Kurumi's Approach
It has been four years since Shido and Kurumi became the parents of triplet children, two girls named Asami and Saori, and a boy named Reiji. Shido usually works until six in the evening, and occasionally he has to deal with pressure from his co workers to go out drinking with them. He is currently having one of those moments with two of his friends at the office; it starts with one of workers telling him plainly.
"Hey, come out for drinks with me and a couple of the guys, Itsuka."
Shido is packing his stuff to go home and politely responds.
"Sorry, but I just want to go home to my wife and kids."
Another co worker adds in with a little more serious.
"Come on, you always say that. Why can't you just let it go for one night?"
Shido smiles as says happily.
"Well, because going home to see my family is one thing I greatly look forward to doing every day. It's not that I don't want to go out with you guys."
The first co worker gets in front of Shido and asks.
"Really? How hot is your wife?"
Shido grabs a photo of Kurumi and their three children, and shows it to his co workers and one of them says silently and with jealousy.
"Lucky punk."
Shido then finishes his packing and says goodbye to his co workers for the night and leaves to get home to his beloved wife and darling children. He loves his wife beyond her beauty and really considers it a plus.
At the Itsuka residence, Kurumi is currently preparing dinner knowing that Shido is on his way home. She is making Saori's favorite dinner, fried chicken with green salad and rice. The reason she making Saori's favorite is because Saori had gotten a perfect score on her math test at her preschool. Asami and Reiji do alright at math, but are overall average. Kurumi is currently chopping vegetables for the salad and waiting for the oil to heat up. She wears the same outfit that she got after marrying Shido, and is also wearing a simple white apron with frills while she cooks.
The children are watching educational children's cartoons in the adjoining room while their mother cooks dinner. Kurumi is humming to herself while she chops the vegetables until she feels a tug at her apron; Kurumi looks down and sees Saori tugging on her apron. Saori is wearing a simple red outfit with a red ribbon tied around her hair which is neck-length, blue like her father, and parts her bangs to cover her left eye to look more like her beloved mother. Saori has an innocent look on her face as Kurumi kneels down and asks gently.
"Do you need something Saori?"
Saori responds.
"Can I help you cook, mommy?"
Saori appears as if she's trying to see under Kurumi's hair as if she really wants to see her clock eye, but Saori shouldn't know about it. Kurumi pays no attention to her daughters look, smiles at her and says.
"That's very sweet of you, but I'm afraid that mommy is cooking with too many things that can hurt you, and I would be very sad if you got hurt."
Saori frowns a little and says.
"Okay mommy."
Saori lowers her head and returns to the other room. Kurumi then hears something ring in her ear; it is the sound of the door opening which she knows is Shido. Kurumi then puts down her knife and goes to the door to greet her husband from his long day of work. Shido walks through the door and immediately greeted with a.
"Welcome home, Shido."
Kurumi walks over to her husband and kisses him on the lips, and then she something in his ear causing him to blush and he says quietly and flustered.
"I haven't been home for three seconds and your saying things like that."
Kurumi puts on her mischievous smile and responds.
"Do I need an excuse to show my hardworking, devoted, and loving husband my affection?"
Shido puts his arms around Kurumi and simply responds.
"Of course you don't, and neither do I."
The children run to greet their father home as they are excited to see him. The family then sits down and has an enjoyable meal. Later, Kurumi tucks in all three of her children in their bedrooms. The children each have their own bedroom and the house even has a nursery ready just in case Shido and Kurumi have more children. Kurumi usually tucks her children in their beds, kisses them on their foreheads and says goodnight. She then joins her husband in their bed to have their weekly fun. However, before they can get started, Shido and Kurumi hear crying and their bedroom door opens revealing Saori, who is wearing a simple pair of red pajamas. She is rubbing her eyes with tears running down her face; Shido gets up out of his Kurumi's bed to check on her; he is wearing a simple pair of white pajamas. He walks up to her, rubs her head, and gently asks.
"What's wrong Saori? Did you have a bad dream?"
Saori nods her head and Shido hugs her close to his chest and continues to rub her head. Kurumi gets up and tells Shido in sweet tone.
"We should let her sleep with us tonight."
Shido agrees and asks Saori.
"Do you want sleep with Mommy and Daddy?"
Shido feels Saori nod through his pajama shirt. He then picks her up and carries her into his and Kurumi's bed and she sleeps in the middle between her parents. Shido then falls back asleep and Kurumi smiles at Saori and says.
"Don't worry Saori; mommy and daddy won't let anything hurt you."
Kurumi then falls asleep herself. Saori then slowly, almost as she is afraid, moves her hand towards her mother's face and moves her hair to the side to see her other eye, but since Kurumi's eyes are both closed and Saori can't see it.
