Akiko tightened her grip on her bag as she stepped off the train—five stations earlier than usual. She walked quickly, trying not to get caught in the flow of passengers transferring to other trains, and headed towards the exit. Akiko looked around and waved to hail a taxi. Her destination was a bit far.Akiko didn’t notice when someone else also hailed a taxi just as quickly, holding a phone to his ear, busy talking. It was a common sight, but what wasn’t common was that the taxi the man boarded followed Akiko’s taxi closely from behind.But Akiko wouldn’t be suspicious. During rush hour, taxis are common, and her mind was too busy to pay attention to her surroundings.Akiko kept squeezing her hands on her lap, trying to calm her doubts and convince herself that what she was about to do was the right choice. Her decision should be the right one.About twenty minutes later, Akiko’s taxi slowed down. Akiko wasn’t exactly sure where her destination was, as she had only read the address
Akiko heard the door opening and only glanced around. Kenji entered, carrying a tray of food, and then looked at the tray from last night, untouched by Akiko. This was the second day she had done this. Since she was in this room, Akiko hadn't touched any of the food Kenji had brought her.Kenji had locked her up for two days without speaking. He only came to bring food and then left. He didn't want his anger to escalate any further. According to him, Akiko's recklessness had gone too far.But Akiko wasn't interested in talking or touching any of the food Kenji brought. She felt weak, able only to lie in bed, but still had no intention of eating. She didn't even want to eat the curry rice she typically enjoyed.This was a rebellion. Akiko forced herself not to eat, knowing that it would most likely infuriate Kenji. She also knew that what she was doing would endanger the baby in her womb, but Akiko was using the most powerful weapon in this psychological battle. She was taking a risk
Unfortunately, Akiko couldn't chat on the train. She couldn't even see Yuto when the train departed.The crowd of passengers pushed them apart—separating them. Yuto was nowhere to be found, while Akiko was stuck, squeezed near the door, unable to move.Luckily, Akiko managed to spot Yuto when the people around her started to disembark, giving her some breathing room.Akiko could look around more freely, without any obstruction. Then she saw Yuto waving at her, but he was also trapped—unable to move.Akiko held up three fingers and pointed to the exit on her left. It was a signal that she'd get off at three more stations. Akiko would disembark at the usual station, which is close to Shingi Fusaya's office. Yuto nodded in understanding.Akiko wanted to confirm, but sadly, Yuto was pushed away once more. Still, at least Akiko had managed to tell him where she would be getting off.As she exited the train, Akiko pushed her way through—struggling with all her might—against the crowd. More
"Have we arrived?" Akiko jerked awake, realizing that Kenji's car had stopped. But there was no answer. Akiko glanced to the side and noticed no one in the driver's seat.She straightened up, feeling a bit panicked, thinking she was alone. But then something slid off her body—a dark earth-colored coat. She was covered by Kenji's coat. It was a relief, because it meant Kenji was nearby.Akiko looked out of the car and finally saw Kenji leaning against the hood. Smoke curled around his head. The cigarette smoke made Akiko grimace. As far as she remembered, Kenji had quit smoking.Akiko opened the door, and Kenji turned around. Reflexively, he put out the cigarette by pressing it against the car's hood and then slipped the remaining stub into the pack in his pocket."Where are we?" Akiko asked, confused, as she saw the orange sun dipping westward and the unfamiliar beach in front of her."Sendai," Kenji replied, pushing himself up to sit on the hood, while Akiko gaped."Sendai? You broug
Yuto was startled when he suddenly felt a hand on his waist. He opened his eyes but quickly closed them again as his head felt heavy and dizzy. Yuto frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking he must be dreaming because no one should be sleeping beside him. It had been a while since Akiko left home.But then Yuto forced himself to open his eyes, realizing the weight on his waist was real. He also noticed that his body was lying on a bed—on a soft mattress, not on a futon. Yuto turned to the side and widened his eyes. "What are you doing here?"Yuto moved away, grabbing the blanket to cover himself. He realized he was naked. Karin—who was next to him—stirred. Yuto cursed inwardly, noticing that Karin was also naked, just like him.Karin slowly opened her eyes and stared at Yuto—silent for a few seconds before screaming. "AGHH!" Karin yelled as she quickly arranged the blanket to cover her exposed body."How…." Yuto was confused, looking around. Their hotel room was where th
