Chapter 88: Making an important announcement to her parents

Making an important announcement to her parents

I woke up to a sweet fragrance filling the air.

Opening my eyes, I found myself staring at the familiar ceiling of my room.

From the edge of my vision, a short-haired beauty with chestnut hair peeked in. She had a playful expression, smiling brightly.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“…I set the alarm though.”

“I just woke up early. It’s still just past noon.”

“What time did you wake up, Aya?”

“Hmm? Just a while ago.”

I decided not to comment on whether that counted as waking up early.

Yesterday was busy with the graduation ceremony and most importantly, I wanted Aya to get enough sleep.

“Is 3 o’clock okay for the visit?”

“Yeah, so you can sleep more if you want. Maybe we should skip today altogether?”

Aya, with a worried expression and a furrowed brow, looked somewhat like a mother figure.

Given that I collapsed from exhaustion after yesterday’s graduation ceremony, she must be worried about that.

“No, I think it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.”

“Okay, I understand.”

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She squatted down, propped herself up on her elbows and stared at me intently. She seemed a bit serious, perhaps nervous.

On her left ring finger, a silver ring sparkled.

“Aya, everything will be fine.”

I turned towards her and met her gaze. I smiled reassuringly and Aya smiled back in the same way.

“I know.”

The synchronized heartbeat felt through our clasped hands calmed both of us down.

Today, we’re going to announce Aya’s pregnancy.

“Boyan, this jacket would look better. My dad really liked you in this one”, Aya suggested, holding up a black jacket from the closet in front of me.

“Yeah, this one definitely feels more like me.”

While Aya was somewhat attached to the brown-colored jacket, she ultimately decided that black was the better choice overall. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Underneath the jacket was a cream-colored knit sweater, paired with jeans. It struck a good balance between casual and formal.

After about twenty minutes, Aya’s fully coordinated outfit was complete.

She looked at me with a pleased expression, nodding approvingly.

“Aya, your outfit looks so cute and totally suits you.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Aya’s joyful smile was undeniably adorable.

Lately, she’s been more accepting of compliments like this without getting embarrassed.

She was wearing a white sweater and jeans, matching my outfit. According to her, it’s an effective choice of clothing for her dad.

I don’t know how effective it is, but having Aya pick out my clothes like this makes it feel like we’re newlyweds. I hope we can continue this in the future.

“It looks like yesterday was the last time I’ll see you in your school uniform”, she remarked, squinting at my blazer hanging on the wall.

“Sometimes, I could wear it.”

“Yeah! Let’s have a uniform date!”

“I want to hold you in your uniform.”

When I expressed my true feelings, Aya let out a sigh that seemed both exasperated and amused.

“Boyan, you’re such a perv.”

“Is that bad?”

“…Just occasionally.”

She sounded both exasperated and bashful.

To distract from the fact that I was getting aroused, I put on a gentle smile.

“Anyway, should we have lunch… or rather, brunch? Aya, are you hungry? I can make something if you’re not feeling up to it.”

“Oh, I already ate. Kaede-san and I made something for you earlier.”

“…Is there rolled omelette?”

“Hehe, there is.”

I was delighted. The homemade rolled omelette I had at Aya’s parents’ house instantly became my favorite dish.

“Eating it on such an important day feels like a good omen.”

“Hehehe, you think so?”

Just seeing Aya’s pleased expression as she’s praised for her cooking is enough to make me happy.

- - - - -

Sister and I had a delicious brunch together, then we headed to Aya’s house, feeling like we were going to the battlefield, which was a ten-minute walk away.

Aya’s mother, with a beaming smile, led us to the Japanese-style room next to the living room on the first floor. I had never seen this room being used before, but it seemed appropriate for such occasions.

“Aya already told her mother.”

“Oh, I see.”

That meant her father was hearing this for the first time.

However, from designating the Japanese-style room and letting her brother Hiroto stay upstairs, her father must have sensed that there was something more important to announce than marriage or cohabitation.

As Aya and I sat down in seiza, her father arrived promptly.

“Oh, Boyan, congratulations on your graduation.”

“Thank you.”

Sitting opposite us at the low table, her father had an air of dignity. His stern yet trendy actor-like face seemed even more pronounced than usual.

Aya’s mother, sitting beside him, had a smile on her face but seemed somewhat nervous.

Normally, this would be a heart-pounding moment.

But I looked calmly and resolutely at her father.

“We’ve come today to tell you, Mom and Dad, something important.”

As I was about to continue, Aya touched my arm gently. I looked up at her.

—It’s okay, let me say it.

Her eyes pleaded with me. There was conviction in them.

I believed her and nodded slightly.

“Well, you see, Boyan… and I… are expecting a baby.”

“Wha… really?”

Her father furrowed his brow deeply and widened his eyes. He stared at Aya’s stomach, then looked at me and asked, “Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…I see.”

