Under a clear, cloudless sky, Subaru squinted against the pouring sunlight.
He could hear crying.
It was a girl's cry — a full-throated, spirited wail, every bit of her small body thrown into it with everything she had.
Seeing someone express their entire being so completely, with every fiber of their soul, made him wonder dully why children were so full of energy. And the moment the thought crossed his mind, he was struck by how profoundly un-youthful it was.
"I've always known I was precocious, but catching myself being this way unconsciously still stings. Here I was thinking I was still a spry young man."
"Spry? Can't you look at yourself objectively even a little? Hey."
Still convinced he was in his prime, Subaru gazed at his own open palm when a jab came at him from the side. He let out a sigh at the familiar tirade and slowly turned his gaze.
There sat a boy beside Subaru's chair, at exactly the same eye level as him. The boy curled his lips at Subaru's silent stare and continued, "More importantly—"
"
"I'm done for. My tender heart has been shattered by one heartless remark and I'm in pieces. I'm gonna regress back to childhood like Spica and bawl my eyes out too. Just forgive me for being useless, okay?"
"You can't fall apart in the middle of a busy street like some grown man!"
At Subaru's childish pout, the boy threw his whole body into an energetic retort. And right then, the baby cradled in Subaru's arms — the girl called Spica — took a breath, and the two men's useless "oh" and "uh" did nothing as her emotions exploded.
"Aah—!!"
"Wahhh! She's crying! Spica's crying! Hey, Rigel, do something, will you? You're her big brother!"
"If we're going there, you're the one who really needs to get it together!"
On a busy thoroughfare in the city, two men spun in circles while holding a baby, shoving responsibility back and forth.
Their commotion drew glances from passersby, but upon seeing the pair bustling about, people just wore expressions that said "ah, the usual" and walked right on by.
So the dynamic continued — a crying girl and two useless men. It skirted the razor-thin line between heartwarming and an outright public nuisance. And then— "Even with a little girl screaming her lungs out like this, not a single person comes to help? Damn, what kind of world is this? Has humanity really fallen this far?"
"Now's not the time to lament society! If we can't get Spica to stop crying, imagine what she'll say when she gets back..."
"When who gets back, exactly?"
"Well, obviously—"
The boy Subaru had called Rigel crossed his arms and turned around with a nod. Then his face froze in disbelief, jaw dropping open. Following Rigel's gaze, Subaru spotted the same person and raised his eyebrows.
"Shopping all done?"
"Yes, no trouble at all. ...You look like you're having a hard time over here."
"No way, Spica's in top form. Once she's walking and running around, she's gonna be the type to drag guys all over the place. The makings of a proper femme fatale — I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it!"
As Subaru cracked jokes, Spica in his arms dazedly opened her swollen, tear-reddened eyes. Spotting the woman standing before her, she spread her tiny, maple-leaf-like hands and reached her arms out. Her upper body wasn't strong enough yet, but she kept trying to sit up — and it made Subaru feel a little sad, as though she'd declared from a distance that he wasn't comfortable enough to hold her.
"That said, if we ignore her demands she'll just cry all over again. Here, you take her."
"You're handing her off?"
His tone was light and rough, but the way Subaru passed the baby over was extraordinarily gentle. His fingertips handled her like a fragile treasure, and the woman receiving her etched a small smile on her face.
She drew Spica firmly against her chest, gently rocking her body, and said, "There now. Daddy and big brother are both being naughty. Spica, you'll have to grow up fast so you can scold them both, okay?"
"Hey, hey, let's not start the brainwashing before she can even understand words, alright?"
After that bit of buffoonery, Subaru imagined himself sandwiched between the two of them — Rigel and
"No way. Getting yelled at by my little sister? That'd completely crush any dignity I have left."
"What dignity? You lost that ages ago just by running around with me like an idiot. I can see it — I can totally see your future: so besotted with your little sister that you spoil her rotten and she bosses you around."
"Don't project just because you're the one getting bossed around! That'll never happen to me!"
