Chapter 81

It was the first day of Golden Week. The Takanos were busy with the move.

As the boxes piled up in the room, Takanobe Miyabi, the mother of Takanobe Miu, felt a sense of sadness thinking that she would soon be saying goodbye to this house where they had lived for ten years. She looked at her home from the garden, a place she had grown to love. It felt strange to think of it in the past tense, which made her feel very sad.

"Hey, is it okay to put this in the box?"

"Oh, that's breakable, so put it in the box marked 'fragile.'"

Her husband, Yoshitsune, held a wine glass and asked, so she reminded him. That wine glass was something they had bought when they first got married. She wanted to take good care of it.

While trying to help, she entered the living room from the veranda, mindful of her growing belly. Her husband was looking at various glasses, and his slightly comical expression made her laugh.

"Got it, this one. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

As he carefully wrapped the glasses in paper and placed them in a box with cushioning material, she decided to sit next to him and help. However, he quickly stopped her.

"Oh, you. It's still a long way before the baby is born. If you stop moving now, you might end up in worse shape."

She remembered feeling the same way when she was pregnant with Miu and smiled nostalgically.

"That's right. I think it will be tough from now on... I'm sorry. Your health is the most important, so please let me know if anything happens."

"Since we'll be living in a noble's mansion, it will indeed be tough. We did discuss that even if we stay here, we would face similar challenges in the near future. I'll be fine. A mother's strength is boundless!"

She playfully flexed her arm, and Yoshitsune scratched his head with a gentle smile. They were about to enter the noble society. It would be tough for her, who knew nothing about the noble life, but it would be even tougher for Yoshitsune.

"You... Are you going to be okay? Resigning from the Magic Ministry and becoming the president of Takanobe Transport... That must be tough."

Noble-run companies are typically managed by family members who can use magic. It wasn't hard to imagine how Yoshitsune, who couldn't use magic, was viewed by his relatives.

If he was hiding his struggles to avoid worrying the family, she wanted to share them. They were a couple, after all. Happiness should be doubled, and hardships halved.

Her husband had been the president of Takanobe Transport for three days since resigning from the Magic Ministry. Even she, who was unfamiliar with the noble society, could imagine how unconventional it was for someone who had been exiled for not being able to use magic to return and become the top executive.

She imagined that there would be people who looked down on him or tried to undermine him. The thought made her heart ache. She wanted to help him in any way she could.

However, her husband's expression was unexpectedly subtle. He seemed more confused than troubled. What was wrong? Could it be that he was being left alone because he didn't understand the business?

She could imagine him sitting alone in the president's office, doing nothing and spending a lonely day.

"Hmm... Everyone is very cooperative. I mean, they are very cooperative."

He didn't seem to be lying. He looked like he was having trouble saying something, but it didn't seem like he was enduring contempt. She had been his wife for 12 years; she could tell.

"Did something happen? Maybe the people the Emperor assigned to you helped?"

The Emperor had assigned three people to her husband, all of whom were supposed to be experts in management. Had they already shown their expertise and helped him?

"No... One of them was fired for embezzlement. He had been falsifying transactions to make the company look good."

"He's not directly under the Emperor! You said they were the best!"

She stopped wrapping the glass and couldn't help but exclaim. Were they not the elite of the elite?

"Yes... I think because they were elite, they felt the pressure to produce results. So, when he acted arrogantly during our first meeting, the other two felt uncomfortable and started to watch me closely."

He had a distant look in his eyes. She wanted to say it was good that they hadn't worked together, but it seemed there was more to it.

"Also, 30% of the executives who had a grudge against me were suddenly caught for embezzlement, kickbacks, and sexual harassment and were fired. My first task was to dismiss the executives."

"Wait... Did the Emperor pull some strings?"

"No, I don't think so. If that were the case, the Emperor wouldn't have chosen someone who would engage in fake transactions. I thought it might have been the Emperor's advisor, but he didn't give me a clear answer. He casually mentioned that this is how the nobles operate."

"Who helped you, then?"

"I think it was the result of many people acting. It wasn't just one person who helped, but many. Of course, it wasn't just out of kindness. So, it's impossible to confirm."

He smiled wryly, but she noticed that his lips were slightly twisted. There was more to it.

"No secrets, okay?"

