Yeah, yeah.
Hmm?　What's the matter, Fuyuka?

　I've been following my daughter crawling in a straight line towards the window with my eyes as Tsuzuri followed her. It is always a good-tempered girl, but today she is extremely excited. It's a good idea to have a dream about this.
　Last night, she dreamed of her son who had died. And he was accompanied by his nine wives. Although it was my dream, I was dumbfounded by the unexpected setting. Too many, I thought. All of them were good kids, though.
　When I told this story to my husband, he was amazed, 'I had the same dream myself. When we told each other in detail about the dream we both had, we could only assume that we had the exact same dream for all intents and purposes. It's a strange thing for a couple to have the same dream together.
　I wonder if this phenomenon happened because we work at the same house and have the same rhythm of life.
　In Spelling's case, she doesn't think too much about it, so she only accepted the fact that she had a 'strange dream,' but her husband is still thinking about it.

''Hmm, this is some kind of suggestion from the spirit world........ No, if that Fuyu-kun is an astral body in the first place........''

　
　Nevertheless, it was a very clear dream. I guess it's called a lucid dream. My daughter, Fuyuka, also appeared in that dream. It's a good idea to have the same dream for young children.

No way.

　Spelling shook his head, dismissing the idea. That's indeed not true. I'd like to be sure, but there's no way to check that with Fuyuka as a baby.
　That Fuyuka is holding onto the window frame and banging on the sweeping window that leads out to the garden. Does it want me to open it? The lower part of the window is frosted glass, so you can't see the garden from Fuyuka's eye level. Maybe she wants to see the garden.

'What is it?　Do you want to go outside?
Dah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Wang Wang?

　As Spelling tilts his head at his daughter's unfamiliar pronunciation, he says from outside the window, 'Uh-huh! I heard a small voice say.
　When Tsuji stood up and approached the window, he saw a puppy sitting in the yard, behaving well. It was a beautiful, white puppy. As a breed, it looks like a Siberian Husky puppy, but it's a little different. Is it a hybrid breed?

Da-u-wan-wan!
Yeah, doggie.
　
　Finally understanding what her daughter is saying, the mother opens the window with a carapace. Seeing her daughter trying to charge in immediately, she hurriedly picked up Fuyuka in her arms. I don't want her to get mud all over her baby clothes in the morning.

''Wah, wah!''
Okay, okay, okay, I understand.

　I take Winterflower in my arms, put on my sandals and go out into the yard. The puppy sat still and didn't move a bit. I'm not going to be able to get it right. Normally, when a puppy of this age, it would run around showing interest in everything.

See, it's a doggie!
Wow!
Uhh!

　The pup barked softly as he answered Fuyuka. Tsuji bent down with Fuyuka in his arms, reached out and stroked the puppy's head. The pup didn't even run away and was being petted honestly.

''You're quite accustomed to people, aren't you? Do you own a dog somewhere?

　He tried to dodge the hair around his neck, but there was nothing that looked like a collar. There was no evidence of a collar on it, so Tsuji thought it might be a lost dog.

'Kuhn.'

　The puppy rubbed his head against Spelling's hand and spoiled it. Not good. This is not good. He's not as cute as my daughter, but he's cute.

'Huh?　Spell, what's wrong with that puppy?
Ah, Fuyuichiro-san. You look like a stray dog.

　I turn around and see my husband leaning out the window and peeking at me. He quickly puts on his sandals and comes down to the yard.
　My husband is a dog lover. Spelling is a dog lover as well, but he doesn't have a dog. He once tried to get a puppy born at a friend's place, but for some reason the puppy frightened him, hated him, and wouldn't come close to him, so he gave up. Three times.

'Kuhn?'

　Because of this, he had given up on getting a dog, but for some reason, he missed this boy. For Spelling, who is frightened of the puppy, this seemed to be fate.
　It can't be a coincidence that he appeared the morning after he dreamed of his dead son. (It certainly wasn't a coincidence.)
　The thought that perhaps this dog was the reincarnation of his son crossed my mind, but as if to deny it, the puppy buzzed its head frantically to the side. .........maybe not.

