In August, while Europe and America was in a frenzy over the border, Aoki Haruhi took Nao Tsuda for her second prenatal check-up.
From now on, they would need to come for a check-up approximately once a month, primarily to observe the fetus's development and check for any issues.
This was especially important for twins, as there was a high risk of umbilical cord entanglement or one of the fetuses not developing well.
Nao Tsuda, at 37, was considered an elderly primigravida and needed careful attention, with the mother being the one most likely to encounter problems.
It wasn't simply a matter of adequate nutrition; there was a high possibility of developing high blood pressure due to excessive abdominal pressure, also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension.
During pregnancy, medication cannot be taken, so the mother can only endure it. If the indicators are too high, it might be suggested to terminate the pregnancy.
The risks were quite significant and could not be taken lightly.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Nao Tsuda underwent a Down syndrome screening and blood test, and the fetal development was good.
Then, she went to the B-ultrasound room for a B-ultrasound.
After lifting her clothes, her lower abdomen was only slightly bulging.
If Nao Tsuda didn't mention she was pregnant, no one would be able to tell.
"Mom's figure is well-maintained," the doctor praised.
Nao Tsuda's face flushed slightly, and she raised her hand to tuck a strand of long hair behind her ear. "I usually exercise."
To take good care of Nao Tsuda, Aoki Haruhi even specially hired a female coach for her.
Appropriate exercise is actually beneficial for both mother and child.
"That's good. Many people think that one shouldn't exercise during pregnancy, but it's quite the opposite. Moderate exercise can actually promote the child's development, and for the mother, being in better physical condition will lead to a smoother delivery."
The doctor smiled, then suddenly remembered something. "However, given that you are having twins, we recommend a Cesarean section. Natural birth would be too difficult."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Aoki Haruhi and Nao Tsuda were both stunned.
"Can't I have a natural birth?" Nao Tsuda asked.
"We don't recommend a natural birth," the doctor said. "The main reason is that both children need to come out, which is a grueling process for the mother, and if an accident occurs, it's very difficult to handle.
For example, if the first child cannot be delivered naturally, but the amniotic sac breaks, the second child will be in danger.
Both the adult and the children are quite at risk.
So, a Cesarean section is the safest."
Aoki Haruhi reached out and gently squeezed Nao Tsuda's hand.
The two exchanged glances, and Tsuda herself felt a little sad.
"Will there be a scar?" Tsuda asked.
"There will be a little, but it won't be that obvious. We will make a horizontal incision as small as possible, so there shouldn shouldn't be much of a problem," the doctor said with a smile.
In other words, a scar was inevitable; it was just a matter of size.
"The most important thing is the health of the adult and the children," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile, squeezing Nao Tsuda's hand.
"As long as you don't find me ugly, that's fine," Tsuda's eyes welled up with tears.
This woman had always been strong and beautiful for so many years, always paying attention to her body and maintenance. In fact, pain was nothing to her.
She could endure it.
However, considering the safety of the children, Tsuda had pretty much decided on the Cesarean section option in her heart.
"How could I dislike you?" Aoki Haruhi smiled gently. "No matter what you become, I will always think you are the most beautiful."
Nao Tsuda let out a giggle, feeling quite touched inside, but still thought it was a bit too cheesy.
She rolled her eyes. "You men always lie without batting an eye. It would be foolish to believe Haruhi-kun's words."
"I'm not talking nonsense," Aoki Haruhi quickly explained. "In my heart, Nao, you are the most beautiful person."
The doctor next to them couldn't stop smiling; this young couple was too interesting.
"However..."
Nao Tsuda smiled faintly, "I am that big idiot."
Huh?
The female doctor frowned slightly, always feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Goodness, she started smiling, but then her mouth turned bitter.
Perhaps this was the beautiful appearance of human love?
...
After applying the coupling agent, the female doctor began to perform the B-ultrasound examination.
"Currently around 10 weeks, theoretically, it should be about 4cm long, and the head should be more developed. At this stage, the fetus weighs about 13 grams."
"Doesn't that sound quite light?"
The doctor smiled. "However, around 5 months, the fetus's development will become very rapid, and at that time, your belly will expand like a balloon."
It was quite incredible.
Aoki Haruhi looked at the images on the monitor; the two fetuses already resembled human shapes, both with large heads, but still very small.
4cm?
He looked down at his palm; it was probably only as big as a part of his palm.
No wonder Nao didn't look pregnant from the outside at all.
"However, under normal circumstances, twins develop slower than a single fetus. Their size and weight cannot be compared to a normal fetus.
Don't force the fetuses to develop perfectly.
As long as all indicators are normal, there's no problem."
"For ordinary twins, weighing around 4 pounds at birth is considered good. If they are over 5 pounds, they are considered to be developing well.
Think about it, a child born weighing 8 pounds is considered a big chubby boy or girl, but having two 5-pound babies in the belly is a bit scary.
Not to mention if they both grow to over 7 pounds, then the mother would be in great danger."
"Okay, thank you, Doctor," Aoki Haruhi nodded.
He had already calmed his mind; he only needed the mother and children to be safe.
...
"Let's look at this first."
