Reina of Hanneau (English)

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Pain.

Sorrow. 

Happiness.

Excitement.

Reina was filled with different emotions for hours that she thought she wouldn’t survive this phase of her life. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that made her want to give up eventually. 

But never Mitsuei. He refused to give up. Which, in the end, brought her son back to her. Their son, rather.

“Thank you,” Reina sobs as she extends her hand to Mitsuei. 

Mitsuei didn’t think twice to take the hand in front of him. His wife’s hand is cold and sweaty. Her eyes look exhausted and sleepy. Even her shoulders are slumped to the back, looking sluggish from the hard work she did for the last couple of hours. 

And he is proud of her. He cannot explain how happy he is right this moment. He wants to leap in joy so badly and squeeze his wife and son tightly in a warm embrace. 

He never felt like this before. Only when Kayomi was born when he find the meaning of his life. But with Reina and the baby, he found the reason to keep going. He regained feelings he thought had gone a long time ago.

Unable to keep his emotions to himself, he plants another kiss on her forehead. He presses her head against his chest, not thinking she might hear the fast beating of his heart. 

Reina glances at the man holding her tight. He must have been pretty nervous for his chest to thump like a beating drum. Even his hands are still shaking. Probably from fear and anxiety. The last couple of hours had been too turbulent for them, so she cannot blame him for still feeling the aftermath of the stress. 

Amidst the love-filled atmosphere, Reina hears a chaotic noise dashing towards the room. Kayomi left a little while ago to check whoever was trying to break their front door in the dead of winter. 

“Reina!” 

The Asai family barges through the bedroom door. It's not just her father or Haru who is present. Surprisingly, Maya and Miki, are among the group.

Of course, Reina knows that the weather is still as bad as it started yesterday. She felt that when the sharp winds pass through the cracks of the hallway doors leading to the garden. She can even still hear the harsh breeze despite the noise inside their home. 

“What are you all doing here?” Reina furrows in confusion. She can see her father or Haru coming despite the bad weather. But to bring along her sister-in-law and niece, and traversing under such a terrible climate is too much. 

They could have been buried in snow, and none of them will discover until morning arrives. Or froze to death in the middle of the road. 

Despite the numerous circumstances, everyone decided to visit right away. Even while she admired their thoughtfulness and concern, she thought it was still rash of them to leave in such a dangerous situation.

“Ryou. How could you bring everyone along in this weather?”

Before Reina could express her opposition, Helen already got it covered. She has her hands over her hips while darting knives towards her husband. 

Who would never get mad at such carelessness?

“Helen, darling. I’m so proud of our daughter,” Ryouta utters while slowly approaching the bed, completely ignoring Helen’s annoyance. 

“That is not the answer that I was expecting.”

Helen stops Ryouta, placing her arm in between him and the bed where Reina lays with the baby. Ryouta glances at Reina, pleading to save him from her mother’s wrath. 

Unfortunately, Reina is with her mother on this. She is also unhappy about their illogical decision. 

She frowns at him, zipping her mouth completely. 

“Come on, mother. This is not only father’s decision that we came here,” Haru interjects, keeping himself at a distance as he waited for his mother to finally calm down.

“We were only too excited to see Reina and the baby,” Maya gradually whispers, hiding on her husband’s back.

Helen is a calm and gentle person. However, she is the type that would explode if mistakes are intolerable. And she wouldn’t let you go unless the reason behind it is valid. But even if it is valid, if it is something irrational then, you better prepare yourself for hours of lecture.

With Haru and Maya backing away from a possible argument, little Miki remarkably approaches the heaving Helen. Miki puts her arms around her grandmother, looking back at her with imploring eyes. 

“Grandma, don’t be mad. I was only looking forward to meeting the baby. It wasn’t that cold because Mama and Papa made me use the coat you knitted for me.”

Helen heaves a sigh as she looks straight into Miki’s pleading eyes. She has always been weak to kids. And this little one is smart enough to use herself as bait so none of the others would get scolded. It seems like in a few more years, another kid will use their charm to woe her into surrender.

“Are you mad at me? Did you dislike me coming over?” Miki mumbles, seemingly on the verge of crying. 

