PAW Extra 32

《Extra》32: The Beloved Children’s Names

One day nearing Arca’s due date.

As I was still racking my head about what to name my child, Arca suddenly said while sitting in a chair, “You know, actually, I’ve already thought of a really good name for our child.”

“Is that so? I’ve come up with several girls’ names myself, but…”

I had been trying to come up with names for girls since Arca was from a village where ‘only women were born’, but she smiled, “Sorry,” and said, “I have a feeling that our child is a boy. No, I’m sure of it.”

“I see. If you say so, it must be the case. Still, my own child, huh… It hasn’t really sunk in yet…”

“Fufu, well, that’s probably how it is for the father. We, mothers, on the other hand, are with our children all the time. Our bellies gradually bloat, and they suddenly start kicking around one day—they make us feel ‘Ah, my baby is in here’.”

“Right. When I put my ear on your belly, it sounds like the baby is energetically kicking around.”

I smiled at her, and Arca stroked her belly happily. “Umu.”

I asked her, “So, what do you want to name the baby?”

Hearing that question, Arca said as she gently stroked her belly, “—Agni. The child of Exa and Arcadia. A strong child—‘Agni’.”

“Agni…”

I wondered why.

It resonated deeply with me. It was a nice name.

Surely, there was no better name for this child.

So, I said as warmth filled up my heart, “Agni, it has a really nice ring to it. I see, Agni, huh? Nice to meet you, Ag—”

But.

“—Stop right theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!!”

—Blaze!

““—?!”” Our eyes widened at the pillar of fire that appeared out of nowhere. When it blew away, a nude beautiful woman was revealed.

Yes, it was Igniver-sama.

It went without saying, she was also pregnant.

“W-why are you naked?! At least put on something?!”

Naturally, I hurriedly tried to put a blanket on her, but without paying me any attention, Igniver-sama looked down at Arca and said, “I’ve long intended to give my child that name! So you can’t use it!”

“What did you say…?!”

As Arca widened her eyes in shock, Igniver-sama folded her arms and said, “‘Agni’ is an ancient word that means ‘flame’. There is no name more suitable than it for our child. After all, both their mother and father are incarnations of ‘fire’.”

“Kh…”

I got where Igniver-sama’s coming from.

If ‘Agni’ really meant ‘flame’, it truly was a fitting name for our child. After all, there couldn’t any child more loved by fire as one between Igniver-sama—the ruler of fire—and me—whom she had bestowed her power unto and who possessed the 《Divine Phoenix》skill.

But…

“Arca…”

“I see. I understand where you’re coming from. So, please tell me, Goddess of Fire. Is there any other word related to fire? If possible, a word that you like personally.”

“Hou? Do you mean to give it to your child…? Fumu, in that case, I have to reward you for your laudable devotion, or else the name of the God of Fire will be ruined. Very well! Then engrave it in your heart, Arcadia! Your child’s name is—’Homusubi’!”

“Homusubi…” I muttered.

Its meaning was probably something along the line of ‘connecting fire’.

It was a good name.

The problem was, would Arca accept it?

When I glanced at Arca, she nodded, “I see, I understand,” then stroked her belly again and said, “You hear that, Agni~? Make sure you get along with Omusubi-chan(little rice ball) over there~.”

“Oi, wait a second. Whose child are you calling ‘Omusubi-chan’? Oi.” A vein popped out on Igniver-sama’s forehead, a rare sight. I, of course, hurriedly calmed her down.

By the way, as a result of the discussion that followed, it was decided Arca’s child would be named ‘Agni’.

Seeing how Arca was even willing to abandon the legal wife seat for it, Igniver-sama eventually gave in.

Hence, Igniver-sama’s child was given the name ‘Homusubi’, but because she didn’t want others to mistakenly call them ‘Omusubi’ like before, she eventually decided to change it to ‘Musubi’.

Well, in the end, everyone still ended up calling her ‘Omusubi-chan’, but that was a story for another time.

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