The next morning, Shido has the day off but is going to run some errands because he has to plan a birthday party for the children since their birthday is tomorrow. Kurumi is going to bake the cake since the children prefer her homemade pastries over store bought ones. Shido takes Asami and Reiji over to Kotori's home. Kotori lives alone these days but she always visits Shido and Kurumi to see her brother and his children. Saori, however, doesn't want to go visit her aunt; it's not that she dislikes her aunt, but would rather spend time with her mother.
While spending time sitting with her daughter on the couch, Kurumi asks her about the nightmare she had last night.
"Saori, what had you so scared last night?"
Saori is a little hesitant but then says softly.
"A red girl…she wants to hurt me."
"A red girl?"
Saori nods a little and continues.
"She also has this weird eye, and…and she looks a little like you mommy."
This caught Kurumi's attention even more.
"She looks like me?"
Saori is quick to respond a little louder.
"But you're much prettier than her mommy!"
Kurumi smiles a little more and rubs Saori's head.
"And you know mommy would never hurt you, right?"
Saori nods again. However, Kurumi does know why Saori had that nightmare. About a week ago, it was about one in the morning, and Kurumi had woken up to get herself a glass of water after having her night with her husband. She was in the kitchen drinking her water, when all of the sudden, she felt the blade of a knife on her throat. Someone has broken into her house, and he tells Kurumi in a threatening tone.
"Okay lady, I want anything that's worth anything. You should know the…"
The thief then gets a good look at Kurumi and then has a more uneasy smile on his face as he says.
"Hold on…Better yet, I'd rather have some fun with you first."
Kurumi puts on her smile as she says mischievously.
"Okay, but let's go outside; I don't won't my husband to hear us."
The thief feels as if he's made the score of his life. This is of course corrected once he and Kurumi get outside. Inside her bedroom, Saori hears something outside her window and goes to check it out while rubbing her eyes and holding a stuffed black kitten. She looks outside her window, and sees a woman dressed in red holding two guns. She sees this woman (Kurumi) kill this man, while having his mouth covered to silence his screams, and then sees her left eye which resembles a clock but missing numbers on it. Saori panics and runs to her bed to hide under her sheets. Kurumi, in actuality, can only summon half of her astral dress since roughly forty percent of her powers, and she can use both of her guns. Kurumi used her powers to clean up the mess she left behind, and at the time, she didn't know that Saori saw her. Kotori did find out about the incident, but after talking with Kurumi about it, thought it would be best that Shido doesn't find out about it. The thief was never brought up in any reports and no one filed a missing people ads.
Feeling bad about Saori seeing what she did, Kurumi decides to spend the day taking her for fun. She then tells her about while rubbing head.
"Well then, I'll help forget all about this mean girl in red. Does that sound fun?"
Saori puts on a big smile and nods rapidly. Kurumi then grabs her purse and then she and Saori set off to have a fun day together. In a different part of the city, Shido is on his way to a catering place to get some food ordered for the children; normally he'd make the food himself or ask Kurumi to do it, but he's going to be busy setting up the party, and Kurumi is making a very special cake that requires a lot of attention. He finds a place that is actually run by Ai, Mai, and Mii; they opened up a small catering restaurant and catering business together called "That's So Lame". They got the name because Mii set it up over the phone and the guy who was making it thought that's what they wanted to call it, and they couldn't get it fixed or refunded. But fortunately, tons of hipsters love their business and it has flourished.
Shido goes inside the building and is immediately greeted by Ai.
"Oh hey Shido, it's been a while."
Shido casually responds.
"Yeah, not since graduation."
"Well it's good to see you after a few years. Let's go to my office and we'll talk more."
Shido follows Ai to her office which she also shares with her two friends. Shido discusses having a Kiddy Katering Kart for the party. It is made to balance nutrition with non nutritional food, so it is perfect for children's party. While speaking, Ai then realizes something she hasn't asked yet.
"By the way Shido, I never asked who you're wife is. Wait, let me guess, it's Tohka, right?"
Shido shakes his head lately and answers.
"No, but Tohka and I are really good friends still, and she's visits a lot."
In high school, Ai would have called Shido a creep for breaking Tohka's heart. But as she is now, Ai is not prepared to make that statement, but instead asks.
"Oh, well who is your wife?"
Shido just flat out says it.
"Kurumi."
This on the other hand causes Ai to flip a little.
"You married Kurumi!? I knew you went on a date with her but holy crap."
Mai and Mii are outside the door and they hear it as well. Mai says almost as loud.
"Shido married Kurumi!?"
Then, of course, Mii says.
"That's so lame."
The sound of the restaurant's name causes the costumers to shout and raise their glasses, and yes this happens a lot. Shido has a somewhat annoyed look as he says.
"Is it really that surprising?"
In a different part of the city, Kurumi and Saori are looking at baby animals through the window of a pet store. Saori loves small animals, especially kittens and puppies, and especially loves looking at them with her mother. As they look at puppies, Kurumi asks Saori.
"Would you like a puppy for your birthday?"
Saori shakes her head.
"No, but I do love them."
"What would you like for your birthday?"
Saori doesn't respond, and Kurumi tells her.
