*Chapter 16: So Time To Celebrate*
Yu was in the faculty office after school, working on some papers. It was his birthday and he already got a few things from his co-workers and even some of his students. He was carrying a few gifts in his bag and was hard at work, getting some grading done for the day's tests, before Mr Panome and a few of the teachers arrived at his desk, clapping their hands and giving a box to him.
"Happy birthday, Narukami! Here's to 24 more good years!" One of the teachers said, Yu putting his work away and accepting the dessert, smiling. "Aw, you guys didn't have to, thanks." Yu grinned, unwrapping the box to reveal a cupcake with frosting on it. "Well today's my free day so I'll gladly accept this." Yu said, taking a bite of the cupcake, his co-workers returning to their desks, talking amongst themselves.
"Yeah, me and a few of the other younger teachers wanted to get you something special, you've done a lot and I've noticed some of the students say that your class is their favorite. You really improved this school and its image in the eyes of the students." Mr Panome said, taking a sip of his coffee and patting Yu's shoulder. Yu wiped his mouth and smiled, knowing that he was accepted as a good teacher to the school and his fellow teachers. He finished his work and headed out, waving goodbye to everyone who wished him a happy birthday as he went to his car.
He drove down the road, when all of a sudden, his tire popped and he swerved onto the side of the road, safely managing to stop near the grass. He sighed as he opened his phone to call for a tow truck, before one of the cars on the road stopped near him and parked. He noticed that the person inside the car was Mr. Toriuma, a teacher that worked in the science department of his school. "Narukami, are you alright!?" "Yeah! Yeah, I'm good! Just popped a tire, nothing serious!" "Oh thank god. Hang on, I got an extra tire in the back of my trunk, lemme help you with that!" Mr. Toriuma said, as the two teachers fixed up Yu's car, replacing his tire and tightening the bolts.
"Thank you so much, Toriuma, you're a lifesaver. Here, how much was that ti-" "No no, no need to pay me. Consider it your birthday present, y'know?" Toriuma chuckled as he headed back to his car. "Stay safe out there, Narukami. Happy birthday!" "Thanks!" Yu yelled out as he noticed he was getting a call from Chie.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Yu asked. "Yeah I'm good, what's taking you so long? The ice cream's about to melt." Chie said, clearly sounding like she was annoyed. "Ice cream? Ohhhh, you got me a cake. Yeah, sorry my tire just popped out of nowhere." "Holy crap, are you ok?" Yu noticed Yosuke yelling in the background before hearing Chie shush him. "Are you ok, honey?" "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Are you sure you only got me that cake and ice cream?" Yu questioned, Chie stammering and laughing nervously.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I just got you that cake, haha, that's all! Just…get over here, geez!" Chie said, hanging up. Yu took that as a hint that there were more to things that he thought and drove back onto the road, safely getting to his house.
He walked up to see a giant banner outside his door before noticing some rustling in the bushes. All of a sudden, Nanako jumped out from the door and tackled him into his lawn, everyone else jumping out to surprise him. "Happy birthday Yu!" Yu noticed that EVERYONE was there. All of his friends and family, even Daisuke and Kou were there.
"Happy birthday, partner! It took me a lot to make sure it was all a surprise." "Yeah, especially cause Hanamura here could barely keep his mouth shut when Chie called you." Daisuke chuckled before Yosuke shot him a dirty look. Chie ran outside, blowing a party popper in front of Yu's face, getting confetti all over him. "You guys didn't tell me that you were going out NOW!" "We warned you, didn't we Senpai?" Naoto said, Chie pouting at her before looking over to see Yu tearing up a bit. "Thank you. All of you." Yu said, smiling as big as he ever could.
Everyone went inside and Yu saw the entire house was decorated. A long table with food, snacks, and drinks were set up and he went around, greeting everyone who was there. He went over to see Nanako playing with Jin, Nari, and Yasuhiro who all had birthday hats on them, cooing in their play area. "They're so cute! Daddy, look at the babies!" "Yeah, great job Yosuke." Dojima chuckled, patting Yosuke on the back. He saw Naoto and Kanji, looking at Chie, who was now a little over 4 months in.
"So you're currently in your second trimester, correct?" "Yep, little guy's been growing well. Or girl. Me and Yu still don't know, we want it to be a surprise." Chie said, Kanji sulking in response. "That's gonna be a problem for the stuff I'm making. I guess I'm just goin' with the teddy bear next week for the baby shower." Kanji sighed, crumpling a bag of chips and heading for another. "Speaking of, I'm glad you and Kanji are staying in Inaba for a few weeks. I know you two got a lot of traveling done and I don't wanna interrupt it, hehe."
