Time passed, and passed again, until early March. By the time Ai had entered the middle stage of her pregnancy, around the fourteenth to fifteenth week, Kaoru had safely completed his middle school graduation.
The graduation ceremony was attended by parents, 290 graduates, and all the teachers present.
Even if he had retired from the entertainment industry and acting, there was no way he could escape the attention of the hundreds of people gathered in the auditorium—not with that handsome face defined by elegant lines, and not with the title of being the third graduate in history to gain admission to Kaisei High School.
When Kaoru was the first to go up onto the stage to receive his diploma, the principal, who was the one handing it over, seemed more nervous than he was. And when the student council representatives came forward to give their farewell speech, some parents even tilted their heads in confusion, having apparently believed all this time that the student council president was Kamiki Kaoru. It was a ridiculous little farce.
But Kaoru, from start to finish, simply sat there with his usual indifferent expression and remained calm until the ceremony ended, showing no particular reaction.
After the ceremony, their homeroom teacher, who had been taking class photos of the students in pairs, came up to Kaoru and suggested that he take a picture with Hikaru, who was in another class. Kaoru gave a quiet nod as he looked at Hikaru, who had already put on the smile of a friendly younger brother and was acting the part.
Hikaru had also gone on to enter a nearby top-ranked general academic high school, and since they were living separately, it had been a very long time since Kaoru had seen his face.
Kaoru had thought Hikaru would continue with Rararai Theater Troupe and end up attending a different high school, but he didn’t really care.
Just as they finished taking the photo and some of Hikaru’s friends came over, Hikaru lifted his head and looked up at his older brother, who was taller than him, and asked, "How have you been lately?"
"About what?"
"You retired from the entertainment industry and then hid away like a ghost, so I was wondering what you’d been doing. You didn’t even tell your own younger brother what kind of work you were doing—so I was curious what you were working so hard on."
For an instant, a black glimmer flickered in Hikaru’s eyes. Had he stopped bothering to hide it altogether now? Kaoru let out a faint snort and, still wearing that indifferent look, glanced around before answering, "I was practicing scriptwriting."
"Haha. So you still haven’t given up on becoming an actor?"
"I never gave it up in the first place."
"I see. That does sound like you, I suppose."
"I thought you’d go on to Youtou High School, though. That’s a surprise. I heard you even got scouting offers."
"Well. I wanted to try doing something more interesting than acting."
"Interesting, huh. That’s exactly like you."
"Right. You know as well as I do—"
Hikaru and Kaoru turned their heads at the same time and met each other’s eyes.
Cold, bleak gazes collided in the air.
Hikaru let a familiar smile cross his lips and said, "We’re twins who share the same blood, after all."
Then he walked over to his friends.
Kaoru watched Hikaru’s back with an indifferent face, then turned away and headed toward the two-room apartment where Ai was waiting.
"Kaoruuu! Congratulations on graduating!"
Of course, the moment he opened the front door, he couldn’t stop Ai’s full-body attack as she threw herself at him to congratulate him—but that was a trivial matter.
As the morning sickness gradually subsided and she entered the middle stage of pregnancy, approaching the stable period, the way Ai looked at Kaoru grew even stickier.
After hearing a great deal from the doctor in Chiba Prefecture, consulting with him, and studying separately through the internet and books, Kaoru didn’t find Ai’s gaze frightening or awkward in the slightest.
He already knew that with the rise in hormones and the onset of the stable period, a pregnant woman’s desires and affection for her husband would increase dramatically.
In any case, there was plenty of time left until the April entrance ceremony.
And thanks to the morning sickness and the twins in her belly, even sharing affection had been heavily restricted, so Ai’s desire-filled starry eyes were always welcome.
Kaoru would simply take a box of condoms from the shelf and spend happy, enjoyable time with Ai on the bed in the master bedroom.
Of course, since she was still pregnant, he had to pay very careful attention to posture, speed, and force so that he could match Ai’s pace.
And after those happy moments, it was also Kaoru’s job to help her, exhausted, into the bathroom and wash with her, taking care of her there as well.
But the two of them were happy.
Then April arrived, and Kaoru entered Kaisei High School.
