In a daze, Kaoru Hoshitani saw those gray eyes, cold as inorganic glass beads, that sharp, high-bridged nose, and the defined, almost aggressive lines of a face!
That woman was looking down on him from above, with the same mocking, controlling gaze burned into his memory!
“Ah—!”
A surge of terror and disgust crashed over him like a bucket of ice water, making him cry out sharply and uncontrollably, his body recoiling as if to escape the terrifying phantom.
“What’s wrong, Kaoru…?”
Immersed in her love, Aina Saiten was startled by his sudden reaction.
She instantly stopped everything, leaned down in concern, her warm palm gently caressing his cold cheek.
With a gentle, comforting kiss beside his lips, she asked worriedly.
Her face, now fully clear of shadow and only inches away, had returned to that familiar, loving expression.
“It’s… it’s nothing…”
Kaoru Hoshitani was panting violently, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if it might burst through his ribs.
He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, striving to drive that horrifying vision out of his mind.
He reached out with a trembling arm, wrapping it around his girlfriend’s neck and burying his face deep in her warm shoulder hollow.
His voice, still shaken and choked with lingering fright, repeated,
“Really… I’m fine…”
As if, by holding her tightly, he could confirm she was real and banish the lingering nightmare.
“Oh… Wait, let me get one…”
Aina Saiten’s voice, tinged with the huskiness and faint urgency of passion, drifted through the dim bedroom.
Warm, humid breaths filled the shadowed air.
She didn’t probe Kaoru Hoshitani’s abrupt scream, dismissing it as nothing more than a natural reaction to their intimacy.
She braced her body, still a little weak, and reached toward the nightstand, her form cast in the blurred glow of the bedside lamp.
Her slender arm tensed slightly from the stretch, and her elongated fingers groped somewhat anxiously for the drawer’s metal handle in the darkness.
With a soft “click,” the drawer opened. Her fingertips, experienced and practiced, quickly found the familiar, hard-edged little box.
This was their most-used safety measure.
Aina Saiten took it out, and by the faint yellow bedside light, she could make out the thin plastic packaging.
Just placing the tiny pill inside, which cleverly altered the inner acidity to render the active genetic factor unviable, was a simple and effective method of contraception.
Her slender fingers, trembling faintly with anticipation, began tearing open the silver aluminum foil packaging, producing a soft, ripping sound.
When she finally took out a white pill and was about to proceed as usual—
A cool hand, shaking and yet firm, suddenly grasped her busy wrist, stopping her movement with undeniable strength.
Aina Saiten looked down in surprise, meeting Kaoru Hoshitani’s upturned gaze.
He lay on the soft bed, like a delicate fallen doll, his pale jade-like cheeks now flushed crimson as if bathed in sunset glow, the red spreading to his finely sculpted ears and down his slender neck.
His gaze wavered, a storm of intense shyness, desperate resolve, and boundless, almost drowning love flickering within.
His light-colored lips parted, as though each word weighed a thousand pounds, and could only be forced from his throat with all his strength:
“No… don’t…”
He paused, chest heaving, took a deep breath as if a drowning man grasping a final lifeline, and with all the courage he could muster, his words faltering yet clear, he voiced his true feelings,
“I want… to give you… to give you a child…”
As the words left his mouth, Kaoru Hoshitani felt as though he’d run a marathon, utterly spent.
His fragile, boneless body relaxed completely, sinking deeper into the soft mattress, even his grip on Aina Saiten’s wrist loosening.
He closed his eyes, long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, not daring to look at his girlfriend’s reaction, leaving only the frantic beating of his heart echoing in the quiet room.
Aina Saiten, having heard this shocking reproduction declaration loud and clear, felt her mind explode with a deafening bang, as if lightning had struck her head, ringing in her ears and blanking out her thoughts.
The blush on her face was instantly replaced by utter shock. Her beautiful eyes went round, filled with disbelief, as though she’d just heard the most incredible oracle in the world.
She almost immediately leaned in, hands trembling with excitement as if cradling a rare treasure, cupping Kaoru Hoshitani’s burning, pure, and heartbreakingly exquisite face.
Her fingertips felt the violent pulse beneath his skin.
Her voice, changed with intense excitement, was wild with joy and disbelief as she hurriedly asked,
“Kaoru! What did you just say?! Say it again! Please, say it again!”