"Don't think that way, Chie-senpai, me and Kanji would drop everything to attend any important events you send our way! Besides, it's good to be in Japan again. We were in California recently and it has not been well ever since you last went." Naoto said, Chie and her talking again like old times. Yu walked around the place, enjoying the company of all of his friends and family and catching up with everyone.
After a few minutes, he sat down at the table to sing Happy Birthday. He went over to see a two layer cake with the words 24 written on with frosting on the top. "Me, Rise, and Yukiko managed to make a cake for you! We went through a lot of batter to make it right." "Yeah, the first few attempts were…not great." Yosuke shuddered remembering how earlier in the week, he and Teddie had to taste-test his wife and Chie's cake recipes. "It was the most burnt thing in my life!" Teddie said gleefully, getting socked in his arm by Rise which made him wince.
"Anyways, make a wish!" Yu closed his eyes and wished for only one thing: For his new life to be better than he could imagine. He blew his candles out, everyone cheering and blowing their party horn blowers. Chie hugged him and they handed out the cake, a perfectly baked red velvet cake. He went over to his father and mother with Chie, who were talking and laughing with each other. "I'm glad you two could come." "Of course we were. We weren't going to miss my little boy's 24th birthday!" Yu's mother said, pinching her son's cheek. "Ack, you don't gotta do that, mom!" "Sorry sorry, so how are you and Chie doing?" "We're doing well, the baby's expected to come in April." Yu said, his mother nodding in response smiling. "Yeah, honestly, I kinda didn't expect it to be so hard…" Chie sighed, rubbing her stomach. "Well hey, at the very least, you two seem excited for the kid to be coming. You should be, it's always a great moment when it happens." Yu's father chuckled, sipping into his soda.
"I wanted to formally apologize for how I treated you and your wife, Yu. I can clearly see that you two are happy to be having this baby and honestly, I can tell you matured. You seem…older." "Thanks, dad." Yu chuckled. "Well hey, do you guys wanna have some cake?" Chie asked. "Is it red velvet? Because if so, I might get a few slices." Yu's father laughed, heading over to the desert table. "Hey hey hey, save some for me, dad!" Yu went behind his father, getting some cake for himself.
"Like father, like son eh?" Yu's mother chuckled, looking over at Chie and talking to her about her life and her future. The night was entertaining and Yu felt good, ready for the baby shower next week. But in the meantime, he enjoyed the moment of his 24th birthday surrounded by his beautiful wife, his loving family, and his caring friends.
*A week later.*
"Man, two parties back to back. Is this the best month or what, Yosuke-senpai?" Kanji chuckled at Yosuke, who was holding Nari in his arms and putting a binkie in her mouth. It was the day of Chie's baby shower and not as many people were there compared to Yu's birthday party, only having close friends and family. Chie wasn't there yet as she was with Yukiko around the park, being distracted with Jin and Yasuhiro.
"Eh I dunno, I'm still excited for next month, it's gonna be Christmas after all!" Yosuke said, Kanji chuckling and recalling past memories. "Oh yeah…it's kinda crazy how a few years ago, December was probably the most depressing month of our lives." Kanji grumbled, remembering what happened during their high school years. "I mean, us having to chase Namatame and Nanako-chan dying for a bit. Then catching that bastard Adachi and bringin' that Ameno-Sagiri dude to justice."
Yosuke quickly covered his daughter's ears and shushed Kanji. "Hey hey man, I read in a book that kids brains are like sponges! If you curse around them a lot, it's not gonna be good!" "Aw shiiioot, sorry Yosuke. Gotta remember to act better around kids. Naoto's been chewing me out for that stuff a while ago." "Yeah, Yukiko said if she ever hears me or any of the kids curse, she's gonna make sure…" Yosuke whispered into Kanji's ear who was surprised and looked at him with a shocked expression, dropping his cup. "Jeez dude! She's gonna do THAT to you!?" Kanji said, Yosuke nodding nervously.
"What is Yuki-san going to do to Yosuke?" Nanako said, surprising Yosuke and Kanji. "Oh uh, I'll tell you when you're older Nanako." "But I'm already 13! That's old enough isn't it?" Nanako pouted, Kanji and Yosuke trying to find a way out of an awkward conversation. "Nanako, I'll tell you when you're 18, all right?" Dojima said, patting Nanako's shoulder who looked sad. "Aw, fine." She looked over at Nari, which Yosuke noticed.
"Nanako, did you want to help feed Nari-chan?" "Really!? Can I dad?" Nanako gleefully said, looking up at Dojima. "If it's ok with Yosuke. Remember, be careful though, a real baby's not like your toy ones you have at home." "I'll be SUPER careful!" Nanako said, Yosuke kneeling down to let Nanako hold her daughter. He dug through his bag before passing a bottle to Nanako, who fed Nari with ease.
