About three months after Arisa’s pregnancy was confirmed—
her belly had already begun to visibly swell.
It wasn’t obvious over clothing,
but once uncovered,
it was clear that a new life was there.
“We’ll probably know the baby’s gender at the next checkup… which would you prefer?”
Gently stroking her stomach, Arisa asked.
Yuzuru thought for a moment before answering.
“Either is fine. As long as the baby is born healthy, that’s all I care about.”
It was an honest answer.
He truly didn’t mind whether it was a boy or a girl.
But Arisa didn’t seem entirely satisfied.
“…You’re not interested?”
“It’s not that I’m not interested. What about you?”
“As long as the baby is healthy, that’s enough for me.”
“That’s the same answer!”
At his protest, she laughed softly.
“If I had to choose… if the first is a boy, then next time I’d want a girl. And if it’s a girl, then next time a boy.”
“Yeah… I get that.”
Raising children of different genders would bring new experiences—
though probably new worries as well.
“But you really don’t have a preference?”
“…Meaning?”
“Well… like, wouldn’t it be more convenient if it were a boy? For inheritance and things like that…”
She asked cautiously.
The Takasegawa family still had its traditional side.
Perhaps they would prefer a male heir—
that kind of expectation.
But it was unnecessary concern.
“A girl would be fine too. I mean… Ayaka’s a woman, right?”
“…Ah, that’s true.”
If the Tachibana family could thrive under a female head,
there was no reason the Takasegawa family couldn’t.
“…I’m relieved.”
She smiled, clearly reassured.
Yuzuru gently took her hand.
“No matter what, I’ll protect you.”
“I’m counting on you.”
They shared a light kiss.
About a month later—
“Ah, it just kicked!”
Arisa exclaimed happily, rubbing her stomach.
Now it was visibly large even through her clothes.
“Can I listen?”
“Of course.”
With her permission, Yuzuru placed his ear against her belly.
At first, he couldn’t tell anything.
“Here—Papa’s here,”
she said softly.
At that moment—
he felt a small thump.
It was probably coincidence,
but Yuzuru couldn’t help smiling,
as if he’d been acknowledged.
“It’s a healthy boy. Maybe a little too energetic.”
Arisa said with fond eyes.
When the doctor had told her it was a boy,
she had seemed quietly happy.
Though she had said either is fine—
deep down, she had wanted a boy.
“We should start thinking of a name soon. It’s inconvenient not having one.”
“True.”
Until now, they had said things like “baby,” “you,” or “little one.”
But calling him by name felt more right.
It was a matter of feeling.
“Does your family have any naming traditions?”
Arisa asked curiously.
Yuzuru smiled wryly.
“Well… there is a tendency to include the character ‘弓’ (yumi) in names.”
“Eh—oh! You’re right!!”
Sougen. Kazuya. Yuzuru. Ayumi.
All of them had “弓.”
“You hadn’t noticed?”
“I-I just never paid attention…”
She looked slightly embarrassed.
“There’s another common trait. Can you guess?”
“…Another one? For you and Ayumi?”
“Hint—our mother.”
“Mother… Ayu-san? Oh! You each take one kanji from her name!”
Their mother’s name was 彩由 (Ayu).
Yuzuru took “由,” and Ayumi took “彩.”
Similarly, Yuzuru’s father had taken “和” from his mother, Chiwako.
“Well, it’s just a custom. We don’t have to follow it—”
“That’s wonderful! Let’s do it too!!”
She cut him off, eyes sparkling.
If she liked the idea,
he had no objection.
“So… we take one of my kanji—‘愛,’ ‘理,’ or ‘沙’—and combine it with ‘弓,’ right?”
She crossed her arms, thinking hard.
“…理弓 (Rikyuu)?”
Like the tea master?
Yuzuru almost said it aloud.
“…Arisa, that might be a bit…”
“Don’t worry. Even I think that one’s not it.”
It didn’t feel like a modern name.
“Hmm… I can’t think of anything. Maybe they don’t go well together?”
She looked slightly dejected.
Yuzuru quickly reassured her.
“We don’t have to force the tradition. What matters is choosing something meaningful, right?”
Forcing a combination just to follow a pattern
might be worse than choosing a simple, solid name.
Besides, it wasn’t a long-standing tradition anyway—
just a few generations at most.
“You’re right. Let’s think broadly.”
And so,
the two of them spent the entire day
thinking of names.
