Regardless of everything else, the presence of the Gun Devil still felt strangely calm, almost too smooth.
After the messing around ended, both of them finally cleared their heads.
Asa and Cael slowly calmed down, slipping into a quiet state where neither of them felt like talking. No matter how fun something was, doing it constantly would always wear you out. Everyone needed time to cool down.
A few damp strands of hair clung to Asa's forehead. Her delicate face looked softer than usual, and somehow even more attractive.
She pressed herself against Cael's chest, then pulled out a tissue and wiped the sweat from the black silk glove on her right hand.
Winter had already passed. It was the season of renewal again. The temperature had clearly risen, and even a little movement made them sweat.
Asa raised her hands in front of her face and started counting on her fingers while whispering quietly.
"Lior Renn… Lior Haruto… Lior Yama… Lior Eren… Lior Rio… Lior Zane… "
Cael almost laughed.
"What are you even muttering about? You keep saying Lior over and over like it's some kind of spell."
"My indecisiveness is acting up again," she muttered. "You're the father, so you should choose the name."
She immediately passed the responsibility to Cael.
Ever since leaving the hospital, Asa had been searching online like crazy, trying to figure out how people chose names. She had already come up with more than a hundred names in a single day, but none of them felt right.
Unfortunately, Cael was even worse at naming things.
That was obvious from the time he tried naming Pochita.
He stayed silent for a moment. Besides, wasn't this way too early? The baby wouldn't even be born for another seven or eight months.
"Actually," Cael said, holding her gently, "if you don't know how to choose a name like that, why not just look at it differently? Why does the kid have to take my surname?"
Asa blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"It could take yours. Mitaka sounds perfectly fine."
Asa immediately gave him a look.
"But you're the father. In Japan, most children take their father's surname."
Cael frowned slightly. Asa's thinking was clearly influenced by the environment she grew up in.
"Asa, let's decide after the baby is born. If it's a boy, he takes my surname. If it's a girl, she takes yours."
"…Fine."
---
The next day passed quietly.
A busy day disappeared before anyone noticed, followed by the relaxed calm of the evening.
Reze still didn't get along with Makima, so she lived next door. To make things less awkward, Cael dragged her over every night for dinner.
In his opinion, people who ate together every day would eventually tolerate each other, whether they liked it or not.
Ever since he came clean to Asa, there were no more secrets between him, Asa, Reze, and Makima.
As long as he paid attention to their feelings, he could openly act close to all three of them now. No one had to pretend anymore, and none of them had to hide what they felt.
If one day all of them could stay together peacefully, that would honestly be perfect.
But one step at a time.
Tonight, Cael prepared a split-pot hotpot. Because of her condition, Asa insisted on something light, so the food was divided carefully.
There were dumplings they had all wrapped together earlier, fresh vegetables, tofu, and different hotpot ingredients arranged neatly on the table.
"Here, Asa. The dumplings are ready. Let them cool first before you eat them."
"Reze, this fried tofu turned out perfect. Try it before Makima steals it."
"Extra spicy udon noodles. Want some, shorty?" he added, glancing at Makima with a grin.
Cael had somehow become a master at time management.
He placed food into each of their bowls one after another, completely familiar with what each of them liked. At this point, he probably knew their preferences better than they did themselves.
Makima and Reze exchanged a quiet look and smiled.
Finally, they didn't need to pretend in front of Asa Mitaka anymore.
Both of them shifted closer to Cael. What was supposed to be a wide dining table now had four people squeezed onto one side.
"Thanks, cat-eating mouse. Let me feed you too," Makima said softly.
She took a small sip of sake, then pointed at her lips while looking straight at him.
"Want a taste, Cael? I just had a lollipop. It should taste pretty interesting."
"…You're both being way too enthusiastic," Cael muttered, already sweating.
Asa's expression tightened slightly.
So they weren't even trying to hide it anymore?
I'm pregnant, not dead.
Yes, she had already accepted them, but being this affectionate right in front of her was pushing it way too far.
She had to remind them who the original one was here.
Asa suddenly put down her chopsticks, grabbed Cael by the collar, and pulled him toward her.
Then she kissed him.
Deeply.
Makima and Reze froze at the same time.
A full minute later, Asa leaned back calmly, wiped her lips, and spoke like nothing had happened.
"Alright. That's enough. Everyone should eat properly. Don't waste the effort Cael put into this."
Makima and Reze exchanged another look, clearly surprised, but neither of them was actually bothered.
They were already used to this level of competition.
The atmosphere at the table slowly returned to normal.
Fifteen minutes later, Makima was the first to put down her chopsticks. She wiped her mouth elegantly and looked directly at Asa.
"Asa, you're not just one person anymore. You're going to be a mother."
Asa raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Makima smiled faintly.
"If you keep sleeping with Cael, and something goes wrong, it won't be good for the baby. So until the child is born, the two of you should sleep separately."
The room went silent.
"Asa can have her own room," Makima continued calmly. "Cael can sleep with me."
Asa froze.
She didn't expect Makima to say something that direct.
Cael stayed quiet. This was completely normal for Makima. Getting involved right now would only make things worse, so he decided to stay out of it and let them handle it themselves.
Asa looked conflicted.
Even if they didn't go that far anymore, she still didn't want to sleep separately from Cael. Even just holding him felt important now.
But Makima's words weren't entirely wrong either.
And honestly, Cael had become more and more dangerous lately. If he got any more charming, she might actually lose control one day.
Before Asa could answer, Reze crossed her arms and looked at Makima with a half-smile.
"Are you serious? Why would Cael sleep with you?"
Then she looked straight at him.
"Besides Asa, he obviously prefers me, right?"
Makima chuckled quietly. Her hand slowly brushed against the back of Cael's hand under the table.
"Woof?" she said softly.
Cael wiped the sweat off his forehead and immediately turned to Asa.
"So… what does Asa think?"
Asa smiled in satisfaction.
Even in a situation like this, he still asked her first.
She shrugged casually.
"If Reze and Makima sleep together, wouldn't that solve everything?"
"No way."
"No way!"
They answered at the same time.
Right then, a purple figure suddenly appeared across the table.
Fami tilted her head slightly and stared at the split-pot hotpot without blinking.
"If you can't decide," she said calmly, "then Cael should just sleep with me."