The mission actually seems reasonable. However, Minoru can't imagine himself going to Mars and leaving his kids behind. Well, he's already been away from them for four years, and he can't bear to miss out on another years to spend building a colony on the red planet. Plus, since it's Rachel, he'll have to tell her about his kids.
"No, no, no, no!" Rachel exclaimed, gulping her wine in one go. "You can't refuse this mission no matter what!" She looked at him furiously.
Minoru paused, realizing that Rachel was angry. Rachel had never been angry before, no matter what happened. Is this because of the wine?
"Wait Rachel, there's a reason—"
"Be quiet, young man. I beg you, alright? Just for once, you must listen to me after all these years I've been involved with Eileen and your game. But now, you have to listen to my reasonable argument for your bloody sake!"
Rachel said before slamming another document onto the table. Dinner was long gone, and so was her mood.
"Do you know what this is, right? The world is now looking for you, and do you think you can hide all the time behind that mask? This red planet here and this mission suits you perfectly, James."
Rachel paused, her tone laced with frustration.
"The mission only requires about four years to build a small colony, and Eileen can use that time to clean up the organization behind you. But now you're telling me you'll refuse this? You have the perfect plan to ESCAPE from the world, but you won't. Bloody hell, hmph! How unreasonable you are."
Rachel said as Amelia poured another glass of wine for her. When Minoru was about to say something, Rachel cut him off with a hand gesture, as if telling him, "Aah, let me finish." She then emptied her glass in one go before continuing.
"Hah..." She slammed the poor glass and then stared at him again. "You know, I'm tired of seeing both of you playing this game, and I'm tired of attending to your wounds every time I meet you again. So here's my request," Rachel said, as Amelia politely handed Minoru a thick stack of papers.
"If you don't want to go to Mars with me, then do me one favor. You can't refuse this, no matter what happens. Ah, you said you want to settle your debt for me saving you back then, so you have to accept this request without question."
"So, your request is to kill the people on this list?" Minoru said, looking at the first page.
"No. I've gathered a list of women suitable for you. All you have to do is go on blind dates with them, choose one you like, and then love and marry her. The most important thing to note is that I want four grandchildren. Whatever—just make them pregnant."
Minoru looked at her with his mouth agape. "Ma'am, are you serious?"
"Do I appear as if I'm joking with you? Alright, there's a more rational choice here. You must choose to marry either Eileen or Teresa. Or, perhaps consider marrying both of them? That might be good too."
Once again, Minoru looked at her with his mouth agape, then nodded. "Alright, done."
"Oh, you didn't want it. Alright then, you've just come with me to—uh, did I hear it wrong?"
"I agree to your request," Minoru said, leaving Rachel speechless.
"Which one?"
"Whether it's Mars or a blind date. But before that, I want to show you something. Are you fine with that?"
"Uh..." Rachel tilted her head. "I expected you to refuse it—okay. What did you want to show me?"
"You could call it a big secret I've been hiding. So, you have to keep it to yourself and Eileen for me. Do you promise?" Minoru said, crossing his arms as Rachel wondered what kind of secret this could be.
"Alright," Rachel nodded. "But this doesn't change my request, after I see this... big secret, you have to choose between going to Mars or getting married."
"Alright..." Minoru said as he got up from his seat. "Give me a second, I have to tell them that I'll bring you along with me."
Rachel became even more confused when he took out his phone as he walked away.
"What kind of secret is this? Does he want to show me another invention? Amelia, pour another one," Rachel said as she reached for her glass.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. But I can't let you drink another glass," Amelia replied.
Rachel sighed and then looked at Amelia again, sizing her up.
"Hm... Amelia, do you have a boyfriend?"
---
At 6:25 PM, Ai was just about to bid Mei farewell as they returned to their usual selves.
"Although things are becoming normal now, you should still visit us often, okay?" Ai asked with a smile.
"Yes, I will. Thank you, Nee-san. It's a shame Sensei hasn't returned yet since I wanted to thank him. Oh, and I could help you with the cleanup before I head home," Mai offered.
Ai giggled, "That's alright! You don't have to since It's my duty as his wife. But do make sure you eat well, especially since you're living alone."
"Of course!" Mai replied with a broad smile as she entered the elevator. "See you later, Nee-san."
"Bye~!" With that, the door closed, leaving Ai alone.
