Jurina didn’t believe her life could be more ideal. These last six years, she had been blissfully happy alongside her beautiful wife, the arrival of their daughter Natsuki into their life perfecting the picture. Regarding her professional career, her skills were put to very good use at Matsui corporation. She was fortunate enough to work with the best scientists of the country and was given the free reins to develop projects dear to her heart. Despite all the freedom she was given, there was one project in particular she regretted never seeing come to its term. It was the reason why she had applied for a job at Matsui corporation in the first place, and for which she had been hired.

The time machine project.

Jurina was perfectly aware of Rena’s reasons for putting it on hold. When Natsuki was born, the business woman didn’t want to be a stranger to their daughter. The idea of having her growing up with an absent parent was inconceivable to her, and she wished to be as much present in her life as possible. In that sense, the time machine was an obstacle to her objective. Indeed, once the time machine would be built and Rena would begin travelling through time, she would evidently be far less present at home.

Jurina understood her wife’s logic, and naturally agreed when Rena suggested to pause the project. Once the decision was made, the team working on floor 22 got transferred to other services and allocated to other projects. However, as the years passed and Natsuki grew up, Jurina didn’t fail to notice that her wife spoke less frequently about her childhood dream.

When they first met, the CEO’s enthusiasm for this project was manifest. Jurina could tell how important it was to her, and she always loved the way her eyes would brighten up when she would talk at length and with great passion about all the ancient civilizations she couldn’t wait to explore. For Jurina, it was definitely a motivating factor, and it pushed her to work even harder day by day, more than decided to fulfill Rena’s wish.

These last few years, Rena’s interest for this project seemed to have progressively vanished. In fact, as they both got engrossed into their work and focused their attention on other projects, Jurina got the strong impression that Rena had purely and simply lost the will to finish the plans of the time machine. Somehow, the idea of Rena giving up on her dream didn’t appeal to Jurina in the slightest.

Tonight, she was determined to have a conversation with her about it. They had finished dinner half an hour ago and the CEO was busy working in the living room, while Natsuki was playing upstairs in her bedroom.

Jurina pulled a chair and sat at the table next to Rena, her arrival prompting the older Matsui to look up to her briefly and informing her she was almost done. Jurina nodded but remained silent, trying to figure out the best way to broach the tricky subject. It was not that she hadn’t tried already. Over the course of the year, she had mentioned the time machine now and then, hoping her wife would give her the green light to resume the project.

Each and single time, she had replied negatively, stating Natsuki was still too young. Up to that day, Jurina had always relented when her wife used their daughter’s age as an excuse for postponing the project again. Nevertheless, Rena’s blatant disinterest for the matter worried her.

As she waited patiently for her wife to finish her work, she already had all the arguments inside her head. Tonight, she was well decided to make herself heard.

“Is there something you wished to tell me?” Jurina, who was lost in her thoughts, glanced back at the CEO, noticing she had paused what she was doing, and was now watching her in mild curiosity.

“Yes, but I’ll let you finish your work first,” Jurina replied with a smile. “It can wait.”

Jurina expected her wife to follow her indications and resume what she was doing but to her surprise, she left her work aside the moment after. “No, I can sense it’s important. What is it?”

By Rena’s expectant look, Jurina knew she wasn’t going to continue her work until she had spoken to her. Taking a deep breath, she exposed what had been on her mind all evening, and for far too long. “I wanted to talk to you about the time machine project.”

When Rena let out a small sigh, Jurina guessed she didn’t really enjoy the direction this conversation was taking. Rena’s reluctance to talk about this subject was obvious, but she continued nevertheless. “I know you wanted to put this project on hold until Natsuki was old enough, but she’s almost five now. I think it’s time we start working on the plans of the time machine again. I suggest to re-allocate the previous team, and I also know a few people who could help.”

“Are you not satisfied with the current projects you’re working on?” Rena asked with a mixture of concern and confusion in her voice. “Is this the reason why you’re mentioning this again?”

“No,” Jurina quickly reassured her. “I like what I’m doing; it doesn’t have anything to do with that. It’s just that… it’s been five years now. If I didn’t know any better, I could easily believe you’re not interested in building the time machine anymore.”

“What if that was the case?” Rena’s tone was assured, but at the same time gentle when she replied. “Would it be that surprising?”

Jurina stayed quiet when she received the answer she dreaded the most. Until now, she was still somewhat hopeful Rena would tell her she was all wrong, and she had not given up on her wish to travel through time. Moreover, there was no sign of hesitation in Rena’s voice, almost as if she had already made up her mind a long time ago. “But you were so eager to go back in time when we first met,” Jurina insisted. “It was such a beautiful dream; a dream I promised you I was going to realize.”