She shook his shoulders anxiously, desperate to confirm that longed-for promise once more.
But how could Kaoru Hoshitani possibly find the courage to repeat a vow that carried the weight of his whole existence?
For a man as sensitive and proud as he was, to voluntarily tell a woman “I want to give you a child” was like stripping away all his defenses and offering his everything—from body to soul, even his core, primal genetic code—devoutly and unreservedly to her, placing his future in her hands.
What trust and love this required!
It was precisely the extraordinary, almost sacrificial meaning behind this statement that surged through Aina Saiten like a tidal wave, sending her strong sense of conquest and happiness soaring to the peak!
After all, the beautiful man before her, whom she treasured like delicate artwork, was willingly and actively handing over even his exceptional genes!
How could she not feel a bone-deep excitement, thrill, and immense satisfaction?
“I love you, Kaoru!!!”
She could no longer hold back her surging emotions, declaring in a nearly choked, joy-filled cry before kissing him deeply.
For the next hour and a half, driven by overwhelming happiness and the thrill of conquest, Aina Saiten seemed to recover the endless energy and passion of her eighteen-year-old self, as if injected with the world’s strongest stimulant.
Yet, despite her unprecedented mental high, her “battle results” were still not all she hoped for.
In the record of their intimate interaction, the final score settled at two to five.
However, compared to the past year—when even her utmost effort could barely bring them both to balance, and sometimes she only managed to satisfy her boyfriend once—tonight’s result was already quite remarkable, even extraordinary.
Although Kaoru Hoshitani still felt a lingering emptiness deep in his body, as if there was room for more, overall, he was satisfied with tonight’s particularly energetic and fruitful performance.
As the passion faded, he lazily turned on his side, curling up in his girlfriend’s sweat-damp arms like a little animal seeking warmth, and hugged her slender waist in return.
In their earlier entwining, he’d keenly felt his body temperature soaring, as if every cell were burning, calling out.
Vaguely, he wondered, in this heated, uninhibited union, perhaps…
Their luck might be good?
Maybe, that one-in-a-billion chance would really hit the mark in a single try, quietly nurturing the fruit of their love?
Kaoru Hoshitani dreamed hopefully, his pale, slender, jointed hand caressing Aina Saiten’s smooth, warm abdomen with almost sacred gentleness.
His fingertips lingered on the soft skin where a miracle might be unfolding, his lips unconsciously curving into a serene, longing, blissful smile, as if glimpsing a bright future ahead.
Yet, he did not know—and never would—a cruel physiological fact:
By normal standards, with a healthy woman at the right time, after such complete intimacy and with his undeniably excellent, lively genetic factor, the chance of conception would be nearly one hundred percent.
At this moment, though, deep in Aina Saiten’s gently caressed, seemingly tranquil abdomen—the warm soil where a new life might take root—there was not even the smallest bud of life quietly sprouting, despite Kaoru Hoshitani’s earnest hopes…
Still, at least for now, after this total union of body and soul with his beloved, Kaoru Hoshitani’s heart, battered by fright and humiliation, was smoothed and soothed.
Those bitter memory fragments were temporarily banished to the corners of his mind by overwhelming love and belonging.
He was again filled with almost devout hope and expectation for the shared blueprint of their future, like gentle morning light breaking through the clouds after a storm.
He curled up like a small beast seeking shelter and warmth, nestling deeply in his girlfriend’s soft, warm embrace, her familiar, reassuring scent lingering at his nose.
He turned his head slightly, gaze drifting past his girlfriend’s hair scattered on the pillow, landing on the nightstand.
The bouquet of sunflowers, still faintly outlined in the misty night, bloomed quietly in the glass vase, like a silent guardian.
In this peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, his consciousness gradually blurred, as if sinking into warm seawater, slowly drifting into the depths of sleep…
———
Eighty-three days left until your boyfriend Kaoru Hoshitani is taken.
———
“Hello, Mr. Kawasaki, good morning. Yes, this is Kaoru Hoshitani.”
The next morning, the crisp song of birds slipped through the window into the cozy little apartment.
Kaoru Hoshitani stood by the kitchen window awash in morning light, wearing a cute apron decorated with teddy bears.