She asked with a slightly childish pout, and he scratched his cheek and looked distant again.

"It seems I'm feared as a 'magician who can't use magic' in the company. They think I'm a mastermind who was exiled and is now plotting to take over the Takanobe family."

After all, he had been seen as someone who had even dismissed the executives and the people the Emperor had sent, and he let out a hollow laugh.

...Hmm. I don't know what to say. Comforting him... doesn't seem right, and praising him feels a bit off. What should I do in this situation?

Well, in this case...

"Let's have hamburgers today?"

"I'm not a child."

He laughed, and she clapped her hands and smiled.

"Hamburgers won't fool me."

"Hmm. Then what would my husband like?"

She teased him, and he put his hand on his chin in a serious expression. It was embarrassing to watch. Children do resemble their parents, and indeed, Miu was her husband's child.

"That's it! Let's have katsu curry!"

He snapped his fingers and smiled broadly, and she felt relieved inside. She had thought his job would be tough, but it seemed he was doing fine.

"Katsu curry... Oh, right, the dishes..."

She realized she was packing the dishes and felt awkward. It was too late to open the boxes again.

"Right, right... Hehe, I'm a bit absent-minded. Miu takes after her mother."

"I thought you were my child?"

They looked at each other and laughed. She loved these casual conversations; they made her feel happy.

"Then, let's eat out today."

"Sure. By the way, is Miu packing properly? I'll go check on her."

Miu was also packing in her room. She was probably fine, but Miu was sometimes absent-minded, so she decided to check on her.

"I'll finish the rest," her husband said, and she nodded and went to Miu's room.

They could have made the move easier by leaving it to the Takanobe family's servants or the moving company, but she wanted to do it as a family. This was the last time they would live in this house, and she wanted to remember the move as a memory.

She sighed slightly and entered Miu's room.

"Miu, how's the packing going?"

"Yep! I'm putting away my friends now!"

Her adorable daughter, with her ice-blue eyes shining, held up a stuffed animal. She was a dear child.

However, a sense of caution arose in her. She might have finally caught Miu in the act. She had been suspicious for a while.

"Miu, you're putting away a lot of stuffed animals, huh?"

"Yep, Bunny is here. Fox is in this box."

Miu smiled as she put the stuffed animals into the boxes, and her innocent behavior was soothing, but she shook her head to regain her composure. No, no, it's a trap.

She had recently noticed that Miu, though innocent, could also be cunning.

"You have so many stuffed animals, Miu."

"Hehe, Dad bought me a lot."

Miu loved stuffed animals. Her room was full of them, and she cared for them a lot. She was a very childlike girl.

Miu's fluffy, cotton-candy-like smile. But she was cautious and noticed something odd.

"Hey, why are you putting stuffed animals in the fragile box?"

She had somehow brought a fragile sticker and placed it on one of the boxes, which was now filled with stuffed animals.

"Hmm, the most important puppy!"

"Hmm?"

She had finally caught Miu. She opened the box with a smile and found two cute puppy stuffed animals with their paws covering their faces. She had never seen these before.

"Miu?"

"They're so cute. Fragile!"

"Hmm?"

She picked up the puppies with a wry smile. The fur was very soft and didn't smell like an animal. Miu must have washed them secretly.

She held the puppy stuffed animals in front of her face and looked at them closely, but they didn't move at all. She was impressed by how well they were trained.

"By the way, I happen to have some treats that puppies love."

She took out some beef jerky for puppies from her pocket, which she had been carrying around recently. The puppy seemed to notice the smell and wagged its tail.

"Miu?"

"Wow, the AI is amazing! It probably reacts to words!"

Miu waved her hands frantically, trying to bluff, and she laughed. The other puppy in the box jumped out and rubbed its face against her leg.

"Kun!"

"Does this stuffed animal make sounds too?"

"Maybe the latest model?"

Miu tilted her head and tried to bluff, but she couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.

"It's no use, Lupin. Your plan is already exposed."

"Curse you, Watson!"

"Come on, Miu!"

She laughed at Miu's witty response and gently tapped her head.

"I've been looking for them for a long time. I finally found them. You can't hide them, you know?"

She ruffled Miu's hair, thinking how innocent and absent-minded she was to try to move them as fragile items.

We need to talk about pets.