"You don't have to say right now if you don't feel like it."
Saori is silent for a few more seconds, and then asks.
"Can we get something to eat mommy?"
Kurumi smiles softly and says.
"You want something to eat? That sounds doable."
"But, I'd like to eat at the park."
"Okay, we can do that."
Saori grabs Kurumi's hand, and they set off to have lunch in the park. A little later after eating their lunch, Saori asks something of Kurumi that she didn't expect to hear. Saori asks her about her left eye.
"Mommy, can I see you other eye?"
Kurumi maintains her smile as she asks.
"Why do you want to see my other eye?"
Saori gently responds.
"I just want to see it."
Kurumi thinks for a second because Saori might have a frightened reaction, but ultimately decides that she'd rather be truthful to her.
"Okay Saori."
Kurumi waits until she and Saori are the only ones within viewing range and then moves her hair to expose her other eye to her daughter. Saori then sees that her mother has the same clock eye as the girl in her nightmare, but doesn't acknowledge that she is the same, but she almost jumps up once she sees it. Kurumi then asks with slight concern in her voice.
"Are you scared Saori?"
Saori trembles a little and shakes her head.
"No, but…why'd you hurt that man?"
Kurumi smiles.
"Because I was afraid I was going to hurt you, Asami, or Reiji, and I won't ever let that happen."
Kurumi then has a more uneasy tone as if she's getting carried away.
"If anyone ever laid a hand on my children with harmful intent, well, I can't promise anything."
Kurumi then puts her arms around and Saori and presses her close to her chest and the rubs her head. She then changes the subject back to the birthday present.
"Now, tell me what you want for your birthday. Anything you want and it is yours"
Saori gently asks.
"I can ask for anything?"
Kurumi nods with her eyes closed. Saori thinks for a second and then whispers something in her ear.
Elsewhere, Shido is going to Kotori's to pick up his other two children. He knocks on the door and immediately hears his children running for the door. The minute the door opens, Shido greeted by his children hugging his legs, and Kotori wearing her white ribbions as she greets him her cheery self.
"Hey big bro, how'd your day go?"
"Just fine. I got my business settled for the day."
Shido sends Asami and Reiji to get their things so he can ask Kotori something in secret. He asks silently.
"Did you get everything arranged?"
Kotori gives a wink with a lollipop in her mouth saying she did. Kotori told Shido she'd get the Ratatoskr crew to dress in funny outfits for the children like a butler with an oversized bow, a clown, and character from a popular children's show. Kotori also hands Shido a piece of paper; this is because he also asked her to get ideas for presents from her since she's really good at getting ideas from her nephew and nieces, and that's why Shido brought them to her. Shido enters the residence to get a glass of water, and then he sees that Kotori and the kids were playing a game before he arrived, and at first it seems okay, until he sees the name on the title screen and reads it out loud.
"Fall in Love my Little Shido IV (Kindergarten Edition)!?"
Kotori is now wearing her black ribbons as she responds.
"What? I'm making a killing with these games. Especially the adults only edition."
Shido gives a "really" look to his sister and asks.
"Do mom and dad know about this?"
Kotori shrugs and says.
"Mom was the one who came up with the Kindergarten Edition. But they don't know about the Adults Only Edition. We also have "Fall in Love my little Mana" in development for the other demographic."
Shido looks as if he's about to ask about it, but Kotori immediately tells him.
"And yes, Mana does know about it."
Shido gets his children and returns home with them. Later that night, Shido and Kurumi are laying in bed together in their bed and their bedroom only lighten by a lamp. Shido asks Kurumi.
"So how'd your with Saori go?"
Kurumi answers in a rather mischievous tone.
"It was fun."
Shido is a little uneasy about her tone, but asks.
"Did you find out what she wants?"
Kurumi then starts move her face closer to Shido's as she says.
"Indeed."
Shido is feeling a little uneasy, and then Kurumi whispers in his ear.
"She wants a baby sister."
Shido blushes and his uneasy feeling is gone, but he has to ask.
"You did tell that takes time, right?"
Kurumi nods but tells him.
"But I told her we'd work on that immediately."
Kurumi then reaches at the lamp that is lighting the room and turns it off. Thirteen years later, Kurumi is baking cookies for her children and Shido goes to Saori's room to bring her some. In her room, Saori is reading a book when Shido brings her the cookies. Shido looks at the book she's reading and asks her in an uneasy tone.
"Bastille? Isn't that a little dark Saori?"
Saori puts on an innocent smile and responds in a sweet tone.
"But this is French history. I find it really interesting."
"Well okay, enjoy it."
Shido rubs Saori's head and she says.
"Thanks daddy, I love you."
Shido smiles big and leaves his daughter in privacy. Once he does, Saori then says silently.
"Hmm the French revolution really was an "interesting" time."
Saori actually got the book from her mother, who knows about her secret pleasures but doesn't stop it. She doesn't because she knows it makes Saori happy.