A rumbling heartbeat sound came from the instrument, sounding quite noisy, like blowing into a microphone.
"Very, very normal."
A fetus's heartbeat is usually very fast; 140, 150, or so is very normal.
After this, the doctor specifically rotated the detector to allow Aoki Haruhi and his wife to clearly see the fetal body structure.
"Do you see it? This might be a boy."
"Wow," Aoki Haruhi let out a soft sigh.
Although it was a tiny spot, looking like a shadow, with the doctor's guidance, Aoki Haruhi still saw clearly that it was indeed a boy.
Nao Tsuda playfully patted him from the side, cooing, "What's there to 'wow' about?"
"But it's not certain. At this stage, it only has a bit of shape, but it hasn't started developing yet. It will be very obvious around 5 months," the doctor said.
Then, she examined the other fetus.
"This might be a girl."
"Huh?"
Aoki Haruhi was completely stunned.
Really?!
Boy-girl twins?!
My wish came true?!
...
At only 10 weeks, it's actually hard to tell from a B-ultrasound, and it's difficult to make an accurate judgment. Gender identification is done by testing the free DNA in the pregnant woman's blood.
So, after the examination, Aoki Haruhi and Nao Tsuda successfully received their prenatal check-up report.
With a nervous heart, Aoki Haruhi picked up the report.
Tsuda glared at him from the side. "What's wrong? Why are you so nervous?"
"I don't know either."
Aoki Haruhi's hands trembled slightly, and he forced a smile.
It felt like opening a blind box.
In reality, whether the two little ones were boys or girls, Aoki Haruhi thought it was great.
Tsuda had the same idea, so she couldn't understand why Aoki Haruhi was so excited.
Seeing that this guy hadn't managed to take the report out of the bag for a long time, she couldn't help but chuckle and directly snatched the bag away.
"Huh?"
Aoki Haruhi wasn't ready. He saw Nao Tsuda, with quick hands, take the report out and put it under her eyes.
Aoki Haruhi was so scared that he took a step back, looking utterly terrified.
No, no, once a quantum state is observed, it collapses!
Nao Tsuda looked for a moment, and a happy smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"That's great. A girl and a boy."
"What?!"
Aoki Haruhi's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly came over to look.
Two seconds later.
"Oh my god! It really is a boy and a girl! Wow, Nao-chan, you're amazing!"
Hmm?
Nao Tsuda's face flushed slightly.
She secretly turned her face away, not wanting Aoki Haruhi to see.
Who praises someone like that?
This idiot.
...
"Wow, it's actually a boy and a girl! That's incredible, Haruhi-kun. Congratulations!"
When Hayao Miyazaki received Aoki Haruhi's call, he let out a heavy sigh of admiration.
In fact, after learning the news of the boy-girl twins, Aoki Haruhi was extremely excited.
But amidst the excitement, there was always a slight regret.
He had such an important matter, yet he didn't know who to share it with.
Both his and Nao's parents had passed away long ago, and neither of them had siblings, so naturally, there was no one among their relatives to share the news with.
Telling his company subordinates would always be a bit awkward.
Wouldn't that just be troubling others?
"Is President Hattori telling us this news because he wants us to send gifts?"
Would it give people such a negative impression?
Besides that, he didn't have many close friends; most were business partners.
Although Tsuda was excellent at social interactions, it seemed there were few who truly remained as close friends.
The same was true for Aoki Haruhi.
However, if such good news couldn't be shared with anyone, it would feel too regrettable; keeping it bottled up would make him sick.
Just then, Aoki Haruhi remembered Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki, so he called Ghibli and shared his joy with Director Miyazaki.
To some extent, Suzuki-san and Director Miyazaki were more like kind elders than just good friends; they were probably that kind of presence.
As expected, after hearing Aoki Haruhi's news, Hayao Miyazaki was incredibly amazed and then offered him his blessings.
"That's wonderful! You have both a son and a daughter at once; it's truly complete.
For the sake of your children and family, you must work even harder from now on."
"Yes, Director Miyazaki."
Just then, Aoki Haruhi heard Hayao Miyazaki's loud voice from the other end of the phone, "Suzuki-san! Come quickly! That kid, Aoki Haruhi, had a boy and a girl, twins!!!"
Aoki Haruhi's face was covered in black lines: "..."
Wouldn't that mean all of Ghibli would know?
Sure enough, he vaguely heard the suppressed laughter of the staff on the other end.
"Director Miyazaki, it's not good to speak so loudly," said the female assistant's voice.
"Yes, yes, my mistake."
Hayao Miyazaki was bowing and apologizing on the other end.
Unfortunately, Aoki Haruhi couldn't see it.
After a while, Suzuki-san came over and picked up the phone.
"Sorry, Miyazaki is too reckless, but he's also excited and happy for you. You didn't see his expression; he was even happier than if Goro had had twins."
Hmm?
Aoki Haruhi frowned.
I treat you as a senior, but you want to be my father?
"Then congratulations, you must work even harder from now on," Toshio Suzuki said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, I will do my best."
"For girls, you must treat them well, but for boys, just let them fend for themselves!" Hayao Miyazaki's "outrageous remark" came from the other end of the phone again.