“I know,” Rena conceded with a small nod. “But what if my goals in life have changed along the way? Tell me. What good reasons would I have to go back in time, when I already possess everything I desire in the present?”

Jurina felt slightly destabilized and a little desperate, sensing her arguments were having no impact whatsoever on her interlocutor. Nevertheless, she refused stubbornly to give up just yet. “I think you’re making a mistake, and I’m afraid you’ll regret it later.”

A warm smile spread across Rena’s face, and she extended her arm to cover her hand with hers. “I know you only wish for my happiness. I’m sorry for not being more honest with you. I should have told you I had already moved on and put that dream behind me.”

The moment after, Rena captured her lips in a gentle kiss, before diverting her attention to her work again. Despite the fact the conversation was clearly over, Jurina couldn’t help staring at her in incomprehension. She wanted so much to add something. Anything that could possibly change Rena’s mind. Rena’s dream was not incompatible with her family life anymore. Despite it, she was giving up on it willingly.

Jurina didn’t believe she would ever be able to accept that.

“Read me a story, mama!”

Jurina, who was putting Natsuki to bed, smiled to herself. Once she considered Natsuki was tucked properly, she glanced back at her, expecting to hear such a request the moment the little girl placed her head on the blue pillow. These last few months, Natsuki really enjoyed it when she read her stories before going to sleep, and they already had gone through half the little girl’s book collection.

Jurina observed her daughter, caressing her hair with affection when she noticed her pressing Duran – her favorite stuffed toy – against her cheek. Considering the very expectant look her daughter was giving her, Jurina knew she would have a hard time accepting no for an answer. After briefly checking the time on the alarm-clock and discovering she still had some time left before Natsuki’s bedtime, she nodded. “Alright. Let’s read a story.”

Natsuki’s smile broadened and Jurina walked towards Natsuki’s bookshelf, looking for a story she had not read yet. As she grabbed a book and sat on Natsuki’s bed, her previous conversation with her wife unexpectedly submerged her mind. Jurina let out a despondent sigh, still somewhat frustrated she had failed miserably to convince her. The thought of broaching the subject again didn’t even occur to her, knowing insisting would be of no use now that her wife had made it perfectly clear she didn’t wish to travel through time anymore.    

Jurina jolted out of her reverie when Natsuki called her hesitantly, and her conversation with Rena fell progressively at the back of her head as she paid attention again to the thick hardcover book on her lap. The title was the first thing she read. “The Prince of Nagoya.”

Jurina’s mouth tugged into a smile when the title rang a bell: it was a story her own grandmother used to read her when she was a child. However, because of the distant memory, some details about the plot remained a bit blurry. “A long time ago, a young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Always calm and polite, the prince was also very well educated and wise. With his shiny long black hair falling down his shoulders and his porcelain face, he was known across the country as a very handsome young man.”

“Mommy!” Jurina paused in her reading at Natsuki’s sudden exclamation. “The prince is mommy!”

Jurina looked up in surprise, noticing Natsuki’s excitement when their eyes met. “You think the prince looks like mommy?” she asked in bewilderment, laughing when the little girl nodded swiftly. “Alright, we’ll say mommy is the prince, then.”

Jurina found Natsuki’s statement very amusing but didn’t try to contradict her, and she resumed the story.

“Since a very young age, the prince had always been a very studious person, preferring by far the company of his books than sparring with his private tutor. Because of his neat appearance and advantageous looks, the prince drew a lot of attention, but he remained a very solitary person. Even though he was surrounded by many people, he always enjoyed more the quietness of his library than the liveliness of ballrooms. However, there were some duties he simply couldn’t afford to miss. One day, he received a delegation from a distant kingdom, among them a certain beautiful princess...”

Jurina made a pause, tilting her head towards Natsuki in curiosity when her daughter was not making a single noise anymore, willing to check if she had not fallen asleep. The pair of eyes staring back at her in great interest clearly proved otherwise, a small pout forming on Natsuki’s lips the moment after. “Why did you stop, mama?”

“Sorry,” Jurina apologized with a smile, seeing this story seemed to have definitely caught her daughter’s attention. Without further ado, she continued. “They fell in love with each other at first sight and a few months later, they celebrated their love with a beautiful wedding. They were very happy together, until tragedy struck.”

“N–No,” Natsuki’s voice trembled at the news, and she tightly squeezed Duran. “Did something happen to the princess?”