"Ugh… I was really looking forward to watching that movie, but I guess I'll have to postpone the movie once more or risk succumbing to laziness and neglecting it again. Time to get to work, right?" Ai muttered to herself as she made her way to the kitchen, where she ran into Ruby.
"Ah, Mama! Can I play with this sandbox?" Ruby asked, her eyes bright with anticipation.
"Hmm?" Ai hadn't realized Ruby had such toys. "Did your dad buy it for you?"
Ruby shook her head. "No, Anya gave it to me. She said it's a token of peace. But then her dad said it's supposed to show what my personality is like."
"Ah…" Ai picked up a toy from the sandbox. "Well, make sure you clean up after you're done. Also, Mama will be making dinner, so—hey! Don't give me that look, Ruby!"
Ai noticed her daughter suddenly looking pale.
"Hmmph! Wait for me, dinner! I'll show them this time that I'm a very capable wife and mother!"
Ruby sweated bullets as she watched her mom seemingly brimming with determination.
"Minoru-kun?"
As Ai started cooking, her phone rang.
Then she answered it, "Hello? What's wrong, Minoru-kun?"
[Ai, where are you right now?]
"I'm cooking in the kitchen. And probably cleaning up the house later. Hehe, make sure you come home before the kids eat all my food."
[Alright, how about you clean up first?]
Ai frowned. "Are you questioning my cooking? Hmph, this is Hoshino Ai you're talking to."
[That's not it. It's hard to explain. Alright, I know this is sudden, but… my mother is coming.]
"What—" Ai widened her eyes, then she noticed Ruby jumping into the sandbox and sending sand flying everywhere. "FOR REAL?!—Wait! I thought that…"
[Yeah, I'm an orphan. She's not my adoptive mother, but you could say she's like a mother to me. Anyway, we'll be there in 15 minutes.]
"Wait, wait! A-AH! That's not enough time! Give me at least 30, no, 45 minutes since I was just about to start cleaning," Ai said, sweating nervously, then hastily went to Ruby.
[Take it easy, Ai—]
"No, I can't take it easy at all!"
"Mama, what's going on?" Ruby was shocked to see her mother's distressed expression. "Ah, I promise to clean this up."
"Ruby, you can play with that later. Your grandma is coming."
"Huh? Grandma?" Ruby looked at her mother and then at the sand on the floor.
"Yes! We need to clean up, okay?"
Ruby saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"
"Right! Oh, uh… Minoru-kun, are you still there?"
[Yeah.]
"Make sure to give me some time!"
[Roger. I'll hang up now.]
With that, Ai heard nothing more from her phone. But suddenly, she smelled something burning.
"MAMA! The kitchen! The kitchen is on fire!"
---
Back in Minoru's mind, a flicker of concern about Ai's well-being emerges.
Recalling her whereabouts, she mentioned cooking something in the kitchen, right? Despite knowing Ai's proficiency in cleaning and managing household chores, Minoru acknowledges her lack of culinary skills and the steep learning curve ahead.
"Damn..." Minoru mutters under his breath.
He discovers the stove engulfed in flames, with Ai frantically wielding a fire extinguisher in an attempt to douse the blaze. A wave of relief washes over him as he watches her successfully quell the fire. Their daughter is nearby, unharmed, thanks to Mommy as she saves the day.
"Where have you been, son?" Rachel greets him with a smile. "Don't tell me you were up to some mischief."
"No, nothing of the sort."
"That's unlike you. Are you sure you're not secretly renting a girlfriend to fake a relationship?" Rachel said, stirring her tea.
Maintaining his composure, Minoru responds, "Absolutely... not. You know I'm not one to resort to such measures."
Rachel took a sip of her tea, then said. "So, what surprises do you have in store for me?"
After that, they all drove somewhere, with Minoru behind the wheel of his 911 and Amelia driving his G-Wagon at the back.
"You know, I always hate driving your car since it's—" The car bumped firmly as Rachel sighed, "Less comfortable."
"I didn't want anyone to know where you are since that car has a tracker," Minoru said as he flipped something at the top of the knob-shifter, "Though, I can send you there right away."
Rachel saw that and giggled, "Right. Throw me out of this car and let's see if I care."
After some time, they all arrived at a certain place bustling with people. It was a place where everyone seemed to be fighting for survival amidst an array of goods. Rachel wondered what the heck they were doing in this place.
"I never thought in my life that I'd come grocery shopping with you," Rachel said, observing him push the cart.
Apart from the absurdity and oddity of seeing him there, observers also noted that they seemed out of place.
