Pregnant (Romance Plot)

After ending his call with Director Takahashi, Nakayama Takuya glanced at the time; it was just past the end of the workday. He picked up the Jurassic Park book he hadn't finished reading and drove home.

As soon as I entered, I smelled a rich miso aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Takuya hung his coat on the coat rack, strolled to the doorway of the open kitchen, and gently wrapped his arms around Eri, who was busy at work, from behind.

"It smells so good! What delicious food did Eri make today?"

"Stop fooling around, it'll be ready soon." Eri turned her head to let Takuya kiss her cheek, then turned back to focus on the food in the pot.

Takuya chuckled, satisfied, and sat down on the sofa. He turned on the TV, which happened to be showing NHK's "The Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water".

Watching Nadia and Jean's adventure on the screen, he began to ponder again.

Hideaki Anno is probably watching TV right now, seeing the ratings soar, but feeling frustrated that he only received a pitiful amount of production funding.

Just as he was mourning Gaina's lost banknotes, a sharp "clang" suddenly came from the kitchen, like a spatula falling onto the stove.

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly pulled Takuya back to reality.

He immediately stood up and rushed over, "Eri? What happened?"

Eri was seen leaning against the kitchen counter with one hand and covering her mouth with the other, gagging incessantly over the sink, her pretty face flushed red.

"What's wrong?" Takuya, and he quickly stepped forward to support her, gently stroking her back. "Did you eat something bad?"

Eri shook her head uncomfortably, dry heaving for a while, but nothing came out. She hadn't even eaten dinner yet, and her stomach was completely empty.

After a while, her complexion regained some color.

Takuya quickly poured her a glass of warm water, helped her to the sink to rinse her mouth, and then let her sit down on the sofa.

"I just smelled miso soup and suddenly felt nauseous." Eri leaned back on the sofa, still a little weak, her voice soft. "I didn't eat anything strange today—"

As she spoke, she subconsciously looked up at Takuya, and the moment their eyes met, Eri's words came to an abrupt halt.

She seemed to suddenly remember something; a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, followed by surprise and doubt, which finally turned into a blush on her face.

The only sound in the room was the background noise from the cartoon on the TV.

Watching her ever-changing expression, Takuya's heart pounded with anxiety. "What's wrong? Don't scare me."

Eri's lips moved slightly, her gaze darting away, and her hand unconsciously tightened around the hem of her clothes.

After several seconds, she finally uttered a sentence in a voice barely audible.

"Takuya, it seems like it's already more than two months late."

Boom!

Takuya's mind went completely blank, as if struck by lightning.

The CPU that was just running at full speed, checking for various possibilities such as food poisoning and gastroenteritis, has now burned out.

More than two months?

Dry heaving?

Does the smell make you nauseous?

These keywords frantically combined in his mind, and finally, with a "ding," they pieced together an answer that made his heart stop beating.

His eyes widened suddenly, his gaze slowly moving down from Eri's face, which held a hint of pride and shyness, to her still flat stomach.

The next second, an indescribable surge of joy shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head!

Am I going to be a dad?!

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his throat was blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He grabbed Eri's hand and turned to leave, saying, "No, we need to go to the hospital now!"

Eri quickly grabbed his arm, her cheeks still flushed, but her tone carried a hint of helpless reproach, "What's the rush? The food's just finished cooking."

"What's the point of eating! What if—" Takuya was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but then he felt it was an ominous sign and swallowed the words back.

"That's precisely why we need to eat," Eri gently pulled her hand away from his, pointed to her still flat stomach, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Even if I can manage, the baby still needs to eat."

In one sentence, Nakayama Takuya was frozen in place.

Baby-

The word seemed to possess a magical power, instantly soothing all his anxiety.

He stared blankly at Eri, then at the pot of miso soup emitting an innocent aroma, and finally gave in.

He followed Eri back to the kitchen, watching her like a supervisor as she ladled out the last of the dishes.

Eri didn't cook many dishes, but they were all light and delicious. Takuya picked up his spoon, carefully reserved a Oguchi miso soup, tasted it, and found it to be very mild in salt, which put his mind at ease.

"Let me call the hospital first." He strode into the living room, took out his phone from his briefcase, and skillfully dialed the nearest Sugiyama Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital to schedule an expedited check-up for the evening.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was completely different from usual.