He took a deep breath, as if the gloom and vulnerability of last night had been evaporated by the sunshine, his pure, delicate face once again glowing with the warmth and vitality of a sunflower.
Clutching his phone between his shoulder and cheek, he skillfully slid a perfectly cooked tamago-yaki onto a plate, his tone steady and calm,
“I wanted to let you know, I… won’t be helping out at the store anymore.”
On the other end, Mr. Kawasaki’s gentle yet surprised voice came through, expressing concern about whether Kaoru had encountered any difficulties or was dissatisfied with the store.
Hearing the old man’s concern, images instantly flashed through Kaoru Hoshitani’s mind: the gray-eyed, sneering blonde woman, and the cold, humiliating memory fragments from the storeroom.
His fingers unconsciously tightened, clutching the apron hem until his knuckles turned white.
But he quickly forced these dark memories away, putting on a gentle, slightly bashful smile, though its curve was almost imperceptibly stiff.
Speaking into the receiver, his tone was both explanatory and declarative, softly saying:
“Why… because, lately… I’m trying to conceive…”
As he spoke, a blush crept over his ears, as if he could feel the startled gaze from the other end of the line.
Hearing this unexpected reason, Mr. Kawasaki was clearly stunned into a brief silence.
Then, the old man recovered, laughing heartily and approvingly, saying, “That’s wonderful,” and promising Kaoru his wages would be settled on time, and that he was always welcome at the shop.
Hanging up the call that marked a complete break with the unpleasant past, Kaoru Hoshitani felt as if he’d set down a heavy burden, letting out a long sigh.
He turned and walked to the bathroom door, knocking gently on the frosted glass, his voice light and cheerful:
“Aina, breakfast is ready. You can eat now.”
Because Aina Saiten hadn’t officially handed in her resignation at her current company, she still had to go to work today.
After freshening up, she came out wreathed in a refreshing, dewy scent, sat on the little sofa in the living room with its checkered tablecloth, and enjoyed the loving breakfast her boyfriend had prepared.
Bathed in the morning light, they exchanged a few sweet kisses, whispered softly, and snuggled together for a while before Aina Saiten, under Kaoru Hoshitani’s reluctant gaze, picked up her briefcase and left for work, turning back with every few steps.
In the packed early rush hour train, Aina Saiten’s body swayed gently with the carriage.
Her gaze swept carelessly over an engagement ring advertisement hanging in the car—
In the ad, the diamond’s dazzling brilliance under the spotlight symbolized eternity and commitment.
Her heart skipped a beat, a warm surge filling her chest as she couldn’t help but ponder seriously:
[Children… Kaoru even wants children now… Should I officially propose to Kaoru? After all, we’re already planning to go this far…]
This thought made her both excited and deeply aware of the responsibility.
But reality, like a splash of cold water, reminded her that her new job was still uncertain and her future financial foundation was not yet stable.
She sighed lightly, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes,
[Looks like such a big event as proposing will have to wait… at least until the new job is stable.]
———
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, inside a slightly run-down villa with a messy, rebellious interior.
This was the usual hangout of the delinquent girl gang.
A faint mixture of smoke and cheap perfume lingered in the air, as several girls—clad in ripped jeans and sporting brightly dyed hair—lounged lazily on a peeling leather sofa.
“Hey, look over there… Am I seeing things? Is the boss… actually smiling like an idiot?”
A girl with twin ponytails and a lip ring nudged her companion, whispering in disbelief, her gaze directed at the figure slouched on the single sofa.
The other short-haired girl squinted to look, then wore a ghost-struck expression, whispering,
“Oh my god… it’s true! Her grin’s about to reach her ears! What’s up with the boss today? We’re doomed, did she get possessed or something…”
Her words set off a wave of whispers and glances among the others, who exchanged confused and slightly worried looks.
Hearing the murmuring, a tall girl with heavy eyeliner sidled over mysteriously, squeezing her head between them and sharing in a nervous whisper, as if revealing some earth-shattering secret:
“I think… the boss probably has a man! You wouldn’t believe it, but just now she called me over and, roundabout as she was, asked me several… um… questions that only come up after you’ve been with a guy!”
“No way?! The boss…?!”
The other delinquent girls erupted, faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Once more, all eyes turned to the sofa, where Rika Kawasaki, lost in her own world and wearing a strange, satisfied grin, seemed utterly content…