Chapter 1491 1408: Zaboru, Father of Four

Meanwhile, on that same Thursday evening, Zaboru did something that had become increasingly unusual over the years.

He went home early.

It was only around 18:00 when he entered the Renkonan residence, which for an ordinary office worker might have sounded perfectly normal, but for Zaboru it might as well have been noon. Even after becoming a father multiple times, owning one of the largest entertainment and technology companies in the world, and repeatedly promising Ayumi that he would stop treating sleep like an optional feature, Zaboru still had the terrible habit of remaining inside ZAGE Tower until late at night whenever nobody physically stopped him.

So when the front door opened while the evening was still young, Keiko immediately looked toward it with mild surprise. "Oh? Look who remembered he has a house."

Zaboru removed his shoes and stared at his mother. "Come on, Mom. I come home."

"You come home eventually."

"That still counts."

Keiko laughed before Zaboru stepped forward and gave her a hug. "I'm home."

"Welcome home, my troublesome son."

Zaboru grinned and released her before looking deeper into the living room. The house was unusually calm. Zanichi wasn't home yet, most likely still somewhere inside ZAGE dealing with hardware work, while Sanika had apparently gone out on another date with her boyfriend. That left Keiko, Ayumi and the children occupying most of the living room.

Ayumi sat comfortably against the sofa with both newborn twins in her arms, breastfeeding Zenji and Azusa together. Even after giving birth only a few weeks earlier, she already looked significantly more comfortable moving around the house, although everyone still insisted that she rest whenever possible. Ayumi noticed Zaboru almost immediately and smiled. "Zabo? You're already home?"

Zaboru put both hands on his hips. "Why does everybody sound surprised?"

"Because it's six."

"Exactly. Normal time."

"For you?"

Zaboru paused. "…Fair."

Ayumi laughed softly. "Sorry, though. I'm still feeding these two."

"Why are you apologizing for that?" Zaboru replied immediately. "Feed my little monsters."

Keiko crossed her arms and grinned. "Heh. Seems like somebody suddenly likes coming home earlier now."

"Of course I do," Zaboru said while walking farther inside. "I'm not some bastard who gets four children and then pretends they don't exist. I want to see my little guys."

Before reaching Ayumi, however, his attention shifted toward the other two children.

Arumi was sitting on the floor with sheets of paper, colored pencils and crayons scattered around her. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't alone. Two rabbits sat beside her, one squirrel was watching from nearby, and a bird had somehow positioned itself almost directly beside the paper like it was supervising her work.

Zaboru stared at the scene for a moment. "Are they helping?"

Arumi looked up happily. "Yes!"

One rabbit immediately nudged a pencil.

Zaboru nodded seriously. "I see. Very important professional assistance."

Arumi giggled.

The family no longer questioned things like that. Arumi talking casually to animals, receiving responses from them and somehow turning random creatures into participants in household activities had become so normal that Zaboru mostly found it amusing.

Nearby, Zenshin was sitting in front of his laptop, typing rapidly with an expression of complete concentration. The four-year-old looked absurdly serious for someone who still needed to attend school the following morning. Zaboru moved behind him quietly and leaned slightly toward the screen. "What are you working on, Zen-chan?"

Zenshin's hands moved almost instantly.

Click.

A window disappeared.

Microsoft Paint appeared.

Zaboru stared at the screen.

There was now a very suspiciously simple drawing of a blue circle.

Zenshin looked completely innocent. "Nothing, Dad."

Zaboru narrowed his eyes. "You switched that incredibly fast."

"I didn't."

"I literally watched you do it."

"You imagined it."

Zaboru slowly turned toward Ayumi. "Our four-year-old is gaslighting me."

Ayumi tried not to laugh while Zenshin avoided eye contact.

Zaboru leaned down and kissed the top of his son's head. "Fine. Keep your secrets, mysterious little man. Just don't stay awake all night. You have school tomorrow."

"I know."

"And don't pretend you're asleep and then open the laptop again."

Zenshin froze for a fraction of a second.

Zaboru grinned. "Hehehehe."

Zenshin looked annoyed. "…Dad."

"I know your tricks."

Of course, Zaboru didn't actually know everything Zenshin was doing. His oldest son had become increasingly secretive whenever he worked on something personally interesting, and considering Zenshin's abnormal intelligence, the possibilities ranged from drawing another manga to programming something that would make grown engineers uncomfortable.

Zaboru decided not to interrogate him.

Yet.

Instead he walked toward Ayumi, only to suddenly stop halfway and turn toward the kitchen. "Mom, I'm hungry."

Keiko stared at him. "You walked into this house five minutes ago."

"Exactly. Five minutes without food."

"You're ridiculous."

"Please?"

Keiko sighed dramatically. "Fine, big boy. Sit down. I'll cook something. You should be grateful you came home early enough that I still feel like cooking." She then pointed toward Ayumi. "And you stay there. Don't even think about getting up to help."

Ayumi smiled. "Okay, Mom."

Zaboru grinned. "Make a lot."

Keiko turned around. "I know."

"A lot."

"Zaboru."

"A lot."

"I raised you. I know!"