Rigel flared up, veins popping on his forehead, as Subaru waggled his fingers provocatively. But it wasn't Subaru who frowned at Rigel's outburst.
It was the blue-haired woman who'd been watching their exchange with an amused smile. Calmly but clearly, she called his name: "Rigel."
"Have you forgotten where you are? Speaking that way out in public is uncalled for."
"But—"
"No buts. Mother doesn't like it. Besides, what you said earlier was wrong."
She cut down Rigel's stammering without mercy, then turned to Spica, who had gone quiet in her arms, and smiled.
"Mommy doesn't boss Daddy around. Daddy has always been Mommy's number one."
Her cheeks flushed pink — a confession far more embarrassing than crying in public.
Before this mother who could say such things so unabashedly, Rigel raised both hands high in surrender.
As a sensation like an awkward tickle ran through him, Subaru laughed. The woman watching over her family with a happy expression gently brushed back her hair.
Rem's beautiful long blue hair, like a reflection of the sky, swayed softly in the gentle breeze.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ In a corner of a regional city in
Before him, Rigel, his short blue hair standing on end, ran left and right with his friends in a little gang of mischief-makers. His way of speaking to his father was atrocious, but watching him like this, Subaru had to admit there was a certain charm.
"If only we could do something about that scary look in his eyes."
"You can't. That scary look is part of what makes him Rigel. Even when he's having fun, even when he's overjoyed, anyone seeing him for the first time would think he was plotting something mean with a foul mood. That's Rigel for you."
"I can hear you, and Mom's attempt to help hurts way worse than the original insult!"
Rigel shouted something while absorbed in the game of "Hyoui-oni" — an ice tag game that Subaru had invented and spread through the neighborhood — as the "oni" caught him in a frozen state. Subaru gave a casual wave, and Rem waved too, just enough that sleeping Spica wouldn't notice.
Rigel pouted, narrowing his three whites showing eyes in displeasure. He looked so much like the young Subaru in old photo albums that it was almost unbearable.
"So basically, this is already locked in as his future. If I imagine being him, I'm terrified... Imagine being told you'll become me in twenty years."
"A wonderful cook who's great at all the housework, a devoted wife who does everything for her husband and supports him — an ideal and wonderful spouse. Isn't that what it means?"
"What's with that? Talk about a perfect life — just explode already! Wait, that was me!"
Subaru clutched his head and stuck out his tongue. Rem let out a small laugh.
Cupping her hand to her mouth, she glanced sideways at Subaru and said, "If you keep denying everything just to praise me by contrast, Rem is going to get a big head."
"Was that even praising by contrast? I just didn't bother denying something with no basis for denial. Well, the fact that there's nothing to deny is an undeniable truth."
If anything, if Subaru spoke about Rem without a shred of embarrassment or restraint, the praise would fly so thick it would be a problem. Given that this was a midday park full of families and neighbors, if he ever started gushing, he'd be interrogated inside and out and dominate tomorrow's gossip.
Thinking that might not be so bad showed just how much he'd been corrupted, but Subaru deliberately pushed that thought aside and let his consciousness sink into the warmth of the moment.
Closing his eyes and letting the sunlight wash over him, he had the illusion that the warmth was lifting his body. Sleep-deprived as he was, drowsiness tugged his awareness along. His head felt impossibly heavy and began to sway. And then— "Hm?"
"If you're sleepy, feel free to rest on Rem's shoulder. Her arms are Spica's exclusive property right now."
He cracked open one eye to find that Rem had, at some point, drawn right beside him, her body propping him up. There was a slight difference in their seated height, and when Subaru tilted his head, it settled perfectly onto her shoulder.
Feeling a touch of embarrassment, Subaru looked at Spica sleeping soundly in Rem's arms. Black hair inherited from her father, adorable features inherited from her mother. An innocent life that knew nothing of the world yet, living each day in purity.