''Fuyuichiro-san, can't we get this puppy at home?
Hmmm, it would be hard to say goodbye if it was someone else's boy or something, but...
'Wan Wan!　Wow!
See, Fuyuka seems to like it too.

　Fuyuka reached out of Spell's arms and stroked the white puppy's head. In response, the puppy just kept on being petted.

''He really is a docile boy, isn't he?''
You know. Can we keep it?　You want to be my boy, don't you?
Uhh!

　The pup barked cheerfully as if in reply. Telling and the puppy glanced at each other, he looked at Fuyuichirou's expression. He slowly opened his mouth, raising his glasses with his middle finger.

'No.'
What?
Duh!
'Hmmm...'

　Frustration and disappointment leaked out of my wife and daughter, as well as the puppy.

'No, we have to go through the proper procedures first. We have to go to the veterinary hospital and then to the police station. He could have been kept somewhere else. We'll keep him after that.
'Yes!　Thank you, Fuyuichiro-san!
Dewwwww!
Uhh!

　

''First of all, it's a success. I must protect Fuyuka-dono with all my might from now on.

　This is my last duty as a subordinate god. I will make amends for the sins I have committed. Only after you have accomplished that can you become a subordinate god.
　Eventually, you will create your own alter ego, and you will protect this person all the way through the apparent generational change.

''Wow!''
Uhh!

　This is how the Mochizuki family is added to the family. Eventually, this puppy and his master, a girl, become involved in various unusual incidents.... That's another story.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


Huh....

　I rubbed my sleepy eyes as I walked down the stairs. I hadn't been able to get to sleep last night, probably because it was so late. A nap ... an evening nap?　If only.
　We had enough futons for all of us to sleep on, since Grandpa had many visitors, but as expected, there was no room to put them all down. So we decided to sleep in separate rooms for a few people.
　It's not fair for me to sleep in any room, so I slept alone, but if we were on our honeymoon and slept in separate rooms, it would be a complete divorce.
　However, yesterday was tough.....
　I wonder if that Dependent God has made friends with Mom and the others. Both of them are dog lovers, so I think it will be okay.
　My mom was a dog lover, but for some reason, she had a weird constitution, being scared of dogs. If she sweet-talked him, he would be very happy to see her.
　By the way, my grandfather and I were more of a cat person.
　At any rate, that subordinate god is protecting Fuyuka and the others instead of me. I'm thankful for that. He's truly a guardian god. Though he's not an official god yet.

"Hmm?

　A nice smell wafted in from downstairs. I head to the kitchen and see Lou's back to me, apron on, thumping and chopping knives. The morning sunshine coming in through the kitchen window wrapped her in a glimmer. It's beautiful........

''Ah, Fuyao-sama. Good morning.
Good....
What?
Oh, no!　It's nothing!　Good morning, Lou.

　As I sit in a chair at the kitchen table, Lou brews tea from a pot and pours it into Grandpa's hot water cup and hands it to me.

'You're up early. Did you sleep properly?
I always got up at this time in the castle, so it's become a habit. I was able to get up in a flash.

　Well, Lou was helping Claire, the head cook, make breakfast.
　It's very hard to break an ingrained habit. If you continue to live the same lifestyle, your body will eventually become accustomed to it on its own.

What about you?
'Yae, Hilda and Else are already up. They're having a mock battle in the garden. Linse-san and Yumina-san are in the living room watching TV.

　Well, everyone is up early. Well, people in the other side of the world don't usually stay up late. We all fall asleep by 10pm at the latest.

How about you, Sue?
'He's still sleeping. I'll call you when breakfast is ready and let him sleep a little longer. I'm sure you were tired yesterday.

　Apparently, Sue, Sakura and Leanne are still sleeping. I'm a little relieved that it's not the last. If possible, I want to avoid a husband who keeps everyone waiting for breakfast and sleeps soundly.