News of Kaoru, a former entertainer and actor, enrolling there sent reporters from newspapers and magazines rushing to the school in a frenzy, but true to the prestige of the top high school in the Kanto region—
[No entry for anyone other than staff and students]
[Legal action will be taken for violations]
Under the stern warning of the alumni association known as Kaiseikai, which held a firm grip on Japanese bureaucracy, politics, business, law, and medicine, and under the pressure of the faculty, the reporters who had not even been allowed to drive into the parking lot had no choice but to leave in tears.
It was only natural that Kaoru’s enrollment drew the attention of the classmates entering with him and the faculty.
Even on the morning of the entrance ceremony, the news was still being reported, but Kaoru figured that since his enrollment was nothing more than another passing day’s weather forecast, it would die down within a week if he didn’t react to it much.
Just as Kaoru had predicted, only three days later—not even a full week—a scandal involving an affair between another famous actor and model was reported, and Kaoru’s enrollment was forgotten by the public in an instant, like yesterday’s weather forecast.
After entering school, he handled the curious looks from his classmates with cool indifference, attended class, and when speaking with his homeroom teacher, never once mentioned anything related to the entertainment industry. By paying careful attention to his conduct, he managed to blend into school life without issue.
Of course—
"Why don’t you join the go club?"
"I heard you used to act. How about the drama club?"
"Hey, Kaoru. As your senior, I’ll pull you in. Come to the rowing club, full of friendship and passion. It’s the strongest club at Kaisei High!"
"Ignore that gorilla. How about the debate club, where we compete with logic and voices sharper than guns and swords?"
"I’m sorry. I already joined the library club."
"""You joined some boring, stuffy club like that?!"""
Despite the many recruitment offers from clubs, Kaoru had no choice but to sweat as he turned them all down. Even at Kaisei High, club activity was practically mandatory, and since Kaoru had to go to Ai’s place to take care of her, he absolutely couldn’t stay at school late.
Only after bribing the library club president, a second-year senior whose sisters and mother were all apparently Kaoru’s fans, with a personal autograph and a few photos, did he manage to strike a deal: he would only put his name on the roster and leave exactly on time.
Everyone wondered why Kaoru was so determined to leave school on the dot, but he kept his reasons tightly to himself, saying only that it was a private matter, and continued his routine of changing clothes at home after school before heading to Ai’s place.
"Kaoru!"
"Ai!"
"I missed you. I was worried because you were a little late today."
"Ah, sorry. The train was delayed a little. But I ran as fast as I could."
Ai, her long hair tied back in a ponytail, threw herself into Kaoru’s arms and rubbed her face against him over and over.
By around the twenty-week mark, Ai’s belly had become quite round.
Because she was carrying twins, her stomach was much larger than that of a mother carrying a single baby at the same stage.
Perhaps because she had been born with the ultimate physique worthy of the nickname "the ultimate idol," she was fortunately not suffering much from swollen hands and feet, breathing difficulty, or aches all over her body—but—
"B-but! I’m worried! If you’re even a few minutes late, call me and tell me! I’m scared and terrified that something might have happened to you, Kaoru!"
"Ai."
Because of her hormones, Ai’s emotions were changing very rapidly, and she had become much more fragile psychologically, feeling depressed over small things and voicing anxiety easily.
Perhaps because of the unstable emotions she had carried from her unhappy childhood, and the self-destructive tendencies that had led her to hide herself behind lies and performance until just before meeting her husband, Ai in the middle stage of pregnancy seemed to have regressed to the state she had been in before meeting Kaoru, clinging to him like a little child whenever she felt the slightest unease.
"If something happens to Kaoru—how am I supposed to live? If the babies get sick, who am I supposed to ask for help besides Kaoru? Huh?"
"Ai. Ai. Look at me. Okay?"
"I know. I know I’m weird. But I can’t stop thinking like this. I only have Kaoru—if I don’t have Kaoru, I’m afraid I won’t really be able to become a good mother to the babies—"
Kaoru pulled Ai tightly into his arms and kissed her, trying to calm her anxiety with all his heart, with the single-minded determination to live in this world looking only at Ai.
Ai, who had been at a loss because of her anxiety, soon wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and felt Kaoru’s warm body heat and scent all over her body.