Jurina smiled inwardly, impressed by her daughter’s perceptiveness. “A king visiting their kingdom fell madly in love with the princess and tried to seduce her, but soon became conscious the princess’s heart would never belong to another but the prince. However, the king refused the concede defeat and, one night, took advantage of his hosts’ hospitality to kidnap the princess.

The young prince was completely devastated but was unfortunately powerless against the evil king: his small army was simply no match against his. Despite it, the young prince refused to give up on the woman he loved so deeply. The thought of living without his beloved princess by his side was just too unbearable.

With no other options left, the prince did the unconceivable: he sought help from a witch. His advisors tried desperately to change the prince’s mind, warning him about her dangerous powers. The prince, who always listened carefully to his advisors until now, dismissed all their warnings one by one. The prince was determined to save his princess; he was ready to face any danger. One day, he took his horse and rode in search of the witch, who was told to be living in a forest a few days away from his kingdom.

The prince found the forest but it was so vast, that he soon got lost in its immensity. After wandering for days in the forest with an empty flask, he unexpectedly came across a small, wooden hut out of nowhere. The prince, realizing he had discovered the witch’s hideout, climbed down from his horse, his steps a little unsteady when he walked towards the cabin. He had not drunk a single drop of water in several days.

Despite his undeniable relief, he was still very cautious when he approached the wooden hut, his fingers clutching the pommel of his sword when he pushed the door. His advisors’ warnings came to the forefront of his mind when he came face-to-face with the witch, but he refused to let his fear transpire in front of the woman. 

The witch invited him to take a seat and, after carefully assessing the situation and judging the elderly woman currently harmful, he followed her instructions and started explaining the reason of his presence. The whole time, the witch listened attentively, never interrupting him once. When the prince finished his story and voiced his demand, he progressively feared the witch was not going to be of any help. The prince had always been very perceptive, and the fact he couldn’t read the woman at all was very destabilizing.

To his surprise, she agreed to help him. The prince was so overjoyed by the news, he promised to give her everything she wanted if she succeeded in bringing him back his beloved princess. The witch seemed satisfied with his offer and agreed to his terms, although she never specified what she wished in return. The prince didn’t think too much of it. He was not very rich, but his wife was worth all the gold in the world…That’s when–”

The sound of the bedroom’s door opening distracted Jurina and she looked up in curiosity, noticing her wife standing on the doorstep. Rena’s eyes fell on her at first, before lingering on the little girl in bed. “It’s time to sleep, honey.”

“No!” Natsuki protested vehemently. “Mama hasn’t finished the story! I want to know what happens to the prince and the princess!”

“You have school tomorrow,” Rena reminded her gently. “It’s already past your bedtime.”

Natsuki’s disappointment was manifest, but Jurina knew she couldn’t argue with her wife when she noticed the late hour: she had indeed got a little carried away. Placing a bookmark at the page she was reading she closed the book, giving their daughter an apologetic look. “Mommy is right. Natsuki needs to sleep if she wants to make beautiful drawings tomorrow.”

“Duran is not sleepy!” Natsuki whined. “Look!”

Jurina smiled with amusement when the little girl held her stuffed dog in the air, almost considering reading a few more pages to please her daughter. However, when her wife cleared behind her back, she knew the latter was never going to let such a thing happen under her watch. “I’ll continue the story tomorrow.”

Natsuki didn’t seem satisfied with the reply at all but didn’t insist anymore when Jurina stood up from the bed and placed the book back on the shelf. “You promise?”

“I promise,” Jurina confirmed with a nod, moving towards the bed again and kissing Natsuki’s cheek softly. “Sleep well.”

When Jurina took a step back, Rena approached and leaned down to kiss Natsuki’s forehead, the little girl quickly catching her forearm as she was about to retreat. “Mommy, is the prince going to save the princess?”

Rena widened her eyes at her daughter’s sudden question, having absolutely no clue what she was talking about, until deducing it probably had something to do with the story Jurina was currently reading her. “What does Natsuki think?”

“I think the prince is very strong and loves the princess,” Natsuki replied with conviction. “He will deliver her from the evil king.”

Rena smiled, her fingertips tracing Natsuki’s cheek tenderly. “I’m sure he will. Goodnight, darling.”

Natsuki’s eyes followed her parents until they turned the light off and left the door slightly ajar behind them, her attention soon drawn in interest to the book resting on the shelf. The temptation to sneak out of bed and read the rest of the story was very strong. However, she soon gave up on the idea, conscious she was still too young to understand all the complicated words written on the pages. Reluctantly, Natsuki closed her eyes and held Duran close, impatient to discover how the brave prince was going to save his beloved princess.