"But that’s a lie. I just pretended to be pregnant," Akiko replied, shaking her head. She sensed that the doctor in front of her was making fun of her because the outrageous lie was too much for her.
“What?” Rin was, of course, confused by Akiko’s reaction. She understood Akiko might find it hard to believe, but the confession was strange. She had no idea Akiko had ever pretended to be pregnant.
“Yeah, she didn’t ask for mochi or anything,” Kenji chimed in, expressing disbelief.
“What?”
Akiko and Rin asked at the same time because Kenji’s response was even stranger.
“She wasn’t nauseous or anything; she looked normal,” Kenji said, still trying to steer the conversation away from Mochi.
“Pregnancy without nausea is quite possible. It’s likely Tanaka-san is experiencing such a pregnancy. You don’t remember when your last cycle was; that’s prob
"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
"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
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
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
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.
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
"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
“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
“Himawari! Natsu!”A ten-year-old boy let out a loud shout when he discovered two other children hiding behind the bushes beneath the tree.“Kenzo—big brother!”Natsu was startled to see Kenzo suddenly appear. He pulled the girl, Himawari, beside him to stand, intending to run away, but Kenzo stopped him.“No! You’re making Okaa-san worried. You have to go back.” Kenzo grabbed Natsu's arm.“But Himawari is scared. She doesn’t want to go to school,” Natsu pointed at Himawari, who was now sobbing.“Hima-chan.” Kenzo knelt down and gently stroked Himawari's head, which was bowed down.“School isn’t scary. You’ll meet many new people and make new friends,” Kenzo coaxed softly until Himawari looked up to meet Kenzo's gaze.“But… but… I want to be with Natsu. I don’t want to go to school…”
“This place isn’t bad.” Kenji didn’t outright refuse, but his reluctance was evident.“Indeed, I will make sure this place will never be bad for those children. However, Kenzo stands apart from these children. They are kids who truly have no family and are forced to live here. Kenzo has me. I am his family. I am the only family Kenzo has."Akiko didn’t want to acknowledge this while remembering Kenzo's mother’s actions, but Kenzo was still the child of her mother’s younger sibling—her family. No one else was her blood relative as of now.“I can’t forget that fact and pretend Kenzo is someone else. It will haunt me in my sleep,” Akiko urged again.Kenji fiddled with the car keys beneath him while staring at the back of Kenzo's head, who was now trying to draw something with crayons on a new piece of paper.“I know you hate his mother—I do too. But you don’t hav
“I still don’t want to do this,” Kenji grumbled.“I know, but I’m sure you also know that this is the right thing to do,” Akiko replied, looking at her husband, who was now unbuckling his seatbelt. Although they arrived two minutes earlier, neither of them got out of the car.The decision they—Akiko—made was indeed a significant one. Akiko needed to calm herself. Kenji had left the choice to her, but he was still going through it with a heavy heart.“Come on, let’s go.” Akiko finally opened the door and stepped out.Children playing in the yard rushed over when they spotted her.“Tanaka-san! What did you bring today? Candy? A storybook?”A chorus of voices greeted Akiko. She often visited the orphanage with gifts, so the children expected her to bring something.“I brought something in the car for you, but it’s a secret. You can…”
“I don’t want to sleep with you.” Ryu repeated the question in disbelief because it seemed too absurd. He shook his head while rubbing his face.“I think your ability to draw conclusions isn’t very sharp right now,” Ryu said.“No!” Kyoko was obviously offended. Although it wasn't a direct insult, Ryu had implied that Kyoko was stupid.“Don’t be angry; I understand. I would be disappointed if your mind was entirely calm at the moment.” Ryu smiled with satisfaction.“I’m calm!” Kyoko retorted.“You just asked about my desire to sleep with you. I think that’s quite a disturbance that’s keeping you from being calm.” Ryu left his suitcase and approached Kyoko, who suddenly panicked and stepped back.“Don’t deny it. You won’t succeed in making me think otherwise.” Ryu chuckled softly at her panic.“I don&