"Miyazaki! That's enough! Why would you say that? Boys and girls should be treated equally."
Suzuki "lectured" Hayao Miyazaki for a bit, then re-gripped the phone and apologized to Aoki Haruhi, "Sorry, Aoki-san, don't listen to him.
He's been arguing with Goro lately.
It's affecting him somewhat."
"No, no," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile.
"Both you and your wife are so good-looking, so I'm sure these twins will be outstanding individuals in the future, definitely inheriting your beauty and intelligence."
"Thank you, thank you, Suzuki-san."
...
A few days later, the FATE/StayNight game was completed, and for the upcoming new game, Aoki Haruhi invited Hattori Hiroyuki to dinner.
"What?! It's actually a boy and a girl?!"
Hattori Hiroyuki was completely stunned, even more surprised than when he first heard about the twins.
That guy, Aoki Haruhi...
He easily accomplished things others couldn't.
Ah, no, it should be said that Nao Tsuda was also very impressive.
Dizygotic twins mainly relied on the mother.
But a boy and a girl, that was entirely Aoki Haruhi's ability.
"How amazing, truly enviable," Hattori Hiroyuki took a sip of wine, smacking his lips.
"No, no," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile.
In reality, no matter who looked, this guy had a proud expression.
Hattori Hiroyuki had a strong urge to rush over and punch his handsome face twice.
But he ultimately held back.
Some things couldn't be envied; comparing oneself to others was truly infuriating.
"I heard that '86 - eighty-six' is a hit in Europe and America."
Hattori Hiroyuki asked, "Why didn't you think of releasing it here in Japan?"
Aoki Haruhi laughed, "If I release it here, should I ask President Hattori to be the distributor?"
"Well..." Hattori Hiroyuki scratched his head with a smile, "Come find me in a few years; the number of computer users in Japan is still too small right now."
Moreover, console game has always been the mainstream; as long as the console's position is here, it will continue to create a monopoly.
This won't change for decades to come.
For Japan people, computers are mostly tools for office work and internet browsing, and perhaps when streaming media rises in the future, they can also function for watching manga and anime online, but to play game?
It's nonexistent.
In Aoki Haruhi's impression, even in Japan internet cafes in 2023, they were still bullet-room-like partitions, serving as hotel alternatives for some single people.
In most cases, people inside were watching anime, not playing game.
It was even less likely to see the lively and noisy, multiplayer team-up situations found in Chinese internet cafes.
Even if they played game on a computer, it was mostly at home.
The experience was more single-player oriented.
Therefore, Aoki Haruhi himself understood very clearly that for a considerable period in the future, making computer game meant going to the Europe and America market, and making console game meant releasing it in Japan.
Aoki Haruhi silently rolled his eyes.
Didn't this guy know it quite clearly in his heart?
...
After three rounds of drinks, the two talked a lot about family matters, career ups and downs, and interesting anecdotes. Seeing that it was getting late, Hattori Hiroyuki also stood up, preparing to go home.
"This time's game, I'm entrusting it to you, President Hattori."
Aoki Haruhi handed him the gift box containing Fate.
"Mmm, I'll definitely invest well this time," Hattori Hiroyuki solemnly promised, and at the same time, he placed the gift at his feet and seriously patted his face.
He tried to keep himself sober.
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi was a bit puzzled, "Invest what?"
"Hmm?"
Hattori Hiroyuki was stunned for a moment, then quickly laughed, "Nothing, my secret; it won't work if I say it out loud."
"I see."
Aoki Haruhi felt that this guy was quite interesting sometimes.
The two walked out of the door, and before Hattori Hiroyuki got into the car, he pulled Aoki Haruhi aside and said earnestly:
"Regarding the poor sales of '86 - eighty-six' last time, I want to apologize to you.
It's all my fault for not doing a good job. That's why this game was so dismal."
In reality, the sales of 86 - eighty-six weren't dismal; it still had over 500,000 sales to date.
It was just a tiny bit bland compared to the previous huge success of Pokeni.
The most crucial thing was that, to this day, some of the CDs Hattori Hiroyuki ordered still hadn't been cleared from inventory.
Aoki Haruhi was stunned for a moment; this guy was too funny, wasn't he?
The poor game sales were clearly my problem as the Director and the game's lead.
What did it have to do with you, a distributor?
"No, no," Aoki Haruhi quickly responded, "These are all our problems; we didn't make the game well, which led to this result."
"No, no," Hattori Hiroyuki shook his head, "It's all my fault. I let you down."
Who would go against money?
It was all his fault for not properly throwing the game into the trash can.
The two stood on the street like this, engaging in a back-and-forth apology session.
After about 5 minutes, Hattori Hiroyuki finally got into his car.
...
After leaving.
The driver drove for a while, then stopped at the usual spot.
This time, Hattori Hiroyuki treated it with caution, specifically opening the car door and getting out.
Then he gently placed the FSN game disc carefully into the trash can.
He clapped his hands, put them together, closed his eyes, and prayed:
"God of the Trash Can, bless us! I hope the game sells well!"
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