"Fujita!"
Kenji called out when he saw Kyoko walking alone—without Akiko—along the sidewalk that would lead her to the station. Kenji still had some time to follow her, as his work hadn’t returned to its usual pace yet.
“Oh.” Kyoko stopped walking.
“There was a man who took Akiko away.” Kyoko smirked, guessing what Kenji wanted to know.
“Took her? Kidnapped her?” Kenji had already reached for his phone, ready to do whatever was needed to find Akiko. Kenji’s worst fear was that Masaki had discovered where Akiko was.
“Oh my god! What a dark conclusion!” Kyoko shook her head, not believing that Kenji had just jumped to the conclusion of kidnapping with the word "took." She had been half-joking earlier, but now things had taken a very dark turn.
“Then what do you mean by 'took'? Don’t joke with me!” Kenji barked.
“I’m not sure if I want t
“What are you talking about?” Akiko was confused and tried to free herself.Kenji’s question, of course, sounded so strange to her. It had neither a beginning nor an end.“I just want to ask, without any context. Which would you choose?” This was Kenji’s most desperate moment. He had to get an answer.“Let me go first,” Akiko requested. Being in Kenji’s embrace wouldn't allow her to think clearly about anything.Kenji released the embrace but still held Akiko’s hand and stared at her, waiting for an answer.“Why is this important?” Akiko was, of course, suspicious, especially seeing how eagerly Kenji awaited her response.“I just want to know.” Kenji tightened his grip slightly.Akiko frowned, still not understanding, but she began to think of an answer.“Hmm… I would choose the truth, even if it’s painful,” Akiko finall
“I’ll take you to work today,” said Kenji, following Akiko out of the house.“Hm… yeah. Huh? Why?”Because her tongue fumbled, Akiko had to choose her words more carefully. This was due to the sudden fogging of her mind upon seeing Kenji emerge from the house, dressed in a neatly tailored suit.During the weeks they had been living together, Akiko had never seen Kenji in a suit. He always wore casual clothes that fit him perfectly.Akiko usually preferred his messy look, but seeing him dressed up in a suit, with his hair slicked back and his face freshly shaved, made her heart leap suddenly. Like a hungry rabbit spotting a carrot, she felt excited—too excited.“I have some business near your office, so we can go together,” Kenji explained. In truth, Kenji was just heading to work as usual, but today he could more freely suggest they leave together.“Hmm... Okay.” Akiko didn&r
"Kondo-san, could you step out for a moment?" Ryu asked very politely, addressing the man who bowed, asking him to leave the emergency stairs.They were supposed to meet upstairs, but because of a sudden phone call, Kenji had briefly turned into the emergency stairwell. The call took longer than expected, and Kondo, eager to explain the situation, followed him down to the stairs. But that turned out to be a disastrous idea.Ryu sensed Kenji's intense gaze, one that likely harbored a desire to kill him. They couldn’t get out of this situation easily. Akiko had seen everything.Akiko watched as Kondo left through the emergency door, leaving Ryu and Kenji staring at each other. Ryu shrugged but didn’t speak, waiting for Kenji to explain. He was the one with the right to explain.“How long have you known each other? How is that possible?” Akiko suddenly recalled how Kenji had mentioned Ryu’s name briefly before, but back then, sh
Kenji lay on the tatami with his arms bent under his head as a pillow, still fast asleep.Akiko wasn’t surprised at all—she had gotten used to Kenji being near her. She didn’t feel embarrassed either, as Kenji was lying a safe distance away, about half a meter.Akiko noticed a tray with food not far from where Kenji was lying. Cold curry rice. Kenji had brought it for dinner, but he didn’t want to wake Akiko and ended up waiting until he fell asleep.Akiko sighed internally. It was difficult to stay furious at Kenji when he had this habit of doing sweet things without even trying. His habit of pampering her sometimes went beyond reason.Akiko shifted and lay on her side, facing Kenji. Her movements were slow, but Kenji woke up regardless; there was no way he could sleep soundly in that position. Kenji was immediately relieved to see that Akiko appeared healthy. She wasn’t pale like she had been yesterday.“Do I n
“Sorry, you can’t enter.”The guard at the lobby immediately stood up and blocked the entrance when a woman approached the gate leading to Shingi Fusaya’s office area. The woman, looking confused, gently stroked her swollen belly—clearly in the late stages of pregnancy.It was ten o’clock at night, a time when no employees were expected to be coming in. If anyone showed up, they were likely leaving after working overtime, not entering the office.“I can’t get in because I left my wallet with my name tag inside. Can you help me retrieve it? I also left my ATM card in the wallet, and I need to withdraw money right now.” The woman grabbed the security guard’s arm with a pleading look on her face.“Oh, where did you leave it?” the guard asked, softening, clearly sympathetic to the woman’s difficulty.“On the fourth floor, in the marketing room.”If the guar
Akiko’s hand, holding the paper, began to tremble.“Who… How…” Akiko could only whisper as panic gripped her throat."I don't know who, but papers like this are stuck on almost every floor. I took this from the elevator, but I found many more on the second floor. In our office.”Kyoko quickly explained, while Akiko walked toward the elevator.“You don’t have to go in. I—”“I want to see the others.” Akiko brushed off Kyoko’s hand as she tried to stop her, then ran toward the elevator.“Akiko! There’s no need.” Kyoko chased after her, but Akiko managed to close the elevator doors, leaving Kyoko outside.Akiko stared straight ahead, her mind filled with confusion and noise. But then her eyes caught sight of tape marks. The elevator door had recently been adorned with something sticky.Of course, Akiko quickly guessed what had previousl