"Mm—♥ Haa—"
"Don’t weaken. You’re a mother."
"...Kaoru."
"I’ll always be by your side. I promise. None of the things you’re afraid of will ever happen. That kind of future will never come. If you’re scared out of your mind, tell me. I’ll hold you anytime. I’ll kiss you. I’ll do anything for you."
"......"
"I love you, Ai. For the twins, let’s get through this together, even if it’s hard. Okay?"
"Mm.... I’ll be brave. I love you too, Kaoru."
Kaoru held Ai close and kept kissing her again and again, doing everything he could to soothe her and help her calm down.
Fortunately, she seemed to be much more emotionally stable from his touch. Soon, Ai was smiling brightly and asking from his arms how school had been today.
As they chatted softly about everything Ai wanted to know, Kaoru sometimes added silly exaggerations to make the stories more entertaining, and Ai laughed gleefully, looking utterly happy at the joy of sharing his memories with him.
Rustle—
"Ah!?"
"!"
The twins in Ai’s belly moved around again and again, as if copying their mother’s emotions.
It was the first time she had felt them move. With that mysterious, delicate sensation, like bubbles rising from inside her stomach and the twins’ hands and feet bumping against the wall of her womb—Ai’s starry eyes sparkled as she stroked her belly and cried out, "I-it’s the baby moving! Eek—this is amazing! What is this? It feels so weird. Weird~"
"Are you okay? Ai? Does it hurt?"
"Mm! I’m fine! The babies must be having fun listening to Kaoru talk! Mm—are they really having that much fun? Haa! It moved again! Kaoru, you should touch it too!"
"Y-yeah."
Still not fully understanding what was happening, Kaoru looked dazedly at Ai and placed his hand on her belly, following her hand to feel the movement.
Tap tap—
The inside of Ai’s stomach shifted, and the twins’ movements came through vividly. He could feel that the twins were growing day by day in that warm womb.
His heart pounded. A joy and excitement he couldn’t put into words rushed over him, making his hair stand on end. Kaoru smiled with wonder and happiness mixed together, and said to Ai, who was looking up at him with tear-filled eyes and smiling, "...I don’t even know what to say. It doesn’t feel real."
Moved by Kaoru’s words, Ai covered his hand with hers where it rested on her belly and whispered, "Me too.... So... I want to meet them as soon as possible."
After that, every time Kaoru came to Ai’s place after school, he would tell her about his day while holding her in his arms, and Ai would listen, laugh, and talk with him. Then, when she fell asleep, he would gently lay her down and cover her with a blanket, and that would be the end of Kaoru’s afternoon routine.
While Ai slept, Kaoru took care of the housework, cleaning the apartment and restocking the groceries in place of the now-heavier Ai.
He had so many things to do—school life, academics, managing his investments—but Kaoru still felt that these moments with Ai were the happiest and most precious part of his day.
In his past life, he had lost the person he loved and spent his entire existence floundering in trauma, regret, and sorrow.
He had run away for a lifetime without even being able to grieve properly, only to die in vain.
And at last, he had obtained this happiness.
Kaoru always kept in a corner of his heart the resolve that if it was to protect this happiness, he would do anything—he would even turn the whole world into his enemy without hesitation.
After finishing the cleaning, Kaoru gently stroked Ai’s sleeping face in this luxurious, irreplaceable moment, careful not to wake her, and kissed her forehead.
Then, in May, just as the weather was beginning to grow hot, something happened.
He was pressed for time because he had to prepare for Kaisei High School’s biggest festival, the sports day, but he still made every effort to go to Ai’s place for dinner, stay by her side until late at night, and even go out for walks with her in the deep hours when hardly anyone was around, turning their dates from daytime to nighttime. He adjusted his routine so that he slept at home.
Ai understood that Kaoru had no choice but to spend time preparing for the sports day, and she smiled brightly, telling him not to worry about her and encouraging him to focus on the preparations since he was doing so much for her.
And so the day of the sports day arrived, and from the morning Kaoru called Ai with a worried voice, saying that he might have to have an after-party with his classmates.
Ai reassured him not to worry, and Kaoru said he would call again later before hanging up.
"...?"
Then, at 7 p.m.
