Chapter 163: Hanae, Hazuki, 6 years old, at the amusement park

Time really does fly.

I’m 26 now, 27 in Korean age, which means it’s been 10 years since I realized I was reincarnated.

I passed the medical licensing exam, but I’m still taking a break before officially registering as a doctor.

The reason is…

“Sigh… I’m dreading another injection. How did I endure this when I was younger?”

I muttered, rubbing my stomach in front of the mirror.

I already have irregular periods and a weak uterus, and yet, here I am, the fool repeating that hardship.

Because I promised Aya and the kids we’d have another baby.

Honestly, I thought Hanae and Hazuki were enough, but Aya carefully expressed her wish for a third child. I said we would after I graduated.

And this is the result.

“I’m sorry, Rina.”
“Aya…”
“I’m sorry for putting you through this again because of my selfishness, but I’m really grateful that you’re going along with it.”
“Mmm, it’s okay, because it’s your wish, Aya.”

Fortunately, I didn’t have to struggle for half a year like last time.
Perhaps it’s because medical technology has improved, but after a month or two of difficult hormone adjustments and getting my body ready, it was over.
Now that the embryo transfer was successfully completed, the hospital strongly advised me to avoid stress at all costs.

But reality wasn’t that easy.

“Hanae! Hazuki! What is it now?”
“Hmph… Mommy~! You promised to take us to the amusement park for your birthday.”
“That’s right! You promised to go to the amusement park with Aya mommy!”
“Sigh… I did, didn’t I?”

Living life in a flurry, Hanae and Hazuki have already turned six (seven in Korean age).
Both are in kindergarten and are scheduled to enter Takamari Elementary School next year.
As the kids grew, we moved from our apartment near the university to a bigger house.

It’s a spacious and beautiful house near Takamari Academy, owned by the Yukikawa family… well, next to the main house.

Of course, this house is plenty big and beautiful, but compared to the Yukikawa main house, it’s a bit… modest.
Anyway, all this is in preparation for sending them to Takamari Elementary School!

More importantly than that, today was the day our family was going to the amusement park after a long time.

“Alright, girls. Are you ready?”
“Yay~!”
“Heehee~ Let’s go!”

Of course, since I’m in my early stages of pregnancy… and I don’t like thrilling or scary rides anyway, I definitely can’t ride those. (Though, I’m glad to have an excuse.)
Still, I can enjoy the atmosphere with the kids!

As we were about to get into the car driven by our usual security guard, Hanae tugged at my clothes and asked,

“Is Aunt Mizuki coming today too?”
“Yes, we agreed Aunt Mizuki would play with us today, right, Aya?”
“That’s right. Girls, Aunt Mizuki is coming with us today!”
“Yay~!”

The children cheered simultaneously.

But honestly… I’m a little worried about Mizuki.
I recently heard that her engagement with her long-time fiancé was called off.
Mizuki is pretending to be fine, but having been together for almost 10 years, I can’t imagine how she must feel.

Still, she’s only 27, which is considered marriageable age in Japan, so she still has time.
But, the Asakura family is even more conservative than the Yukikawa family, so it would be practically impossible for her to marry a woman like we did.

“Aya~ Rina~!”

As we waited at the entrance of U Amusement Park, a bright, familiar voice called out.
Turning around, I saw Mizuki waving at us with a bright smile.

We don’t call each other by nicknames like we did when we were young.
Still, whenever Mizuki calls our names cheerfully, memories of those days come flooding back.
It has already been 10 years since we met.

“Mizuki~~!”

Before I could wave back, Hanae and Hazuki let go of my hands and ran ahead.

“Auntie!”
“Aunt Mizuki…!”

The two children clung to Mizuki’s legs as if competing with each other.
Mizuki hugged them and smiled brightly.

“Heehee, my little ones~ You’ve grown again! Did you get along well with your friends at kindergarten?”

“Yes, I made a lot of friends!”

Hanae said with a proud expression,

“I’m… just average.”

Hazuki looked away, seemingly shy.
Come to think of it… They say Hazuki resembles Mizuki more than Aya.

