CHAPTER 88 - I WANT A BABY BROTHER
The hotel room was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
Kota sat on the edge of the bed with his arms crossed.
He stared at Max.
Then Noriko.
Then Max again.
Then Noriko again.
They were sitting together on the couch.
Their shoulders were touching.
Noriko was leaning slightly against Max.
Max was smiling at her.
They weren't arguing.
They weren't kissing.
They weren't doing anything exciting.
They were just…
Talking.
Kota narrowed his eyes.
"This is boring."
Max looked over.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Noriko smiled.
"You seem disappointed."
"I'm not disappointed."
Kota looked away.
"I just thought something more interesting would happen after Dad finally got Mommy."
Noriko's face immediately turned red.
"Kota!"
Max covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"What did I say?"
"You know exactly what you said."
Kota shrugged.
"I'm just being supportive."
"Supportive of what?"
"Your relationship."
Max sighed.
"You're six."
"And?"
"You shouldn't even know what you're talking about."
Kota looked at him with complete confidence.
"Actually, I know a lot."
Noriko blinked.
"A lot?"
Kota nodded.
"I've been reading manga online."
Max stared at him.
"What kind of manga?"
Kota suddenly looked suspicious.
"Educational manga."
Noriko tilted her head.
"Educational?"
"Yes."
"What did you learn?"
Kota puffed out his chest.
"Romance."
Max nearly choked.
"ROMANCE?!"
Kota nodded.
"I'm basically a romantic expert."
Noriko covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"You're six years old."
"Exactly."
"That doesn't make you an expert."
"It does because I have experience watching other people."
Max rubbed his forehead.
"That's not how experience works."
Kota ignored him.
"I know exactly what couples are supposed to do."
Noriko looked at Max.
"Should we be worried?"
"Very."
Kota jumped off the bed.
"I'm going downstairs."
Max immediately pointed at him.
"Don't go outside the hotel."
"I know."
"And stay somewhere around the lobby, restaurant, or game area."
"I know."
"And don't talk to strangers."
"I know!"
Kota rolled his eyes.
"Dad, I'm not stupid."
Max sighed.
"I know you're not. I'm just reminding you."
Kota had been allowed to move around the hotel by himself because Max was still nearby, the hotel staff knew him, and Kota wasn't actually leaving the property. He could use the elevator to visit the lobby, the hotel restaurant, or the small game area, then come straight back.
Max had also made him promise to call if he needed anything.
Kota gave him a thumbs-up.
"Don't worry."
He walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
He slowly looked back.
"I'm leaving for one hour."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you announcing it?"
"So you know."
"Okay…"
Kota smiled.
"Enjoy your alone time."
Noriko's face became red.
"Kota!"
He laughed and ran out.
The door closed.
Silence.
Noriko looked at Max.
Max looked at Noriko.
Then they both laughed.
"Your son is something else," Noriko said.
"He's been something else since the day I met him."
Noriko smiled.
"I missed that."
"What?"
"Being around you two."
Her voice became softer.
"I missed this feeling."
Max looked at her.
"What feeling?"
Noriko leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Home."
Max's smile faded into something softer.
He gently rested his head against hers.
"I missed it too."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They simply sat there.
Together.
Noriko eventually smiled.
"Do you remember the bookstore?"
Max laughed.
"How could I forget?"
"You used to fall asleep while organizing the shelves."
"I did not."
"You did."
"I was resting my eyes."
"You were snoring."
"I don't snore."
Noriko lifted her head.
"You snored so loudly that I thought someone was moving furniture."
Max stared at her.
"That is completely made up."
She laughed.
"No, it isn't."
"Okay, maybe I snored once."
"Once?"
"Twice."
Noriko smiled.
"You always looked so tired."
"I was."
"You were always working."
"And you were always telling me to take a break."
"Because you never listened."
Max looked at her.
"You always worried about me."
"Of course I did."
Noriko gently touched his hand.
"I loved you even then."
Max became quiet.
Noriko looked down.
"I don't think I ever stopped."
Max slowly intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Me neither."
She smiled.
"I remember when you first brought Kota to the bookstore."
Max laughed.