Helen groans inwardly. She bends her knees down so she and Miki are on the same height. 

“I am not mad that you are here. It is just that grandpa made a brash decision when --- as you can see, it is so cold outside. Something might have happened to you and everyone else,” Helen explains, trying not to sound so preachy in front of an innocent child.

“Okay.”

Miki probably didn’t understand the concern Helen tried to imply as she only hugs her all of the sudden. Miki sounds so cheerful in response that she seems to have only heard the first part of what her grandmother said. 

Miki then runs towards Reina, tiptoeing as she tries to look at the baby. Reina happily obliges and gently lowers her arms to let Miki have a closer look. 

“She is so tiny!” Miki shrieks in delight.

“He is a baby boy, Miki,” Reina blurts, instantly correcting Miki’s misconception. 

“A boy?!” Ryouta screams, out of the blue.

As both Haru and Maya approach Reina, she can see her mother vigorously pinching Ryouta in the ear. His face curls into an unpleasant expression as he tries to free himself from his wife’s grasps. 

Reina giggles seeing a complex man, her father bows his head on such a sturdy woman. She could already imagine how they had been when they were younger and was only set on starting a family.

As soon as Helen releases Ryouta, he immediately rushes to his daughter’s side. He pats Mitsuei by the shoulders and shakes his hand to express his compliments. 

Mitsuie makes way for Ryouta to sit next to Reina. Ryouta smiles at Reina with both sad and happy eyes. He then wraps her in an embrace while planting a gentle yet powerful kiss on her temples. 

Ryouta was greeted with mixed emotions the instant he walked through the bedroom door. He was proud of his daughter for overcoming the obstacle of starting a family. However, he felt lonely at the same time, knowing she already had her own family to raise. And he and Helen would be the only ones left behind when the time comes. Not that Haru and Maya are planning to live separately from them. But the idea could be there somewhere. 

“How come you were never this emotional when I had a kid?” Haru teases his father, breaking the wistful environment. 

“I don’t remember you giving birth, Haru.” Ryouta sarcastically replies, turning to Maya with an apologetic look. “It’s not that I’m not proud of you or anything. It just feels different for me seeing my youngest having her child.”

“Oh, no offense taken, father,” Maya giggled, waving her hands profusely. 

The room blows into laughter as they all make fun of Ryouta being too emotional. Helen even claims that he was never that sentimental when she gave birth to either Haru or Reina. He did cry, but he was not this overly demonstrative with his feelings that even his wife is surprised by his current behavior. 

“Perhaps because father is getting old,” Haru further adds, trying to test until where his father’s patience lies. 

“Well, Haru. I can’t wait to see how you will be when Miki gets married.”

Another burst of laughter echoes the entire house. Kayomi can even hear the chatters from afar even when she is in the kitchen preparing the snacks and tea for everyone. 

Everyone is exhausted. She didn’t help much during the most crucial moment, so the least she could do is replenish everyone’s nutrients. 

“Aren’t they a chaotic bunch?” Yuuma laughs, glancing at Kayomi to see her reaction. 

When the guests rush to the hallway, Kayomi is left too dumbfounded to react right away. As soon as she snapped out of confusion, she heaved a sigh and walked to the kitchen. 

Yuuma decided to assist the girl because she, too, was exhausted and had probably been up all night. 

“Hearing them scream woke me up. It’s like this every time they visit actually,” Kayomi giggles, placing the kettle on top of the tray.

“Oh, I can imagine. Did you know how startled I was when they began rattling my doors? They seem more turbulent than the snowstorm.”

Yuuma isn’t simply exaggerating. The roads are icy, and the blizzard hurt like hell. Who would have thought that an entire family would journey during an intense condition to see a doctor and bring him to the mountains? 

Even when they are all covered in thick fur, the breeze still pierces the skin like dull knives. Slow and painful.

“Who do you think the baby will take after?” Yuuma asks, making a conversation as they bring the food to the master’s bedroom.

“Hopefully, Reina.”

Kayomi almost said some nasty words. She could have spoken anything about the child's paternity if she hadn't reeled in her mouth. She closes her mouth, attempting to avoid making any further remarks.

“Alright, everyone. Move. I want to see my patient.”