"What's the matter?"
Facing Mai's steady gaze, Haruto instinctively reached up and lightly touched his neck. He didn't know why he did it. Mai remained silent for a moment, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and then stepped inside.
After closing the door, she pulled out her phone and aimed the screen at Haruto.
On the camera screen, Haruto's current appearance was reflected. His face looked normal enough, but there was a deep red mark on his neck, and his shoulders and chest were dotted with several other reddish marks—evidence of recent intimacy.
It was… somewhat unseemly.
Looking at himself on the screen, Haruto's expression reflected mild surprise. He reached up to touch the mark on his neck, recalling the events of the afternoon, and his face showed a hint of confusion. He then glanced back toward the room and pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
"Setsuna… she's still resting," he said softly.
"From last night until now… it's been a full day. You two…"
Mai pinched the bridge of her nose, walked into the room, and immediately caught the strong metallic scent in the air. Her eyes fell on Setsuna, lying in bed, and then swept over the somewhat messy and untidy apartment, finally resting on Haruto sitting nearby.
Haruto, feeling her gaze, remained unfazed. He gave a slight wave of his hand and walked to the window, cracking it open just a bit to let the slightly damp evening breeze drift in.
Fresh air filled the room, easing the sharpness of the lingering scent. Mai looked down at her still-sleeping daughter, then at Haruto by the window, clearly exhausted. With a sigh, she began picking up clothes from the floor and tidying the room.
Dinner was left to Mai to handle. Haruto, meanwhile, remained in the living room, holding a cup of tea in both hands, sitting quietly as if lost in thought.
"Is it okay if the flavor is a little light?"
"Yeah… tonight I just want something simple. If it's too strong, Iprobaly won't feel anything."
"Then I'll make it a little lighter."
Haruto's response prompted Mai to use slightly less seasoning than usual. Meanwhile, lying in bed, Setsuna slowly opened her tired eyes, stirred by the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen and the quiet presence of Haruto and her mother.
She saw Haruto sitting at the table and glanced toward the kitchen, catching sight of her mother as well.
The two in the living room didn't seem to notice that Setsuna was awake. Haruto took a sip of tea, closed his eyes, and started thinking about what lay ahead.
Whether things would go smoothly or not hadn't been decided yet. But if they did, it meant that Setsuna would have to take a leave of absence from school.
While most people assumed pregnancy lasted ten months, the effects were usually felt within the first one or two months. Around the ninth month, the due date approached, making the last three months the most appropriate time to take leave.
'It's September now. If the pregnancy is noticeable by November, that's about two months. The due date would then fall around July next year, just during summer break. But Setsuna's health isn't perfect—so she'd need to start her leave three to four months in advance. That means around April, right at the beginning of her second year, she'd take a two-month break and then resume in September. Academically, that's manageable.'
Life, however, brought considerable complications. As previously discussed with Setsuna, someone would need to care for her during the pregnancy. Mai would have to stay by her side for the following three months. Hiring a caretaker was an option, but even at a minimum, it would cost over 200,000 yen a month. Add in medical check-ups and expenses for both mother and child…
The total would easily reach two to three million yen. Academically, Haruto could help her with tutoring after school, but as a pregnant student, she couldn't attend any outside classes.
"Medical costs… I'll need insurance for pregnancy, plus a caretaker, and other…"
Haruto muttered aloud as he calculated the expenses in his head. Setsuna, lying in bed, couldn't help but overhear his quiet mumbling. She looked toward him, sitting at the table with his laptop open, calculating each cost.
Hearing the numbers, her expression grew conflicted. She stayed silent, watching his back.
After dinner, Setsuna followed her mother out of Haruto's apartment. She remained quiet the entire walk home. Only after entering the house and stepping into the living room did she finally look back at her mother.
"Mom…"
"What is it? If you're thinking about Haruto, you could go over now. But judging by his state, he probably needs a little rest. Young people need to understand moderation too."
"No, it's not that. I wanted to ask… how much savings we have at home?"
At the mention of money, Mai's expression subtly shifted. She looked at her daughter.
"Why are you asking all of a sudden?"
"I… I have something I want to do, but it might…"
Setsuna fell silent. The thing she wanted to do would cost at least a million yen. Even knowing Haruto had a substantial income, she didn't feel right asking him to bear the burden alone.
From start to finish, she had always been the stubborn one. There was no reason to let him take this responsibility alone.
