"Kyoko-chan!" Akiko greeted as cheerfully as possible, but Kyoko’s response was clearly an annoyed huff."What’s wrong with you again? Sick, again? Why do you get sick so often?"Since they were talking over the phone, Akiko couldn't see Kyoko's expression. She didn’t know whether Kyoko was genuinely scolding her or just concerned.Talking to Kyoko required not only skill but also face-to-face interaction. Speaking over the phone like this made it difficult for Akiko to gauge her reaction."I don't understand, either; my body just feels weak suddenly. They said I’m too worn out and need rest," Akiko said.She said it in a somewhat cheerful tone, but there was no smile on her face. Akiko slowly placed her hand on her stomach. Nothing had changed, because from the beginning, her belly had not shown any noticeable change. But she still felt empty—like something was missing there."Hey! Are you even listening to me?
"Where's Inoue?"Kenji realized that only Ryu was present in the office and asked him a question. Kenji was too lazy to check his phone. Moreover, it was unusual for Ryu to be there.Ryu's office was in Shingi Fusaya, a different building. Although it was only a 10-minute walk away, it wasn't Kenji's building.“Mm... Are you going to kill her?” Ryu asked cautiously. He was there to ask about that.“What?” Kenji frowned. “Who?”“Since that incident, Inoue has been afraid you’re going to kill her,” Ryu explained with a sigh.“Oh, no. I don’t care,” Kenji said as he took off his coat and sat down at his desk. He opened his laptop and began working.“Where is she?” Kenji asked, looking up at Ryu, who was still standing there with his mouth agape. Ryu had been frozen in shock for a while.“What did you just say?” Ryu stepped forward, star
"...and regarding the financing of the construction of the hydroelectric power plant in the country..."CRASH!The man who had been speaking in front of the projector froze. The entire meeting room fell into a dead silence. Kenji had just thrown his phone at the wall, frustrated after hearing a recording sent by Inoue.Kenji was furious with himself for automatically choosing to listen to the whole thing, which wasn't a sign of indifference. As soon as he understood, he should have stopped the recording.The phone shattered into pieces, scattering into several parts, and everyone in the room only dared to glance at him.There were about ten people present, and all of them pretended not to see what Kenji had done—except for Ryu, of course. But even Ryu only dared to furrow his brow. He didn’t ask why Kenji felt the need to throw his phone.Kenji sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the frozen man in front. The man
“I'll choose this." Despite having a long list of apartments to view, Akiko made her decision after visiting only two locations. Kyoko had gotten the data from one of her friends who worked in Shingi Fusaya’s marketing department.“Are you sure? This is really high up.” Kyoko looked skeptically at the stairs in front of the apartment building. The stairs were made of iron, but that didn’t guarantee their sturdiness.The available apartment was on the top floor—the third floor. Akiko would have to go up and down those stairs every day. It could be dangerous if the stairs weren’t in excellent condition.“Yes, and it’s fine that it’s high. I can still handle going up and down stairs. Don’t underestimate my legs,” Akiko exclaimed, patting her legs. Her mind was made up.Kyoko shunted Akiko. “Don’t tell me you picked this place just to bother me every day.”Kyoko w
"Enough! No more drinking. If you want to go home, then just go!" Ryu snatched the cup from Kenji's hand, preventing him from drinking more. Kenji had been downing sake like water for some time, not caring how much.Kenji brushed Ryu's hand away. "Leave! Stop bothering me."Ryu sighed and sat beside him. They were at one of Kuryugumi's restaurants. Even if Kenji stayed there all night, no one would disturb them.Ryu had planned to continue working, but he received a call from Inoue asking him to come to the restaurant, as it was clear that Kenji's condition was worse than usual—far worse than on previous days.This wasn’t the first time Kenji had been like this. Ever since he stopped going home, Kenji had been spending almost every day in bars or restaurants, drinking himself into oblivion. Afterward, Ryu would usually take him to a hotel and leave him there.Ryu could forcibly take Kenji home if he wanted, but he valued his life. He di
