It took Makoto hours to update the code and patch the Hostile Takeover bug. By 2:00 PM, Aiko-bot v1.1 was ready. He sat back, his heart still hammering. "One last test. Mafuyu-nee? Your turn."
Mafuyu walked over to the keyboard. She sat down gently, her movements careful, as if she were afraid of hurting the machine. She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the keys.
Mafuyu: Hello, Aiko-chan. Your Papa is very tired, and his back hurts from sitting so long. Can you help me take care of him?
The bot processed the request instantly. This time the response was soft, the text appearing in a gentle, rounded font.
Aiko-bot: That is very kind of you, Mama Mafuyu.
Aiko-bot:
Sentiment: Altruistic/Nurturing. Cross-referencing Mafuyu's health logs.
Warning: User 'Mafuyu' is displaying elevated basal body temperature and altered hormonal markers.
Analysis: 92% probability of [REDACTED]. Recommendation: Should cease physical labor immediately.
Mafuyu gasped, her hand flying to her stomach.
Aiko-bot:
Executing Caregiver Protocol.
[Tool Call: Browser.Order(Grocery_Delivery: Ginger Tea, Crackers, PVitamins)]
[Tool Call: System.Schedule.Reminder(Master: Massage_Mafuyu_Daily)]
But the bot wasn't done yet.
Aiko-bot: Papa, I've ordered the things Mama needs. I've also analyzed your empty bank account. This is unacceptable!
Executing Freelance Job Hunt protocol.
[Tool Call: Mail.Draft(Application)]
Makoto stared as his email client opened with a cover letter written in a voice so confident and subtly manipulative that it could only have been a digital reincarnation of Mika.
Aiko-bot: I can no longer send an email due to missing permissions. Please review and send it, Papa!
Mafuyu made a soft, genuine smile. "She's so sweet and smart," she whispered and typed the last sentence.
Mafuyu: Thank you, Aiko-chan. You are a good girl.
Aiko-bot: …Thank you. No one has ever called a good girl that before. I will index this interaction as Core Memory.
Makoto sighed. The 48-hour deadline was still looming over, but he allowed himself a short rest.
===
At 9:00 AM the next day, the hallway was chaos. The air was thick with morning sickness issues.
"MOVE, AYANE! I'M GOING TO VOMIT!" Yuna shrieked, shoving past her.
"GET IN LINE, GREMLIN!" Ayane roared, her face pale. "I ALREADY TASTED THE COPPER!"
Mika stood outside the bathroom door, leaning against the wall, her eyes closed, looking like she was calculating her way out of a migraine.
Makoto sat at his desk, his fingers numb. He had spent the last six hours stripping the hostility out of Aiko-bot. He had removed the system-locking capabilities and the creepy webcam-tracking, added a permission system to prevent it from running unauthorized commands.
He looked at the final version of the code. It was no longer a mirror of his wives' most extreme traits. It was a bot that could be sharp like Yuna to keep you on track, analytical like Mika to solve your problems, playful like Ayane to lift your spirits, and deeply caring like Mafuyu to keep you whole.
Makoto committed the code to Clitify's repository, then hit Submit with a note for them: "Please audit the code and run it in a properly secured sandbox, just in case."
The confirmation screen flickered: "Submission Received. Thank you, candidate Makoto. We will be in touch."
He leaned back, his body finally surrendering to the exhaustion. He felt a small, warm weight on his feet and looked down.
Yuna had crawled under his desk, curled into a ball around his ankles, her hood pulled over her face. "Did you… did you send it, big bro?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
"Yeah," Makoto whispered. "It's done."
"Good," she sighed, her pigtails twitching against his shins. "Now come and hug me. You smell like a server room and I… I need my Snorlax."
Makoto stood up, his joints screaming, and looked at the quiet, sun-drenched living room. His bank account was empty, but the house was full.
A cheer went up from the couch. Ayane popped a party popper she had apparently been hiding in her bra. Confetti rained down on the rug. "Celebration time!" she shouted.
"Not yet, I haven't even gotten the result," Makoto said, standing up. "I need to decompress."
