Seeing how calm Kanae was, Tetsu no Sosuke gradually relaxed. He held her hand and talked with her.
They had barely talked for a few minutes when Shinobu Kocho rushed in. "I'm here! I'm here! How is she?"
But when she entered, she found the two of them sitting there as if nothing were wrong. For a moment, she was bewildered. "Kiyo Terauchi told me Older Sister was about to give birth."
"I think she is..." Tetsu no Sosuke nodded.
Kanae rolled her eyes at them both. "Stop talking nonsense..."
Then she frowned and said to Tetsu no Sosuke, "You should go outside."
"Huh?" Tetsu no Sosuke started toward the door in a daze, then asked, "What am I going out for?"
"Boil water," Kanae said. "And send Kiyo Terauchi in to help."
Only then did Tetsu no Sosuke realize this probably wasn't a drill.
He hurriedly sent Kiyo Terauchi inside and went to boil water... but where was he supposed to do that?
After searching for ages, he finally found the kitchen. He poured water into a pot, his mind still back in the room, and stood there in a daze.
Then he realized he hadn't washed the pot. He hurriedly poured the water back out, scrubbed it, and filled it again to boil.
He boiled a huge pot of water and brought it to the bedroom door. From inside came Kanae's low, pained groans.
Tetsu no Sosuke's heart clenched.
She was the Flower Pillar!
She had fought countless battles. When had she ever cried out in pain?
Yet even she couldn't hold back her cries now. Childbirth must have hurt more than he could imagine.
With the water boiled, all Tetsu no Sosuke could do was stand outside the door and practice his iron-head technique against the wall.