Her father lowered his gaze to the table and clasped his hands tightly, freezing in place. Was he angry? Normally, if a student impregnated someone during school and caused a pregnancy, he might even get punched.

But even if that were the case, we had to get his approval.

“Aya and I will take responsibility for the child and make sure they’re happy. We’ve found a place where I can work while attending university. There won’t be any financial issues. We’ll share childcare and housework. I won’t let her suffer or feel lonely.”

For this reason, I had been working my butt off this winter.

Looking at Aya’s mother, who widened her eyes and whispered, “That’s amazing”, I realized that her father was still looking down.

Eventually, a low, strained voice echoed.

“That… sounds about right… because it’s you, Boyan.”

“I’ll work hard at childcare and housework too and I’ll definitely go to university”, said Aya with her eyes welling up, but she still looked straight at her father. Her father looked at her and then lowered his gaze again.

“Aya knows… various things. But she’s still young… is it okay for her to…?”

His low voice became even more imposing, like a lion about to pounce.

But Aya remained composed and smiled calmly at her father.

“Yeah… I’m okay. Because Boyan is with me.”

“…I see.”

Her father looked at me again. His gaze sharpened and his clenched fist trembled.

I braced myself, thinking he might finally hit me.

A brief silence ensued. The fist I expected didn’t come flying. Instead…

“I see… so that’s how it is.”

Trembling, he shed tears while looking down.

I was speechless at the sight of tears from someone I’d never seen cry before.

“No, I never imagined… something like this… would happen… so soon…”

His trembling voice contained the sadness of seeing his daughter leave and various emotions that a kid like me couldn’t understand. But what came through the most was an indescribable joy.

“Damn it… so Boyan… we’re getting a new family member?”

His words made me feel like my tear ducts were about to burst. I wanted to become a family not only with this person but also with her mother and Hiroto.

The fact that he said ‘us’ filled me with immense joy.

“I’ll rely on you, Boyan… to make Aya happy.”

It seemed like his way of confirming before acknowledging it. Making Aya happy. That’s a given. I want to do more…

“I’ll keep Aya smiling.”

Father let out a deep sigh. Mother, sitting beside him with a smile, shed tears as well. They were warm-hearted people. I felt truly fortunate to become a part of this family.

“I-I will too…”

Aya, biting her lower lip, had tears welling up in her eyes as well.

“I’ll make Boyan happy too.”

“I see… then I’m relieved.”

Finally, Father collapsed onto the table, bursting into tears.

Mother gently stroked Father’s shoulder, giving us a nod. It felt like we were being given permission to leave, so I looked at Aya.

Aya nodded and she pulled me up by my arm.

As we closed the sliding doors of the tatami room, we could hear sobs we had never heard before coming from inside.

Ah, I realized it was probably done to let her Father cry freely.

Being pulled along by Aya, we stepped outside from the entrance and she turned around with swollen eyes.

“Thank you, Boyan… I’ve never seen Father like that before. I heard he was emotional, but I never imagined he’d cry tears of joy like that…”

“Yeah… I was prepared to get punched, honestly.”

“Heh, that’s not something Father would do. He always said you were like another son to him.”

“Is that so?”

I was on the verge of tears upon hearing this unexpected revelation.

“You can go home now. We’ll probably be comforting Father all night long.”

“I see…”

I still didn’t understand how a father felt, having his daughter get married and even having a child. But someday, I hope I can share in those feelings.

“Should we tell Hiroto?”

“Oh, well, Hiroto will be fine. I’ll casually tell him.”

“Is that okay? Just like that?”

“Probably… he might have already heard from Mother.”

“I see.”

As we stepped out onto the street from the entrance,

“Then, will you come to school tomorrow… or not? I’ll come by to say hi again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting… Oh, right, Boyan.”

“Hmm?”

“From now on, is it okay if I call you Ryuji?”

“Huh, why all of a sudden?”

Being called by my first name by Aya was something to celebrate, but…

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now… You haven’t been spacing out lately and I thought, since we’re going to be married, it’s sort of… like a closure… I want to call you that too… I’ve been thinking…”

For some reason, Aya was getting more and more embarrassed.

“Of course, I’m happy.”

“I see, then from now on, I’ll call you Ryuji. … Ryuji-kun or just Ryuji?”

Ryuji or Ryuji-kun… Honestly, I’d be happy with either.

“If possible, I’d like you to use both.”

“That’s complicated~ Well then, Ryuji it is!”

“Yeah, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Ryu… Ryuji!”

It might take a while to get used to being called Ryuji.

Waving goodbye to her, I walked toward the shopping street.

We had to decide on a new home for the three of us soon. We already had a property in mind.

There were various things to do, like completing the university enrollment procedures, preparing for Aya’s pregnancy and getting the work I’m currently helping with on track. The tasks were piling up. But…

“It’s okay, there’s no problem.”

For some reason, I was convinced of that.

I clenched my fist in my pocket and continued walking at the same pace as always.