"He was tiny."
"And terrified."
"He wouldn't let go of my shirt."
"He looked at me like I was a stranger."
"You were."
Noriko playfully hit his arm.
"Hey."
Max laughed.
"But he eventually liked you."
"He did."
"He really did."
Noriko's smile became warm.
"I remember holding him."
She looked toward the empty space beside them.
"I remember thinking…"
"What?"
"I wanted more days like that."
Max looked at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was scared."
"Of my family?"
"Of losing you."
She squeezed his hand.
"I thought if I stayed, they'd hurt you."
Max turned toward her.
"You should have trusted me."
"I know."
Noriko smiled sadly.
"But I was young."
"So was I."
"We were both idiots."
"Definitely."
They laughed.
Meanwhile…
Kota was walking through the hotel lobby.
He stopped beside a large decorative plant.
He pulled out his phone.
He opened his manga app.
He had been secretly reading romance manga online for quite some time.
Kota scrolled through his saved titles.
"Hmm…"
He nodded seriously.
"This is advanced stuff."
He remembered the countless romantic scenes he'd seen.
Couples going on dates.
Couples holding hands.
Couples getting caught alone together.
Couples accidentally falling asleep beside each other.
Kota had studied them all.
He had even developed his own theory.
"If you leave a couple alone…"
He raised one finger.
"They will become romantic."
He raised another.
"If you give them flowers…"
Another finger.
"They will become more romantic."
Another.
"If you give them privacy…"
Kota smiled.
"Baby."
He stopped.
His eyes widened.
"Wait."
He looked around.
"No."
He shook his head.
"Not baby."
He thought about it.
"Actually…"
His eyes sparkled.
"Baby."
Kota immediately shook his head again.
"Okay, okay. Calm down."
He put his hands on his cheeks.
"I just want a baby."
He smiled.
"A baby brother would be cool."
He imagined himself carrying a baby.
Then the baby crying.
Then the baby grabbing his hair.
His smile disappeared.
"Maybe not."
He thought again.
"A baby brother who thinks I'm cool."
He nodded.
"Yeah. That's better."
Kota looked at the time.
"One hour."
He grinned.
"Time for phase two."
He bought some chocolates from the hotel shop.
Then flowers.
Then a small stuffed bear.
He carried everything upstairs.
He placed the flowers beside the hotel room door.
Then the chocolates.
Then the stuffed bear.
He knocked.
"Dad!"
The door opened.
Max looked down.
"What is this?"
Kota smiled innocently.
"A gift."
"For what?"
"For being in love."
Max looked at Noriko.
Noriko's face became bright red.
"Kota…"
Kota pushed the chocolates into Max's hands.
"Enjoy."
Then he ran.
Max stared after him.
"What is wrong with that kid?"
Noriko laughed.
"He's trying to help."
"He's trying to kill me."
Kota hid around the corner.
He peeked.
"Come on…"
He waited.
Nothing happened.
Max and Noriko simply went back inside.
Kota frowned.
"This is harder than the manga."
He thought for a moment.
Then another idea came.
He ran downstairs.
A few minutes later, he returned.
He knocked.
"Dad!"
Max opened the door.
"What?"
"I'm going to the hotel game area."
"Okay."
"I'll be gone for two hours."
Max looked at him.
"Two?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I need to play."
"Okay. Just stay inside the hotel."
"I will."
Kota looked at Noriko.
"Have fun too."
Noriko immediately understood.
"Kota…"
He ran away.
This time, he actually went to the hotel game area.
He played for a while.
Then he looked at the clock.
Thirty minutes.
"Too soon."
He played again.
Another thirty minutes.
"One hour."
Kota stood up.
He stretched.
"Perfect."
He went back upstairs.
He opened the hotel room door.
"I'm back!"
Silence.
Kota looked around.
Max and Noriko were sitting on the floor.
Both were holding a book.
Kota blinked.
"What are you doing?"
Max looked up.
"Oh, you're back."
Noriko smiled.
"We were reading."
"Reading?"
"Yeah."
Kota looked at the book.
It was a children's storybook.
"The Princess and the Dragon?"
Noriko nodded.
