What is the absolute peak of happiness a human can experience in their lifetime?
Of course, since the standard for happiness is as diverse as the number of people on this earth, one cannot simply point and say, 'This is the best.' However, there are a few representative examples that are frequently cited.
Marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, winning the lottery, self-realization, achieving a goal, and so on.
Among these, marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth require the indispensable prerequisite of mutual love—so naturally, those were stories that had nothing to do with me.
But having achieved all of the others except for winning the lottery, couldn't I be called the happiest bastard in the world?
In fact, with one more about to be added in a few days to make it five, if this isn't happiness, what is?
Eight months had passed since the wedding with Unohana.
Since the wedding was in June, the seasons had shifted through autumn, where the rice stalks bow their heads, and to the end of winter, where the vegetation closes its eyes. Unohana's due date was now right around the corner.
And simultaneously, the greatest problem had arrived as well.
"What do you think would be a good name for the child?"
It was the matter of deciding the name for the baby soon to be born.
To be perfectly honest, I have zero naming sense. It's so abysmal that you could say it's completely trashed.
Of course, I could go to a naming center, pay some money, and have them pick a name based on the principles of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, or I could gather the people I call friends and get recommendations. It's not like I haven't thought about that.
But I didn't want to do that. Because this is the first child between me and Unohana.
Since it's the first child we've waited and prayed for over such a long time, I wanted the name to be something the two of us decided together.
But the real problem wasn't the naming itself...
"Yachiru, as you know by now, I'm the one who created Hell. Right?"
When I cautiously brought it up, Unohana looked at me with an expression that said, 'What are you trying to get at now...?'
I momentarily felt a lump in my throat and cleared it with a dry cough, but I pressed on regardless.
"Then, as the daughter of such a person, she would essentially be the King of all the Enmas, wouldn't she?"
"Is... that so? But being placed in such a heavy position the moment she is born might be a burden for the child."
"We'll just tell the Enmas to serve her on their own. In that sense, 'The King of Enmas.' How about Raoh?"
"Absolutely not."
The problem lay in my utterly shattered naming sense.
I scratched my head, looking down at the name that had been rejected yet again.
"You've come up with plenty of other normal names, so why do you insist on these specific ones?"
Just as Unohana said, I had thought of many very normal names besides things like Raoh, Kenshiro, or Toki.
For example, names like Satoru or Taisei for a boy, and Haruna or Uta for a girl.
Even I thought they were pretty good names, but there was a reason I was hesitating and pondering over others.
"Because she's a special child, I wanted to give her a special name..."
"I understand your feelings, but such a name might actually become a burden. To become a person worthy of the name, to live up to the name... she might end up trying to walk a path decided by her parents rather than her own."
I nodded at Unohana's advice.
Certainly, I had been too immersed in the idea of a 'good name' until now.
"You're right. A child's name is for the child, not for me."
"It's not that I don't understand your heart. It's just that since it's for our child, let's think about it together."
After much deliberation, we reached a conclusion.
If a boy was born, he would be named Kiyoshi, meaning to live without cloudiness. If a girl was born, she would be named Haruno, meaning to always live a warm life.
Yes, what does 'special' matter? As long as the meaning is good, that's enough.
Having decided on the names, I spent each day waiting for the child.
A few days later, the contractions began.
"Ugh...!"
Woken in the middle of the night by a sharp moan, I immediately got up and checked Unohana's condition, realizing it was labor.
Though it was about a week before the expected due date, I wasn't particularly surprised as I had anticipated the possibility of her coming ten days early or late.
In truth, I was freaking out internally, but I couldn't show my anxiety. I called for the midwife who had been staying with us for the past two months and prepared to deliver the baby myself.
"It's okay. I'm right here."
"Haa... Hoo..."
Unohana nodded with difficulty at my words and bit down on a gag.
That day, I focused more than at any point in my million-year existence to deliver the child.
"It's a girl..."
Fortunately, Unohana's delivery was so smooth it was hard to believe it was her first.
It took exactly five hours, no more, no less.
"Fufu... It seems all that training was worth it..."
Does training your body usually speed up childbirth...? The thought crossed my mind for a fleeting moment, but what did it matter?
The baby appeared before us quickly and healthily, making all my nervous tension feel unwarranted.
