"That's not a bad idea," Erina Nakiri considered, open to Renz's latest suggestion. Having Renz live in the house, even with the door locked, still made him a stranger to her. There was an undeniable feeling of discomfort—despite the situation binding them together after both had traveled ten years into the future.
"However, the immediate priority is to adapt to the new environment. Our future selves likely have jobs, and we need to find a way to bluff our way through with our relatives," Renz said, voicing what he considered the biggest headache.
"We need to know our daughter's and son's names first," he added, raising an unavoidable issue. How could parents not even know their own children's names?
"Do you have something like an ID card?" Renz asked after a moment of silence.
"No," Erina Nakiri shook her head. Japanese people have various forms of identification, but there isn't a nationwide, legally unified "ID card." This ties into Japan's national context. Adults generally prove their identity using things like driver's licenses, student IDs, or health insurance cards.
"But there's a family register transcript," Erina said after a pause.
"Where would you keep something like that?" Renz asked. That sounded like an important document—probably well hidden. Who could guess how his ten-years-older self would have stored such things?
Outside the kitchen, a clear voice rang out.
"Mommy, Rina's hungry."
The blonde little loli, her tiny bare feet pattering on the floor, stretched out her arms and hugged Renz's leg.
"Daddy, carry me."
Erina Nakiri and Renz exchanged glances. Although they hadn't found the family register transcript, their daughter had just introduced herself. Renz bent down and gently ruffled Rina's blonde hair. He hadn't paid close attention before, but now he looked at her properly.
Rina's skin was fair and delicate, almost translucent. Her face was flawless like jade, her features exquisitely doll-like. She was incredibly cute and looked strikingly similar to Erina Nakiri—like a miniature version of her.
Standing nearby, Erina watched Rina's hair being ruffled. On the surface, she remained calm, but internally she was brimming with barely contained frustration.
She wanted a cuddle too. Her daughter was so adorable!
But… why?! Why did her daughter call out for "Mommy" yet go straight to Renz—a man she had only just met—for affection?
Shouldn't her daughter be closer to her?
Dammit.
"Erina, cook," Renz said casually as he stood up, feigning intimacy. In front of his daughter, he still needed to maintain a "sweet" facade. He didn't want to make his little girl cry. If she found out her parents' relationship had practically no affection left—and they were even planning when to divorce—Rina would be devastated.
"Eh, Erina, cook!" Rina mimicked.
"No, Rina, you can't call Mommy by her name," Renz said with amusement. People say daughters are like warm blankets, but a young daughter—without a developed moral compass or worldview—was more like a knife; she said whatever came to mind.
"Eh… Nah, Mommy, cook!" Rina whimpered.
Clang!
The sound of a knife hitting the cutting board.
Erina glared at Renz with murderous intent. It seemed she had found the root cause of the problem. Yes—this man had spoiled her daughter.
Renz was dumbfounded. He could read Erina's eyes clearly. She was taking out her daughter's "betrayal" on him.
You're being unreasonable!
Rina, startled by the loud sound, cowered behind Renz, a little afraid to look at Erina.
"Don't scare the child," Renz said, annoyed. "Are you always this temperamental? Do you want to give Rina some kind of childhood trauma?"
"What kind of mother brandishes a knife like that?" he added.
"I'm not cooking anymore," Erina fumed, her anger boiling over. She was the one cooking, yet her daughter wasn't clinging to her. Not only that—her daughter was even "disgusted" with her, siding with someone else. Was that reasonable?
"But I'm hungry," Rina said softly.
"Go ask your dad to cook," Erina snapped, her tsundere side flaring up. She was clearly jealous—and furious—that her daughter favored Renz over her. It made Erina's emotions spill over completely.
After saying that, Erina realized her words sounded strange. But then again, they still had to pretend to be a couple in front of their daughter—so technically, it wasn't wrong.
Renz looked at the confused little Rina behind him, then at the childish Erina in front of him.
You're how old, and you're acting like a kid? Oh… right. Ten years ago, Erina Nakiri was probably around 17 or 18.
Never mind, this is my problem. What the hell was my future self thinking—getting married? And to such a temperamental tsundere? Was I tired of living? Playing professionally for so many years, did my head get stuck in a PC case when I retired?
"Erina, I can't cook," Renz admitted.
"If you can't cook, learn," Erina said coldly.
"But no one's teaching me," Renz replied, trying to be reasonable. "Our child's body is still developing. Let's… agree to disagree."
"Don't be so harsh on a child," he muttered.
Erina remained silent.
"Mommy, I'm sorry," Rina said softly, her voice ending in a childlike whimper. Seeing Erina's emotions still escalating, Rina lowered her head.
Erina made no move.
"Let's go out and buy breakfast," Renz said, clearly annoyed. Rina had already apologized, yet Erina was still holding onto her petty temper. There was no need for him and his daughter to be scapegoats here.
One second later—
"We don't know what the ingredients outside are made of; they might not be hygienic or healthy," Erina finally moved, walking over to the fridge to look for ingredients.
Since an apology had been made, that was that. Children were growing, after all. Poorly made food could affect their health. Her own breakfast would be not only hygienic and healthy but also delicious. No need to rely on outside vendors.
She mentally took stock: one daughter, one son, herself… and that man.
She had to prepare four breakfasts in total. Erina made a face of disgust.
She didn't really want to cook for Renz, but she also didn't want him to get hungry and then try to "retaliate" by badmouthing her in front of their daughter.
Yes, that was it.
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Will Renz and Erina manage to navigate their unexpected future and their children's needs, or will their conflicting personalities lead to more humorous clashes?
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