"What I'm saying is, I have another method."
Byakuya said.
Regardless of whether Rize believed him, he came directly to her side.
Then he placed his hand on Rize's lower abdomen, sensing the small life within.
And Byakuya could sense that the little life inside was indeed somewhat lacking in nutrition—he could tell from its vitality.
It was probably due to the lack of normal food intake.
"There's really another way?"
Rize found this somewhat hard to believe.
But this was just her instinctive reaction. She quickly realized that for Byakuya, this might truly not be difficult.
"Mm. I can already sense the little one. Next, I'll transmit energy to her so she can grow healthily even without the nutrition from this food."
As he spoke, Byakuya channeled his power through his hand to the small life in Rize's belly.
He was extremely careful, afraid that the fragile life couldn't handle too much energy.
With Byakuya's power, the little one's vitality became vigorous in an instant.
Rize could also feel the change within her belly.
"Done. The little one is fine now."
Byakuya said. "You don't have to force yourself to eat this anymore."
"Mm..."
Rize nodded happily.
This outcome was naturally the best.
"By the way, you just said 'her'... Is our child a daughter?"
Rize suddenly asked.
"Yes. We can start thinking of a name for our daughter now."
Byakuya nodded.
Though the small life in her belly was still at a stage where hospitals couldn't determine the gender, Byakuya's power was already sufficient to discern it.
"Mm. We can take our time thinking about it."
Rize said. "Matsumae-san, please take this food away."
"Yes, Madam."
Matsumae promptly removed the dinner.
"Just leave it covered on the dining table. I haven't eaten dinner yet anyway—I'll take care of it."
Byakuya told Matsumae.
"Understood."
Matsumae nodded and departed.
In the room, Byakuya sat with Rize on the bed.
He couldn't help but sigh. "I never thought it would really happen on the first try... And suddenly becoming a father feels so strange..."
"Me too... When I first learned from Matsumae that there was a little one inside, it didn't feel real. But after just a couple of days, I've completely accepted it. And I'm really looking forward to our daughter's birth..."
As she spoke, gentle tenderness showed on Rize's face.
Then she leaned against Byakuya's shoulder, once again showing her clingy side.
Byakuya stayed with Rize in the room, not leaving even as night deepened...
...
Before long, Eto's new book was finally complete.
Titled King Bileygr, it spanned several hundred thousand characters.
She'd already submitted the full manuscript to her editor Shiono Shunji. Now she just had to wait for the physical book publication process.
For an ordinary newcomer who'd just signed a contract, the publication process could be quite lengthy—anywhere from several months to a year or two before the physical book would officially release.
And that didn't even include the time wasted on repeated submissions being rejected.
Even Eto hadn't had an easy time getting through at first—Shiono Shunji had initially rejected her manuscript.
Back then, Shiono Shunji had assumed that someone who appeared so young couldn't possibly write anything worthwhile. Without carefully reviewing the manuscript's contents, he'd politely discouraged Eto and casually set the manuscript aside.
It wasn't until one of Shiono Shunji's colleagues happened to see the contents of that manuscript and, shocked by what they read, gave Shiono Shunji a thorough scolding.
Only after that did Shiono Shunji seek out Eto and sign her...
If that sharp-eyed colleague hadn't accidentally seen the manuscript, Eto would have been buried in obscurity, and there would be no famous author Takatsuki Sen.
Because she'd worked so hard writing that manuscript only for Shiono Shunji to take it and give her nothing—she hadn't received a single yen. Naturally, she would have given up writing.
Eleven years ago, Eto had indeed given up. She'd schemed on the street to steal a wallet from some unlucky passerby. She wanted money to support some ghoul comrades—at that time, the prototype of Aogiri Tree was already forming.
It was Shiono Shunji who, having come to his senses, searched everywhere until he found Eto, rekindling her desire to write.
"Before I knew it, I've published so many works. I wonder if this will be my final work before I retire...?"
Sitting at her computer desk, Eto suddenly began talking to herself.
Compared to eleven years ago when she was 14, her appearance and figure hadn't changed at all.
But she had genuinely reached 25 years old, which filled her with emotion.
...
As a bestselling author of the moment, Eto's new book sailed through the publication process smoothly.
It went through all procedures at virtually maximum speed—for her, the only thing that took time was the printing of physical copies.
Once released, it immediately became a bestselling hit.
Half a month after the book's release, Eto planned to hold a press conference specifically about the new book.
More accurately, she'd wrapped the entire dumpling just for this one dipping sauce.
The press conference was her main objective...
Now that half a month had passed since the book went on sale, most early purchasers had already finished reading it. This way, the press conference could achieve maximum impact.
...
On the eve of the press conference, Byakuya accompanied Eto to get a haircut.
Because Eto said she wanted a fresher hairstyle.
At a salon in a large shopping mall, Eto had the stylist cut off her long hair.
After switching to short hair, the ends only slightly passed her chin—though it was still naturally curly.
This seemed to pay homage to herself from over a decade ago, when she'd first become a contracted author...
"How is it? How is it? This gives off such a strong professional woman vibe! Hahaha, I'm so happy!"
Walking out of the salon, Eto proudly and cheerfully showed off her hairstyle to Byakuya.
...
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