And so, while spring was still hesitating whether to arrive or not, our child couldn't wait for spring and came to us first.
*
Babies grow truly fast.
No, rather than the baby growing fast, it's more accurate to say that time flows incredibly fast once a baby is born.
That's because an infant who can't speak cries at all hours, and since you never know what might happen the moment you look away, you have to be constantly vigilant.
Thinking about the baby all day, caring for the baby—before you know it, it's night, and then suddenly it's day again.
Of course, since I once went over 300 years without sleeping, it wouldn't have mattered if I took care of her all day myself.
—Don't you dare... make me into such a bad mother ever again.
But if I did everything from A to Z by myself again, Unohana would be furious, so we divided the chores reasonably.
Sometimes I helped Unohana, and sometimes Unohana helped me.
Ah, and the members of Squad 4 also began helping us the moment Haruno was born.
Rather than help, it was more like consideration.
"Captain Shimon! Please go home!"
Whenever I arrived at the Squad 4 Captain's office in the morning as usual, Lieutenant Sakurano would rush over and try to force me to clock out.
We had been a bit awkward after the wedding, but lately, she had returned to her old self...
"Why haven't you left yet? I told you to go home!"
Though she seemed even more comfortable with me than before...
"I can handle all the minor paperwork myself, and I'll have the squad members deliver the really important documents to your house, so please work from home until Haruno-chan grows up!"
Anyway, though it was a bit aggressive, it was still a gesture of kindness, so I decided to accept it graciously.
A few days later, while I was working from home—which I had now grown accustomed to—I felt a familiar presence approaching the house.
Wondering if it was already that time, I looked out the window to see the sun high in the sky.
It was exactly lunchtime. The time when the next batch of documents for approval would arrive.
"Hello! I'm here again!"
It was time for the Squad 4 Lieutenant, Sakurano, to visit.
I didn't think much of it at first, but after a week, even a fool would realize.
"Be honest. You just want to see Haruno, so you told me to work from home. And coming right at lunchtime—you just want an excuse to stay out of the office longer, don't you?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
Her honesty was almost exhausting.
Well, since I could see she genuinely liked the baby, I didn't stop her.
"Hehehe... Ehehehe... Look at those chubby cheeks... Oh, did she just smack her lips!? Kaaaah!! How can she be this cute...!!!"
"If you like babies that much, why don't you get married soon?"
At those words, Sakurano's heart shattered, and she quietly returned to the barracks.
For a few days after that incident, a different squad member visited several times. I was a bit surprised when I first saw her.
"M-M-My name is Kotetsu Isane...!!"
'I thought her face looked familiar.'
I never expected to meet another character from the original series like this.
But she's been active since way back then.
"T-Today's paperwork!!"
"You don't need to be that nervous. Come in for a moment and have a cup of tea."
There were quite a few documents today, so I made the offer, and she followed me inside while trembling.
I walked into the living room while lightly skimming the papers as usual. Unohana, who was humming while cradling Haruno in her arms, looked over and blinked.
"Oh, 5th Seat Kotetsu?"
"C-Captain Unohana!! G-Good morning!"
"Ufufu. It's a bit late for morning, but yes. Good morning, 5th Seat Kotetsu."
Considering the original story, it wasn't strange that they knew each other, but did they already have a rapport?
"You two know each other?"
"We're in the same squad, after all. Besides, ever since she was a junior member, she was so sharp with her work that Lieutenant Sakurano used to say, 'If she keeps growing like this, she might become the next Lieutenant.' And... she has quite a striking appearance in many ways, doesn't she?"
Her tall stature, white hair... plus her competence. That says it all.
"Well, she definitely stands out."
"I'll go prepare some tea then. Here, could you watch Haruno for a moment?"
"Sure."
As I took Haruno, who began to fuss the moment she left Unohana's arms, Isane stood up restlessly.
"Ah, I'll...!"
"You're here as a guest today, so please stay seated."
"Yes sir...!"
She's a Captain through and through. Even after a year off, her skill in handling subordinates is impressive.
Thinking that, I quickly sorted through the paperwork, and a few names caught my eye.
'Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro are to be appointed as the Captains of Squad 8 and Squad 13, respectively...'
So the familiar names are starting to appear one by one.
Time really flies.