'Suu must be tired from having a good time with the winter flowers yesterday. Sakura is not a good sleeper to begin with. Lean........
I'm telling you, it's not because of your age...?
Wow!

　I turned at the voice and saw a half-eyed Leanne standing in her pajamas, either sleepwalking or glaring at me. Surprise!　Don't stand so close behind me that you can't see me!
　Instead of her usual twin-tailed look, she has her pure white hair down. I always thought Leanne was cute in this look, too.

'I don't think so. If you're old, it's the opposite, you're up early. You care too much about it.'
Yeah. Okay. Lou, I'm going to have a cup of tea.
Yeah, go ahead.

　Leanne pours tea from the teapot into the teacup with her still sleepy eyes.

'Are Sakura and Sue up too?'
'He's still sleeping. Let's just let him sleep a little longer. So, darling, now that we've finished our primary objective for now, what do we do now?
'Yeah, I think I'll talk to the guys and decide the rest. I don't think I'll ever be able to come to this world again, so I have to do what I want to do.

　As it is, we'll just end up saying hello to the zoo and my parents. Because that's a little sad for a honeymoon.
　If I use [Gate] through my phone, I can go anywhere. Since it consumes divine power, I can't use it so bang on, but if it's enough to go back and forth in a day, I don't think it's a problem.

''Oh, come to think of it,''
What's going on, darling?

　Remembering a bit, I head to my grandfather's study. The books on the shelves are neatly arranged according to their genres, so it's easy to find them. My grandpa was a meticulous man. Well..... This one.
　I return to Leanne and the others with the book I'm looking for.

'What's this?'
A travel guidebook, a travel guide, I guess. It was written by an acquaintance of my grandfather's, and I remember showing it to him a long time ago.

　This is a book about famous places in the world. Although it's a bit of an old book, world landmarks wouldn't change that much, so there shouldn't be any problems flying in [Gate].
　Leanne takes the book and flips through it.

''Huh. It's an interesting architecture. I can feel the breath of ancient times. I like it, this kind of thing.''
Chichen Itza. It's an ancient city about a thousand years old.

　It is described as "the largest ancient Mayan city in the Postclassic period (from 900 AD)," so that's about right.
　On the page Leanne opened, there is a picture of the famous Temple of Kukulkan. That's the one of the stair pyramid. It's a pyramid where the shadow of a snake appears on the stairs on the spring and autumn equinoxes.
　It says that the serpent is said to be the god Kukulcan of the Mayans and Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs.

'I wonder if a city from a thousand years ago can deteriorate so much just because it's a thousand years old?
That's why we don't have any protective magic over here.
Oh, that's right.

　Strengthening buildings with earth magic is quite popular in the other world. The houses and castles of the rich usually have this kind of protection.
　If this world also had protective magic, it might be possible to see a lot of ruins before they decayed. It's a pity.
　The guidebook also included other ancient ruins such as the Sphinx and Stonehenge, as well as buildings such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower. Naturally, there are not only architectural structures but also natural ones such as Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon.
　Oh, there are some Japanese landmarks, too. Amanohashidate or Tokyo Tower, for example. The part that is not the Sky Tree, though. It's an old book, so what can I do?
　As I was peering into the book, the microwave oven beeped.

'Fuyasu-sama, can you wake them up soon?
Yeah.

　I went back upstairs and entered the room that was turned into a Japanese-style room to find Sue and Sakura lying in their pajamas, popping out of the futon and sleeping in their sleep. Why is it that the young Ura youthful maiden is so trivial...and why do I find her defenselessness so much cuter than I do?

'Soooo, get up. It's morning!
Unu..... I'm still sleepy.........

　It's a good idea to get rid of my hand, which is shaking my shoulder. I'm sure Mr. Raym had a hard time with this....... It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. However, he's in the middle of taking over the job now, and in a few months he'll hand over the job to Raim's son, his successor.
　I thought he was going to retire, but then he said he wanted to work for his brother Reim....in other words, Brunhild. He wants to take care of the children of Sue and I.
　I'm grateful for that, but the way things are going, I think it's a long way off. I looked at Suu, who was sleeping so innocently, and sighed softly.

