First-person: Hoshino Yume
On the way back to the hospital, leaving the spot where Dr. Goro's body had vanished, I needed to sort out my thoughts.
That girl said Dr. Goro's death was fate.
If there hadn't been any confusion in my memory at that moment, I would have tried to stop it somehow. But because Dr. Goro's death had slipped from my mind as if it never existed, I was powerless to prevent it.
Perhaps that was the first and last time she would interfere with me.
Since the girl said she couldn't touch me, it probably meant that the being who reincarnated me in this world is far beyond her power.
"Sigh....."
Today was supposed to be a day of joy, marking the birth of Ai's new family. But because of what happened, a headache was starting to pound behind my eyes.
In the end, without fully organizing my thoughts, I returned to the hospital room. By the time I arrived, Ai had already given birth.
"Yume... where did you go? You're late..."
"Sorry."
"Hmph... well, more importantly, look... at our children..."
Our...?
Ah. Since Ai considers me family, she's including me in that statement.
Hmm... that's right. It's definitely not a bad feeling.
Ai slowly handed the twins to me. As I lifted them in an awkward posture, Ai chuckled, finding my clumsiness amusing.
"...Please take care of them from now on."
Hoshino Aquamarine and Hoshino Ruby.
Quite some time had passed since Ai gave birth. In the end, Ai named the boy Aquamarine and the girl Ruby.
Since Ai's physical condition was recovering well, President Saito—Ichigo—was seriously considering her return to work. Since I didn't oppose it, I sat there listening to the plan.
Meanwhile, my gaze was fixed...
On Aquamarine in Ai's arms... no, that name is too long. On Aqua.
"Good, good~ you're being such a good boy, Aquamarine~"
"To name the children after gems..."
As expected, no matter how much I thought about it, it seemed it would take some time to adapt to these names.
As I continued to look at Aqua, our eyes met. Aqua cautiously averted his gaze.
Meanwhile...
"Hagyaa~!!! Hya!! Hgyaa!!!!"
"Yes, yes~ what's the matter~?"
Ruby, lying in the baby bed, started crying. Ai handed Aqua to me and went to pick up Ruby.
Fortunately, Aqua remained quiet in my arms, which was a relief. Given my position, if feelings of self-reproach or guilt were to surge from him, it would be troublesome to pretend I didn't notice...
"Waaaah~"
While I quietly held Aqua, Ruby continued to cry in Ai's arms.
"What's wrong, Aqua~?"
"......?"
"That's Ruby."
Ah, my voice and President Saito's overlapped perfectly.
"And you call yourself a mother?"
A very apt remark, President Saito.
Being called out by Saito for acting like a subpar mother, Ai smiled mechanically.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. I can't remember people's faces and names well, so what can I do? Ah~ no, no~ Japanese men view mothers too idealistically~ Right, Yume?☆"
"Stop dragging me into this."
"No, more than that, don't talk about 'global standards' without a passport!! In the first place, I specifically asked for overseas work to be NG, so it's NG!"
"But even though I look like this, I remember the names of talented people well, Director Sato."
"It's Saito."
"How frustrating! My name is Saito, you damn idol...!!"
I placed Aqua, whom I was holding, on the sofa. Then, I took out a lollipop and popped one into my mouth. Hmm, strawberry flavor.
Lately, whenever I get stressed because of Ai, I eat lollipops like this. Now, if I don't have something in my mouth, I feel somewhat empty.
While savoring the taste, Ai naturally reached out her hand to me. I pulled a random lollipop from my pocket and handed it to her. Looking at the color, it seemed to be cola flavor.
With lollipops in our mouths, Ai and I started listening to President Saito's briefing.
"Well! Anyway, from today, the idol 'Ai' returns! I want to talk about future activities. First, the first act of your return is a live song broadcast tonight. Can you do it?"
At Saito's question, Ai showed an expression that said 'is that even a question?'
"Of course☆"
"And while Ai is working, my wife will look after the children."
"...Sigh....."
Hearing Miyako-san sigh at her husband's words, I apologized to her in my heart. I'm sorry, Miyako-san.
"I've been thinking since last time, but isn't the madam quite young? Other members really frown upon the director's favoritism towards young girls."
"First time I've heard that! I'll be careful from now on."
"More than that, was it true? I'll keep an eye on you... watch closely from now on."
Is it true? President Saito, were you really a dangerous man...?
"Hey Yume, aren't you misunderstanding something!?"
"No, I didn't think President Saito was a lolicon."
"Lolicon!? No, I'm really not!?"
"Please don't cause any trouble. I don't want to arrest you with my own hands."
"Have you been corrupted by Ai too!?"
"Excuse me."
"Excuse me!?"
To seriously say such harsh words about being corrupted by Ai... you're crossing the line, President Saito.
Seeing me speak with a serious face, Ai puffed out her cheeks. Then, she immediately jumped onto my back and wrapped her arms around my neck.
"What's wrong with being corrupted by Ai!"
"You're heavy."
"I'm not~"
"Tsk!"
"Ah~ no tsking!!"
Tsk!
As always, even speaking in a cutesy tone doesn't work on me, Ai.
In the end, Ai continued to hang off my neck. Suddenly, a thought seemed to strike her.
"But can't I take the kids to work?"
"Of course not!?"
Startled by Ai's statement, President Saito shouted.
"Remember, if it becomes known to the world that you, an idol, are a mother of twins at 16... your idol life will end immediately!! And since I have supervisory responsibility, my agency will be finished too! We're all going to hell!"
Ah, he seems sincere about the panic. Well, now that she's actually given birth to twins, the stakes are real.
"Ah, well, I have Yume to take care of me★"
"....So it seems."
"Annoying... these kids are so annoying...!!"
Please direct your annoyance at Ai, not me. I haven't done anything wrong, have I?
"Anyway! Taking the children to the agency or shopping is prohibited. And if there's an urgent matter you can't handle, we'll respond with the cover story that we're just looking after the children for someone else!"
To be honest, I thought it might be okay for me to be the public guardian, but since President Saito made that decision considering both me and Ai, I decided to follow his lead.
"Well~~~ it's bothersome~~ really troublesome..... right, Ruby?"
Unknowingly, as Ai got down from my back, she hugged Aqua—calling him Ruby! I slapped my forehead with a loud thud.
"That child is Aqua."
"Anyway, there's not much time until rehearsal, so let's move immediately."
"Yes~"
As Ai stood up while holding Aqua, one side of her top slipped down, and her chest began to show. Since I've seen Ai walking around in her underwear at home for years, I watched the scene indifferently.
Immediately, Aqua's tiny hand reached out and pulled the fabric back up to cover her.
Hmm. Please take good care of Ai from now on, Aqua.
"That was dangerous~ I almost showed my chest to the Director~ Ah! But it's okay if Yume sees~!"
"Cut it out."
"Both of you, be more careful outside....."
"I am always tense and alert, so don't worry."
"Right.... Yume, you make sure to hold her back."
"Thanks, Ruby."
"So, the child you're holding is Aqua."
Until we left for the shooting location, watching Ai repeatedly call Aqua "Ruby" made my neck start to ache from the stress.