"Let go of her!" Kenji repeated a sharp but not overly loud shout, but it was too late.His first outburst had already drawn the attention of everyone in the lobby. Even after hearing the commotion, the security guards appeared to be approaching. But they just watched."Do you want to lose your hand?!" Kenji hissed as he stepped closer.Mori could sense the danger, so he slowly let go of Akiko's hand. But his eyes stayed fixed on Kenji. He had a decent amount of courage."We're going home," Kenji said, grabbing Akiko's hand.However, Mori blocked his path with his body. His instinct to protect was strong. He couldn’t let Kenji take Akiko away. Kenji’s actions would only fuel the rumors that were already circulating.The two of them leaving together would seem to confirm the gossip. Mori quickly thought of a reason to stop Kenji from taking Akiko."You can't just take her like that. Akiko is an employee here. There ar
Akiko jumped on the first bus that stopped at the stop without even looking at its destination.After paying, she sat inside, wondering how long she would ride. She didn’t care; she just wanted to disappear and forget everything.From the start, what she wanted was impossible. As expected, it all ended in mockery, which she deserved.When she chose to love Kenji, her morality was questionable."Ojou-san*, excuse me. But this is the last stop." Akiko was startled as the bus driver approached her and bowed, apologizing for disturbing her."Oh, yes. Sorry." Akiko quickly stood up and bowed in return, apologizing because her presence had caused the driver some trouble."I apologize again," Akiko said as she reached the door of the bus and stepped off.She looked around. Akiko had never been to this place before, but she easily found clues. There was a large, modern building made almost entirely of glass with the name JR Shinju
"You are too calm for a pregnant woman."Kenji didn’t scold her; he was simply amazed by how easily Akiko went about her usual activities.Akiko did not experience any nausea, dizziness, or vomiting. Akiko ate all her meals well, slept peacefully, and hadn’t requested anything strange so far.Kenji had prepared all the foods Akiko once liked, but none received any special reaction. She ate them, but never excessively. She followed her usual eating habits, not consuming boxes of mochi in one sitting. Her normal state surprised Kenji."She’s---or he calm because she’s very smart." Akiko placed the book she had been reading on the table and moved her hand to her belly, which had finally shown significant change. It appeared as though it had been hidden, and once Akiko became aware of it, it began to grow rapidly."Smart? How?" Kenji, who had been sitting cross-legged near the window, scooted closer and placed his hand on Akiko&
“What happened?!”Yuto shouted as he approached Karin, who was pacing in front of the ER—holding Kenzo, who was fast asleep in her arms. She was alone. There was no sign of Kaname nearby, not even in the distance.“Okaa-san, she suddenly collapsed. I don’t understand why. She... she was scolding me about the bad food I made, and then she just collapsed.”Karin spoke while tears streamed down her face. She sobbed and rushed into Yuto’s arms, but he held her shoulders and pushed her back slightly. With just two fingers—his index and thumb—as if brushing off something disgusting.“What are you doing? There’s no one here.” Yuto looked around. The area in front of the ER was quiet. They didn’t need to put on a show for anyone. Yuto wouldn’t touch her if he could help it.“I...,” Karin wanted to pretend she needed comfort, but Yuto would never give it. So she
"Ken, don't eat that!"Kaede turned when she heard the shout. She saw Karin rushing toward Kenzo, who was crawling across the tatami mat, trying to put a red Lego piece into his mouth. Karin lifted him from the floor, snatching the Lego, now wet with drool, from his hand."He's so clever. I just left him for a moment, and he's already off on an adventure." Kaede smiled happily as she approached her assistant to collect the letter."Ken will choke if this keeps up." Karin's tone was neutral, but it was clearly a complaint.Kaede had said she'd look after Ken while cooking but had easily left him on the floor, as though abandoning her responsibility."Are you scolding me?" Kaede looked at Karin, who was now placing her grandson beside the dozens of toys scattered across the floor."No, Okaa-san." Karin bowed before starting to remove the numerous toys that could pose a risk to Kenzo's safety.Kaede didn't consider whether the toys were su
Kenji gazed at the paper he was holding, pondering over its potential use. He remained deep in thought until Ryu suddenly burst into the room.“It’s out! The results are in!” Ryu exclaimed, waving a white envelope.“You could have sent it to me. Why did you come all the way back to Osaka?” Kenji asked, surprised.“I had some business here, so I figured I’d drop it off. Hurry! Open it!” Ryu urged him, gesturing toward the envelope he handed Kenji.“You didn’t open it?” Kenji reached for a letter opener and tore through the sealed flap. He had assumed Ryu would have peeked at the results.“No, I wanted to see it with you. Hurry up!” Ryu said, growing impatient.“I told you, I was right,” Kenji said as he unfolded the paper inside and smiled after reading it.His confidence was fully justified—the envelope’s contents confirmed his suspicio
The sound of the choir on stage echoed melodiously through the spacious room at the Nakamura Foundation’s event hall.It was a special event to celebrate the retirement of the foundation's chairman. He was retiring early to assume his new role as the Minister of Education, so it was a well-earned celebration.No one in the room or on stage wore a gloomy face. Everyone was filled with joy because the chairman’s achievement represented a new level of success. Kaname Nakamura had successfully brought the Nakamura family and the foundation to greater heights.This achievement garnered widespread praise and brightened the future of the foundation, especially with Kaname’s successor, Yuto, who was expected to surpass his father, bringing fresh ideas to the field of education.Yuto had already made the school the most prestigious, with more than two-thirds of its students excelling academically. No dark clouds loomed in their future.
