Nakayama Miyuki and Nakagawa Takako pressed their palms together and recited a Buddhist chant.
Nakayama Hayao turned around, his brows unfurling, and a smile appeared on his long-stern face.
The door to the delivery room was pushed open from the inside.
A nurse walked out, removed her mask, and smiled.
"Congratulations to everyone, the mother has given birth successfully. It is a healthy baby girl. Both mother and child are safe. All indicators are rated as perfect."
Takuya Nakayama let out a long breath, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
"How is my wife?"
"The mother is exhausted and is currently undergoing postpartum check-ups and wound suturing. The baby is having her airways cleared and being weighed. She will be transferred to a VIP room shortly."
Kazuki looked up from Takuya's arms.
"Papa, it's a little sister."
"Yes, it's a little sister." Takuya Nakayama pinched his son's cheek.
8:00 AM.
Sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains into the VIP room, casting a warm hue over the furnishings.
Eri lay on the hospital bed, her face pale, but her spirits were surprisingly good.
An IV drip was connected to the back of her hand, delivering nutrient solution.
A crib was placed by the bed, in which a tiny baby wrapped in pink swaddling clothes lay.
The elders gathered around the crib, conversing in hushed tones.
"These brows and eyes look more like Eri's. Look at these long eyelashes," Takako Nakagawa examined closely.
"The nose is like Takuya's, straight and well-defined. The Nakayama family genes are unmistakable," Hayao Nakayama insisted on his own view.
Takuya Nakayama sat by the bedside, holding Eri's hand.
"You've worked hard."
Eri looked at him and shook her head.
"Have you decided on a name?" she asked.
"Let's go with what we discussed before. Miki. Miki Nakayama," Takuya Nakayama explained. "'Mi' comes from your name, representing beauty. 'Ki' corresponds with our older son's name, hoping she will grow up strong like a tree, and also hoping that they, brother and sister, will support each other."
"Kazuki, Miki," Eri recited, "It's nice. It sounds very quiet."
Kazuki was趴 (lying prone) by the crib, staring at his sister with round, unblinking eyes.
The baby had her eyes closed, occasionally smacking her lips. She was very quiet, completely different from how her brother was when he was a baby, which had been quite a handful.
"Little sister is so small. Her hand is only this big," Kazuki held up a finger, gesturing in the air, wanting to touch her but not daring to.
"When you were born, Kazuki, you were even smaller than your sister. You were only 2.93 kilograms. Your sister is 3.11 kilograms," Miyuki Nakayama said with a smile.
Kazuki turned to look at Eri.
"Mom, are you still in pain?"
"Seeing Kazuki and your little sister, Mom doesn't hurt anymore."
Kazuki thought about it seriously.
"Then when can my little sister play games with me? I can give her the second controller."
A stifled chuckle rippled through the hospital room.
Jun Nakagawa patted his grandson on the shoulder.
"Your little sister will have to grow for a long time before she can hold a joystick. She can't even control her own hands right now."
"That's okay, I can teach her. If she can't beat the boss, I'll beat it for her. I'm really good at gaming," Kazuki promised, patting his chest.
"Then what if she wants to play Mario?" Takuya asked, intentionally posing the question.
Kazuki froze.
He looked at his grandfather, then at his father.
His brain raced, trying to find a balance between family allegiance and spoiling his little sister.
"We don't have that mushroom-eating uncle in our house. I can take her to play Sonic. Sonic runs fast, he's more fun than Mario."
Hayao Nakayama coughed and turned to pour some water to hide his amusement.
This answer truly won him over.
Over the next few days, nursing duties in the hospital room were well organized.
During the day, the Nakayama and Nakagawa couples took turns visiting.
With the elders' rich experience in childcare combined with the hospital's professional care, Eri recovered quickly.
As evening fell and the elders returned to rest, the responsibility of caregiving fell to Takuya Nakayama and Keiko.
Keiko was the most senior maid in the Nakayama household, known for being steady and meticulous.
She organized the baby supplies into categories and placed them neatly—everything from diapers to wet wipes, baby powder to diaper rash cream—within easy reach.
Takuya insisted on staying up for the night watch.
A dim wall lamp was left on in the hospital room.
At two in the morning, Miki let out a couple of whimpers.
Takuya quickly got up and walked to the crib.
With practiced movements, he unswaddled her and checked the color-changing indicator on her diaper. Finding it dry, he picked his daughter up.
Little Miki wasn't as fussy as her older brother had been when he was a baby.
She rarely cried or fussed loudly; when she was hungry or uncomfortable, she would just whimper softly, like a kitten.
Eri woke up as well.
"Is she hungry?"
"I think so. It's time for her feeding." Takuya brought their daughter to Eri and helped adjust the height of her pillows.
After the feeding, Takuya took their daughter back, held her upright against his chest, and gently patted her back with a cupped hand to help her burp.
Keiko handed over a warm towel from the side.
"Young Master, let me watch over her for the rest of the night. You have company business to handle tomorrow; you can't just keep staying at the hospital."
"It's fine. Koguchi and Yuji Naka are keeping an eye on things, and the channels and development are proceeding as planned. I'll just work from the hospital for the next few days." Takuya Nakayama placed his burped daughter back into the crib and tucked her in.
He pulled up a chair, sat by the hospital bed, and looked at his daughter, who had fallen back asleep, with a tender expression.
January 1996. On the streets of Tokyo, the festive atmosphere of the New Year still lingered, and the cold wind was fragmented by the neon signs along the roadside.
Outside the VIP entrance of the Sugiyama Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, a black Toyota Century was parked steadily.
Takuya Nakayama helped Eri, who was bundled up tightly, into the back seat, and his mother, Miyuki Nakayama, climbed in while cradling the sleeping Miki.
Returning to the Nakayama mansion, the warmth inside the house dispelled the winter chill.
Aunt Keiko had prepared the postpartum confinement meals well in advance, and all kinds of baby supplies were categorized and arranged in the sunlit room.
The elders hovered around the new addition to the family, while Kazuki lay on his stomach by the cradle, teasing his little sister and muttering about teaching her how to play video games.
After settling everything at home and making sure Eri and Miki were both fast asleep, Takuya Nakayama put on his suit and drove to Ōta Ward.
The Sega Headquarters Building.
The Christmas and New Year holidays had just come to an end, and the building had quickly returned to its usual fast pace.
The hum of photocopiers, the ringing of telephones, and the sound of hurried footsteps in the corridors wove together, playing the unique symphony of an industry giant.
Takuya Nakayama pushed open the door to the executive office.
On the desk, year-end sales reports compiled by various departments were piled up like a small mountain.
He took off his jacket, hung it on the coat rack, walked to the desk, and opened the sales brief on top.
The summarized data for the North American and Japanese markets was clearly listed.
The "Toy Story" game had reached a cumulative total of over five million copies sold across both platforms.
This figure alone was already staggering.
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