Three years had passed since their new life in America began.
“Once again, congratulations on completing your program, Arisa.”
“Thank you very much.”
At a luxury restaurant somewhere in the U.S.,
the two were celebrating Arisa’s completion of her doctoral program.
“When you stumbled during your oral defence, I was worried about how it would turn out—but I’m really glad you passed.”
“You said that, but my face was completely pale, wasn’t it?”
Recalling that day, Yuzuru gave a wry smile.
When he had gone to pick her up at the university,
Arisa had looked utterly drained—
her face pale, eyes teary, on the verge of crying.
Anyone could tell she thought she had failed.
“Looking back, I was overreacting… just because I stumbled over my words.”
Arisa said this, slightly embarrassed.
From the examiners’ perspective, it wasn’t unusual for students to trip over their words due to nerves.
Besides, an oral defence wasn’t a job interview.
They weren’t judging communication skills—
they wanted to understand the research itself.
As long as the explanation was coherent,
there was no penalty.
“I knew you’d pass in the end.”
“…Then you should’ve said so.”
“I did try to reassure you, and you got mad.”
It’ll be fine—you worked so hard. You explained everything properly, right? Then you’ll pass.
When he had said that, Arisa had snapped,
raising her voice—“You don’t understand, Yuzuru!”
Having only completed a master’s degree,
he couldn’t fully grasp the pressures of a doctorate.
And once she said that, he had no reply.
“That’s because… you were being insensitive.”
She pouted slightly, as if placing the blame on him.
Yuzuru wanted to argue—
but this was a celebration.
There was no point in turning it into a debate.
“Anyway, now we can finally go back to Japan.”
“Yes… it’s been five years here. It feels like it took forever.”
With her doctorate complete,
they planned to return to Japan.
Yuzuru would leave his current job
and formally join a company within the Takasegawa Group,
beginning his path towards inheriting the family business.
Arisa, too, planned to work in Japan.
“So, what will you do in Japan?”
He knew she wanted to pursue academia—
but the specifics were unclear to him.
Being immersed in the business world,
he found academic career paths hard to picture.
“Well… since we’re planning for childbirth and raising a child, I’ll probably start as a non-regular researcher for a while.”
“I’m sorry that puts a burden on you.”
Pregnancy wasn’t something he could share.
And during that time, she wouldn’t be able to work fully,
making full-time positions difficult.
He felt guilty—
that his circumstances and family were affecting her career.
“Please don’t worry. It’s not like I could become an assistant professor that easily anyway. Besides, thanks to you, I don’t have to worry about income. I can take my time writing papers.”
She said it lightly.
Her plan was simple—
maintain some academic affiliation,
balance childbirth and childcare,
and continue research and writing in between.
Then, once things settled,
she would build her career more seriously.
It wasn’t the path of someone chasing rapid advancement—
but ambition had never been her priority.
“I’ll consult your mother too.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Yuzuru’s mother, Ayu, was a university professor—
someone who had lived a similar path.
Her experience would be valuable,
even if times had changed.
“By the way… where should we live?”
“…Your family home, right?”
“We could live in an flat—just the two of us, or even with a child, at least for a while.”
As the heir, Yuzuru would eventually return home—
but not immediately.
They could still live on their own for a time.
“…Really? Personally, I was thinking we should stay with your family.”
“…Oh? You were?”
Most people preferred to avoid living with in-laws.
Even if Arisa got along well with Ayu,
it still meant being careful.
And in Yuzuru’s case, even his grandmother was there.
“They can help with childcare. And there are staff members too, right?”
“…Ah, yeah. That’s true.”
Yuzuru hadn’t fully considered that.
Raising a child alone would be difficult.
With family support, it would be much easier.
“And your mother teaches at a university, right?”
“Yes…”
“Wouldn’t it be better to build a closer relationship?”
There was a practical side to her thinking too.
Yuzuru couldn’t help but be impressed.
“…Is that a problem?”
“Not at all! Everyone would be happy.”
“…You weren’t thinking about childcare, were you?”
“N-no, I was! I just thought you might not want to live with my family… and besides, you once said you wanted to live alone together for a while!”
Back when she had stayed at his family home,
she had seemed conflicted upon learning that household tasks were handled by staff.
She had wanted to cook for him herself.
“We’ve lived together long enough, haven’t we?”
She said it casually.
Back then, cooking had been a big part of her identity—
something she could offer him.
But now, things were different.
It wasn’t that she no longer wanted to care for him—
she had simply gained confidence.
There were many ways she could support him.
So relying on his family for housework and childcare didn’t bother her.
Instead, she wanted to focus on what only she could do—
to support him not as “Takasegawa Yuzuru,”
but simply as Yuzuru, her husband.
“I’ve had enough of living alone together. If you’re okay with it, I’d like us to live with my family.”
For Yuzuru, his home was where he grew up.
He wanted to raise his children there.
If Arisa agreed—
there was no reason to refuse.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Yeah. I’ll tell my parents—they’ll be thrilled.”
One month later,
they returned to Japan
and began living at the Takasegawa family home.
And two months after that—
Arisa’s pregnancy was confirmed.