Come on, come on, get up. Breakfast is already ready.
Food....

　Muku, it wasn't Sue who responded to my words, but Sakura, who had fallen asleep hugging the futon.　What a disappointing way to wake up, girl, to react to food.

''Well the food shouldn't be as good as it has been since I came here. It will definitely make you fat. I assure you.
No, I don't.
"You'll hate me when I get fat...?

　The cherry blossoms ask me to tilt my head slightly as if to look at me. What a nonsense.

I can't be. No matter what form I take, it's impossible for me to dislike Sakura.
That's the king. I was hoping you'd say that.

　Sakura lets go of the futon and hugs me instead. Wait a minute!　A child's body can't take it!
　I was pushed down on the mattress with a thud. As it is, Sakura hugs me and holds me.

Mmm. What are you doing by someone's bedside.... You mix the straw with the straw!

　A fully awakened Sue is on top of us. Hey, stop, don't touch anything weird.........!

What are you doing, sir?
""Oh."

　Looking down at us, who had been rubbing each other's throat with a thump, Linse stood at the entrance to the room with a dumbfounded look in her eyes as she put her hands on her hips.

'Everyone's long since taken a seat and is waiting for us, right?　You've got to get up now, sir.

　He accuses me of having a slightly angry tone. Aha. I went to wake her up, but she didn't come down, so it looks like Linse has come to check on me. I'm sorry.

'Sorry, sorry. I'll be downstairs in a minute...

　He slowly averted his gaze from looking up to Linse. No!　Stop grinning!

What's going on?
Mm-hmm. Are you doing this on purpose?
What?
I see his pants.

　At Sakura's words, Linse, who held her skirt quickly, jumped away from us, who were lying down. No, we're already a couple, so isn't that part of it okay?　But I think we should not lose our sense of shame, even if we are married.

"That's the new one we bought on the day before.
She's cute, but not in white. Linse is already a married woman; she could wear something more 'adorable'.
'Hey, come on!　I like this, sir!

　　Or did you learn it from TV?

I'd like to wear something more daring, but I'm already a married woman. Lady Yumina won't allow me to wear it if I'm not ready.

　That's because Sue is still in junior high school in our age group..... Over there, we'll be considered adults in one or two more years.
　People over there have a surprisingly long life span. Life expectancy in this case means the age at which they die of old age, though. When it comes to life expectancy, though, I'd say it's much shorter because the overwhelming majority of people die young due to disease, damage from magical beasts, poverty, etc.
　The doctor said that it's not uncommon for humans to exceed a hundred years of age if they have long-lived blood in their ancestors, like the elves and fairies, as well.
　As a matter of fact, that's what we found out from the tests at the 'Institute', and Yae is one of them. Although it's a very distant ancestor, there seems to be a small amount of Aricorn blood mixed in with it. It's really very slight.
　Yisheng's emperor, Baihime, also has spirit and Aricorn blood in his veins. Yisheng has a Aricorn tribe called the 'Demon Tribe', so perhaps one of Yae's distant ancestors is also one of them.
　Although whenever I see Yae's incredible appetite, I can't help but wonder if that's not the Oni Clan's alternate genetics.

''Already!　Just get up early, please!　Otherwise, you'll run out of food!
Mm. That's a big deal.
'Yahtzee!　Don't take a breakfast of straw!

　After bouncing up and down, Sue and Sakura walked down the stairs. No matter how many yae, I'm not going to mess with someone's side dishes. Well, there's a possibility that the rice and miso soup and other dishes will be gone after a lot of second helpings, though.

''Fuyao-san, please don't stay asleep forever and get up, okay?
No, I wasn't sleeping, but...

　Oh, well. Let's get some breakfast and discuss where to go with the others. I walked down the stairs with Linse holding my hand.