Nearly eight months had passed since Berengar first married Itami, and during this time, he had spent the majority of it in Japan, returning to the Reich, and Iceland only briefly before heading back to Kyoto. At the moment, Itami was nearing the end of her pregnancy.
After breeding like rabbits at every opportunity given, it did not surprise Berengar that his newest bride had almost immediately become pregnant, and during the past eight months, he had been the one most responsible for running Japan's affairs. After all, the last thing he needed was for Itami to become stressed while carrying his child.
However, today was another day where Berengar would report to Itami the summary of what had been done since he had first seized power as the new Emperor of Japan. Thus, the albino beauty was sitting quietly in her office, while listening to Berengar explain the massive improvements that had occurred in Japanese society over the past eight months.
"We are just about out of the food crisis. That is to say, foreign aid is rapidly being supplanted by local production. Thanks to my investment and training programs, nearly all the rice fields in this country have become mechanized with combine harvesters and rice transplanters. Which has definitely improved the efficiency of the rice farms.
With the introduction of artificial fertilizers, imported from the Reich, we can proudly boast that we have more than tripled the crop yields this year when compared to what Japan was achieving prior to the outbreak of the war.
Other areas of agriculture, such as the raising of livestock, are also up by a wide margin, with the average Japanese family now being able to afford some form of meat with each meal. This is in part thanks to the introduction of the German mark as the only acceptable currency across Japan which has helped to stabilize the economy."
Itami had been listening patiently to Berengar's assessment of the situation, and ultimately smiled when she heard that the food crisis which had plagued Japan for nearly a year was about to be resolved. However, she also had many questions on her mind regarding other sectors of the government, and as a result, was quick to ask about them.
"That's all well and good, but how is the government faring? Has the parliament been filled yet?"
Berengar nodded his head. Before switching to another paper in the pile of documents he was reading from, one he found the correct report, he began to speak in full detail about the topic.
"Elections were held two months ago, and Parliament has been filled with responsible and educated personnel. Many of which were once exiled to the Reich and have since returned to help rebuild Japan.
As for the executive branch, I have taken the liberty of selecting prefectural governors based upon candidates most suited to the task. For the time being, they are in the process of setting up their local governments, but that will take some time to flesh out. Perhaps in another two years, the federal and local governments of Japan will be fully functional.
The same can be said for the courts, we have a severe lack of Japanese citizens who are capable of performing the role of judges and lawyers. However, when the University of Kyoto is finally finished, we will have a school dedicated to Japanese Law. So that will help with the problem. Which reminds me, the proposition to rename the city from Heian-kyo to Kyoto was one of the first bills passed in parliament."
Itami nodded her head in agreement with Berengar's assessment once more. She had to admit; the man was an extremely hard worker, and had accomplished more in the past eight months than she would have been able to do in two to three years, if she had just been given a sum of money and left to her own devices.
Thus, the albino beauty smiled and pressed her hand against her pregnant tummy, thinking about how happy she would be if the child turned out to be a baby boy. Berengar immediately noticed this expression and shifted the topic to something more important in order to avoid the awkward atmosphere.
"For the most part, we have been focused primarily on fixing the agriculture of this country, with an emphasis on stabilizing the economy, and fleshing out the government. However, because of the mechanization of agriculture, we have a lot of farmers who are now out of employment. As a result, we have been hosting trade schools, so that these now unemployed farmers can catch up to your citizens who were previously employed in the factories.
Aside from the establishment of trade schools, we are also in the process of opening up a handful of Universities across your country, where those who seek a higher education can learn from your citizens who once lived in the Reich and attended German schools. It's not much for the time being, but give it four years, and you will have another generation of properly educated youth to begin expanding your Empire's technological capabilities."
Upon hearing this, Itami shifted her thoughts from the unborn child in her womb to the matters at hand. It was true that she and Berengar were essentially rebuilding Japan from scratch, and that it would take time before any significant progress could be made. Still, after hearing all of these updates. Itami felt confident that Japan was being set on a path towards a bright future.
Thus, she wore a warm smile, before motioning towards her lap, as if silently telling her man to take a much needed rest. There was no doubt that Berengar was exhausted, no matter how much he may refuse to admit it. The bags under his eyes could not be concealed even by the heaviest of makeup. When Berengar saw this, he simply chuckled and shook his head before denying his wife's offer.
"I am afraid that I am much too busy to take a break. Maybe once I have concluded my paperwork, I will be able to-"
However, Itami did not allow Berengar to finish his sentence, instead she stood up from her seat, and grabbed hold of Berengar's hand before dragging him to the floor, while resting his head in her lap. Just when he was about to argue with her actions, the albino beauty raised her dainty index finger to her lips, and shushed her man, causing to him to begrudgingly obey.
Itami then began to sing a melody, which slowly caused Berengar to drift into unconsciousness. Having functioned on an average of four hours of sleep every day for the last month. Berengar did not realize how tired he was until he actually fell asleep in Itami's lap.
Soon enough, the darkness of his dreams was pierced by the light of the setting sun, where Berengar then rubbed his eyes gently, and rose from Itami's lap, who had been watching his sleeping face for several hours. Upon realizing what had just happened, Berengar felt dreadfully embarrassed, and blushed ever so slightly, which caused his wife to giggle before assuring him that everything was alright.
"Don't you feel better after having a nice nap?"
Berengar could not stop himself from yawning, as he looked around and realized that it was already mid evening. He could only sigh in defeat, realizing that he had not gotten half the work done that he had aspired to when he first woke up in the morning. However, he could not scold Itami, because before he could do so the woman interrupted him.
"You have been working far too much lately. Rome wasn't built in a day, and Japan will need many years before it has fully recovered from the state I left it in. Even if you worked yourself to an early grave, it will not recover any quicker. You need to take care of yourself, especially since you have so many people who love and cherish you..."
Berengar was surprised to hear Itami speak these words to him. He was used to working many hours into the night in order to ensure the prosperous state of his Empire. And had never once thought that he was working far too much for his own good. In this moment, he was deeply happy that Itami had been the one by his side, and not one of his other wives, who did not understand the burden he bore as a monarch.
Thus, after a deep exhale to calm his heart, Berengar smiled and stood up before giving his pregnant wife a helping hand. Once the two of them were on their feet, she spoke the words she wanted to hear.
"Thank you. I didn't realize just how tired I was until you pointed it out. How about I treat you to something nice as a token of my gratitude?"
With that said, Berengar and Itami left the confines of the small office, and ventured out into the city to enjoy the fresh night air, and all that the city of Kyoto had to offer.
