Keiko gracefully rose from the table and smiled warmly at everyone. For most of those present, this announcement wasn't surprising, as all the adults had noticed her dazzling outfit and her seat at the table right next to the family head from the first glance.
The truly surprised one was little Karin. She widened her crimson eyes and, rising from the table, wanted to rush to her mother, but Makoto wouldn't let her and sternly shushed her younger friend.
The red-haired girl had no choice but to curb her curiosity and sit back down, waiting for the ceremony to end. She was in complete shock from what she'd heard and desperately wanted to pry all the details from her mother.
The entire hall erupted in loud applause, as well as silent nods or loud congratulations from the other women and Kenshin's older sons. Keiko, in turn, showed incredible poise, nodding back with a smile to each one and voicing words of gratitude to her sisters-in-law.
"This isn't the only wonderful news. My incredible wife, Nakayama Keiko, possesses a truly divine gift—namely, the Flower of Longevity!" Kenshin boomed, embracing the beauty by the waist. He sensed her nervousness and offered maximum support.
"What?!" Kasumi and Noriko exclaimed in sync, fully aware of the rarity of this gift.
"What's this Flower of Longevity?" the Thirty-Fifth asked mentally.
"Th-this is an incredible gift that will allow our father to gain the physical strength of a shinobi!" Ichiro replied joyfully, projecting his thought to all his brothers.
"Congratulations, Father!" the inspired sons began shouting one after another.
"Thank you, Keiko-san!" the Twenty-Fifth called out.
"Keiko-san, you're the best!" the Thirtieth exclaimed.
For several minutes, Keiko could only accept a multitude of varied congratulations and well-wishes from Kenshin's sons, who idolized her. In that moment, she took on a truly saintly image in the minds of all his sons, who wholeheartedly wished prosperity for their father and worried about his inability to develop as a shinobi.
Kenshin wholeheartedly supported the praise for his new wife and held her hand tightly. He knew how important this ceremony was for Keiko and felt her trembling. Only after a few minutes, when most of those present had voiced their congratulations, did Kenshin decide to announce the start of the grand feast.
"My heart can't help but rejoice at how strong the bonds are between members of our Nakayama Family!" he declared authoritatively, raising his wine glass.
"To the Nakayama Family!" Kenshin proclaimed even more boomingly and took a sip.
His action triggered a chain reaction, and everyone present raised their wine glasses and took a sip. Pregnant women and minors limited themselves to a glass of juice, but even Makoto and Karin observed this ritual introduced by Kenshin with utmost seriousness.
It looked incredibly amusing, and Kenshin couldn't hold back a smile, looking at the two pearls of his family. Over the past month, Makoto had fully regained her weight and grown her hair a bit longer. She was truly a blooming flower of the Nakayama Family. Karin, meanwhile, had only recently started training under Kasumi's expert guidance and hadn't yet lost her childlike spontaneity.
This feast became the most extraordinary of all held within the walls of the Nakayama Family. For the first time in his life, Kenshin allowed his sons to drink enough wine to get drunk and ordered them to behave more freely.
For all those present, it became one of the most unforgettable events in their lives. Some of his sons were far less tolerant of alcohol and got drunk after just a few glasses, amusing everyone with their behavior.
The Seventeenth spent the entire evening wishing his mother Aya and the esteemed Hitomi successful births, insistently asking them to give birth to strong warriors. Each subsequent request was funnier than the last, and in the end, Aya, unable to bear it, gave him a solid slap after hearing comparisons to animals birthing litters and a plea to "try" doing the same.
Kasumi, in turn, immediately put the Thirty-Third in his place when he tried to express his boundless love. The youth who attempted to hug his beloved mom instantly got a slap and, whining, went back to his seat. But Makoto and Karin felt so sorry for him that they hugged him from both sides and kissed his cheek.
However, the most pampered one all evening was Red. Caught by the Fourteenth, she could only escape after an hour, forced to listen to words of love and adoration while eating a huge amount of fried meat chunks.
Barely breaking free from the terrible captivity, Red fled to complain to her master, wrapping around Kenshin's legs and hissing viciously at the Fourteenth and his no less horrific brothers, who had fattened her into a ball shape.
Kenshin, like his two strongest sons, hardly drank at all, just smiling as he watched his family. After losing the Eighth, he had become much kinder to his sons and didn't get angry at their silly antics. Punishing the offenders was mostly handled by team leaders, while Kenshin himself only oversaw the commanders, impartially assessing the few conflicts and punishing the guilty.
After the evening ended, Karin approached her mother, demanding explanations. Kenshin just smiled, watching the situation unfold, and stroked Makoto, who had settled on his lap.
"Mom, what does all this mean?!" Karin huffed discontentedly, pursing her lips.
"Kenshin and I are now husband and wife... Aren't you happy?" Keiko asked tenderly, seating the girl on her lap.
"I'm happy! B-but... Does that mean he's going to be my... dad now?" Karin asked shyly, instantly wiping the smile from Kenshin's lips.
He hadn't expected such a question and was rapidly thinking through a plan of action until he suddenly shuddered from the realization of an available opportunity.
[Adoption] – Allows granting the greatest blessing and adopting any minor child.
"Th-this is a joke?!" Kenshin thought in shock, surprised as he began studying this previously unseen ability.
In just a few seconds of real time, he fully familiarized himself with the revealed ability and understood that it could have been available for Makoto too if it had come to "adoption." However, the ability was extremely harsh and unavailable for any child who even slightly loved their real father.
Moreover, this ability could only be used once every five years, and every 10 levels reached by the Patriarch reduced the total cooldown by one year, down to a limit of one year at fortieth level. However, beyond the downsides—including full loyalty to the father and replacing previous genes with the Patriarch's genes—the adopted child fell under the effect of "Talented Offspring."
Noticing Keiko's expectant gaze and Karin's excited smile, Kenshin snapped out of his reverie and said with a smile:
"Only if you want it, sweetie..." he whispered softly, pulling her onto his lap.