[AFTER] Chapter 230 – Where are the diapers?!

Time Stamp: Early Adulthood

Despite being a fully-fledged working adult, Takei Tanaka still had many problems to deal with in his life.

"Ahhh! The baby's crying again! Where are the diapers?!"

Being a father was at the forefront of the many problems that he had to deal with. As a new dad, Takei was inexperienced in taking care of a baby and was struggling to keep up with the needy Marie who had been born less than six months ago.

"Do you need some help?"

"I got it... I think."

Akari offered him some help, but Takei wanted to do his best as a father. He didn't want to be regarded as a useless dad, so Takei was giving it his all to learn everything that he needed to do.

"Alright, I'll do my best to put these diapers on without Marie crying. If I fail, please take over so my dignity can be saved."

"Fufu, okay~"

Takei grabbed a diaper from the box of diapers that was given to him by his parents. The last time the two of them visited, they dropped off a bunch of essentials that Takei and Akari would need to take care of their kid.

Akari was currently relaxing and reading a book since Takei offered to watch Marie so that she could have a break. Ever since Marie was born, Akari was always busy so breaks like this weren't common.

That's why Takei was trying his best everyday, he wanted Akari to be able to relax more and not shoulder all of the burdens of raising a child.

"Here comes daddy~!"

"Waaaaahhhhhh!"

Takei had approached Marie with good intentions and an indomitable aura, but it seemed his aura was a little bit too extreme for her. In a matter of seconds, Marie threw another fit and started crying with no end in sight.

"Time to take over~" Akari giggled as she watched Takei frantically look for a way to calm Marie down.

"Haaah..." Takei dejectedly sighed as he handed Marie over to Akari. "I'm a failure of a father!"

"It's okay," Akari lightly patted the top of Takei's head. "Here, give her to me. I'll show you how to do it."

Takei carefully handed Marie over to Akari and prepared to memorize every single action that Akari did. He was at his wit's end, so Takei pulled out a notebook and pencil in order to take some notes and study them later on.

"First, you have to gently rock her back and forth. Once you get in the rhythm, she should start cooing and relaxing. Then, you slowly and carefully open the diaper and put it on her. Ta-daa!"

Just like Akari had said, her technique worked like a charm. After Marie was pacified by the gentle rocking, she didn't cry at all when the diaper was placed on her.

"Mm, I understand."

Takei was hurriedly writing down every single thing that Akari had done to put the diaper on Marie. His notepad was completely filled with instructions on how to raise children, so it was obvious that Takei had been studying.

"Thank you for your help, Sensei."

"Fufu, no problemo~"

Akari handed Marie back to Takei and headed to the kitchen to make a light snack for the both of them to enjoy.

"Honey, do you want coffee?" Akari asked.

Takei mischievously smiled. "I. Want. You~"

"Coffee it is," Akari laughed in response to his corny joke.

While Akari was brewing coffee for the both of them, Takei was having fun playing with Marie's fluffy cheeks. It reminded him of the soft texture of mochi, so he was obviously entranced for good reason.

"Papa wuvs you very much!" Takei happily exclaimed as he rubbed his cheek against Marie's.

"Paw... paw?" Marie confusedly replied.

"!"

A loud crash could be heard in the kitchen due to Akari dropping a plate in the sink. Although she was in the middle of washing dishes, the event that had just occurred was undoubtedly something special.

"Did she just...?" Akari gasped.

As if he was an old robot, Takei's head creakily nodded. "She just said her first words..."

They hadn't expected Marie to start talking this early, rather they expected at least another year for her. Her talking this early was a miracle to say the least.

"HER FIRST WORDS ARE PAPA, WOOHOO!"

Takei was beyond elated to find out that his daughter's first words were papa. He wanted to jump out of his seat and strike a pose, but he was currently holding the giggling Marie.

"Ah, sorry lost myself for a second there. Akari, are you okay?"

"The plate didn't break so I'm fine, but I'm quite shocked about Marie talking. Perhaps she's a genius?"

"She definitely got it from you."

If there's anyone Marie got the genius trait from, it was undoubtedly Akari. Takei was just a normal person, while Akari was a natural at everything she did.

"The coffee just finished brewing~"

Once Akari finished with washing all the plates, she made her way back to the couch with a mug of coffee in each hand. One of them had a lot of creamer in the coffee, while the other one was completely black.

"Here's your coffee just the way you like it," Akari said as she placed his cup on the coffee table.

Takei eyed Akari's sugar-filled coffee and his expression quickly stiffened. "Is that even coffee anymore?"

The liquid in Akari's cup wasn't even black anymore, it was a light brown color due to how much creamer she poured in there.

"Do you want a taste?" Akari asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure if that'll be good or—"

Before Takei could reply, Akari took a sip of her coffee and covered his lips with hers.

"Mmph?!"

Instead of letting him take a sip of her coffee, she decided to do something mischievous by transferring the coffee through a passionate kiss.

Once she finally let go of his lips, Takei gasped for air since Akari was being a bit more aggressive than usual.

"How does my coffee taste?" Akari smirked.

Although Takei was blushing and savoring the taste of her lips, he still managed to honestly answer her.

"Really sweet."

—

Next few chapters will be a bit later down the timeline. Marie will be 4-years-old and the Tanaka family will be going on a family picnic together!

Serious-san: I really want a daughter

Sugar-chan: I want a son too~

Serious-san: A whole football team it is