In March 1995, as the lingering chill of early spring still clung to Tokyo, Takuya Nakayama's schedule was already packed with English entries.
According to his plan, he should have been sitting in first class on a flight to San Francisco, with the itinerary for the Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony and the final confirmation plan for Sega's first E3 exhibition laid out beside him.
The IPO of Silicon Valley Online was Sega's first major move into the Internet domain. E3, meanwhile, was not only a stage to showcase Jupiter's recently released games and its development plans for the coming year, but also the inaugural electronic game industry-exclusive trade show organized by the IDSA, which Sega had helped establish.
Either of these events alone would have been a top priority for Sega this year.
But at this moment, Takuya Nakayama had tossed his suitcase in the entryway, spun his car around, and sped straight to Sugiyama Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.
Eri was pregnant again.
Takuya strode through the waiting area, the click of his leather shoes drawing the attention of the two nurses at the reception desk.
He paid no attention to these, his gaze sweeping over the rows of modular sofas where customers rested, finally settling on a corner.
His son, Nakayama Kazuki, sat upright in a chair, his short legs dangling in the air, swinging back and forth.
Eri must still be in the examination room.
The boy had just turned four, the age where he could flip the house upside down and make the cats and dogs give him a wide berth. Normally, if left unsupervised, he would turn the house upside down.
But today, he was unusually quiet.
Takuya Nakayama slowed his pace and walked over, sitting down beside his son.
"Where's Mom?"
Little Kazuki turned his head. Seeing his father, his tense little face relaxed slightly, then stiffened again as he struck a serious, grown-up pose.
He pointed at the closed examination room door.
"Inside."
"How long has she been in there?"
"A while." Kazuki looked down at his Velcro sneakers, then added, "The doctor just came out a moment ago."
Takuya Nakayama raised an eyebrow and gently brushed his son's soft hair.
"What did the doctor say?"
Kazuki frowned, as if struggling to retrieve the complex medical terms he'd just heard from the depths of his young mind.
He held up four fingers and carefully demonstrated.
"The doctor said Mom's been pregnant for forty days."
"Mm-hmm, anything else?"
"And—" Kazuki got stuck.
His face flushed red as a few garbled syllables tumbled out, "Syn—Syntai—Index? Whatever that thing is, it's all normal."
Takuya Nakayama nearly burst out laughing.
This kid probably mixed up the doctor's medical jargon with stock market terms he heard on TV.
Just as father and son were staring at each other, the examination room door opened.
Eri walked out, holding a medical report.
She wore a loose beige knit sweater, her face flushed and healthy, completely lacking the sickly pallor of someone unwell.
Seeing the pair seated on the bench, she paused for a moment before her eyes crinkled into a warm smile.
"Why are you here so soon?"
Takuya stood up, not taking the report, but instead reaching out to support her arm.
"The company's not far. Just a few minutes on the gas." He scanned her from head to toe. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm not a first-time mother. What do you think I'd feel?" Eri rolled her eyes at him. Though she said this, her body leaned naturally toward her husband.
She waved the report in her hand. "The doctor said all the indicators are normal. Kazuki didn't explain clearly earlier, did he? It's the HCG level and progesterone level, not some strange index."
She turned and crouched down, her gaze level with her son's on the chair. She reached out and straightened his slightly crooked collar.
"Kazuki, did you forget what the doctor said earlier?"
Kazuki turned his head, stubbornly insisting, "I remembered. It was Dad who didn't understand."
Eri smiled and pinched her son's cheek, not calling him out.
She stood up and looked at Takuya Nakayama, her tone softening considerably.
"Did you change the plane ticket?"
"I didn't have time. I came as soon as I got the call."
"Then don't bother changing it." Eri nudged his arm. "Let's stick to the original plan. It's only been forty days, not like I'm about to give birth. Aunt Keiko and my parents will be here to help, and you wouldn't be much use staying here anyway."
She was being sensible.
As the only daughter of the President of TV Tokyo and having lived for years in the family of a senior executive at a major corporation like Sega, she understood the immense significance of her husband's upcoming trip to the United States.
Ringing the Nasdaq bell was a moment many entrepreneurs only dreamed of.
Not to mention the E3 gaming exhibition, a grand event where major game companies gathered to showcase their latest creations.
Takuya Nakayama gazed at his wife.
A faint weariness flickered in her eyes, but what he saw more clearly was a steadfast resolve that reassured him.
This was Eri.
She never used "for the family" as a reason to hold his career hostage, and it was precisely for that reason that Takuya felt even more indebted to her over the years, as Sega's performance soared.
As Executive Managing Director, he should have been working around the clock, practically living at the office.
But he wasn't.
Apart from necessary business trips, he was home for dinner almost every night, on time.
Weekends were sacred, reserved for his wife and son.
He had even spread this philosophy throughout all of Sega's Development Departments.
Employees who privately called overtime a "blessing" privately nicknamed him the "Oddball Managing Director."
"I'm not going."
Takuya's answer was swift and decisive.
Eri blinked in surprise. "What did you say?"
"I'm not going on the flight today," Takuya Nakayama said. He pulled out his cell phone, sent a message to his assistant, and tossed it back into his bag. "For Nasdaq, have Frank handle it. The bell-ringing ceremony is just a formality anyway. I've already given him all the details about Silicon Valley Online's development strategy. As for E3, the exhibitor lineup is set, and I've reviewed the progress. My presence won't make much difference."
"But—"
"No 'buts'," Takuya interrupted, bending down to scoop Kazuki up from the chair.
The four-year-old was surprisingly heavy, his weight pressing firmly against his father's arm.
Kazuki jumped in surprise, then quickly wrapped his arms around his dad's neck.
"Silicon Valley Online's IPO is a big deal, but it's not so big that I should leave my pregnant wife at the hospital," Takuya said, bouncing his son in his arms. He turned to Eri. "Besides, the first trimester is the most unstable. If I were in the States, my mind would be on you at home. If I got distracted during the bell-ringing ceremony and threw the hammer at the Nasdaq chairman's head, that would be real international news."
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