"We found it here."
Kota stared at them.
"You've been alone for an hour…"
"Yes."
"And this is what you did?"
Max nodded.
"Pretty much."
Kota slowly looked at the ceiling.
Are they six years old?
Max suddenly stood up.
"I shall rescue you, Princess!"
Noriko immediately laughed.
"You're the dragon!"
"I'm the dragon?"
"Yes."
Max grabbed a pillow.
"Then prepare yourself!"
Noriko grabbed another pillow.
"You'll never capture me!"
Max dramatically pointed at her.
"ROAR!"
Noriko screamed.
"AHHH!"
Kota stood there.
Completely speechless.
He slowly sat on the bed.
I left them alone for an hour.
An entire hour.
And instead of making a baby, they became six-year-olds.
Max raised the pillow.
"I demand the princess!"
Noriko held up her pillow like a shield.
"You'll never get me!"
Kota covered his face.
This is not how the manga works.
Noriko suddenly looked at him.
"Kota, do you want to join us?"
"No."
Max laughed.
"Why?"
"Because I'm embarrassed."
Noriko laughed.
"You're the one who told us to spend time together."
"Yeah, but not like this."
Max smiled.
"You're the romance expert."
Kota froze.
"Exactly."
Noriko smiled.
"So what did your manga teach you?"
Kota became serious.
"Romantic couples are supposed to spend time together."
"We are."
"They're supposed to have dates."
"We already did that."
"They're supposed to hold hands."
Max and Noriko looked at their intertwined hands.
They smiled.
"We're doing that too."
Kota frowned.
"They're supposed to…"
He stopped.
He suddenly realized he had run out of ideas.
Max raised an eyebrow.
"Supposed to what?"
Kota looked away.
"Nothing."
Noriko laughed.
"You don't have to make us do anything."
Kota looked at her.
"Why?"
Noriko gently leaned against Max.
"Because I'm already happy."
Max smiled.
"So am I."
Kota stared at them.
They weren't doing anything dramatic.
They weren't acting like the couples in his manga.
They were just sitting together.
Talking.
Laughing.
Holding hands.
And somehow…
They looked happier than any couple he'd ever seen in a story.
Kota smiled.
"Okay."
He climbed onto the bed.
"But…"
Max looked at him.
"What?"
Kota pulled the blanket over himself.
"You better make Mommy stay."
Noriko's expression softened.
Max looked at Noriko.
He reached for her hand.
"I will."
Noriko squeezed his fingers.
"I want to stay."
Kota smiled.
"Good."
He closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
"One more thing."
"What?"
Kota looked at both of them.
"If you ever have a baby…"
Noriko's face immediately became red.
"Kota!"
"What?"
Max started laughing.
Kota grinned.
"I want a baby brother."
Noriko covered her face.
"You really have no filter."
"It's important."
Max laughed.
"We'll see."
Kota smiled.
"Okay."
He closed his eyes again.
For the first time that day, he wasn't plotting anything.
He was simply happy.
His dad was happy.
Noriko was happy.
And maybe…
That was enough.
Until—
A deep engine sound echoed outside.
Kota's eyes opened.
"What was that?"
Max looked toward the window.
Noriko stood up.
The three of them walked toward the glass.
Down below, a long, luxurious black car slowly entered the hotel driveway.
It was unlike any ordinary car.
The polished body reflected the hotel lights.
The driver stepped out.
He walked around the vehicle.
Then opened the rear door.
A man stepped out.
Kota's smile disappeared.
Max's expression changed.
Noriko quietly grabbed his hand.
"Who is that?"
The man stood beside the luxury car.
He looked up toward the hotel.
For a brief moment…
It felt like he was looking directly at their window.
Kota swallowed.
"Dad…"
Max didn't answer.
The man adjusted his coat.
Then walked toward the hotel entrance.
Kota stared.
"I suddenly don't feel like this is part of the romance manga anymore."
Max's grip tightened around Noriko's hand.
Neither of them spoke.
The peaceful night had suddenly changed.
Someone had arrived.
And judging by the car waiting outside…
He wasn't someone who had come here by accident.
CHAPTER END