He had called around 5, thinking the sports day would be over by then, but her phone was off.
Then after dinner, at 7, he called again, and her phone was still off.
Never once before.
Not once had this ever happened.
There had been times when she couldn’t answer Kaoru’s calls, but since the day they met, there had never been a single time when Kaoru couldn’t answer hers.
Ai stared at her phone for a moment, then swallowed a dry breath as a terrible thought flashed through her mind—one she couldn’t even bring herself to say out loud.
Her hands trembled violently, and an unbearable, suffocating anxiety washed over her, making it hard even to stand properly.
No. No, no.
It wasn’t that. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be.
It must be because of the sports day.
He said he was having an after-party with his friends. Maybe the battery had died?
Kaoru doesn’t lie to me. There must be a reason. There has to be.
After barely calming her shaking breath, Ai called again thirty minutes later.
She forced herself to steady her heart, but with her reason nearly blown away by impatience and anxiety, even calling Kaoru again was difficult because her hands were shaking.
She pressed the call button, brought the phone to her ear, and fidgeted with her fingers, not even realizing that tears were gathering in her starry eyes as she prayed that Kaoru would answer.
And then—
- Ai!
Like a miracle, the instant the call connected, Kaoru’s frantic voice reached her ears.
The moment she heard his voice, Ai, who had been wracked with dread, collapsed onto the spot and called out to him through tears.
"Haa! Kaoru! Why was your phone—! Why—sob—sniff—Kaoru—Kaoru—"
She had been so terrified that the future she feared most would become reality.
But the relief that it had ended only in her own anxiety, along with her worry and hurt over Kaoru not answering until now, had struck at the fragile emotions of her middle stage of pregnancy.
When Kaoru heard her suddenly sobbing, he was shocked and shouted at her.
- Ai! Wait, I’m coming right now! The battery died. I’m on my way. Wait for me!
Kaoru hung up immediately. Ai, unable to get back on her feet for a while, clutched her phone and cried bitterly where she stood.
Even the twins in her belly seemed to pick up on her emotions, and she could feel them moving.
Ai wanted to be in Kaoru’s arms as soon as possible. She missed his warmth so badly.
She wanted him to hold her as she cried like this, to wrap her up tight and tell her everything would be okay, to give her kisses and words full of love.
She wanted him to smile brilliantly at her, just as he always did, as she floundered in her anxiety—
Dong-ding—!
"!"
How much time had passed? Ai barely managed to lift her heavy body at the sound of the intercom and rushed toward it.
"Hello!? Kaoru!?"
- Ai!
"Kaoru! Kaoru! Sob—!"
Forgetting even to say the password, Ai burst into tears the moment she saw Kaoru on the screen and hurriedly pressed the button to let him in.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. She couldn’t control it at all. With no room left for any other thought, she could only wait for Kaoru to hurry and knock on the front door.
At last, when the front door was knocked on, Ai, who had been waiting right there, opened it immediately, saw the face of the husband she had been waiting and waiting for, and—
"Sob—hwaaahhh—!!!"
"Ai! Are you okay?!"
She burst into tears and threw herself into Kaoru’s arms. Kaoru closed the front door at once and held her tightly. Her eyes were so swollen from crying that it was obvious how much she had wept.
Sensing how badly shaken she was, Kaoru desperately calmed his breath, which had grown rough from running, and whispered into her ear, "I’m sorry. Haa. Haa. I think my phone battery was old. It definitely had more than three bars. It must have died. I should have checked it more carefully!"
"Sob—! Sniff— I, I thought, Kaoru, something had happened to you—so—sob—sniff—"
"I’m sorry. Really. I’m sorry for making you worry. It was my fault. I’m sorry, Ai."
"Sniff sniff—"
Ai kept crying until Kaoru’s shirt was soaked through with tears. Kaoru could only bite his lip and comfort her over the accident caused by his own carelessness.
After crying for a long time, Ai continued to sniffle and cling tightly to her husband even after the tears stopped, as if afraid he might run away somewhere. Kaoru stroked her hair, kept whispering in her ear, and used every possible means of physical affection to soothe her.
At last, Ai calmed down a little, wiped her tears, and continued speaking in a subdued voice.