Eri ate her food in Oguchi Oguchi, and her appetite seemed to have improved considerably.

Takuya, however, had little appetite. He shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, then rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at Eri's belly, as if trying to see through everything with his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, I can't eat anymore." Eri felt embarrassed by his gaze and put down her chopsticks.

"I'm thinking, what should we name our child?" Takuya's thoughts were already starting to wander.

Eri was both amused and exasperated. She picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, "Hurry up and eat. It's not even close to happening yet."

The two bickered while meticulously counting down the days, and the more they counted, the faster Takuya's heart beat.

The meal ended in a wonderful atmosphere.

Takuya couldn't wait any longer and drove Eri straight to Sugiyama Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.

The hour spent waiting for the test results felt like an eternity to Takuya.

He paced back and forth in the corridor, Eri, while Eri sat quietly on the bench, holding his hand and offering him silent comfort.

Finally, the door to the examination room opened.

The older doctor adjusted his glasses, a smile spreading across his face. He looked at the report, then at the nervous young couple before him, and said gently, "Mr. and Mrs. Nakayama, congratulations. Mrs. Nakayama is eight weeks pregnant, and the baby is very healthy."

Boom!

Takuya felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his blood was boiling!

He clenched his fist tightly, then immediately released it, pulling Eri into his arms. He was so excited that he couldn't utter a word, only able to keep grinning foolishly.

Eri's eyes also reddened. Leaning against her husband's strong chest, she felt his rapid heartbeat and was filled with immense happiness.

The two thanked the doctor repeatedly, and as they walked out of the hospital, the evening breeze on their faces finally gave Takuya a sense of reality.

He eagerly pulled out his phone and dialed the number for the Nakayama family.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered; it was my mother, Nakayama Miyuki.

"Takuya? What's wrong so late?" His mother's voice came through the receiver.

"It's me!" Takuya's voice trembled with excitement. "You—you're going to be a grandmother! Eri is pregnant!"

Silence fell instantly on the other end of the phone.

A full five seconds passed before a high-pitched scream exploded from the receiver, "What did you say?! Really?!"

"Really! The doctor just checked, I'm eight weeks along!"

"Oh my god!" Nakayama Miyuki's voice was filled with ecstatic joy, followed by a series of unquestionable commands, "You two, now, immediately, move back to the mansion! How can your little apartment be enough! You're a grown man, clumsy and awkward..."

How could you possibly take care of a pregnant woman! Keiko! Keiko! Quickly go and clean up the biggest suite on the east side! Yes, the one facing the sun!

Takuya could even hear the surprised and delighted voice of the old maid, Nakayama Keiko, on the other end of the phone.

Before hanging up, Nakayama Miyuki sternly reminded him, "Don't forget to tell your parents-in-law the good news! Such a big event can't be treated with disrespect!"

Takuya agreed, and Fumi dialed the Nakagawa family's number.

The person who answered the phone was Nakagawa Takako, Takuya's mother. After she understood what had happened, her joy was palpable. Takuya quickly handed the phone to Eri.

The mother and daughter chatted for a while. When Nakagawa Takako learned that her future mother-in-law would personally take care of her daughter, she was deeply moved. Finally, she carefully instructed Eri: "When you get to the Nakayama family, you must not take their favor for granted. You must be even more filial to your parents-in-law, understand?"

Eri blushed and agreed to everything. She then spoke a few more words with her father before hanging up the phone.

As Takuya's car slowly drove into the brightly lit mansion, he could see his mother, Nakayama Miyuki, anxiously waiting at the entrance, with the kind-faced old maid Keiko, standing beside her.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Nakayama Miyuki rushed over, completely ignoring her son who was carrying luggage. She grabbed Eri's hand, who had just gotten out of the car, and looked her up and down, saying repeatedly, "Oh, Eri, you're finally back! Come in, it's windy outside. Are you hungry? Keiko made you some bird's nest soup to warm you up."

Takuya followed behind, watching Eri surrounded by her mother and Keiko like a star being fawned over. He shook his head helplessly, but instead of feeling disappointed, he couldn't stop smiling.

He knew that starting tonight, the Nakayama family would enter a brand new and extraordinary era.