Akiko turned her blushing face away, embarrassed, like a thief caught in the act."Where exactly are we?" Akiko finally found the right question to ask, clearly wanting to avoid discussing why they were in the same bed."A hotel. I couldn't drive all the way to Tokyo last night, so I stopped here," Kenji explained as he pushed aside the blanket, rubbed his head, yawned, and stood up, heading to the bathroom.Akiko just nodded. She wouldn't be upset because Kenji made the right decision. Driving while sleepy is extremely dangerous. Now Akiko remembered what she did before falling asleep.They had stopped for food, and after they set off again, her stomach felt nauseous. Akiko took the last anti-nausea pill prescribed by her doctor a few days ago, and then she fell asleep. Kenji had carried Akiko into this room, and she hadn't noticed at all."We'll have breakfast, then head back to Tokyo," Kenji said after coming out of the bathroom."Okay." Akiko pushed aside all the thoughts she had
Guilt can easily affect courage and self-confidence. That’s what happened to Akiko. She hadn't been able to lift her head, and her whole body felt fragile. Akiko was trembling with guilt.If she counted from the day she tried to meet Yuto, went to the beach, and had to stay overnight for two nights—because her nausea was still quite severe—it added up to a total of eight days Akiko had been absent without a clear reason.Today, Akiko came to the office, preparing herself emotionally. She was ready to be fired and had even planned to start job hunting right away.But Akiko also planned to plead with Watanabe to give her a recommendation letter, which would give her some experience, even if just for a few weeks, hoping it would make finding a new job easier.Akiko placed her bag on the table and sat down, waiting for her fate. Waiting for Watanabe to call her.“Nakamura-san?”Akiko was startled and turned around to see Mori, who had just arrived, looking at her.“Come here.” Mori opened
Kenji realized that Akiko hadn't come home yet, causing his anger, which had slightly subsided over the past few days, to flare up again because Akiko had disobeyed his orders once more.Kenji had clearly stated that Akiko was not allowed to work overtime. He had allowed her to work, but not to stay late. Yet on her very first day, Akiko had easily violated his orders."You sure show up quickly when it comes to Akiko," Ryu greeted him in front of the second-floor elevator. He knew about Kenji's arrival from the security who recognized him."Don't make unnecessary comments; I'm not in the mood to hear them," Kenji hissed, ignoring the jab and heading straight to Akiko's office."She's still inside, right?" Kenji asked."Yes," Ryu replied. As soon as the security informed him of Kenji's arrival, Ryu made sure that Akiko hadn't left the office yet."I've already asked Mori not to burden his team with overtime. It's strange, but Mori—oh no
“Wrap it again!”As the nurse was about to leave, Akiko protested. She insisted on having the nurse wrap her head as she had done yesterday.“Tanaka-san, it’s no longer necessary. The surgical wound has healed well,” the nurse said with a smile. The full head bandage was no longer needed, leaving only a square patch covering the back side of her head.But the nurse understood why Akiko made such a strange request. Akiko was currently feeling her entire head, fighting back tears.According to what she felt, Akiko knew her hair was uneven—some parts longer than others—and she could guess that beneath the bandage, there would be a completely bald patch.“I must look awful,” Akiko muttered softly.“I’m sorry. We rushed to prepare for your surgery and didn't have time to evenly trim the hair." The nurse stroked the part of Akiko’s hair that still hung down to her should
Kyoko flinched slightly and looked at Ryu when he mentioned "liking," but then she realized Ryu was only speaking generally, with no special meaning. It didn’t make sense that Ryu would suddenly say something like that out of nowhere.“And I agree with that. The current Prime Minister’s work is terrible. If he has any shame left, he should just resign.” Ryu nodded in agreement with Kyoko’s opinion, looking satisfied.“After this, I hope you can help me win any debate against Kenji,” Ryu said.“Huh? What?” Kyoko was confused.“Forget it.” Ryu waved his hand dismissively. It was too early to discuss that."About the Prime Minister we were just discussing, he's bad, but you can't solely blame Kenji because there are other clans involved. As you heard earlier, Kuryugumi isn’t acting alone. They made the decision together. The individual who was elected was not the one Kuryugumi had
“Has she arrived?” Ryu inquired as he observed Inoue preparing to welcome him.“Yes. She was perfectly on time. Not a minute late,” Inoue replied, with a hint of sarcasm.Ryu could only offer a wry smile, knowing he was in the wrong. Ryu was late. He had to take care of something at Shingi Fusaya and couldn’t leave his office until half an hour past his meeting time with Kyoko.His lateness was serious, and there was no time for small talk with Inoue. Ryu quickly opened the door to Kenji’s office.Ryu had asked Inoue to arrange the meeting in Kenji’s office, which would clearly be empty for the next few weeks.Kyoko, who had been waiting inside, quickly stood up, looking surprised to see Ryu.“You…”“Yes, I’m the one who will formalize your work contract. Kenji… is busy.” Ryu removed the folder he had prepared and sat in Kenji's chair.&
