#1046 The Sunniest Day

That day might have been the happiest day the world had ever seen.

All over the globe, babies were being born left and right, and every single one was healthy. 

There were no complications for any of the mothers, either. It was smooth sailing for almost everyone.

It’s as if the world has decided to welcome a whole new generation all at once.

And among those new little lives is my son, Shotaro.

His older brothers, Junior and Norito, are absolutely thrilled by his arrival.

“He shall be named Rahula.”

Oh, no he won’t.

Junior, your dad has already named your little brother. You can’t just go calling him Rahula (which means ‘hindrance,’ by the way).

I promise this baby won’t hinder your path to enlightenment. 

Are you even on the path to enlightenment in the first place?

“What’s wrong with the name Shotaro for a boy?!”

Nothing wrong with it at all!!!

Norito, would you please stop making everything into a meme? That’s not a phase a toddler should be getting into!

At least wait until you’re older! Fourteen would be a good start!

Haa...

My two eldest sons have already developed such strong personalities…

And now, with their new little brother Shotaro around, will he grow up to be just as quirky as them? 

Things are about to get lively around here.

“Ahh, that was exhausting! I am beat, wiped out—I am done!”

And with that dramatic entrance comes the goddess of childbirth herself: Eretueia! 

You’ve really earned your rest!

This past month, you were the true star of the show!

Even though the earth spirits lent their power, it was Eretueia, the professional, who fought on the frontlines. 

She is the MVP without a doubt!

You did an amazing job!

Now, here’s a double shot of espresso with an unhealthy amount of sugar to recharge you!

“Gulp, gulp, GULP!!!”

Wh-Whoaaaaa!

She chugged the whole thing?!

“Ah,coffee after a sleepless night doth seep into mine very stomach...! My withered body is being renewed...!”

Thank you so much for all your hard work!

We sincerely appreciate it!!!

“...Misunderstand me not. As one who presides over childbirth, I do love children and earnestly wish to support all mothers from the depths of my heart. There were times when the whims of Hera, the toxic mother, tossed me about. Yet, by safeguarding so many births one after another, I feel as though I have recalled something of great import...!”

Yep, Eretueia has clearly reached that “post-battle high” kind of delirium.

“I thank thee for helping me remember that vital thing I surely once possessed. Now shall I return unto the heavens... and sleep as though I were but stone.”

Yes, please, rest well.

You deserve it.

Once Eretueia left on the first train back to the heavens, the earth spirits began their slow exit as well.

“We’re done with today’s job!”

“Mission accompwished!”

“Satisfaction is our twue weward!”

Even the ever-cheerful spirits seem drained after protecting so many births.

I can hardly blame them.

You guys did an incredible job.

I made sure to prepare a feast in your honor.

Two tons of butter!

Go ahead and dig in, don’t be shy!

“AAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

“It’s a butter house! A mountain of butter!!!”

“We shall feast without westwainttttttt!!!”

The earth spirits absolutely love butter. 

Honestly, I thought that quirk of theirs had been long forgotten, but here they are, fully embracing it again!

I figured after all the hard work they did, they deserved a hearty reward.

I even got Panu’s team of satyrs to help me create this massive spread.

“We’re gonna dwown in a sea of butterrrrrrrr!!!”

“I feel like a mouse gnawing on cheese!”

“Cheese and butter are NOT the same thinggggg!!!”

It’s good to see them having such a blast. 

Once winter rolls around, the earth spirits will burrow into the ground to sleep again. 

Since they’re the very essence of the earth’s vitality, they need to hibernate when their power dips in the winter months. 

I’m glad we could spoil them properly before that.

***

All right, let’s check in on some of the other new parents in town.

First up, we’ve got my precious buddies Orkubo and Gobukichi’s families.

...Now, before you get the wrong idea, Orkubo and Gobukichi aren’t raising a family together. That would be misleading.

They’ve each got their own households.

And each of them just welcomed a new little one into the world.

Over at Orkubo’s place, Zoth Syra gave birth to a girl who’s as cute as a pearl.

Gobukichi’s kid is a girl too, from what I’ve heard.

It’s allheartwarming.

Both Orkubo and Gobukichi had their doubts about becoming parents being monsters and all, but funnily enough, their kids turned out looking human enough.

As for how much merfolk traits they inherited from their moms… well, that’s anyone’s guess.

I mean, look at my own kids—Junior, Norito, and Shotaro. Not a single one of them has shown any mermaid features yet. But hey, who knows what the future holds.

Same goes for Orkubo and Gobukichi’s daughters. We’ll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, let’s just focus on building happy, healthy families.

Moving on to another family.

Bloody Mary also gave birth to a girl on our farm.

She’s the first dragon ever born through regular reproduction.

You’d think a dragon baby would hatch from an egg, right? Nope. She was born like any regular baby.

Apparently, when a mama dragon is in human form during childbirth, the baby comes out human. too.

It’s handy for getting help from humans, sure, but it also reminds me how dragons are something else.

However, Mary found the whole experience to be way tougher than she expected.

“It hurts! It’s awful! I’d rather take a direct hit from an enemy dragon’s breath attack!!!” she yelped. “Do humans really go through this kind of pain? Humans are amazing! I will NEVER look down on them again!!!”

Well… not everyone goes through it.

At least about half of humanity manages to skip that particular ordeal, after all...

Meanwhile, new dad Ardheg is over the moon, hugging his daughter and sobbing like a baby himself.

He’s just as doting as he looks, honestly.

Right there on the spot, we had to come up with a name for this little trailblazer of the dragon world.

And of course, Mary had some big ideas.

“She’s our firstborn! Her name has to be the most powerful, legendary, awe-inspiring name ever, something that screams ‘queen of the world!’” she declares.

She’s still riding high on the post-birth adrenaline. Dragons sure have insane stamina.

“Here’s what I’ve got: Super Dangerous Highbeat Marvelous Ultra Legend All-Might Domestic Dangerous Hyper Super Fire Thunder Atomic Romantic All-for-One Wonderh—”

Yeah, no.

We are absolutely not naming the kid something that sounds like Jugemu Jugemu.

Even “sparkly” names have limits.

If we let Mary have her way, I’m pretty sure the kid would hold a grudge once she grew up, so it’s time for Ardheg to step up.

As a noble dragon emperor, show us your naming chops!!!

“Uh, er… name? A name, right... umm…!”

Ardheg jolts and sloppily contemplates...

“...How about… Ad… no… Bowa?”

Perfect. Done and dusted.

And so, Mary and Ardheg’s new daughter is christened Bowa.

Grinzel Dragon Bowa.

What kind of story she’ll add to the annals of dragon history, only time will tell.