"......Sorry. I think I—just for a moment, I wasn’t... in my right mind. There’s no way that could happen... It was the first time Kaoru didn’t answer my call—and then the phone was off too—so I got too worried that something had gone wrong."
"Ai."
"I can’t do anything—there’s nothing I can do.... Even if I worry that something might have happened to Kaoru, I can’t just leave this house whenever I want.... I can only keep waiting for Kaoru’s calls and cry like this...."
"Ai!"
"...I’m sorry, Kaoru."
"Don’t say that. There may be many harder things ahead of us. But we promised. No matter what happens, we’ll get through it together."
Kaoru swallowed for a moment and continued in a voice thick with sorrow.
"In my past life, it was always like that. Guns. Blood. Murder. And in the end, I lost the person I loved and spent my whole life running. Whenever I woke from those dreams, I’d always regret that moment even while groaning from the headache. But... meeting you and living again like this—my life is so joyful, and I’m so grateful. I realized how blessed and happy it is to live each day for the person you love. And that’s because I met you, Hoshino Ai, not anyone else."
"......"
Tears shimmered in those blue eyes filled with sorrow and regret.
About six months ago, when Kaoru had confessed with a pained look that he still carried the memories of his past life, Ai had listened to that story.
Looking into those eyes now, she could only let out a tiny sigh as she suddenly realized something she had never truly understood before.
He must have spent his life longing so desperately for a human life. It must have been the life he had admired all his days while running endlessly, after losing his humanity through brainwashing and becoming an assassin who killed targets like a machine.
Kaoru, perhaps just as much as she did—
No, perhaps even more than she did... had been spending each day burning with worry, holding his heart in suspense, and praying with all his might that nothing would go wrong and that everything would pass safely.
Only after seeing Kaoru’s tears did Ai finally understand that.
"Ai... you’re more precious to me than anything else in this world. I’m so sorry I made you cry like this. I’m sorry that I made you think such things because of me."
Ai wiped the tears from his cheeks with her hand. Why hadn’t she understood Kaoru’s heart? Why had she been so unable to understand the heart of the person she loved?
How painful must it have been for Kaoru, who had devoted himself to her so completely, sacrificing sleep and rushing back and forth between school and home without ever getting a proper rest?
Her chest ached so badly from her own selfish, thoughtless behavior that it hurt to breathe.
Shaking her head hard, she spoke again in a trembling voice, overwhelmed by emotion once more.
"No. Kaoru. Don’t be sorry... I was the one who misunderstood—why are you crying, Kaoru...?"
"......"
"Sob—hwaaahh! Kaoru—!"
"Ai...."
The assumption that, because they were always together, they would naturally understand each other’s true feelings was nothing more than a selfish delusion.
Kaoru, who always told Ai that everything would be okay while hiding his own heart, and Ai, who had failed to notice the anxious heart of the precious person who had always stayed by her side.
Only after the two of them cried, clung to each other tightly, and poured out, shared, and confessed their feelings did they finally come to understand each other’s hearts once more in earnest.
And after making that unforgettable incident—or rather, memory—time passed again, and June arrived.
At a hospital in Chiba Prefecture, the brave mother underwent a series of tests for gestational diabetes, blood pressure, and more, and after being told everything was normal, she asked the doctor with sparkling eyes, "How much longer until they come out?"
"Hmm... you’re eager to see them, aren’t you?"
"Yes★ I want to see them as soon as possible, but time is going by so slowly. It’s summer now, so it’s hot—and my belly is huge—"
"Heh heh."
The seasoned doctor looked at Ai, who was puffing out her lips and stroking her belly, and smiled kindly as he glanced at the monitor.
"You’re about 28 weeks along now... so let’s endure for about three more months. But as I said before, twins rarely go all the way to full term. If it were a single baby, we’d have to wait until October, but I think we’ll probably hear something in mid- to late September."
"You’ll keep working at the hospital until July, right?"
At Kaoru’s question, the seasoned doctor nodded and said, "Yes. They said they’d tear down the building if I left, so I’ll stay until then."
"I see. Then I’d like to thank you in advance. We’ve truly been grateful to you."
"Thank you★"
As the young couple bowed, the seasoned doctor chuckled and waved a hand.