"Hmph, Spica, you little... Daughter or not, occupying my sanctuary like that is naughty. I'm gonna tickle you later."
"Please wait until nighttime to have Rem's chest all to yourself."
"This is a public park in broad daylight — watch what you say?!"
Rem's bold remark made Subaru whip around to face her. Glancing sideways, he saw that her own cheeks were blazing red. Really, truly— "My wife is the cutest thing ever."
"I am loved every day, after all."
Subaru gushed, and Rem gushed right back. They exchanged smiles — Subaru with a "nyahehe" grin and Rem with a sweet "niko" one.
Feeling bashful about staring at each other, Subaru scratched his cheek, composed himself, and said, "Well then, if you'll allow me," before placing his head properly on her shoulder.
Rem's silky blue hair, swaying in the breeze, touched his cheek with an indescribably pleasant feeling. He nuzzled closer, breathing in her scent as he rubbed his cheek against her shoulder.
"That tickles, you know."
"Ah, sorry. It just felt really nice and I got a little carried away. I should take a cue from Spica and calm down. I'll leave the restless energy to Rigel. Wow, Rigel's so gross."
"I can hear you, you stupid old man! Stop dragging me into everything!"
"Rigel. Your sister is sleeping. Be more considerate."
"This is so unfair!"
Frozen in place, Rigel protested indignantly, but no one in the family came to his aid. To make matters worse, nobody even came to unfreeze him. He was thoroughly consigned to the role of the one everyone picked on.
Despite how much his personality, speech, and behavior patterns resembled Subaru's own, the fact that Rigel hadn't been excluded by the other kids was something Subaru considered a stroke of luck — he was better off in that regard, at least. Though honestly, Subaru himself had managed to fit into a community of sorts during his childhood too, so maybe Rigel's future wasn't quite as dim as he imagined.
"We need to make sure Spica doesn't turn out the same way. Rigel's hopeless, but since you take after your mom, your future's bright. I just hope she doesn't get stuck with a deadbeat like me."
"There is no one to take your place. You are the only one for Rem."
Getting his wife's stamp of approval, Subaru chuckled softly. A quiet silence fell between them.
Teased by the soft breeze, Subaru felt Rem's warmth against his skin and nearly drifted into a mindless, blissful state.
Days of hard labor had left his body suitably tired. This rare family outing, the happy daily life he now enjoyed — bathed in gentle sunlight, watching from afar as his son got picked on by his friends, leaning against the wife who held their daughter while he dozed off— What an incredibly happy and sweet moment this was.
"Subaru-kun—"
Hearing his name spoken, Subaru opened his closed eyelids.
He glanced toward the voice to find Rem tilting her head slightly toward him. Her clear, pale-blue eyes reflected him as her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something.
"...That way of calling me."
"————"
"It's been a while. Lately it's always been either 'you' or 'Daddy.'"
Subaru closed one eye and relaxed his expression, while Rem pressed her lips together.
Her attitude reminded him of years past — something she'd done frequently during the period right after they'd "fled here." She probably thought he hadn't noticed, but Subaru had been watching her far more closely than she realized.
He closed his eyes and felt the breeze.
It had been Rem who'd suggested the family shopping trip today. He had a pretty good idea what she was getting at. Because— "It's been exactly eight years today since that day."
"You realized..."
"Well, for me... no, for both of us, that day was a huge turning point. Of course I realized. Of course I remember. —I could never forget."
The day he'd been broken by fate. The day he'd cast everything aside and run away.
The day he'd been ready to give up on everything, but couldn't give up on just one thing.
Because of the decision he'd made that day — and because of her love — Subaru was here now.
"Subaru-kun..."
It was a familiar form of address. After the two of them had fled to Kararagi, she'd gradually stopped using it. He figured it was partly to signal to themselves and those around them that they were married, and partly because she wanted at least some aspect of their life to be different from the past.
He'd never brought it up since then, and Rem had never told him why she'd stopped.