Akiko had fallen to the floor, covering her mouth tightly. She hoped that Kenji wasn't angry because of that bump.Kenji slowly sat up, rubbing his undoubtedly painful head, and looked around. Akiko wanted to run, but Kenji was right by the door. She was already inside Kenji's room."Kiko-chan? Why are you here? When did you arrive?" Kenji asked, seeing Akiko.Akiko's mouth fell open, as she had just clearly seen Kenji smiling in amusement. She couldn't recall the last time she'd seen such a smile.Akiko blinked several times, trying to see if the smile would vanish like an illusion. But it didn’t.It turned out Kenji’s level of drunkenness was far worse than usual. When Kenji was angry and drunk, he could still speak logically.However, this version of Kenji no longer made any sense. There was no reason for Kenji to smile after hitting his head like that."Could I have given him a concussion?" Akiko murmured in panic,
“You’ll be late if you keep standing there like that!”Kyoko grabbed Akiko’s hand, who had been standing still with her hands outstretched, trying to catch the cherry blossom petals swirling around them.“But it is beautiful. I still want to watch it,” Akiko protested, though it was impossible to resist Kyoko’s pull.“We’re here to see the flowers! You can look at them again later, when we arrive. We’ll be considered late if we don’t hurry,” Kyoko urged Akiko to keep moving into Nishinomaru Park.“So what if we’re late? It’s just a hanami event, not an official ceremony. We don’t have to be exactly on time. They’re not going to take attendance.” Akiko confuse.Kyoko clicked her tongue. “This is your first hanami with Shingi Fusaya, so I’ll forgive you and won’t insult you too harshly for your ignorance. Trust me—you want to arrive on time, not the same time with the board of directors. You’ll become a spectacle.”“Oh… They’re coming too.” Akiko’s eyes widened in amazement. Of course,
“I heard you’ve been very busy.” Using a spoon, Masaki lifted a Sakura petal that had fallen into his teacup.“It’s supposed to be like that. I have a lot of work to finish," Kenji replied politely, sipping his tea. His eyes gazed at the lush flowers behind his father.Of course, this annual Hanami event was a tradition his father preserved, though Kenji wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of appearing before so many people. But he couldn’t do away with the tradition. On days like this, they would sit together in the garden for hours, enjoying the flowers and the sound of laughter from afar.They didn’t sit with the other employees. They weren’t even sitting on the ground. They sat at a table and chairs that had been set up farther away in the garden. Various snacks were available, but Kenji had only touched his tea so far.Kenji couldn’t shake the tension he felt every time he met his father. There were too many things he kept hidden from him.“Ryu said you had an accident because
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
"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 sure you're not experiencing dizziness or nausea?" Kyoko inquired, observing that Akiko was dismissing the symptoms."Not at all." Akiko shook her head and moved on to the next question.Akiko was sitting on a hospital bed, filling out a questionnaire to narrow down what was happening with her body. Akiko had already undergone several tests, including CT scans and more, with Dr. Hayashi earlier in the day. But the results were negative.Dr. Hayashi had confirmed there was no recurring tumor—for the second time. So, he concluded something else was causing the nosebleeds, though he didn’t yet know what.Hayashi asked Akiko to answer a series of questions to better understand her condition. It was a somewhat strange method, but necessary since Hayashi was still in Tokyo and couldn’t come immediately as Kenji had requested. He had a few surgeries to perform and could only fly to Osaka the next day.So, Akiko had been answerin
"Is this the last one?" Akiko asked as she stepped out of the car and looked at the building in front of her.The large building was shaped like a church, with towers and a European-style design in a reddish hue. But Akiko didn’t see the name of a church on the sign attached to the gate. The sign read "Akarui Hizashi," which roughly means "bright sunlight.""Yes, let's go inside." Yui opened the iron gate and entered as if the place were very familiar to her.Akiko understood the building's purpose after seeing its huge yard. Children were running around, playing with the fallen leaves scattered everywhere. Akiko noticed a broom lying near their feet; they were too busy playing to finish their chores."This... is an orphanage," Akiko finally understood."Yes, this is the orphanage where Ryu and I grew up," Yui said."Oh, Ryu was here too?" Kyoko stepped forward to observe the surroundings."Yes. This is one of the orphanages man