"Huh, you're a professional at this, Nanako!" Kanji said, walking over to see Nanako feeding Nari well. "I remember playing with my friends and they had this doll that could be fed a toy bottle, I did it great my first try!" Nanako giggled, Dojima looking impressed.
Yu was setting up a giant pile of fake gift boxes that were stacked on top of each other and gluing them, Yu's dad holding Skip back who crashed into the display a few times. "Son, hurry with that, he's starting to bite me!" "Just a second!" Yu gave a thumbs up as his father let go, Skip running into the gift display only for him to bonk himself on the head looking confused.
"Jeez, that dog loves makin' trouble, eh?" Yu's dad sighed, seeing Skip walk over to Teddie who was cheering and petting him. "Yeah but it's only when Chie isn't around. When she is here, he's a saint." "Hehe, I remember your mother's dog being the same way when I started dating her." Yu and his father were talking for a bit before Rise walked up to them, clipboard in hand.
"Ok the gift displays are done, refreshments are set. Teddie-bear, I see you trying to take a cupcake, don't you do it!" Rise pointed her pen at Teddie, who immediately retracted his hand, acting innocent. "Well other than that, the balloons are set up and everything seems ready to go. Kanji, could you plug in the lights?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, got it." Kanji inserted a plug into a nearby socket and the entire backyard lit up, yellow Christmas lights hanging around the place and through the yard in arches. "It looks PERFECT! Chie-senpai is going to love this!" Rise squealed, before heading over to Naoto who was setting the tables, ruler in hand and holding a box of candles in the other.
"Naoto-san, what are you doing?" "Oh well, I was just looking to see what the perfect setup would be for the candles on the table, I'm currently trying to keep measurements accurate but the cloth may be a bit too thin, especially with-" "Naoto-san, they're just candles! There's no need to be serious when it comes to that!" "Yes yes, I apologize, Rise. I just need a few more minutes though." Rise could see Naoto was stressed and was trying to take her mind off something. "Naoto, is everything all right? You seem distracted." "It's fine, nothing's wrong." Rise motioned Teddie to come over and take over Naoto's job and she brought her over to sit down and talk.
"Is there something wrong?" Rise asked being met by Naoto sighing. "It's just…me and Kanji are almost done with our "traveling" part of our life plan and I'm just…wanting to have a child with Kanji." "Really!? But you guys have been married for barely 2 years! Shouldn't you wait just a bit?" Rise was saying nervously. "I know, I know but…I just see everyone like Chie and Yukiko having children and looking so happy that it makes me wish I had one. Kanji's changed so much and I think he would make for a great father." Naoto said, looking over at Yosuke and Kanji entertaining Nari, smiling at the both of them.
"Yeah I think so too, but you're both a bit too young, y'know? You have plenty of time, don't worry." "…you're right. I apologize, I guess I'm just becoming too eager." Rise and Naoto talked for a bit more before Yu ran in, waving his arms. "She's coming! Everyone get ready!" Everyone finished their tasks and ran over to the front of the house to greet Chie who got out of her car with Yu's mom.
"Hey everyone! What's going on?" Chie said, confused. Rise led her to the backyard where everyone was and went over to talk with her and congratulate her. After a while, Chie sat down with Rise to thank her. "Thank you so much for this baby shower, Rise! I didn't think you'd take it to this level." "Oh c'mon Chie! For you and Senpai, everything I do for you guys should be on Level 10 and beyond!" Rise pumped her hand in the air which Chie laughed and tried to join her, feeling slight discomfort.
"Ack, she kicked again! It feels like she's galactic punting my belly over and over again!" "It is a bit strange for your baby to be so active this soon. It hasn't even been more than 5 months and you've had your cravings and such sooner than expected." Naoto said, pondering and looking at Chie's stomach, surprised at how quickly her baby was growing. "Well hey, as long as my kid's healthy, that's all that matters right?" Chie said, taking a bite of her cake. They had food and drinks until it was time for the unwrapping, everyone there getting Chie and Yu something for their newborn.
First was Yosuke and Yukiko, who gave Chie a couple of pregnancy yoga DVDs and a yoga uniform for her and Yu. "…what is this for?" Yu said, shocked at how tight and brightly colored his outfit was. "Well when me and Yukiko were expecting the kids, we did some yoga training together. It was great, really gets your mind off things and helps you zen out." Yosuke said, putting his hands together and bowing. Yu rolled his eyes and saw Chie look up to him in joy. "Well now you can't back down when I ask you to do some sessions, huh?"