Seeing her serious expression, Mai sensed her daughter had made an important decision. After a brief silence, she replied uncertainly, "Well… probably over ten million. I haven't counted exactly. Why do you ask?"
"Ten million…"
Setsuna hesitated, looking at her mother and biting her lip.
"What's wrong, Setsuna?"
"No.. Nothing."
She smiled faintly at her mother's concern and slowly returned to her room.
Did her decision really have to be borne by her mother and Haruto?
Back in her room, Setsuna quietly approached her desk, pulled open a drawer, and retrieved a small bank passbook. She flipped it open to see a balance of roughly 130,000 yen.
Staring at it, she fell into a long silence…
_ _ _ _
Meanwhile, Haruto sat in class, still thinking about the financial costs of Setsuna's pregnancy. Bringing a child into the world was never simple.
He casually flipped open his notebook and jotted down notes and numbers that would be difficult for anyone else to understand. He planned to determine the approximate costs and then work toward that goal.
'From last night's calculations, the total is around three million yen. That's manageable. The bigger issue is Setsuna's studies—she'll need to rest at home for about half a year.'
During that time, Haruto could act as her tutor. Setsuna had always excelled academically, so she wouldn't be lost in her lessons.
'But the real problem is… after the child is born, who will take care of the child? Me and…'
Haruto murmured to himself and froze. He realized he was still in class. Looking around, he saw no one was paying attention and let out a small sigh. He lowered his head back to his notebook, lost in thought.
Mai was the pillar of the family and had to work every day. Setsuna needed to attend school. They didn't have time to hire a caretaker—and even if they did, he didn't entirely trust one.
'Send the child back to Itomori?'
Having his mother, take care of the child could be a viable option. With experience raising three children, she would handle it skillfully.
His sisters, Mitsuha and Yotsuha, were grown. Yotsuha didn't need much care, leaving only Mitsuha. She was lively but wouldn't cause trouble in serious matters, so it wasn't an issue. Sending the child back to Itomori seemed reasonable.
'At this rate, the child will be born during the second year of high school, roughly. By the third year, they'll be two. After high school graduation and entering university, I'll have more time to care for the child—around ages five or six.'
Growing up in a rural place like Itomori should be fine… though the accent might be an issue. Upon arriving in Tokyo, the child might struggle to adjust, and other kids could discriminate because of the accent.
Children in big cities mature quickly. Even at five or six, they're influenced by what adults say. A careless remark about being from "rural Gifu" could plant seeds of bias in others.
A child's upbringing is deeply influenced by the adults around them.
'Headache… This isn't something I can solve in a day. I'll stop here for now and deal with the rest later.'
After class, Haruto sat at his desk, expression blank. Itsuki couldn't help but tap on his desk.
Looking up at her, Haruto let out a sigh.
"What's with that reaction? Sighing just because you saw someone?"
"No, I'm just a little tired. You're asking about the cram school, right? You can manage going on your own, can't you?"
"I already went. Tsubota—that's the name, right?"
"Yeah, I already went."
Haruto, who hadn't attended for two days, looked at Itsuki sitting beside him. She had a great figure—if she were to have a child, it would surely be healthy…
He pressed his right hand to his forehead and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong now?!"
Hearing Haruto sigh after saying he had gone to the cram school, Itsuki couldn't help but feel a little irritated. It was as if her going to the cram school had caused him trouble!
"No, nothing. I'm just a little tired. Um… congratulations, by the way. Anything else?"
"Just wondering… you haven't been to the cram school in a while, right?"
"A while… it's only been two days. I had some things to take care of, so I didn't go."
"Girlfriend?"
"Something like that."
Itsuki looked at Haruto, and hearing his confirmation, she already knew he had a girlfriend. Her expression didn't change, but a subtle sting lingered in her chest.
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Tsubota-sensei directly. He's as good-natured as he seems—a decent person."
"…"
Hearing Haruto's words, she recalled Tsubota's perfect scholar-like demeanor and fell into silence.
Her gaze inadvertently landed on Haruto's desk, where she noticed his notebook filled with strange abbreviations and numbers. Curiosity got the better of her.
"What's all that?"
Haruto glanced down at his notebook but showed no sign of unease. He lightly tapped on it twice.
"Nothing, just some plans for the future."
"Plans?"
"Things like university and stuff."
"University?"
Looking at the abbreviations—'EDD' and 'G/P'—she couldn't connect them to university at all…
'EDD…? That kind of sounds like… pregnancy?'
— — — —
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