe some garlic, the soy sauce… maybe everything…"
"Everything?" Zaboru asked, amused.
Ayumi looked down, visibly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Zabo…"
Zaboru's expression softened. He placed the plate on the table and leaned closer to her. "Hey, relax. It's just food. I'm not going to divorce you because of one tasteless gyoza." Zaboru then grinned "And i'm not gonna change wife either it's too hassle to train one hehehe"
Ayumi looked at him with a small pout. "That's not funny."
"It is a little funny." He smiled and poked her cheek. "Besides, you clearly aren't yourself today. Usually when we are alone like this, you become super clingy with me. But today, you're sitting beside me like some tragic heroine thinking about the fate of the kingdom."
Ayumi tried to look away, but Zaboru continued with a dramatic expression. "Don't tell me… you don't love me anymore?"
Ayumi's eyebrow twitched.
Zaboru placed one hand over his chest. "No way… after all these years… my wife is bored with me?"
Ayumi grabbed the pillow and threw it at his face. "Stupid Zabo."
The pillow hit him directly, and Zaboru laughed as he caught it. Before he could tease her again, Ayumi suddenly leaned into him and clung to his arm. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, quiet for a moment.
Zaboru's laughter slowly faded into a gentler smile.
He stroked her hair. "Okay. Now tell me what happened."
Ayumi did not answer immediately.
Zaboru glanced down at her and smiled knowingly. "Don't tell me… it's a problem at Akaishidan? Something about game development?"
Ayumi's body stiffened.
Zaboru immediately noticed.
Her eyes widened slightly, and she tried to hide her reaction by looking away. "Um… no…"
Zaboru sighed. "Ayumi."
She still avoided his eyes.
"That's not nice," he said softly. "You can talk to me, you know. And who knows? Maybe I can help fix it."
Ayumi slowly looked up at him. For a few seconds, she only stared at his face. Then, instead of answering properly, she reached up and pinched both of his cheeks.
"You can clearly fix it, Zabooo," she said, stretching his cheeks slightly. "That's the problem. I don't want to ask your help. I want to solve it on my own."
Zaboru blinked.
Ayumi's voice became smaller. "But it's really hard. I kept thinking and thinking, but every answer feels wrong. I want to solve it myself because Akaishidan is my responsibility too. I don't want to always run to you every time something becomes difficult."
Her fingers loosened from his cheeks.
Then her eyes began to water.
"But I'm stuck, Zabo," she whispered. "I'm really stuck. What should I do?"
Zaboru looked at her for a moment, torn between wanting to laugh because she was being stubborn in the most Ayumi way possible, and wanting to hug her because she looked genuinely troubled.
In the end, he did both.
He gently pinched her cheek back, then kissed her forehead. "Hey. You clearly forgot something important."
Ayumi sniffed softly. "What?"
"I'm your video game development teacher. And your husband." Zaboru smiled. "So helping you when you are really struggling is not stealing your responsibility. It is literally part of my duty."
Ayumi looked at him quietly.
Zaboru continued, "Besides, it's not guaranteed that I can solve it either. I'm good at game development, yes, but I'm still human. I can miss things. I can be wrong. I can give bad ideas. So at least tell me the problem first, okay?"
Ayumi stared at him, then gave a small, embarrassed smile. "You know, Zabo… sometimes I forget that."
"That I'm human?"
She nodded. "Especially with video games. In my mind, you are almost like the God of Video Games. If there is a game development problem, I absentmindedly think, 'Zabo can fix it.'"
Zaboru immediately sighed. "Come on, don't say that. I hate that nickname."
Ayumi giggled softly. "But it's true."
"It is not true. I am just a very handsome human with too much experience."
Ayumi stared at him.
Zaboru paused. "Okay, maybe that sounded annoying."
"It did."
"But handsome?"
Ayumi smiled faintly and leaned against him. "Unfortunately, yes."
Zaboru grinned, then kissed her hair. "Good. Anyway, want to tell me now?"
Ayumi hesitated for a moment. Then she sat up straighter, her expression slowly becoming more serious. "Fine. But I want to show you directly. Let's go to the Akaishidan office."
Zaboru looked at her. "Right now?"
"Yes."
He glanced at the tasteless gyoza on the table, then back at his wife. "Ayumi, today is supposed to be rest day."
"I know."
"And you are pregnant with twins."
"I know."
"And if we go there, you might get excited and accidentally make the developers nervous and Akechi-san definitely gonna call them for unexpected overtime…."
Ayumi quickly shook her head. "I won't make a scene."
Zaboru narrowed his eyes. "Promise?"
"I promise."
"Also, we are not making the Akaishidan developers do overtime. If the problem is big, we look at it, discuss it, and leave. Got that?"
Ayumi nodded quickly. "Got it."
Zaboru stared at her for another second.
Ayumi stared back with shining eyes.
He sighed.
"Fine."
Ayumi's face immediately brightened. "Hehehe. Let's go!"
Zaboru stood up, still suspicious. "You became too excited too fast."
"I'm not excited," Ayumi said, already walking toward the garage.
"You are speed-walking."
"I walk fast."
"You are pregnant."
"I can still walk fast."
"Ayumi."
She stopped and looked back at him with an innocent smile. "Yes, husband?"
Zaboru stared at her, then sighed again. "You are lucky you're cute."
Ayumi giggled and chose her car for the drive: her purple Honda S2000. The car shined beautifully in the garage, sleek and stylish, fitting Ayumi's taste perfectly. Zaboru looked at the car, then at Ayumi, then shook his head with a helpless smile.
"So we are taking the S2000?"
Ayumi opened the driver's door proudly. "Of course."
"Should I drive?"
Ayumi smiled sweetly. "No."
Zaboru immediately understood that arguing would be useless.
He entered the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and looked at his wife. "Drive safely."
Ayumi started the engine, her expression becoming more lively than it had been all morning. "Don't worry."
Zaboru glanced at her belly, then at the road ahead, then muttered, "I am worrying enough for both of us."
Ayumi laughed softly.
The purple Honda S2000 rolled out of the Renkonan household, heading toward the Akaishidan office. Zaboru sat beside his wife, half amused and half concerned, while Ayumi drove with a small smile on her face, finally ready to show him the problem she had been stubbornly carrying alone.
To be continued.
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