"What's wrong?" Akiko grew more curious as she watched Kenji lower his head and cover his face with his hands."Sorry, just a moment." Kenji needed to calm himself. The fear he felt earlier was real. He had braced himself for Akiko's complaining of pain, clearly worried about her post-surgery scars.But Akiko was completely calm. A small ray of hope emerged amidst all the darkness that enveloped him."Are you okay?" Akiko asked again, gently touching Kenji's hand, which slowly loosened its grip."Yes, I'm fine. Everything is fine." Kenji smiled, causing Akiko's heart to race again. She reflexively covered Kenji's mouth."Don't smile like that," Akiko complained. Kenji raised his eyebrows in question."Just don't."Kenji found the request odd, but he nodded. Only then did Akiko release her hand, exhaling with a sense of relief."What's wrong with my smile? Is it scary?" Kenji didn’t think he had made a scary face, but Ryu
Akiko stared at Kenji as he walked in, once again placing a hand on her chest. She felt abnormal, her heart racing with excitement.Or maybe it was the man who wasn’t normal. Akiko couldn't imagine how she had married someone so... handsome.Akiko admitted it. Ryu, who had been with her earlier, was handsome, sweet, and had a clean face. Kenji’s face was the complete opposite.Kenji was handsome, but not sweet, and he looked rugged with stubble that seemed a few days old. But that wild side of him was driving her crazy. Akiko felt her stomach suddenly warm as those dark eyes looked at her.She wanted to look away—unable to withstand the excessive charm—but decided to keep looking. It would be strange to turn away so suddenly. After all, they were husband and wife. Akiko wanted to get used to looking at that face quickly.“Are you feeling dizzy?” As he sat beside Akiko, he naturally reached out to touch her
"Is this going to be permanent?" As soon as Kenji and Hayashi left the room, he asked his question.Hayashi ran a hand through his white hair, and the lines on his forehead deepened."The answer is, I don't know." Hayashi gave his honest reply with a long sigh.If not for the fact that Hayashi had done so much to help Akiko recover, Kenji might have snapped at him for his unhelpful response.It was Hayashi's job to diagnose Akiko's condition, not to be unsure. It was Kenji's responsibility not to be in the dark."Maybe this answer won't satisfy you," Hayashi said, noticing how Kenji was struggling to contain his emotions."However, I am unable to provide a definitive response. The neurologist who worked with me on Akiko's case before diagnosed her as unable to function normally, but after therapy restored her motor skills, her ability to remember and understand things slowly returned. When it comes to Akiko's condition, nothing is set in sto
Akiko followed Hayashi's flashlight beam, moving left and right with ease. There was no problem at all."What do you feel?" Hayashi asked with a friendly smile. Akiko looked at him. He was a kind and gentle doctor."Dizzy." Akiko had felt a sharp pain in her head when she tried to sit up earlier, but now it had eased significantly. That was her only physical complaint. As for her thoughts—Akiko couldn’t explain them."Of course you feel dizzy. You have a head injury."Akiko appreciated the doctor's warmth as he gently explained. She then touched the bandage on her head with a confused expression."What happened to me? Did I fall?" Akiko inquired, hoping for a quick explanation.But the doctor didn’t answer immediately. Akiko caught him glancing at one of the men standing on the opposite side of the bed. The man nodded.Akiko understood instantly that Hayashi had just sought permission. The doctor was seeking permissi
Kenji's thoughts immediately pointed to her. Only Karin could have come up with such a cunning plan, with the intent to hurt Akiko.After all, who else knew about the relationship between him and Akiko besides Karin? Kenji doubted his father would resort to such cowardly methods. His father had already shown his way yesterday—an attack from the front, forceful if necessary."I think we were wrong. Karin isn't interested in the Nakamura fortune. She's doing everything she can to hurt Akiko." Kenji corrected his earlier assumption that Karin was merely being materialistic when she tricked him. "Everything she's done since the beginning has hurt Akiko.""Why though? Why would she hate her own niece?" Ryu scratched his head, looking confused.It wasn't a question that Kenji needed to answer. Aside from not knowing the reason, Kenji didn’t care. What mattered was that Karin had hurt Akiko.Before this, Kenji could still forgive everything Kari
But Kenji's burden gradually lessened as he saw a smile spread across Hayashi's lips.“It worked. Everything was successfully retrieved. And Akiko's condition is very stable,” Hayashi said, giving a thumbs-up.Kenji let out a sigh of relief, but he knew his relief was premature.“How…”“I’ve requested that the biopsy be done as soon as possible, but it will still take at least a day. Be patient. Stay with Akiko when she wakes up. Huh, what happened to your face?” Hayashi inquired, noting Kenji's bruised and battered face.“Something happened, but it's over now,” Kenji responded vaguely. He might hear the full story later about the earlier commotion, but Kenji wasn’t too concerned. Kuryugumi usually had a team to clean up any public disturbances.Hayashi squinted at Kenji's face before patting his shoulder. “Take care of those wounds. But I must go. I’m not as youn