Now, using that old form of address, Rem looked at Subaru with a complex whirlpool of emotions in her eyes and said: "Do you... regret it?"
"Regret?"
"Yes. Running away. Giving everything up. Throwing it all away. Choosing Rem..."
"If you say 'choosing you' or anything like that, I'm gonna be furious. I'll drag Rigel and Spica back and return us to your parents! Actually, never mind Rigel, I'll leave him behind."
Subaru caught sight of Rigel making a murderous face off in the distance, but told his son, "I'm having an important conversation," and unceremoniously banished him to the netherworld. He turned back to Rem and continued: "It's been eight years and this is long overdue, and honestly I've said this dozens, hundreds of times, so who knows how effective it is at this point, but—"
"Yes."
"I love you more than anyone in the world. You're my only wife, and I'm your only man. You're not the kind of cheap woman someone like me could settle for and end up with."
He sat up, lightly flicked Rem's forehead with his fingertip, and as she put a hand to her forehead in surprise, he leaned in close.
"As I swore that day, everything I am is yours. I'll devote myself to you, dedicate myself to you, live only for you. —Though now, I'd add that it's also for our children."
He pressed his lips to the tip of her nose, then kissed her closed lips.
It was barely a touch of a kiss, and at that intimate distance, Subaru wore the mischievous grin that hadn't changed one bit despite his years.
"Does that put your mind at ease?"
"...I'm sorry. Rem is always anxious. Because I keep falling more and more in love with Subaru-kun. I think it can't possibly get any happier than this, but then you make me even happier. I'm so happy, and I love you so much, that's exactly why I'm afraid."
With tears shimmering in her eyes, Rem shook her head even as she declared she was happy. She pressed her forehead to his, and as they exchanged warmth: "I feel like someday I might lose you, even like this."
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not disappearing. As long as you don't get sick of me, we'll never be apart."
"Rem could never get sick of Subaru-kun—"
"Then we'll be together forever. I love you, Rem."
Overwhelmed by what she was feeling, Subaru kissed her again.
He pressed his teeth gently into her soft lips, and as she stiffened in surprise, he deepened the kiss further. Their soft tongues intertwined, and he tasted their warm saliva.
Then their lips parted. Rem took a soft breath, then a deeper, longer one. Subaru held up a finger and said, "For the record—"
"Don't say stupid things like settling. Then what? Are you saying Rigel and Spica were born out of pity instead of love? Spica is the crystallization of our carefully planned love, and Rigel was born from the reckless overflow of passionate love in our youth."
"...Rigel's arrival was quite a handful."
Rem's lips curved into a smile as she answered Subaru, who stood with hands on his hips in lecture mode.
Letting her mind wander through memories, she traced the past with her fingertips and said fondly, "We'd just moved to Kararagi and finally found a place to live and jobs to work, and we were supposed to take our time building a stable life..."
"Come on, we were young. We just couldn't wait."
"And you, Subaru-kun — you must have been exhausted from work, but every night before bed you'd suddenly have all this energy..."
"Come on, we were young. We had energy to burn."
"Spica came almost exactly when you were officially hired. That was when Rem's face went completely pale."
"There's nothing quite like denying the mistakes of youth..."
At Rem's barrage, Subaru gazed into the distance with deep emotion. Off to the side, Rigel — having been characterized as a "mistake" — wore a sour, I-veg-something-to-say expression, but he seemed to have managed to restrain himself by reading the room. A pretty mature kid, all things considered.
Subaru nodded at his son's growth. Beside him, Rem also looked at their still-frozen son with a similarly sour expression. Then she said, "But," and continued in a small voice: "When Rem was carrying Rigel, I was truly, incredibly happy."
"Well, I was happy too. When I first heard, I snottered and peed a little, and to make sure it wasn't a dream I asked Rem to punch me — ended up drawing blood."
It was partly because Rem had been frazzled too, but she'd thrown a full-force punch that sent him crashing into the wall hard enough to knock their temporary housing askew. If he hadn't instinctively braced himself, he might have actually died.
