Kazuki's Younger Sister (Family Arc)

Nakayama Miyuki and Nakagawa Takako pressed their palms together and recited a Buddhist invocation.

Nakayama Hayao turned around, his brow easing as a smile appeared on his face, which had been stern for years.

The delivery room door was pushed open from within.

A nurse walked out, removed her mask, and smiled.

"Congratulations, everyone. The mother delivered safely. It's a healthy girl. Both mother and daughter are safe, and every assessment indicator received full marks."

Nakayama Takuya let out a long breath, the tension in his nerves finally easing.

"How is my wife?"

"The mother is greatly exhausted and is undergoing postpartum examinations and wound suturing. The baby is having her airway cleared and being weighed. They will be transferred to a VIP room shortly."

Kazuki raised his head from Takuya's arms.

"Dad, it's a little sister."

"That's right, a little sister." Nakayama Takuya pinched his son's cheek.

Eight in the morning.

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains into the VIP room, bathing its furnishings in warm hues.

Eri lay on the hospital bed. Her face was pale, but she was surprisingly alert.

An IV tube was connected to the back of her hand, delivering nutrients.

A crib stood beside the bed, and inside lay a tiny baby swaddled in a pink blanket.

The elders gathered around the crib, speaking in hushed voices.

"Her eyes and brows look more like Eri's. Look at those long eyelashes." Nakagawa Takako examined her closely.

"Her nose looks like Takuya's—high and straight. The Nakayama family genes can't be wrong." Nakayama Hayao held firmly to his opinion.

Nakayama Takuya sat by the bed, holding Eri's hand.

"You've worked hard."

Eri looked at him and shook her head.

"Have you decided on a name?" she asked.

"We'll go with what we discussed before. Miki.