As A Result of Trying To Live An Erotic Slow-Life, I Have Become The Underground Ruler of This Upside-Down Otherworld - Chapter 57: Baby-Making Matters

Chapter 57: Baby-Making Matters

Arius POV

“Listen up, Towa, Shuri’s a shota-con.”

“Uh, wha… Goshujin-sama, what’s a ‘shota-con’?”

Mmm, guess it didn’t land. No helping it then.

She’s tilting her head, looking genuinely confused, like she’s never heard the term—not faking it.

“Nah, it’s like… I’ve been feeling some distance from Shuri, and I finally got why. That’s the deal.”

“Huh…? N-No, Goshujin-sama? To me, that part’s way more concerning, uh, what’s that about?”

Really? Oh, so Towa’s been worried about it too?

Maybe that’s why she went out of her way to set up those walks with Shuri.

“Well, thanks to you, I guess.”

“I-I’m not quite following… but if it’s sorted out, that’s great, right?”

Exactly, that’s the spirit. But she looks kinda unsatisfied—what’s up?

That vibe makes me feel like I’m missing something.

Still, it’s not like I can just ask Shuri directly and fix it, right?

To begin with, I don’t even know if she wants to fix it.

If I hold the key to unraveling whatever Shuri’s carrying, maybe I should get involved and help sort it out.

But there’s that phrase—unwanted help. Some problems shouldn’t be solved by anyone but the person themselves.

Maybe it’s an excuse for not being able to connect with Shuri, but I feel like she’s preparing for something.

This time, I think it’s better to be ready to catch her, to be there when she’s done preparing and takes the next step or changes somehow.

“By the way, Towa.”

“Yes?”

Anyway.

After watching Shuri’s “It’s not like that!” meltdown with warm eyes, she went out again, face beet red.

She’s still figuring it out—it hasn’t been that long.

No clue how much time she’ll need, but all I can do is wait.

So, in the meantime, let’s tackle another thing that’s on my mind.

“Wanna have my kid?”

“!?”

Whoa, she shot up like a rocket.

Her eyes are sparkling—yep, she wants it, no question.

Same with Mia, but it’s really nice to know they feel that way.

“…Ah…”

But Towa bites her lip hard, slowly shifting to a troubled expression.

“Towa?”

“…Goshujin-sama. Of course, I’d say I want your child, but in the future… not right now, I’d have to shake my head.”

…So, like, if we’re talking long-term, right?

Well, okay.

Taking in Yuri at Ronnyan, being around a kid, made me think about this stuff.

“Got it.”

“…Yes.”

It’s weird.

Why don’t Mia or Towa want it now?

This world’s complicated.

Not just values, but biology too.

Like humans and dogs can’t have kids, different species can’t either.

So why are there so many hybrids? Drugs.

Pregnancy drugs, to be exact. Not quite ovulation inducers, but meds that let different species have kids.

The world’s female-heavy population is apparently a side effect of these drugs. Use them, and the kid’s a girl.

With hybrids, ancestral blood can align, letting them have kids without drugs, and then there’s a chance for a boy.

Obviously, that’s way less likely than drug-induced pregnancy.

Me and my late brother were boys born from that slim chance.

The only other way for a boy is when purebloods of the same species mate.

Though, purebloods like Mia, with no other species’ blood, are apparently super rare.

“Can I… ask why?”

Towa lowers her eyes a bit.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a guess. I know asking might hurt her.

If she says it’s financial, I’ll grovel on the spot.

But this is something I need to ask.

The future I want to live in, whatever it looks like, has Towa, Mia, and Serika by my side.

I’ve gotta clear up any anxieties my partners have.

“With you, Goshujin-sama, our child would be a girl.”

“Yeah.”

Unless we bet on a miracle, it’d be a normal pregnancy in this world, with the drug.

“And I’m… an ugly woman. My mother, my grandmother—they weren’t called beautiful either.”

“Yeah.”

Never met them, but if I did, I’d probably wanna hook up with them too.

Beauty’s not just genetics, but I get that Towa believes ugly women have ugly daughters.

“So, our child… with you, Goshujin-sama, would surely be an ugly woman too.”

“That’s your thinking, and I won’t deny it.”

If anything, I’d welcome it, but I can’t exactly say that.

If we had a super gorgeous daughter, I’d probably never let her marry.

“I… I don’t want my child to live the life I did before I met you.”

“Sounds like you’re ready to be a mom, but I get it.”

She’s definitely thought about our kid. No way she’d reach that conclusion otherwise.

Mia’s probably the same. Maybe Serika too… no, Serika’s tough—she’d probably be the mom who obliterates anyone bullying her kid.

Wait, no, I’m getting all mushy too.

“So, the future. It might be impossible, but if a future comes where I, my child… no, where many parents and kids can live peacefully, safely… then I, Towa, will come to claim your seed, Goshujin-sama.”

“—”

Man.

Mothers are strong—or women are strong, I guess.

Towa’s eyes feel like a predator’s, or maybe intense allure.

I think it’s because…

“You’re saying that like you’re sure that future’s coming.”

“Caught me.”

She giggles tehe, all cute.

We’re having a serious, heavy talk, but it doesn’t feel heavy—maybe she wanted me to notice.

“At least… me, Mia, probably Serika too. We’re preparing our hearts to reach that future, Goshujin-sama.”

I don’t know what that preparation is.

But I can feel how much they’re looking forward to that future.

“Got it… then I’ve gotta keep stepping up too.”

“Not to put pressure on you, but I have high expectations, Goshujin-sama.”

Took the long way, but…

This talk is probably the “good environment” Towa and the others want.

I don’t know if stabilizing and maintaining Ronnyan’s world leads to their future.

But if that’s what’s waiting at the end of my active efforts…

Maybe it’s okay to get a bit greedier.

A world where I can be a shut-in, more and more.

“Hey, Towa.”

“Yes?”

Honestly, I don’t have great memories of family.

Since coming to this world, I can’t say it’s been good—don’t care what society thinks, I’m not claiming it was.

“But do you know what a shotgun wedding is?”

“Shotgun… wedding?”

“They started calling it a ‘blessing wedding’ too, I think.”

“N-No, never heard of it. What’s it mean?”

I’m not some kid or romantic dreaming about marriage.

But in the future Towa and the others envision, maybe I’m smiling too, happy.

“It’s when you get married because you had a kid.”

“A-A kid leads to marriage? That’s, uh, like the ultimate coercive contract, isn’t it?”

Our views on marriage are probably still way off, even with Towa and the others.

“Hey, Towa.”

“Y-Yes?”

We’re both hybrids.

So, natural pregnancy’s a miracle-level long shot.

Then…

“How about a shotgun wedding with me?”

“Huh?”

Which comes first—the miracle odds or the future we want?

“…Wanna make a baby?”

“Hanya!?”

I touch her cheek, leaning close to her twitching cat ears.

“B-B-B-B-But, Goshujin-sama!? I-I said not now, didn’t I!?”

“Yeah, I heard you.”

Not using the drug.

I mean, I’ve been unloading inside her without hesitation all this time, so it’s a bit late to worry—secret thought.

But, like…

“Towa.”

“H-Hya, yes!?”

Like I told Mia, I should show Towa and Serika too, with actions and words.

That I’m looking forward to that future too.

That I’m set on it, that I won’t abandon them.

How could I let go of the people who accepted my world?

“A, u…”

I push her down onto the bed, pinning her body under mine.

“I don’t know the odds of a miracle, but no matter what, I’m not letting you or the others go.”

“Goshu—n…♡.”

I slowly press my feelings into her lips.