Zaboru laughed as his mother disappeared toward the kitchen. He finally sat beside Ayumi and immediately leaned over to kiss her cheek. "How are you, my beautiful wife?"

Ayumi rolled her eyes, although she was smiling. "I'm fine."

"Hehehe. I heard your YouTube video blew up today."

Ayumi's expression immediately changed. "…You saw that?"

"Of course."

Earlier that afternoon, Ayumi had uploaded another video to her U-Bunny channel. The actual subject had been ZEPS 4. She discussed the console, talked about several development tools she had been experimenting with, explained some of the things she hoped to create eventually and gave viewers a little insight into how different ZEPS 4 development felt compared with the older ZAGE hardware she had worked with.

Unfortunately for Ayumi, a significant percentage of viewers apparently stopped processing information the moment they noticed something else.

She was no longer visibly pregnant.

The comments quickly became ridiculous.

"WAIT SHE'S NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE!"

"THE BABIES WERE BORN!?"

"CONGRATULATIONS U-BUNNY!"

"ZABORU HAS NEW KIDS NOW!?"

"THIS MAN IS BUILDING A DEVELOPMENT TEAM AT HOME."

Zaboru had especially liked the final one.

Ayumi sighed. "I spent almost half an hour talking about ZEPS 4 development and somehow everyone talked about my stomach."

Zaboru laughed. "You disappeared while heavily pregnant and then returned without the pregnancy. What did you expect?"

"I expected questions about development."

"They'll ask those tomorrow."

Ayumi narrowed her eyes. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"Of course I am."

He looked down at the twins. Both babies were still nursing peacefully, their tiny bodies resting securely against Ayumi. Zaboru watched them for a moment before asking, "Isn't feeding both of them at once difficult?"

"Sometimes," Ayumi admitted. "Getting both positioned comfortably is probably the hardest part. Once they're settled, it's okay. I just get hungry constantly now."

Zaboru immediately nodded in understanding. "Finally. Someone who understands me."

Ayumi laughed. "No, Zabo. I need extra food because I'm producing milk for two babies. You eat like that because you're weird."

"Metabolism."

Ayumi chuckle "Yeah "Metabolism""

Zaboru grinned and looked down again. "Still, eat as much as you need. Don't worry about anything else."

"I know."

There was a quiet warmth in Ayumi's expression. Despite joking constantly, Zaboru had become noticeably more attentive since the twins were born. He still worked far too much, but when he was home, he repeatedly checked whether Ayumi had eaten, whether she needed anything, whether Zenji and Azusa were sleeping properly and whether Keiko needed help around the house.

He rarely made a dramatic show of it.

He simply did it.

Before long, Azusa finally stopped nursing. Her tiny mouth released slowly as she relaxed against Ayumi, looking completely satisfied with life.

Zaboru immediately extended his arms. "Give her to me."

Ayumi laughed. "You sound like you're ordering something."

"Please give me my daughter."

"That sounds slightly better."

She carefully transferred Azusa into his arms.

The change in Zaboru's expression was immediate.

This was the same man who could confidently speak in front of millions of people and developed video games worlds.

Yet holding his newborn daughter made him move like she was made of glass.

Zaboru adjusted his arms carefully and looked down at her tiny face. "She's ridiculously small."

"She won't stay small forever."

"I know."

He gently brushed one finger across Azusa's soft hair. She shifted slightly but didn't wake. Zaboru smiled without realizing it.

Then he glanced toward Zenji, who was still feeding enthusiastically.

"…Meanwhile, this guy isn't stopping."

Ayumi laughed. "Zenji has been hungry all day."

Zaboru looked proud. "That's my son."

"Don't encourage him."

"He inherited greatness."

"He inherited your "Metabolism"."

"Same thing."

Ayumi laughed again.

At that moment Arumi suddenly ran toward them, holding a large sheet of paper above her head. "Papa! Papa! Look!"

Zaboru immediately turned. "What did you make?"

"Our family!"

Arumi carefully held the drawing out in front of him.

Zaboru's smile widened.

The picture showed nearly everyone living around them: Zanichi, Keiko, Sanika, Zaboru, Ayumi, Zenshin, Arumi, Zenji and Azusa. Several animals had been included as well, naturally, because as far as Arumi was concerned they were obviously part of the family too. The proportions weren't perfect, but the drawing was astonishingly detailed for someone who hadn't even turned three yet. Faces had recognizable expressions, clothing was distinguishable, and even small details like Zaboru's hair, Ayumi holding the twins and Keiko standing near the family had been deliberately included.

There was even a rabbit beside Arumi.

Zaboru looked genuinely impressed. "Arumi, this is really good."

Her eyes immediately brightened. "Really?"

"Really. Look at this. You even drew everybody differently."

Arumi pointed excitedly. "That's Grandma! That's Grandpa! That's Mama, Papa, Zen Nii-chan, me, Azusa and Zenji!"

"And who's this?"

"My bunny!"

"Of course."

The rabbit sitting near Arumi seemed unusually pleased by its inclusion.