Setting that memory aside, Subaru remembered perfectly the day Rem had told him she was pregnant. Every bit of the warm feeling that had welled up in his chest.
But Rem shook her head at his answer. Subaru tilted his, not understanding the meaning, and her smile gained a slight shadow.
"Rem's happiness was probably different from your pure, straightforward version, Subaru-kun. What Rem felt was... the joy of knowing I wouldn't lose Subaru-kun."
"............"
"Rigel is a bond that took definite shape between Rem and Subaru-kun. It's a terrible way to put it, but with a baby, something undeniably real connected us — something that could never be severed. ...That's what made Rem happy."
The anxious days had been weighing on her for a long time.
She'd thrown away everything — all they'd built together — and fled with only each other to a new land. In those days when they could cling to nothing but one another, Rem had been unable to bear the ever-present fear of losing Subaru.
Her lack of self-confidence was on a level that rivaled Subaru's own.
For Rem, who so severely underestimated herself, life with Subaru had been equal parts supreme happiness and supreme terror — a constant erosion.
What put a stop to that was the new life that had taken root between them.
"Did you not believe me?"
"No. Rem trusts Subaru-kun more than anyone in this world."
"That's not what I mean. It wasn't that you didn't believe in me... You didn't believe in yourself?"
At Subaru's words, Rem caught her breath, then nodded.
In her heart, Subaru's presence was disproportionately large. Standing before it, her own shadow must have felt unbearably small — and that filled her with fear.
—Did she not realize that Subaru carried exactly the same weight of feeling? That he always thought Rem was simply too good for him?
He burst out laughing. Seeing Subaru's grinning, toothy smile, Rem puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"It's fine. Rem was just being stupid. You have every right to laugh—"
"No, no. I was just thinking it over again. You and I are exactly the same at our core, and my wife really is the cutest in the world."
Taken by surprise, Rem froze for a moment, then her face flushed bright red. Watching that reaction, Subaru felt a renewed certainty — yes, he loved this woman.
He loved Rem more than anyone in the world. He adored her. He could shout it from the rooftops — in fact, he occasionally did. They were the talk of the neighborhood, a couple burning with love.
"—Rigel, Spica."
"Hm?"
Rem called her children's names with tender affection. When Subaru tilted his head, she said, "Oh, nothing," and looked up at him.
"They're both named after stars, aren't they? Stars from where Subaru-kun used to live."
"Yeah. My old man was basically out of his mind — the kind of hopeless guy who'd read常识 (common sense) asトコシキ — but naming me Subaru was one thing he got right. I love it. And the name Subaru itself is a star's name."
Back in elementary school, maybe — Subaru had learned the origin of his name as part of some homework assignment or other. Finding out that one of the stars decorating the night sky shared his name, he'd been uncharacteristically elated about it.
Since then, despite being the type whose hobbies never lasted, gazing at star charts remained a long, long habit. He knew all the star names by heart, and whenever the opportunity came to name something, the natural choice was— "Names from stars. My online handle's a star name too, and if I were ever using an alias, I'd probably pick from stars. It's a glittering name in its own way!"
"I don't quite understand the expression, but I think taking names from stars is lovely. When a third child comes along, we'll do the same."
"Isn't it a bit early to talk about a third child? Spica's still a baby?"
"Aside from nursing, I think Rigel can handle things. What do you think I've been making sure no more children came until Rigel was old enough for?"
"Behind the scenes, you're actually pretty hard on Rigel, you know?!"
Subaru smiled ruefully at how their son was treated day to day, then stood up with a flick of his hips. In front of the upturned gaze of Rem, still seated, he stretched his back and turned around.
"Let's head home soon. We should put the shopping away, and being out in public means I can't be as lovey-dovey as I want."
"You're right. Right now, Rem is in the mood for some full-throttle lovey-dovey."
"Huh... do I have the libido to keep up with an oni's stamina...?"