“Don’t open it now. You’ll get wet.” Ryu raised the hood of Kyoko's raincoat just in time as a large amount of water splashed toward where they were sitting. It was as if someone had poured a giant bucket of water on them.The orca whale show they were watching involved jumping out of the water. Of course, when they fell back, they splashed a lot of water toward the audience.Ryu clapped like everyone else, appreciating the hard work of the giant mammals, but Kyoko didn’t clap at all—not even when the show ended.“Didn’t you like it?” Ryu inquired as they exited, discarding their soaked raincoats.Ryu grabbed a small towel handed out by the staff, then used it to dry Kyoko’s hair and neck. Although Ryu had covered her hoodie just in time, some parts of Kyoko’s hair and neck were still wet.“You don’t like aquariums. I’ll note all of that.” After waiting for a
"I want to go home."Kyoko suddenly spoke up just as Akiko finished applying pink lipstick to her lips.“Huh? Why? Did you forget something?” Akiko straightened up, confused, as she glanced at the kimono Kyoko would be wearing.Kyoko's kimono was simpler, with only a hair ornament as an accessory. It wasn’t as elaborate as the one Akiko had worn when she got married in Utoro.Ryu had planned for their wedding to be similar to Akiko’s, but they had compromised for a more modest ceremony at the city hall. Ryu knew Kyoko's feelings about temple buildings, so he wouldn't dare force anything. Besides, the reception would still happen; just the ceremony would be different.Nobody objected to the decision. Everyone agreed as long as the wedding took place, including Akiko. Even though her expensive kimono was a bit much for a city hall wedding, she was still happily helping Kyoko.“Everything's ready. I just need to pu
“You must be crazy!” Kyoko stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, trying to recall if there was any sign that Ryu wasn’t serious.But everything was serious. Ryu had even sent her a photo of the kimono he would wear on their wedding day. When Kyoko saw the photo, she thought Ryu was insane, as discussing kimono patterns would escalate their deception.In the end, Kyoko made her choice, wanting to end the pointless discussion. But it turned out that the discussion was important.“Are you just going to sit there?!” Kyoko yelled angrily, glaring at Ryu, who was calmly sipping beer and munching on peanuts he had brought earlier.“What do you want me to do?” Ryu frowned.“Cancel everything! Call them all! Cancel it!” Kyoko sat back down next to Ryu and then attacked him, reaching for his waist.“Hey, wait! Don’t get aggressive all of a sudden,” Ryu was, of cour
Ryu shook his head, while effortlessly unlocking Kyoko's apartment door once more by simply inputting her birthday—the day after tomorrow.He had repeatedly reminded Kyoko to change the password, which was extremely easy to guess. Not just once—like when he first broke in to find the listening device—but several times since.Now, Kyoko no longer lives in Tokyo. Since becoming actively involved in Kuryugumi and assisting Kenji and Ryu, Kyoko had relocated to Osaka, where she now primarily worked.However, Kyoko hadn't been working regularly since visiting her parents, and no one was pressuring her to do so either. Kenji didn’t give any orders, leaving everything up to Ryu.The apartment’s security was truly weak, especially since there was still no sound, despite Ryu walking into the room for several moments. It was evident that Kyoko had fallen asleep due to the late hour. Ryu had come straight to the apartment after returnin
Akiko adjusted herself in front of the mirror, gazing at the new kimono she would wear the day after tomorrow.The kimono was custom-made for her, so naturally, it fit perfectly. But Akiko wanted to see if the color matched her expectations. And indeed, everything was perfect. It fit her body beautifully and didn't feel heavy or hot, which was crucial considering it was still summer.The modern kimono, with a white base, was adorned with pink cherry blossoms. Akiko had even prepared hair accessories filled with cherry blossom designs to complete the look.She wasn’t wearing the hairpiece yet, but when she tried placing it on her head, the pink color matched perfectly with her black hair. Everything was set. She had also prepared clothes for Natsu and Kenji.BANG!Akiko flinched and dropped the hair accessory she was holding. The loud noise from the sliding door startled her.Luckily, Natsu was in the next room, so he wouldn’t be