“Oh, our Hazuki has a lot of friends too, right~?”

When Mizuki gently stroked Hazuki’s hair, Hazuki finally smiled a little.

“Mizuki, it’s been a while!”
“It’s so good to see you too, Rina. Aya, how have you been?”

“Yes, we’ve been well. It’s so nice to see you like this.”
“Right, right?”

Mizuki looked at the children again and said,

“Okay, shall we head into the amusement park? Auntie will play with you today~”
“Yay~!”
“Okay…”

With the children’s excited cheers, we passed through the entrance.

****

Watching Aya and Mizuki playing with the kids at the amusement park, I felt like I had gone back in time.
High school days… The always energetic and cheerful Mizuki, and Aya, who would get slightly swayed by her yet laugh happily.

It was so similar to those days.
I smiled unconsciously when Mizuki approached me, took my hand, and lightly shook it.

“Rina, let’s play together~ It’s no fun watching alone!”
“Ah, I can’t overdo it because I’m in the early stages of pregnancy.”

When I made an excuse, Mizuki glared at Aya.

“Aya, that’s not fair~ Making Rina work so hard all the time.”
“That’s…”
“It would have been nice if Aya did it this time?”
“Well… I’m busy with my research…”

When Mizuki playfully rebuked Aya, Aya smiled awkwardly.
Aya is currently working at the Aging Research Center, one of the Yukikawa Foundation’s key projects.
It’s considered humanity’s final frontier, so the Yukikawa Foundation is betting everything on it.

Moreover, Aya completed her doctoral program and obtained her medical license, but she’s currently putting her residency on hold to focus on her research.

As the heir to the Yukikawa family, she’s making serious preparations to inherit the family business.
I didn’t want to hold Aya back.
It was my choice to do this from the beginning.

“I volunteered. I didn’t want to burden Aya.”
“Rina… you need to think about your future too.”

Mizuki said worriedly, looking at me.

Actually, Mizuki also followed the elite course and graduated successfully.
After graduating from the Faculty of Law, she passed the notoriously difficult Japanese bar exam preliminary examination, bypassing law school altogether.
Passing the difficult exam with a mere 4% pass rate before even graduating from university made headlines in newspapers and broadcasts. Mizuki played an active role, taking on important tasks in the Asakura family.

Seeing even Mizuki look at me with such pity…
It’s not that hard for me, but am I making those around me worry…? Hehe.

“It’s okay, it was my choice!”

But Mizuki’s expression was a little strange.
She looked back and forth between Aya and me… then scratched her head slightly.

“I’m envious… Maybe I should look for a bride too.”
“Huh…? Mizuki, are you serious?”
“Yeah. Thanks to what Aya did, the mindset of people in prestigious families has changed a lot.”

Mizuki twirled her long hair with her fingers.

“These days, there’s talk that rather than taking in a groom, it’s a more attractive option for the daughters of the family to directly continue their lineage with a female partner. Especially in families struggling with succession issues, this trend is spreading.”

Ah…?
After Aya, the heir of the Yukikawa family, who only has daughters, received permission from the family to marry a woman and have children, it seems that this method is spreading among other upper-class families.

Especially with the disappearance of the traditional notion that “only men inherit the family business,” and the advancement of marriage and pregnancy technology between women, more and more families are choosing this new path.

There are even rumors spreading in Takamari Academy, where we graduated, that “isn’t being a lesbian just normal?”

“Mizuki… really?”
“I’m just keeping my options open~ Well, I don’t know yet. Heehee, my taste is a little picky.”

Mizuki said it jokingly, but… it didn’t sound like a joke.
Is there someone she has in mind?

I could feel the world changing.
And our family is at the center of that change.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine who Mizuki’s partner could be.

Mizuki has always had a lot of people around her since high school because of her cheerful and bright personality, but I’ve never seen anyone she truly liked.

Oh, um…!

I hope Mizuki, just like I met Aya, will meet someone who will warmly fill the space beside her and make her happy.