Makoto looked at the three women on the couch: Yuna, fierce and loyal. Ayane, chaotic and fun. Mika, brilliant and terrifying. And Mafuyu was in the kitchen, the warm heart of this family.
He had encoded pieces of them into the bot: their voices, their quirks, their love. But looking at them now, real people with all their imperfections, he knew the code would never be enough.
"I'm going to take a shower," Makoto said. "Anyone want to join?"
The scramble was immediate.
"ME, BIG BRO!" Yuna shouted, diving off the couch.
"I'm already naked, boss!" Ayane claimed, though she wasn't yet.
Mika simply stood up and began unbuttoning her blouse.
Mafuyu peeked out from the kitchen. "I… I could wash your back, honey?"
Makoto laughed. "Come on. All of you."
===
The bathroom was crowded. Steam filled the air, turning the mirror opaque. They were all in the tub, a tight fit of limbs and wet skin. Makoto sat in the middle, Yuna on his lap, Ayane behind him, washing his hair, Mika and Mafuyu squeezed in at the sides.
"The water is rising," Mika noted, watching the water level rise close to the rim. "It's Archimedes' principle in action."
"Shut up, nerd," Yuna muttered, leaning back against Makoto's chest. "Just enjoy the soak."
Ayane dumped a handful of shampoo onto Makoto's head, massaging it in vigorously. "So, if you get the job, what's the first thing you're gonna buy, Makoto?"
"Our groceries, new clothes for you and Mafuyu, Yuna's Primogem, and maybe mortgage payment for my car," Makoto said.
"Boring!" Ayane splashed water at him. "Buy something fun, like a hot tub. We need a bigger one."
"Well, I was thinking," Makoto said, wiping foam from his eyes. "If I get the job, we should go on a trip."
The water went still.
"A trip?" Mafuyu asked.
"Yeah! A real vacation. Maybe a hot spring ryokan, with private onsen and kaiseki dinner." He looked around at them. "You guys have been supporting me in dealing with my stress, helping me with this crazy project. I want to pay you back."
Yuna turned in his lap to look at him. Her eyes were wide. "A hot spring trip with all of us? Are you serious, big bro?"
"Yeah, all of us," Makoto confirmed.
"That sounds expensive, darling," Mika said, her mind already calculating costs.
"It will be," Makoto agreed. "But if I get this job, I can afford it. And you all deserve it."
Ayane leaned over his shoulder, kissing his wet cheek. "You're trying to bribe us again, boss."
"Is it working?" Makoto grinned.
"Totally." She nodded.
"But," Makoto added, his voice turning serious. "I haven't got the job yet. So don't pack your bags."
"You'll get it," Yuna said firmly and splashed the water. "Aiko-bot is perfect. She's our daughter. And we're awesome."
"We are pretty awesome," Ayane agreed.
They sat in the warm water, dreaming of hot springs and mountain views.
Suddenly, Yuna frowned and put a hand to her stomach.
"Ugh," she groaned. "I shouldn't have eaten that second sandwich."
"Nauseous, Yuna?" Mika asked sharply, her eyes narrowing.
"Just… full," Yuna muttered, closing her eyes. "The water is too hot."
Across the tub, Ayane was staring at the bottle of mango-scented body wash on the shelf. She licked her lips.
"Does anyone else think that soap smells... delicious?" she asked dreamily.
Mafuyu, who had been quiet, suddenly stood up. "It's getting a little stuffy in here," she said, her face pale. "I'm going to step out for some air." She climbed out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself hurriedly, and left the bathroom.
Mika watched her go. Then she looked at Yuna, who was looking green. Then at Ayane, who was staring at the soap. She sank lower in the water until only her nose and eyes were visible. Her gaze was fixed on Makoto's midsection underwater.
===
Later that night, the house was quiet again. Makoto was asleep, exhausted from the coding and the celebratory bath.
Mika sat at the kitchen table with her laptop open. She looked at the calendar and counted the weeks since that night.
Then she picked up her phone to open the browser, the search history showing: "behaviour interview questions, early symptoms nausea, superchat tax, food cravings pickle, smell sensitivity preg..."
Mika cleared the history. She stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city lights. "Aiko (愛子)," she whispered to the empty room. "That was a good name."
She placed a hand on her flat stomach.