Zaboru examined the drawing longer. Arumi had always shown unusual visual ability, but lately it had become increasingly obvious that she genuinely had artistic talent. She seemed especially good at capturing expressions and details she remembered from people around her.

It was different from Zenshin.

Arumi eagerly pointed across the drawing. "That's Grandma, Grandpa, Mama, Papa, Zen Nii-chan, me, Azusa and Zenji!" Zaboru pointed toward the rabbit beside her figure. "And this?" "My bunny!" "Of course."

The rabbit nearby seemed oddly satisfied.

Zaboru continued studying the picture. Arumi clearly had extraordinary visual talent, especially for observing expressions and reproducing small details from memory. It was fascinating because her artistic instincts didn't feel like a lesser version of Zenshin's abilities either.

They were simply different.

Zenshin's level had already moved far beyond what anyone in the household considered normal. His artwork could occasionally look disturbingly professional, his composition and storytelling were already sophisticated, and when he actually became obsessed with a project he had an annoying tendency to produce something that made adults stare at him and reconsider their lives.

Arumi, however, seemed naturally drawn toward capturing people.

Expressions.

Colors.

Tiny details.

The feeling of a moment.

Zaboru looked between his two older children and smiled..

Several minutes later, the smell of food began filling the house and Zaboru's head immediately turned toward the kitchen. Ayumi noticed. "You're unbelievable."

"I smell fried rice."

"Of course you do."

Keiko eventually returned carrying multiple dishes: chicken fried rice, stir-fried vegetables with egg, miso soup with tofu, croquettes, mashed potatoes and soft scrambled eggs for Arumi.

Zaboru stared at everything. "Mom."

"What?"

"I love you." Keiko rolled her eyes. "You only say that because there's food." "I loved you before the food." "Sure."

Everyone gradually gathered around the table. Zenji had finally finished nursing while Azusa slept nearby, and Zaboru immediately attacked his meal.

Keiko stared at him. "Slow down."

Zaboru mouth is full "I'm eating normally."

Ayumi laughed while Zaboru occasionally fed her between his own bites. "Open." She stared at him. "I can feed myself."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Because I want to." Ayumi sighed and accepted the bite anyway.

Keiko shook her head. "Still acting like newlyweds." Zaboru shrugged.

"She's my wife. Am I supposed to stop liking her?" Ayumi's cheeks reddened slightly.

"Just eat." Zaboru grinned "Hehehe."

Zenshin eventually abandoned his laptop and sat beside Arumi. She kept explaining her drawing while he listened quietly, occasionally pointing out little details she had gotten surprisingly accurate.

Zaboru watched them with a small smile.

Despite acting far older than his age, Zenshin had noticeably softened around his new siblings. He sometimes sat near their crib pretending to work while checking them every few minutes, and whenever either baby cried, he noticed almost immediately.

Arumi was considerably less subtle.

She wanted to help with everything: bathing them, choosing blankets, talking to them and, naturally, introducing animals to them. Keiko had already walked into the room once and found Arumi seriously introducing a rabbit to Azusa as if conducting a diplomatic meeting.

Nobody had been particularly surprised.

After dinner, Zaboru eventually held both newborns while Ayumi rested. Zenji shifted against one arm while Azusa slept peacefully against the other.

Zaboru looked at them, then toward Arumi and Zenshin.

Four children.

That realization still occasionally hit him.

Zenshin, absurdly brilliant and far too mature for his age.

Arumi, cheerful, affectionate and seemingly capable of befriending every living creature she encountered.

Azusa, tiny and peaceful.

Zenji, who apparently intended to challenge his father in food consumption someday.

Zaboru smiled.

He genuinely couldn't ask for anything more.

For years, his life had moved at absurd speed: games, consoles, technology, manga, anime, music, international expansion, competitors and endless new ideas.

There was always another project.

Another possibility.

Another thing to build.

But evenings like this made everything else quiet.

ZAGE could wait until tomorrow.

The industry could wait.

Right now he was simply sitting at home with his family, and somehow that felt just as satisfying as creating anything.

Maybe more.

Zaboru looked around. Ayumi rested comfortably nearby. Arumi was showing Keiko her drawing again while several animals remained scattered around the room. Zenshin had reopened his laptop, although this time he stayed close to everyone.

It was noisy.

Crowded.

Normal.

Zaboru loved it.

He had built ZAGE from almost nothing. If the company disappeared tomorrow, it would devastate him, but eventually he could build something again. He could lose money and earn it back. He could make a failed game and create another. He could lose technology, market share or even an entire company and start over somehow.

But this?

No.

There would only ever be one period where Azusa was small enough to fit like this against him. One period where Zenji was still a newborn. One Arumi at this age runs around proudly with drawings. One four-year-old Zenshin secretly hides absurd projects behind Microsoft Paint.

His children would grow whether he wanted them to or not.

That thought made him unusually quiet.

Then Ayumi noticed it and smiled, giving both babies to him and Zaboru smiled.

He leaned back carefully with his two youngest children resting against him, listening to Arumi talking excitedly, Keiko laughing and Zenshin occasionally commenting from behind his laptop.

Because someday, he suspected these would be the moments he missed most.

For now, he intended to enjoy them.

To be continued.