"No, no. I’m just very happy that I get to examine such a bright and beautiful mother at the end of my career. Hmm. As I’ve been saying, this is the time when your body will start changing quite a lot. Please keep checking carefully whether you’re in pain or not. Since it’s twins, you always need to keep in mind that there’s a risk of premature labor."
"Yes!"
"And husband, please keep making sure the mother doesn’t get stretch marks. Also, you need to keep checking regularly for any discomfort in her body or conditions like hemorrhoids or varicose veins."
"Yes. Understood."
"The mother is so healthy that none of the other tests have shown any concerns so far. A mother like this is... almost truly a first for me, so I’m relieved, but still, you must always keep a close eye on her."
"Yes!"
As Ai’s cheerful replies continued, the seasoned doctor nodded and smiled. Her belly had grown to the point where moving was a little difficult, but every moment was a fresh and happy experience for Ai.
That day, after returning from Chiba Prefecture, Kaoru and Ichigo talked about the hospital in Miyazaki Prefecture that the doctor had introduced to them before, and after Ai’s final checkup in Chiba after July, they decided to move her to a place near there first.
When it came time for her first visit to the hospital, Ichigo, as her legal guardian, would accompany her first, and then Miyako would follow and take over care in a relay.
Because she was carrying twins and there was a risk of premature labor, and because regular checkups for both mother and fetus were so important, the expressions on the two men’s faces were as serious as could be.
Kaoru also decided that once his summer vacation began around late July, he would move to Miyazaki Prefecture, hand off care to Miyako together with Ichigo, and look after Ai there. Then, when Kaoru’s vacation ended and he returned to Tokyo in September, Ichigo would leave the company in Miyako’s care and find a house nearby to take care of Ai.
"What are you going to do about school once Ai gives birth?"
"I’ll probably have to skip classes and come down. Or maybe I’m thinking of just pretending to be sick."
"?? You’re really a student? That’s pretty reckless."
Ichigo’s tone wasn’t that of an adult scolding or lecturing him, but more like, "Oh, this kid’s kind of impressive." Kaoru let out a faint laugh and said, "Ai is more important."
Then came the hot month of July.
As Ai’s belly grew day by day, Kaoru bought boxes of stretch-mark cream and carefully managed his wife’s skin.
He did it because if she ever wore a crop top or a stage costume later, there couldn’t be any visible stretch marks.
Even though she was thin compared to her peers, her beautiful and mature figure continued to change all over under the influence of hormones.
There was even a small incident where, while bathing together, Ai muttered that she was a little embarrassed and wondered if she looked rather unsightly, only to get sharply scolded by Kaoru and then receive a whole lot of punishment(?) full of love, leaving her utterly exhausted.
After her final checkup in Chiba Prefecture, Ai cried her eyes out in the arms of the midwife while saying goodbye to the elderly doctor couple who had seen them off.
Kaoru’s nose stung at the unforgettable kindness of the elderly couple, and he said his farewells, promising to visit them again someday.
Time passed to mid-July. In Miyazaki Prefecture, there was a newly built two-room apartment about five minutes by car from the hospital, so Kaoru and Ichigo decided to sign the contract right away.
Since it was a rural area where not many people lived to begin with, only a few elderly residents lived in the building. The short-term rental they signed for, with the reason that they would only stay until Ai gave birth, was also a quiet building with a shared front entrance, just like the apartment Ai was currently living in, after Kaoru’s review.
After signing the lease and sleeping there for one night, they set out early the next morning on the long road back to Tokyo.
Kaoru stretched at a rest stop they had stopped at briefly and looked up at the sunset-colored night sky.
"Kaoru-kun?"
"Ah. Thank you."
Miyako, who had come out of the convenience store, handed the boy a chilled barley tea.
Kaoru took it and drank a sip.
The savory barley tea felt as though it was soothing the tightness in his chest a little.
Miyako also simply stood by his side in silence, drinking coffee without saying a word.
Sometimes, just having someone stay beside you without speaking can be a great comfort.
Kaoru quietly gazed at the night sky and drank his barley tea for a while longer.
It was the hot month of July. Time, without fail, flowed on like clouds, drifting far away.
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