Chapter 525: Getting on With It!

Chapter 525: Getting on With It!

“Okay, come on, sit! Sit! Sit! Stop standing!”

Mama Shizuka, her mind now at ease, enthusiastically urged her daughter and son-in-law to take seats.

“Sit together! Why are you sitting so far apart?”

Once she had them seated and they followed her instructions to “snuggle up close,” Mama Shizuka beamed even more warmly.

Words like “a perfect match, a handsome couple” filled her thoughts.

She kept nodding her head but didn’t forget the main reason. Smiling brightly, she dropped a question that stunned Hiratsuka Shizuka on the spot——

“Shizuka, dear, when was your last period?”

“P-p… period?!”

Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked, sitting frozen for a long moment. Finally snapping out of it, she clung to a sliver of hope, trying to interpret “aunt” in a different way.

“…They… they are abroad! Went overseas the year before last!”

Mama Shizuka showed great patience this time. She didn’t get annoyed at her daughter’s evasion, maintaining her kindly expression while gently guiding her.

“Mom doesn’t mean that aunt, of course.”

“Mom, then… which aunt did you mean?”

Discussing this topic—that kind of feminine “aunt”—with her mother in front of her own student, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt her dignity as a teacher shatter completely. Her face flushed as red as blood. A tremor crept into her voice, and it sounded like she was close to tears.

“What other aunt could it possibly be?”

Mama Shizuka just smiled calmly. Well, she was a mother, after all, with a grown-up child herself.

“Which one?”

“Stop playing dumb, dear. Fine, fine, Mom will just say it straight…”

“Mom! No! No! Don’t say it! I understand! I get it!”

But it was too late for Hiratsuka Shizuka’s plea—

“Shizuka, when was the exact date of your last period?”

Hearing Mama Shizuka’s perfectly calm question…

Hiratsuka Shizuka hurriedly covered her burning-hot face in shame and anger.

“Mom! Why are you asking that?!”

As she complained, she also angrily stomped on Himekoji’s foot, clearly pouring all her embarrassment and annoyance onto him.

Himekoji was an innocent victim. Luckily, everyone in the room was barefoot. Skin meeting skin, it didn’t hurt at all. It actually felt kind of nice! Especially doing it sneakily right in front of his “mother-in-law”—that was thrilling!

“Am I asking the questions, or are you? Just answer!”

Just the slightest hint of maternal authority, and the daughter, Hiratsuka Shizuka, surrendered obediently.

“T-ten…”

“The tenth?”

“Tw-twelve…”

“And your menstrual cycle?”

“Tw-twenty-eight days…”

Hiratsuka Shizuka squeezed out the information, her pretty face scrunched up.

“Good!”

Mama Shizuka acted as if she hadn’t seen the discomfort. She nodded in acknowledgment and began counting on her fingers, making calculations.

Seeing her mother didn’t ask more, Hiratsuka Shizuka breathed a tiny sigh of relief. But then, turning her head, she saw Himekoji leaning in, listening intently. Her anger flared again. Biting her lip, she slapped his shoulder hard, hissing at him hotly.

“Why are you listening?! Cover your ears!”

“Huh?”

Himekoji didn’t get it. Cover his ears after he’d already heard? Wasn’t it too late…

“Hurry, hurry!”

Seeing his female teacher’s cheeks crimson as she urged him repeatedly, this woman nearing thirty suddenly gave off an unexpected, almost maidenly delicacy. It was weirdly cute. Himekoji struggled to hold back a laugh and obediently covered his ears.

Right now, he definitely didn’t dare provoke her further. If she truly flew into a rage, wouldn’t he bear the full brunt of her fury once Mama Shizuka was gone?

That outcome was easy to predict.

“Cover what? Cover what? Ignore Shizuka!”

Noticing the commotion, Mama Shizuka spoke up in defense of Himekoji.

“What I’m about to say next isn’t just stuff you need to hear, Shizuka! It’s for both of you. Pay attention! This coming period is very important! Crucial! You two will have to work hard, must cooperate closely, toil diligently day and night, and strive to get it done as soon as possible—producing the fruit of your labor!”

With things put like that, the upcoming topic wasn’t hard to guess…

Hiratsuka Shizuka: “…”

Himekoji: “…”

The newlyweds in Mama Shizuka’s eyes stared at each other wide-eyed, dumbstruck.

Mama Shizuka mistook it for shyness.

“Alright, alright, let’s get back on track. Mom has done the math for you. Shizuka, your last period started on the 12th this month, right? So your ovulation window is between the 21st and the 30th this month. That’s just days away! You must, must, must take this seriously!”

“Huh?”

Hiratsuka Shizuka was stunned.

“Eh?”

Himekoji was baffled.

What in the world is an ovulation window?! Their minds echoed the same thought.

Mama Shizuka, however, was getting more and more excited, ignoring their stunned expressions entirely. Rolling up her sleeves energetically, she proclaimed—

“To succeed in making a baby, you absolutely must grasp the ovulation window! So, you need to enter ‘preparation mode’ immediately! Shizuka dear, this is Folic acid. And these two bottles are multi-vitamins. One for each of you—you and Akito. You must take them daily, on time!”

The bottles Mama Shizuka suddenly pulled from her bag utterly shocked Hiratsuka Shizuka once more!

“Mom, you just carry all this around with you?!”

Mama Shizuka waved a dismissive hand.

“Of course not! Your father reminded me to go downstairs and buy them when I spoke to him on the phone just now.”

“You two move way too fast!”

“Well, someone has to move fast! If we leave it to you slowpokes, when would it ever happen?!”

Hiratsuka Shizuka had no comeback to her mother’s retort.

It seemed… logical?

“Shizuka, during this time, you must be careful. Absolutely no alcohol! Quit smoking too! Akito…”

“Yes? Aunt?”

Himekoji instinctively responded when his name was called.

“Child? We’re back to that, are we? Still ‘Aunt’?”

“Ah… ah… Mom…”

“That’s better. Moving forward, you need to supervise Shizuka. Handle this responsibly! It’s about the health of your own future child! Don’t let her touch any cigarettes or alcohol! Oh, and by the way… do you stay up late?”

“Sometimes…”

“That won’t do! Preparing for pregnancy requires early to bed and early to rise! This is a special time, so special rules apply! Work hard, both of you! Everything for the baby!”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Hiratsuka’s mom felt stricter than Hiratsuka-sensei herself. Himekoji felt like an obedient straight-A student in front of this elder, just nodding meekly.

“Mm, hand me your phone.”

“Oh… alright…”

Himekoji complied without even thinking to ask why. Mama Shizuka provided an explanation anyway.

“I’m going to install a really popular fitness app on your phone right now. Starting today, you must exercise daily. To keep you on track, I’ll link your account to mine later. I’ll get an alert every time you finish a workout. Not a single day of slacking off, understand?!”

“Huh? Ah… Mom, don’t worry…”

A dutiful smile spread across Himekoji’s face, but inside he was already whining—

Damn you, Hiratsuka Shizuka! You got me this time! Daily pills, daily workouts, and friggin’ daily early bedtimes?!

She…

No! Not she! Your mom! Your mom is absolutely serious!

…

And so.

From this day forward, Himekoji and Hiratsuka Shizuka embarked on their pregnancy preparation journey of being closely monitored, day after day…

The pressure was immense!

…

…