Chie giggled and was given another gift by Teddie and Rise. It was a bear onesie with a honey bee bib already knitted onto it. "That was the same outfit that my dear Teddie Jr. had when we were…imagining the situation!" Rise winked at Teddie who managed to catch himself. "The baby's probably gonna be cold when it first is born so we wanted to get something that he or she could wear for the first few months!" "Ohoho and it's even got little honey splotches on the bottom! That's adorable!" Yu looked at the onesie for a bit more seeing that it was ACTUAL honey on the bottom of it, but he didn't want to spoil the moment so he nodded.
Next was Kanji and Naoto who gave him a weird headphone device with some speakers. "What the heck is this?" "Well THIS is a special Walkman device designed to play classical and educational music from these speakers. You place the speakers onto your stomach in two different spots and the music plays directly into your stomach, allowing your baby to hear it." "She read in a book that classical music's good for the baby's early learning or something like that." Kanji said, being met by Yu looking interested. "Sounds interesting. Thanks, Naoto." "Yeah…thanks." Chie said, concerned, but still looking at both of them with a smile.
Next was Chie's mother and father and Yu's mother and father, arriving with something special, some giant cardboard boxes. It was a care package of baby supplies and clothing. "Your mom went and got 2 pairs of all the clothes for a boy or a girl." Yu's father said, passing the first box. "And your mom got you some diapers, baby powder, baby wipes, safety tape and plug covers, safety door knobs, safety…" Chie's father listed a bunch of different things like safety for anything remotely dangerous in the house and some care products. Chie was surprised at the amount of stuff that they got for them but Yu thanked his and Chie's parents who looked satisfied. "See, told you she was going to be impressed." Chie's mom said to Yu's mom who both laughed.
Finally Chie was given a present by Nanako and Dojima. "I got this for you, big sis! My dad said it could be really useful for you and big bro!" Chie unwrapped the box to reveal a polaroid camera that was mint green and a box of film. She also found a small photo book with a couple hundred pages waiting to be filled. "Nanako and I were looking around an antique store when she spotted that. She thought it would be nice if you and Yu could take some photos with the baby." "Yeah, I remember when my mom did that with me and dad! We had this giant picture book that dad's been filling out recently!" Chie looked in astonishment as tears formed from her eyes.
"…you mean you…got this for me so I could take pictures? Like…your mom, Nanako-chan?" Chie smiled as she went over to hug Dojima. "Thank you so much Dojima-san." She then kneeled over to Nanako's height and Nanako immediately hugged her, giggling. "And thank you so much, Nanako-chan. This is one of the best gifts I've ever gotten!" Chie said, crying from her eyes a bit. Everyone else looked and smiled, seeing Chie get so emotional. Chie then noticed everyone being dotting on her and immediately got up.
"Hey hey, all right, no need to get mushy! Now then, I wanna thank everyone for getting us gifts, it means a lot to me that you care about both of us so much. It makes me and the little one feel really great." Chie said, patting her stomach. Everyone cheered for her as they blew their party horns. After a few, everyone went back to talking and hanging around Chie, giving her motherly advice and keeping up with her progress. Yu sat down next to his father while his mother was around Chie.
"Man, nothing gets better than this huh?" "Is this how you felt when Mom was pregnant?" "Oh, even more so. Though I was a LOT more tipsy." Yu's father pointed to his son's cup which was filled with orange soda. "Cutting back before your kid's born?" "Yeah, Chie asked me not to drink too much. Says it'll be positive for our baby growing up." Yu said being met by his father agreeing and nodding. "Well still, you should have a day off. Or a weekend off with the guys." Just then, his dad's head popped up like a lightbulb went off.
"Hey son. I remembered when you used to fish all the time. What happened?" "Oh well, I guess when I came back for my second year of Inaba, my free time was occupied with my friends and my part time job." "Well, gimme a minute." Yu's father patted his son's shoulder and went over to Chie and his wife. Yu saw from afar that Chie looked surprised but thought for a bit while Yu's father was talking to her about something. His mom seemed to lighten up and talk to Chie a bit more before Chie smiled and nodded her head. Yu looked confused before his parents and his wife came by.
"Is everything all right?" "Wellllll me and your parents were talking and we all agreed that you've been doing a lot. Like a LOT to help me. And I love you for it, but we both gotta destress, y'know?" "Me and your father talked over it and we agreed that maybe you and the guys should go to the woods and go fishing and camping! That could be fun!" Chie said. "And your mom and the ladies can all go to a spa resort near the city to relax and get all that stress outta their bodies." "I am VERY overdue for a vacation, your father can tell me that." Yu thought over it and agreed, walking over and asking his friends if they were alright with it. He was off that Saturday and Sunday due to one of his co-workers willing to cover him. He asked Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie and they agreed, Yukiko asking her parents to watch her children for the weekend. Everyone was free and available for next weekend, excited for being able to take a break and relax./span/p
