一覧ページ

My mother is squared (English version)

第2話 - 第2話

2,440文字

2026年07月06日

#reproductive medicine

#secret of birth

#marriage in crisis

菊池川詠人

Misaki and Reiko sat on one side of a low, high-end-looking table, while Mari and Takeshi sat on the sofa opposite them.

As they sipped tea, Mari was once again told the story of how this family came to be. Reiko spoke first.

“I assume Takeshi has already told you, but we’re a same-sex couple. Takeshi was born through artificial insemination using sperm we had shipped from the United States.”

“I was the one who gave birth, “Misaki interjected.

“Takeshi is our beloved son — the one I carried and gave birth to.”

Even though Takeshi had told her beforehand, Mari felt somewhat overwhelmed by the atmosphere of these two “mothers,” who spoke so openly and cheerfully about it all. She decided to work up the courage to ask something she had long been curious about.

“Um, if you don’t mind me asking … how did you decide on your roles? I mean, how did you choose which of you would carry the child?”

Misaki replied in that same breezy tone.

“It was simply first come, first served. I got pregnant first.”

“F … first come, first served?”

As Mari stared in wide-eyed surprise, Reiko gave a wry smile and explained.

“You’ve probably heard this too, but I’m a music arranger — mostly pop — and Misaki is an art designer. Both are jobs with notoriously unstable incomes, so we’d decided to have only one child. We actually had the sperm from the United States inseminated at the same time. We agreed that whoever got pregnant first would take on the role of giving birth.”

Takeshi chimed in to add some context.

“But Mom Reiko is every bit as roles of mother, too. Besides, she did most of the housework, so I was basically raised by her in daily living— she took care of all the day-to-day stuff. Mom Misaki was absolutely hopeless at that sort of thing, you know.”

Misaki pouted in mock protest. “Hey, Takeshi, don’t go spilling things like that to your future bride.”

Mari nearly burst out laughing and covered her mouth with her hand. The conversation flowed easily after that; by the time Mari had finished talking about her family — mentioning, for instance, that her father was an ordinary office worker and her mother a full-time homemaker — dusk had fully settled outside.

When Mari said she was heading home for the day and Takeshi stood up, offering to walk her back, Misaki handed a card to Takeshi.

“It’s getting late, so why don’t the two of you go grab some dinner? If you show that card to the staff, they’ll set you up with a private room.”

My mother is squared (English version)

作品ページ

次の話を読む

この作品はいかがでしたか？

1件

もう第2話、読ませていただきました！同性カップルのおふたりが「早い者勝ち」で出産役を決めたっていうエピソード、すごく印象的でした。しかもそれを明るくさらっと言っちゃう空気感が、この家族のあったかさを感じさせてくれますね。「お嫁さんになるんだからね」って茶化すミサキさんの反応も、すでにマリさんを家族の一員として迎え入れてるみたいで、ほっこりしました🌷 ディナーに誘うラスト、次が気になります！

菊池川詠人

プロフィール