He muttered nervously, then extended his hand to Rem on the bench. When she slowly took it, he pulled her to her feet and caught her — "Whoa!" — with Spica and all in his arms.
He held her tight, savoring her warmth, and then— "Alright, let's go home. To our home."
"Yes, dear."
One hand holding the shopping bag, the other clasping Rem's offered hand, Subaru walked ahead while Rem followed half a step behind, walking close by his side.
They made their way to the center of the plaza, where their son was still frozen in place.
"Hey, you little Sapporo Snow Festival statue. This 'Hyoui-oni' game with no progress whatsoever is the most boring thing I've ever watched, so Mom and I are taking your sister home. Go stay at a friend's house or something."
"You're so obviously kicking me out! And since when is it okay for parents to make out in broad daylight in the middle of a park?!"
"Serves you right, jealousy boy. Sorry, Rigel — this Rem is mine and mine alone."
"So annoying!!"
Subaru puffed out his chest and cackled while Rigel narrowed his eyes furiously. But the more he scowled, the happier Subaru looked, so Rigel let out a long, deep sigh and shook his head.
"Calm down, calm down. Don't get dragged into Dad's pace. Calm down... Alright, I'm calm. So what were you talking to Mom about?"
"Huh? About how your name comes from a star and all that. Your first name candidate was actually Vega, but..."
"Sounds cool! Why'd you change it?"
"Yeah, it does sound cool. But it sounded like it'd grow up tough and the teenage years would be rough, so we passed. Even knowing she'd surpass him eventually, a father's heart whispered that he didn't want to lose to his son."
"You planned that far ahead for a baby who was only a few days old?!"
At Subaru's razor-sharp joke, Rigel sprang up and fired back. And then— "Hey! Rigel moved! You broke the rules of 'Hyoui-oni'!"
"Ah!"
The children, who had apparently been deliberately ignoring Rigel up until now, seized on his movement as a chance to pounce. Rigel froze, throat tight with panic. Subaru clapped him on the shoulder.
"Breaking the rules of 'Hyoui-oni' means a punishment game. You get tickled by the oni until you can't laugh or cry anymore. —Good luck."
"Are you serious right now— Hey, what are you guys— Wait! Don't take this guy at his word! Wa— Whoaaaa—!!"
Swarmed by the children who appeared out of nowhere, Rigel bolted. But they'd surrounded him. His limbs were grabbed, he was forced to the ground, and no amount of struggling could stop the white little fingers from descending upon him.
"Farewell, my son. You were a fine son. But your father is to blame."
"Rigel. Mommy and Daddy have an important talk to have, so you're sleeping at a friend's tonight. Also, no using your horns. And don't tear your clothes."
"Just you wait, heartless parents—!!"
Surrounded by a mountain of little hands tormenting him, forced laughter erupted from Rigel's vicinity. Watching his brother's humiliation from the corner of her eye, Spica let out a cheerful sound.
She had remarkably promising instincts. No doubt, her ascent would only solidify Rigel's standing in the Natsuki household even further.
Showing his undying love for his dear son in just a slightly warped way, Subaru took Rem's hand and walked on.
Toward their home, where their precious family lived — a place full of warmth and happiness.
"Subaru-kun."
"Hmm?"
Hand in hand, Subaru stopped and turned around.
In that instant, a strong gust of wind suddenly swept between them. He closed his eyes involuntarily, and once the wind's roar died down, slowly opened them.
Rem's long blue hair was being swept dramatically by the breeze, shimmering as though dissolving into the sunlight.
Rem, who had grown her hair long again. Subaru understood, in a vague way, who she'd done it for. And when he imagined a girl with long hair, the first image that came to mind was, of course, the most important woman in his world — the one standing right before him.
Blue hair flowing quietly, cradling their beloved daughter in her arms, Rem smiled at Subaru.
It was a smile from the dearest person in his world — the one that called forth that most cherished of feelings in Subaru's heart.
"Right now, Rem is the happiest person in the world."