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“Honey, what are you making?” Rantarou asked when he noticed Kaede was working on some kind of craft on the bedroom floor.
Realizing that he almost peeked at her work, Kaede then tried covering it with her hands to hide it away from him. “It’s a secret~!” she said as she stuck her tongue out.
“Can I see it?” Rantarou asked.
“Nope!” Kaede answered while playfully looking away from him and pouting. “It’s a surprise.”
Rantarou blinked his eyes in confusion. “A surprise?”
“Mm-hmm,” Kaede nodded. “I’ll show you when I’m done.”
Rantarou only chuckled at her and played with her hair. “Ugh, stop it!” Kaede said as she tossed his hand aside.
As Kaede was distracted by his hand, Rantarou was already resting his forehead on her own before she realized it. Once she did, her eyes grew wide in surprise, while Rantarou only smirked right in front of her.
Kaede then sighed in annoyance. “Well, what I can tell you is… I’m making a present for all three of us.”
“…Three?”
“You, me, and Setsuko-chan,” she said while glancing at the baby on the bed. “I already bought the materials I needed in Angie-san’s place, by the way. All that’s left is to make it myself.”
“Good,” Rantarou smiled and closed his eyes. “Can’t wait to see it when you’re done…”
Kaede only giggled at him, as she also closed her eyes and smiled. “I’m still making it, by the way,” she said. “You’ll see the results tomorrow morning.”
Then, as if they could hear each other’s thoughts, they both leaned down closer so their lips could touch. After a few seconds, they both took off and continued to smile at and gaze into each other’s eyes.
“Guess I’m going to bed now,” Rantarou said again as he stepped up from her and went to the bed. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Kaede replied him as she gave him another peck on his lips.
“Don’t overwork yourself, ‘kay?” Rantarou told her.
“Okay…”
Rantarou then kissed Setsuko’s forehead and fell asleep next to her, while Setsuko’s hand then grabbed his index finger. Meanwhile, Kaede continued working on her surprise present.
“Yosh…!” she whispered to no one while clenching her fists. “I’m going to finish this tonight.”
Hearing some noises in his room, Rantarou woke up to find out the space on the bed that belonged to Kaede was empty.
He sat up and looked down onto the floor, as he found Kaede was still working on whatever she had been working on that night, occasionally slapping her own cheeks to keep herself from falling asleep.
“Honey, you’re not sleeping yet…?” Rantarou asked her, rubbing his eyes.
“It’s almost done…” Kaede answered while yawning. “I’ll sleep after that, I promise…”
Rantarou sighed, as he got up from the bed, carefully so he wouldn’t step on their sleeping daughter, and spread a quilt on the floor. “You can at least sit here,” he told her. “The floor is cold, y’know.”
“O-oh, thanks…” Kaede replied as she moved from the floor and sat on the quilt Rantarou set for her.
Rantarou sat right behind her, as the quilt had wide enough space for both of them. “Hey, uh… is it okay if I sleep here?” he asked.
“Sure,” Kaede answered him. “You can even hold me if you want.”
“…Really?” he asked. “You won’t get disturbed?”
“Not at all,” she answered without taking off her focus from her work. “If anything, I’d love it.”
“Okay...” Rantarou said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, rested his head on her shoulder, and kissed her nape. Kaede was surprised at first, but then she eased herself in his embrace and continued her work.
After a few hours, Kaede finally huffed in satisfaction and collected the presents she just made in the gift box she already prepared.
“Finally…” Kaede said while yawning. “I guess I’m done now…”
When she tried to move, she realized Rantarou had fallen asleep, as his head on her shoulder felt heavier and his grip on her waist had loosened from before, even though he was still holding her. She could feel his faint warm breath against the crook of her neck. She lifted his head up with her other free hand so she could give him a kiss on his lips. After a few seconds, she took off and caressed his scruffy green hair. She laid him down on the ground, and then she took a blanket from the bed and wrapped them both with it. Then, she leaned down and rested her head on his chest. She reached his hand and tangled their fingers together. She closed her eyes, feeling the rise and fall of his chest against her head, while also synchronizing the rhythm of her own breathing with his. She immersed herself into the gentle harmony of his heartbeat and fell asleep along with him.
The next morning, Rantarou woke up to find Kaede was already sleeping on top of him. He only chuckled at her as he gently caressed her hair and kissed the top of her head. He smiled at her, and then he sat up while holding her so she wouldn’t fall off.
Feeling Rantarou lifting her, Kaede then opened her eyes and grumbled sleepily, but then she smiled right after she saw his face.
“Morning…” Rantarou greeted her, giving another kiss on her forehead. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Mm-hmm…” Kaede mumbled, leaning down as they shared a loving kiss on the lips.
Kaede then took off first as she fixed her position on his lap, and rested her forehead on his so their noses bump into each other. “So… can I see the surprise gifts you made now?” Rantarou asked her.
“Sure,” Kaede smiled as she took the gift box on the floor and gave it to him. Rantarou then took off the box’s lid so he could see the three little snow man charms in that gift box. They were made with little sock balls with cottons as their fillings.
The first one had a pair of green beads as its eyes and ruffled strands of green thread on its head to resemble his green, wavy hair. Its neck was wrapped with a knitted blue scarf.
The second one had the same body size with the first one, with a pair of violet beads as its eyes and strands of yellow thread on its head, which length reached its shoulder to resemble Kaede’s flowing blonde hair. Its neck was wrapped with a knitted pink scarf.
The third one was the smallest one, with its size was probably half of the other two. Its eyes and hair similar to the first one, but its scarf was similar to the second one.
“So, what do you think?” Kaede asked in anticipation.
Rantarou tried to hold the first snow man doll on his hand, and then he squeezed it. “I love it…” he commented while smiling at the doll. “You didn’t work all night for nothing, after all.”
“Hm-hmm,” Kaede only chuckled at him and gave a peck on his lips. Next, she got up and went to the bed, lying down next to Setsuko who was still sleeping.
Few minutes later, Setsuko opened her round, green eyes that resembled her father’s. The moment she saw her mother in front of her eyes, Setsuko’s eyes brightened and she cracked a smile.
“Good morning, Sweetie…” Kaede mumbled as she kissed her baby on the forehead. “Did you sleep well last night?”
Setsuko only grinned in joy.
Kaede then lifted Setsuko into her arms, and then Rantarou got up to see her closer. “Hey...” he said while giving another kiss on the baby’s forehead, earning a joyful laughter from her. Rantarou continued giving tiny kisses on Setsuko’s forehead and cheeks, while the baby kept laughing in between her father’s kisses. Kaede was also looking at them while smiling.
“Anyway, Setsuko-chan,” Kaede called her. “Mommy has a surprise for you~”
Kaede then gave Setsuko the smallest snow man doll she just made. Setsuko took the doll from her, as she looked at it in awe. Then, she put that doll in her mouth and started nibbling it. Kaede only giggled at her daughter’s cute antics.
“Say, uh… Honey,” Rantarou called her.
“Hm?”
“You said you wanna take Setsuko out today, right?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Kaede exclaimed.
“Anyway, I’m gonna prepare everything we need for today. You can go take a bath first if you want.”
“Sure,” Kaede said as she laid Setsuko down on the bed, as she got up to kiss Rantarou and Setsuko once more, then she went to the bathroom.
Rantarou laid Setsuko down on the bed, and then he went to the closet to prepare everything they were going to wear—jacket, coat, scarf, hat, gloves, and so on. He put all of them on the bed, not too far from Setsuko. After that, he glanced at the two snow man dolls left by Kaede next to the clothes. Rantarou took the doll with green hair and eyes into his hands, as he smiled at it.