One-O-One carried Big Sister-in-Law Uta away.
She was an efficient medic, as expected of someone with a nursing qualification.
When I engaged in some "parent talk" with the nurse, saying things like, "I'm sure our girl is being a handful," they replied, "She’s a great help because she’s so strong."
Apparently, she was proving even more useful than I had imagined.
Uta was wheeled off on a stretcher.
I wondered if she had a weaker constitution than Melissa. No, that wasn’t it—she was just the normal one.
I suppose that made sense. My wives, who had survived the most brutal theaters of the Zork War, were the true outliers.
Leonidas-kun's surgery was expected to take half a day—ten hours if things went poorly. If everything went perfectly, it might only take three.
They were going to enter with microscopic drones to remove the self-destruct device. It was an incredible procedure: performing a craniotomy from the inside and sealing the wound at the end.
It was a major operation. I found myself praying for him.
"Oh, right. Is it time for my brain dock now? Are we really doing this?"
They insisted we were.
As I walked down the hallway, I heard Ren’s voice cry out, "Heeeen!"
It sounded like she was being lectured by a doctor for skipping her health checkups to the absolute limit. Ren really hated hospitals, though she always seemed perfectly healthy.
When I arrived at the brain dock, I found several men in black suits from the Galactic Empire Public Security. They claimed to be Public Security, but they handled plenty of foreign operations as well. It seemed that while the Lepsitol Ninja Squad was undergoing their checkups, Public Security had been assigned as my personal detail.
I felt strangely relieved. After all, Public Security was the organization Melissa’s family home belonged to. Since they were Melissa’s relatives, they were basically family to me too.
"Hey there! ♪" I offered a greeting.
Behind them, the Imperial Guard stood at the ready. Their checkups were scheduled for a different day. I gave them a nod, but as always, they didn’t even crack a smile while on duty. They were true professionals.
"His Majesty the King of Chronos. Suematsu, the Third-class Official of Shinto Affairs, and the Chronos Religion Bishop have arrived."
"Understood. The Chief Lady-in-waiting is currently being scolded by a doctor and can't move, so could you ask one of the ladies-in-waiting to serve some tea?"
"As you wish."
The religious figures were there just in case. You never knew what might happen, and there were political motives involved as well. If I properly relied on them by saying, "My cousin is in a crisis, so please pray for him," they wouldn’t feel slighted. I’d be paying them a proper reward, too. Even religion was useful when viewed as a source of employment for various related industries. It was, after all, a traditional industry that had existed since ancient times.
While ruminating on these thoughts, I was placed into the machine to create a brain map. The scan would determine any damage to my nerves or brain cells. Since soldiers had nanomachines, our brain cells were usually fine. I had fractured my skull once or twice, but it wasn't like my brains had spilled out.
The real concern was chronic traumatic encephalopathy—being punch-drunk. I’d heard that in the distant past, American football players could develop it as early as seventeen. I’d been hit on the head as a straight man’s gag countless times, not to mention the numerous times I’d "died" while piloting Humanoid Fighters. The physical toll on my body was serious.
It was frightening. I didn't want to end up a senile old man. While Galactic Empire medicine could treat it, it was all too common for such issues to be discovered only when it was too late. People often refused treatment until they passed the point of no return—human error was a persistent problem. Furthermore, even if you repaired brain atrophy, the prognosis was rarely ideal.
I hadn't saved a recent backup of my memories, either. That was why the cover story about Leonidas-kun having amnesia because his brain was "physically damaged" was so believable.
I was also worried about the bomb in Leonidas-kun's head. Since the research facility had been completely destroyed, the technological details were lost to time. Toward the end of the Zork War, those who argued that "we must win even by inhumane means" had gained far too much influence.
The height of their cowardice was that they only started making those claims once victory was already in sight thanks to Wifey’s efforts! Can you believe it? Humans can be such absolute trash. After the war, they acted as if they were the ones who had won it. If they had actually cared about winning, they wouldn't have planted bombs in my clones.
I’d seriously kill them... Oh, wait, I already did.
