[Side Story 1. The Day the Marriage Registration was Submitted]
There were moments when Hide felt as though he had been perfectly tamed by Ai.
Of course, this wasn't just a feeling; it was a cold, hard fact. Despite his 500kg 'Big Three' lifting strength and his reputation as the fierce leader of Enfants Terribles, he was utterly powerless and unable to resist in the face of Ai.
Hide was a man who became infinitely soft for his beloved wife, and Hoshino Ai was a woman who could become stronger than anyone else for her beloved husband.
Ai, who had rescued Hide from his fragile mental state and eventually led him toward marriage, knew exactly how to handle her husband.
In truth, it didn't even require a "method." Contrary to his public image, Hide was nothing more than a gentle giant of a dog in her presence. What kind of expertise does one need to handle a dog that is already dying of joy, having surrendered its heart and wagging its tail incessantly?
"We're a married couple now, aren't we? -☆"
The Hoshino family now consisted of two members: the original Hoshino Ai, and Hoshino Hide, who had gone so far as to legally change his surname.
Lately, Hide's favorite hobby was grinning like an idiot while repeating his wife's name—which now shared his own—over and over again.
"So—☆ does that mean Hide is mine now, and I'm Hide's?"
Hide wanted to grab anyone, even a total stranger, and vent this joy to them. Although he had already made quite a fuss in the media several times, he wanted to shout to the whole world that he finally had a family to love.
The overwhelming emotion filling his chest did not dissipate no matter how much he let it out; it lingered constantly by his side. These days, Hide's heart was like a reservoir of happiness that never ran dry.
"How does it feel to belong to Ai?! ☆ (>ᴗ0 )"
The only answer Hide could give to Ai's question was, "It's fucking great." He pulled his wife into a deep embrace. Because of the significant height difference, all he could see was the crown of her head and her purple hair, but to Hide, nothing in the world was more beautiful than this moment.
"It's fucking great."
His world had shifted 180 degrees. He often expressed this to the press—that it was a miracle, even to him, how a life could change so drastically.
Unlike the days when he was steeped in alcohol and drugs, waking up in the morning had become a pleasure. Even if gloomy thoughts crept in as they once had, thinking of that fateful night and his beloved, who was resting at home due to her pregnancy, granted him a newfound sense of composure.
The fact that his productivity and the quality of his work skyrocketed—simply because he wanted to finish quickly and see his wife's face—was just a bonus.
"Ah! How was work today? Ai could have helped a little!! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑"
The reason was simple: once everything was done and he sped home—likely earning a few speeding tickets along the way—his Ai was there, waiting to welcome him as if she had been standing by the door the entire time.
The boy who had severed all his connections and fallen into a strange place, wandering in search of a place to belong, no longer existed. He was no longer alone. The realization was so monumental that Hide often found himself moved to tears.
Even if the day grew only slightly dark, the lights were already on at home. When he opened the door and entered, the space wasn't filled with cold, damp air, but with the scent of his beloved woman's shampoo. And above all, there was his wife, carrying a new life, who would call his name the moment he stepped inside.
A world that had been monochromatic had finally found its true colors.
"It's something really trivial, but..."
Hide no longer hid his emotions, at least not from his partner.
"I never realized until now..."
Just how lonely I actually was.
Swallowing the words that followed, Hide could not withstand the tidal wave of emotion surging from deep within his chest and began to cry.
As he stood frozen at the entrance, unable to bring himself to step fully into his own home, Ai comforted him. Hide clung to her and sobbed loudly, just as he had on that fateful night.
It was only the second time that Hide, who always strove to maintain a dependable image, had broken down in tears before Ai.
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.
.
.
"Hide really can't get by without Ai, can he?"
Hide nodded silently at Ai's words.
"But Ai, doesn't that statement work the other way around, too?"
"Ah... you caught me!"
[Side Story 2. Deciding the Children's Names]
"Have you thought about names for our children?"
Time flew by. While Hide's affection for Ai continued to grow during their honeymoon phase, the 'babies'—the physical manifestation of their love—were also growing steadily in her womb.
"Is there something you've decided on?"
"Ai brought names that are perfect for the babies..."
Ai, looking down fondly at her slightly swelling stomach, let out a bright smile and began to speak while stroking her belly.
"If it's a boy... Aquamarine! If it's a girl... Ruby! What do you think?! Pretty, right? ദ്ദിˊᗜˋ)"
"......"
Left speechless by his wife's bizarre naming sense, Hide looked at the grinning Ai and began to suggest the names he had come up with.
"Ai, instead of those, what about something like Morganite, Alexandrite, or Obsidian?"
In Hide's opinion, the names Ai chose lacked enough "Rock 'n' Roll."
To survive in this harsh world, they needed names imbued with the spirit of rock—like Morganite, signifying a knight who fights and overcomes the world; Alexandrite, signifying grasping the entire world in one's hand; or Obsidian, signifying living tenaciously like volcanic glass blooming from a gutter of ash.
"Hoshino Morganite... Hoshino Alexandrite... isn't it cool?"
"Eh??! Hide... you shouldn't play jokes with the babies' names...!"
.
.
.
.
The Hoshino couple, engaged in an ultimate debate over the names, failed to reach a conclusion and headed to the Saito household—the place that served as Ai's family home and Hide's in-laws—to seek a final verdict.
"You damn couple!! You two really were made for each other..."
"Mr. Saito, isn't Ruby and Aquamarine better, at the very least?"
And so, the names decided for the children were not 'Morganite' and 'Alexandrite,' as Hide had hoped in his pursuit of rock 'n' roll, but 'Aquamarine' and 'Ruby.'
"Ah...! It's much better than the names that damn scoundrel who took my lovely daughter away came up with."
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