I_LOVE_RICE+
patreon
Chapter 37: Wanting a Child
🕑 Added 2025-10-02 12:44:15 +0000 UTC[After graduating from university, Toru became a salaryman, working nine to five.]
[These days he was plain and ordinary, with only one difference from other office workers: he always came home early. He didn't smoke, didn't drink, and was gentle & kind.]
[Your sister, Ijichi Seika, more than once praised him, and your father was equally pleased. The two of them often spent time together, as close as father and son.]
[Time passed quickly. Three years went by.]
[During this period, the years left little trace on your face, and you remained beautiful and radiant. Toru, however, had matured greatly. His skills were impressive, and he quickly rose to department manager. Thanks to this, his work became less demanding, and he was able to devote much of his free time to you.]
[At his company, many people joked that he was a "wife slave," circling around his wife every single day. Toru never denied it. Perhaps for him, marrying you was the best decision of his life.]
[Over these three years, you developed many hobbies: knitting, tea ceremony, even painting, which you had once abandoned, was picked up again. By day, you often helped at the live house. By evening, at home, you embraced the role of a full-time wife.]
Nijika felt the warmth between the lines and thought, perhaps this was what the everyday life of countless families looked like.
The husband working outside, the wife at home raising children and managing the household.
Yes, marrying Toru was truly the best thing. This quiet, ordinary happiness was already more than enough.
Because her mother had passed away in an accident seven years ago, Nijika had longed for nothing more than a stable, peaceful life.
[Once your husband's career had stabilized, the two of you began to consider having children.]
A baby… what a wonderful thought.
[But Toru firmly refused. In the past three years alone, you had been hospitalized twice for nothing more than colds, and minor illnesses struck constantly. There was no way he could let you endure the pain of pregnancy.]
Painful? That's exaggerated.
Besides, it's not you who has to give birth… what are you afraid of? Nijika adored how considerate Toru was, but at times she thought he worried too much.
[Facing such a resolute husband, you decided—]
[1. What's there to be afraid of? Having a baby won't kill me.]
[2. Listen to your husband, don't take the risk. After all, you still have a thirty-seven-year-old sister. The Ijichi family line won't end… probably.]
[3. Calm him down for now. Don't mention it again. Protect your health as best you can, and keep him from noticing anything unusual.]
[4. Divorce.]
Which one to choose?
There wasn't much to think about. Nijika wanted a child, and the "Ultimate Mama Simulator" required one to unlock all its functions. Only by fulfilling that condition could she earn genetic rewards at settlement.
Whether from the standpoint of love or the simulator...
Having a child was the right choice.
Choice 3.
[Over the next year, you never mentioned babies again. This reassured Toru greatly. At the same time, you took good care of your health and went the whole year without falling sick. With both of these factors together, Toru seemed to have no reason left to refuse.]
Yes, the plan was perfect.
[You believed you had hidden it well. Once again, you brought up the idea of a child. But to your surprise, Toru still refused, firmly.]
[Of course, your husband could never agree. To him, you mattered more than any child who didn't yet exist. Even with just a one percent chance of losing you, he would never allow it.]
[To be more honest, even if you did give birth, Toru would not love the child. He would only ever love you.]
Eh?
Husbant, are you a little sick in the head?
Nijika often heard him say that he would only ever love one person in his life. But she never thought he would exclude his own flesh and blood from that love.
So strange.
Your love is too single-minded. This would be our child, the fruit of our love.
It makes me happy that you love me so much, but wouldn't it be good to give a little of that love to the baby?
[And so, the two of you pushed and pulled, without resolution.]
[Another year passed. Toru became a department supervisor. The projects under his lead made the company huge profits, and his career flourished. But because he was nearly thirty and still had no children, some younger colleagues began to whisper that he was lacking in ability.]
Nijika blinked at the last line.
Toru's ability… only those who had tried him would know. Nijika knew all too well.
[Unable to persuade your husband alone, you turned to your sister, your father, and even the members of Kessoku Band for help. With such relentless pressure, Toru finally lowered his guard…]
Hmm… why does this feel like trying to catch a wild cat?
Having to lower his guard like that.
Nijika read on.
[Because you hadn't been hospitalized for two years, he believed the training method's side effects had healed. Gradually, he grew more open to the idea. That wasn't the main reason, of course. What wore him down was your constant sweet whispers about how wonderful babies would be. Always refusing you left him guilty.]
[A month later, Toru agreed.]
[Not long after, without any precautions, you became pregnant.]
[When your sister Seika heard, she was delighted. Finally, their father would stop pestering her about marriage. The members of Kessoku Band reacted differently:
Hitori Gotoh simply muttered "well, that's nice," Ryo Yamada clutched her stomach and said she needed to take her medicine, and Ikuyo Kita declared that once the baby was born, she'd help care for it.]
Wasn't this wonderful?
Everything was moving in a good direction. Truly, the only flaw in her husband was how he always thought of the worst-case scenario.
[Even so, Toru remained uneasy. Resolutely, he resigned from his position as company executive to stay home and care for you. Every day he busied himself for your sake, researching endlessly, asking friends how to look after expectant mothers. Under his care, after six months, your complexion improved greatly, and only then did he relax a little.]
Really now~
No accidents will happen.
Don't worry so much.
[As the due date approached, the two of you began considering baby names. Toru took responsibility for a boy's name, you for a girl's. He suggested Haruki Kitahara , since spring was near, and "Ki" symbolized hope, it carried a good meaning.]
[You thought…]
[Please enter your chosen girl's name: ]
Kitahara-kun… hmm, this is hard to choose.
After a moment of thought, Nijika decided on the name "Shio."
Life brings all sorts of experiences, but when the time is right, like the tide, all its gifts return to us. Like the ocean, it holds vastness and tenderness.
That is the meaning of Shio.
[You thought, if the baby is a girl, she should be named Shio Kitahara. Your husband was very pleased.]