For instance, there was a dignified-looking woman purchasing essentials accompanied by her handsome son, with a maid literally trailing behind them. So, why did they opt to go grocery shopping when they essentially had a capable maid who could have handled it? Well, perhaps the maid wouldn't take care of it either, given that they likely had someone else to manage such errand tasks.
"Yep," Minoru said shortly as he stopped the cart, "You've never been here before?"
"Of course, sometimes I buy what I need alone. But you?" Rachel asked as she watched him pick up the milk. "So, this is the place?" Rachel inquired.
"No. We'll go to the place after we finish grocery shopping first."
"Hm... right."
Rachel pondered what kind of secret place he needed to go to after grocery shopping. Was it a place hiding something like more advanced technology or lethal weapons? But did he really need to buy milk first? Well, perhaps he needed groceries to buy some time.
"Despite how out of character you are now, I think going out with my son to the grocery isn't that bad," Rachel said with a smile.
It was like calm music suddenly changing to a hectic tune. The man went to the grocery peacefully, while the wife worked her ass off to clean up the apartment ASAP!
"Aqua! I mean, Mitsuha! Please don't sleep on the floor and leave your jacket there," Ai said, panickily picking up Aqua's jacket and bags.
"Ah… let me sleep first, Ai-san. Hmm… please no more acting and cameras," Aqua, or rather Mitsuha, said tiredly, worn out from Aqua's long work schedule.
"Uh, why, why, why? Why the guests always come at the wrong time, and does it have to be his mother too?" Ai exclaimed as she carried Aqua to his room and put the sleeping boy to bed.
"Mama! I can't do anything about the books!" Ruby said, looking at the bookshelves. "Gyah! Begone evil! The ghosts are too annoying to handle!"
As the mother and daughter continued struggling, the chaos ensued.
---
After a while, the three of them found themselves standing in Minoru's penthouse elevator, with Minoru struggling to balance bags of groceries in his hands.
"So, this is the place? The place where you keep your big secret? It seems more like your place to stay," Rachel remarked.
Minoru simply nodded in response.
"Whatever it is, you have to keep your promise about my request. Mars or married. But why bring me here?"
Rachel had always respected her son's personal space and never probed into his secrets. Whether it was his choice of profession or his decision to bring her to this place, she never pressed for answers. But somehow, seeing Minoru going through the trouble of bringing groceries before visiting, her curiosity piqued.
"I just want to show you why I decided to refuse the mission, and you deserve to know about them too," Minoru explained.
"Them?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.
As the elevator chimed, Minoru spoke, "I'm home…"
They exited the elevator just as footsteps approached.
"Dad!" a little girl exclaimed.
Rachel stood still, watching as Minoru knelt down to embrace a girl with the same hair as his. "Dad?" Rachel muttered, mouth agape. "Amelia, what kind of wine did I drink before?"
"It's a 1901 Château Cheval Blanc, Ma'am," Amelia replied in a professional tone.
"It's just wine," Rachel reassured herself, realizing she wasn't drunk too.
"Yay! You brought food!" the little girl, Ruby, exclaimed upon seeing the groceries.
"Okay, where's Mom?" Minoru asked.
"Mama? Hmm… maybe still in her room? Ah, there she is," Ruby said, pointing.
Ai approached them nervously, dressed in her best attire, signaling that she was aware of the occasion.
"James Moriarty…" Rachel began as she approached them. "Care to explain what is going on?"
"Right…" Minoru sighed, lifting Ruby into his arms. "Rachel, meet my wife, Hoshino Ai, and my daughter, Hoshino Ruby. And this is Rachel Wagner, my mother."
"H-Hello… Ma'am. Forgive my lack of manners, my name is Hoshino Ai. It's nice to meet you," Ai said nervously.
"Hoshino Ruby. Hello, grandma," Ruby greeted confidently.
"Wait, where's your brother?"
"He fell asleep as soon as he got back. I think he's too tired," Ruby explained.
Rachel realized there was no need to worry about Mars or blind dates. This scene spoke louder than words—there was no doubt that the girl in his arms was his daughter. With a smile on her face, Rachel approached Ai, who felt her legs weaken with nervousness. Suddenly, Rachel caught her arm, which surprised Ai even more.
"Thank you."
Ai smiled nervously. "Ah, uh? Yes, ma'am."
"Call me mother."
"Y-Yes, mother!"
---
A/N:
As promised, happy reading.