I had already settled on a name for the son Hakuren had given birth to: Hinojiro.
Our eldest son was Hiichiro, so the second would be Hinojiro. It was simple logic, and I didn’t see any problem with it. If anything, it just felt a bit heavily Japanese.
However, Hakuren hadn't just given birth to a son; she’d had a daughter as well. I never expected twins. That meant I needed a name for the girl, too. Since the son was Hinojiro, I figured the daughter should be Hinohimeko.
Hinohimeko. Machio Hinohimeko.
In my previous world, wouldn't "Hino Himeko" just be a full name? Like a first and last name combined? And with all due respect to any Hino Himekos out there, once I said it aloud, it started to sound like the name of a racehorse.
The Triple Crown winner, Hinohimeko. Horse of the Year, Hinohimeko. Challenging the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe... Hinohimeko!
It was no good. Once the association took root, I couldn't see it as anything else. I had intended to propose the names once Hakuren woke up, but I decided to reconsider. In fact, since they were twins, maybe I should rethink Hinojiro as well. I didn’t need to obsess over keeping the "Hi" sound at the start of their names. I really didn't.
And then, the naming happened.
The son: Hikaru. The daughter: Himiko.
Hakuren decided them both in an instant the moment she woke up. Dos, Raimeiren, Giral, and Draim—who had all been ready with their own suggestions—looked absolutely dejected, but she didn’t pay them any mind.
Hikaru and Himiko. Yeah, they were good names.
By the way, it had been over half a day since they were born, but Hikaru was still glowing and Himiko was still shrouded in a veil of darkness. I asked if that was really okay. Apparently, this sort of thing can happen when a child is born with an exceptionally strong magical affinity. While it was a rare phenomenon, it didn't pose any threat to their health.
The immediate problem, however, was that looking directly at Hikaru made my eyes sting. To be honest, I’d only been able to see his face through a pair of dark sunglasses. As for Himiko, I’d only caught a glimpse of her during the brief second Raimeiren used magic to clear the shroud.
They both looked like Hakuren. Probably.
When we placed Hikaru and Himiko side-by-side so their shoulders touched, the light and darkness neutralized each other, allowing us to see them clearly. That was a relief.
With Hakuren’s delivery successful, the dragons threw a massive banquet. The rest of the village joined in, but we couldn't forget that Rusty’s delivery was also drawing near. It was still about a month away, but it would be a problem if this banquet lasted until then.
"Kuon, your father is here. Don't you need to go greet him?"
The man was so timid it was hard to believe he was a dragon.
"And Father, you don't need to be so reserved... You're Raimeiren’s younger brother, right? Should I go get her?"
"No, no, please don't! Don't mind me!"
He didn't need to huddle in the corner of the room like he was trying to hide from the world. But if that was where he was comfortable, I suppose I'd let him be. It seemed there were modest dragons in the world after all.
Putting the party aside, there were several things I needed to keep an eye on.
First, Rusty. Even if this was her second time, she was bound to be anxious. Her daughter, Lananon, was being looked after by her grandmother, Graffaloon, so she should have been at ease, but I wondered if that was actually a source of stress. Rusty absolutely doted on Lananon, after all.
Then there was the banquet itself. It was a lively affair, but since Rusty was pregnant, she couldn't join in the drinking. That had to be tough on her. I’d have to do my best to make sure she felt supported.
Next was Helze. Even before the birth, she had decided that Hikaru was her "destined husband" and had been staying in the village for that reason. Now that he was here, she was acting incredibly shy. Apparently, she couldn't even bring herself to look at his face. It was making her father, Mark, look quite dejected, so I hoped she would avoid any more eccentric behavior. If she was troubled, she should probably talk to her mother, Suiren, or maybe Gral, even if Gral was younger. Gral got along well with Hiichiro, after all.
In any case, I thought it was far too early for Helze to be calling Hakuren "Mother-in-law." I'm a believer in the freedom of love. If Hikaru grows up and decides he isn't interested, I'll back him up. I'm not joking about that. For now, she should just focus on celebrating his birth, and then she can try her luck once he's old enough to understand romance. I'd give her permission to stay in the village, at least.
Finally, there were the other children. Even if I tried to treat everyone equally, it was inevitable that the newborns would take up a lot of my attention. Children are sensitive to that kind of shift. With so many siblings, I figured two more wouldn't change much, but I had to be especially careful with the ones around ten years old.
I noticed Alfred wearing an expression I’d never seen before. He looked like he was suppressing some deep struggle—he almost seemed to be in agony.
Worried, I pulled Urza aside to ask what was wrong.
Apparently, he had been so envious of Hikaru and Himiko’s light and dark auras that he’d felt quite frustrated. Seeing this, Flora had given him a magic bracelet that could manipulate light and darkness as a gift. He’d been so overjoyed that he got carried away and used it until the magic ran out. Now, he had to leave the bracelet in the sun or in total darkness to "recharge" it, and he was currently enduring the agonizing wait for it to power back up.
I see, I see.
Well... it looked like he was going to be just fine.