Moreover, it was always the research that was never supposed to see the light of day that featured the most innovative technology. They did whatever they wanted without any ethical regulations. Even One-O-One and the Steward didn't understand the specifics of this tech; it required extensive reverse engineering.
While I hoped it would be fine, the risk of an accident remained. That was the reason for Big Sister-in-Law Uta’s scream. I suppose if it were your fiancé, you’d react that way, too.
After my brain scan was finished, I had my consultation. Everything looked fine for now, but I was told to refrain from fights and wars. As if I ever got into fights or wars because I enjoyed them!
I returned to the waiting room, but the surgery was still ongoing. Everyone else was just chatting. Isono and Nakajima were there, and Eddy was as well.
"Leo, did you visit the OB-GYN yet?"
"What are you talking about?"
"A male fertility test."
"Huh? But Wifey and Claire are already pregnant."
"They said it's to check for any hidden issues! Now go on, get in there!"
I looked at the Imperial Guard, and they were all grinning. Good grief.
I was mortified as I underwent the male reproductive function test. I shall remain silent on the specific details. Apparently, that test would take time, so the results would come later.
As for my blood test, my numbers were only slightly off due to excessive protein intake. This matched the data logs on my terminal, so it just came down to being told to be "at ease." Also, my fatigue levels were reportedly in the danger zone.
But really! I couldn't even focus on my biggest stressor, Leonidas-kun's surgery! On paper, he was my cousin, but he was like a twin brother to me. I was genuinely worried about him!
I was pacing around irritably when I noticed the hallway had become incredibly bright. It was blindingly luminous.
Having a bad feeling, I looked down and saw that the area around Suematsu, who was performing a ritual in the courtyard, was glowing. Himorogi-chan was getting into the spirit of things and flashing brilliantly.
Huh... did something good happen?
While I was discussing the phenomenon with the Imperial Guard, I ran into Eddy and the others. They looked absolutely pale as they stood in front of the waiting room.
"Did something happen?"
"What are you standing around for?! Get to Ren's side, now!"
"What?! Please, just explain!"
"Just go!"
Without understanding why, I headed back toward the obstetrics department where Ren was. Wait, I was going back there again? Oh well.
When I arrived, I was surrounded by the Priests of the Chronos Religion. They were all beaming with massive smiles, looking as if they were about to rub their hands together in glee.
"Now, now, right this way, if you please."
For some reason, I was guided into a sickroom. I found the female doctor with glasses standing there with a fidgeting Ren. The doctor had a radiant smile on her face.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. She is pregnant!"
"Hell yeah!"
Banzai!
At that exact moment, a correspondence came in from Wifey.
"Congratulations to Ren!"
As expected of the best woman in the universe, she had reached out to Ren first. Ren was the protagonist of the moment, after all.
"Lord Groom... I'm sure you're exhausted because of Leonidas... but we will have a proper talk with Ren later."
She wore the face of a ruler. She was right. If I handled my response poorly here, it could trigger a rebellion flag for the entire Beast Race. If managed correctly, however, it wouldn't just benefit the Beast Race, but the Empire's interests as well, ensuring peace for a millennium.
Ah! So that was what Himorogi-chan's flashing was all about! The reason Zashiki-warashi and Himorogi-chan had been so hyper lately... it was because Ren was pregnant!
"So, the reason Ren was running away from her health checkup was..."
"The Beast Race has a strong instinctual tendency to flee from doctors whenever they experience a change in their physical condition," the doctor explained.
That made perfect sense! Everything was connected!
And the Himorogi-chan fever effect had even provided a "buff" to Leonidas-kun. Kevin, the strongest drone operator of the Galactic Empire Army, finished the surgery in a heartbeat.
While it was a surgery that could never be made public, the researchers present were stunned. Kevin’s skill was legendary, and the success of the procedure led to discussions that diseases previously considered untreatable might finally be curable. A project was even launched to implement Kevin's maneuvers into an artificial intelligence.
I... felt like I was going to die of overwork from today's events alone.
And then, a short while later, Leonidas-kun woke up.