Ryu grabbed Kyoko's neck and kissed her passionately, without hesitation, feeling immensely happy. Kyoko didn't resist at all. Ryu kept pulling her body closer."You better let go of my hand right now. Before you lose your nose and lips."Ryu's eyes flew open at once, as the voice he heard was deep—not Kyoko's voice. What he saw was not Kyoko. It was Kenji, lying beside Ryu, staring at him in disgust.Meanwhile, Kenji's arm was in Ryu's grasp, slightly wet. It was clear what had fallen victim to Ryu's dream and lips—Kenji's arm."WHAA!" Ryu screamed in horror, pushing Kenji's face away and rolling away from him."What... Why are you..."Ryu sat up and looked around. They were in his room—not some strange place like a hotel or motel. Kenji was still fully dressed, whereas Ryu wasn't."Where are my clothes? Why are you here?!" Ryu asked, panicked, pointing at Kenji while looking for and finally finding his t-shirt lying not f
Kenji glanced around, squinting in the dim surroundings. A few people stared at him—understandably so, as he towered over the others. Those who recognized him bowed immediately, pausing their movements, ignoring the pulsating music.The club wasn't far from Kuryugumi's main house, so it was no surprise some people knew him. However, Kenji did not reciprocate their gestures or show any concern. His focus was on one person he had been looking for.That person stood surrounded by at least three women, laughing as they offered him drinks."I haven't seen you like this in a long time," Kenji said."Hey! You came! Look!" Ryu shouted excitedly, raising his glass—likely filled with brandy judging by its color. Ryu, walking unsteadily, rushed toward Kenji and clung to his shoulder."Look who's here, everyone! Isn't he handsome? This is one of my friends."Ryu proudly introduced Kenji to the women who quickly gathered around him. Some of t
"What's going on with them?" Kyoko asked Akiko, glancing at Kenji and Ryu, who hadn't spoken to each other during breakfast.Now that the breakfast table had been cleared, Kenji still hadn’t said a word to Ryu—or vice versa.Usually, even if it was just a question about work or plans for the afternoon, they would talk. They never stayed silent like this. Akiko noticed it too. Yui was as quiet as usual, but Kenji and Ryu seemed odd."Did you two have a fight?" Akiko asked, sipping her tea and looking back and forth between Kenji and Ryu."Yes.""No."Kenji said yes, while Ryu said no. The two contradictory responses only made it clearer that something was going on between them.Ryu angrily glared at Kenji, to which Kenji responded with a defiant look."What? I'm just being honest," Kenji shrugged."Since when have you cared about being honest?! Choose the right time to be honest!" Ryu snapped."I was ju
"Are you leaving?" Akiko inquired, observing that Kenji was still wearing his shirt, even though his jacket had been removed. He clearly wasn't ready to sleep yet.Akiko herself was already under the covers. Today had been exhausting for her, especially after experiencing such extreme emotional shifts from fear to joy."Yes, I need to talk to Ryu. There are some work adjustments I need to discuss with him," Kenji said, sitting beside Akiko."Should I stay with you until you fall asleep? I can postpone it," Kenji offered, noticing the disappointment in her eyes.Akiko thought for a moment, then nodded. She did want that."But are you sure it's okay? Whatever you need to discuss with Ryu, can it wait?" Akiko asked.Kenji nodded. "Of course it can. If it was something urgent that couldn’t wait, I'd ask Kyoko or Yui to come stay with you. But this can wait."Kenji grabbed a pillow and placed it beside Akiko, who was lying down