My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty - Chapter 135



134. The Unthinkable Grabs You (1)

With a heart all aflutter, I arrived at the hospital to find Aki already finished with her appointment and standing before the payment window.

“Thank you. Take care now~”

‘Hmm, her complexion seems alright though….’

Still, I ought to hear the full story. Can’t go judging her condition based on her rosy cheeks alone.

I moved directly towards Aki.

Just then, Aki turned, and our eyes met.

“Oh, my love, you’re here?”

“Mm, I’m here. What did the doctor say?”

“Well…. it’s….”

Aki trailed off, her words hanging in the air.

Seems like something’s difficult for her to say.

“Since there are people around, shall we step outside and talk…?”

What is it?

Is there really something going on…?

I didn’t quite understand, but she gestured with her eyes towards the outside of the hospital, as if suggesting we leave, so I nodded for now. And as if nothing was amiss, I took Aki’s hand naturally and began to walk slowly.

Passing through the revolving doors, we came out onto the main street, and I glanced sideways at Aki. Meaning, haven’t we gone far enough to start talking now?

“By any chance, it’s nothing too serious, is it? Like, they want you to have some kind of in-depth examination.”

“Examination…. maybe that’s right…?”

“Huh? Really? Aki, they want you to have an in-depth examination?”

I asked, quite startled.

Aki shook her head vigorously from side to side.

“Noo. It’s not the kind of in-depth examination you’re thinking of, it’s not, it’s just that….”

“Why, what is it then?”

“……Well. Ummm.”

Hesitating.

Aki, twisting subtly in her seat, a peculiar unease about her.

So unlike her usual bold self, so hesitant, that I honestly thought something had truly happened.

And I was all tensed up, bracing myself.

“So… the clinic…”

“Huh?”

“They said… maybe I should see an OB-GYN…?”

A different kind of surprise washed over me.

If the internal medicine doctor was suggesting an OB-GYN visit, that meant… what I’d been imagining might actually be happening?

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make any sense.

I stared at Aki, hard. Her face was flushed, like she was thinking the same thing.

“It’s not confirmed yet. The doctor said… it might not be pregnancy. There could be other reasons. Like…hormonal imbalances. He said I should get a proper check-up…”

“Ah… I see?”

“Yeah… That’s what he said…”

‘……I see.’

It might not be pregnancy after all.

I was so certain it was. The possibility of other explanations actually made me feel a little relieved. And then, immediately after, this thought struck me.

Wait, shouldn’t I *not* be relieved?

If it’s not pregnancy, then there’s something else wrong with her body. I’d almost rather it be pregnancy than something being wrong with Aki’s health. At least that would mean there isn’t an underlying health problem…

“Darling. Maybe… we should head to the OB-GYN first…?”

“Ah. Yeah, we should…”

I swallowed hard as I answered.

Right. Fretting over which is better won’t solve anything. Whatever it is, the priority is getting her checked out at the OB-GYN. Aki’s health is what matters most.

“But if we go now, won’t we hit their lunch break? Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. The doctor who saw me made a direct reservation for me at the OB-GYN. I should only have to wait a little bit. Maybe like, ten minutes…?”

“That’s a relief. Then we can get the appointment done and, depending on what happens, decide if we go back to campus.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that…!”

* * *

“Here, do you see that small, darkish thing attached?”

“Ah, yes. I see it.”

“That is the gestational sac.”

“A fetal sac, you say…?”

“Yes. A fetal sac. Literally, the place where the fetus lives inside.”

“Uh… wait just a moment. So then…?”

“Congratulations. You are pregnant.”

“……”

“……”

“Judging by the size of the fetal sac, it appears to be roughly four to five weeks. Perhaps around this time, you, the patient, or rather, the mother, have been feeling early pregnancy symptoms…”

“……”

Blank…

My mind felt distant, adrift.

Stunned by those two words – pregnancy – I blinked dumbly, wondering if this was truly reality. The doctor was showing me a murky, gray ultrasound image and explaining something, but it wasn’t registering.

‘…What is this, a dream?’

Secretly, I pinched my own thigh.

Of course, it hurt like hell. A lot, a lot.

Rubbing the spot I’d pinched so hard, I glanced over at Aki.

Aki was looking back at me.

“……”

“……”

But. His reaction to this unexpected news was a little different from my own stunned state.

How to put it? Aki had a look as if he’d secretly been expecting this…

It could just be my imagination, but Aki, more lucid than I was, cautiously spoke.

“Um, Doctor. I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but…”

“Yes. Feel free to ask any questions.”

“Umm, is there any, like, any chance at all that it might *not* be pregnancy? Like, some kind of error with the image, or something…”

“There are occasional cases where a fetal sac is present but contains no fetus. However, based on the patient’s current ultrasound, it is almost 99 percent certain that she is pregnant.”

99 percent.

A doctor’s 99 percent is practically 100 percent.

Realizing that, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Pregnant.

Truly pregnant.

Aki is pregnant…?

The more I turned it over in my head, the more astounding and bewildering it became, so utterly lacking in reality that I listened to the doctor’s words in a kind of daze.

Things to be mindful of during pregnancy, things that would be good to do, the need to visit the hospital for check-ups every two weeks in the early stages, and so on…. The doctor truly offered so much helpful advice.

But, to be honest, none of it registered.

Because, pregnancy. Pregnancy.

Not just anyone, but Aki was pregnant….

“Ah, I see. Thank you. So, I suppose we’ll see you in two weeks…?”

“Yes, that’s right. Take good care until then, and we’ll see you again in two weeks.”

“Ah, yes. Darling, let’s go…!”

I was so out of it that I didn’t even properly bow as we left the examination room.

And there I stood, blankly, in the middle of the hospital hallway. For about three minutes.

“…….”

Is this really reality?

Is it really…?

“Fujiwara Aki-sama. Your total today is 12,000 won. And your appointment is confirmed for Friday afternoon at 4 PM the week after next, yes?”

“Yes, here’s my card!”

“Just a moment…. Ah, it’s processed. We’ll see you the week after next~”

“Yes, thank you for your trouble~”

Even as Aki made the hospital appointment and finished paying, I stood there, lost in a fog.

And then…….

“Darling, the examination’s finished, what are you doing…?”

“……Eh? Oh.”

Aki’s voice from beside me suddenly snapped me back to awareness.

“Were you really that shocked, darling?”

“No, well….”

“It’s *atasi* who’s pregnant, anyone would think *you’re* the one who’s expecting…!”

“……Umm.”

I had no response.

Right. I was in no position to be this shocked and dazed. In truth, Aki, the pregnant one herself, must be even more bewildered and surprised than I am.

I had to stop being so taken aback, for Aki’s sake. I took a deep breath and steeled myself. It’s during times like this that I need to be calm and collected, even more reliable than usual.

“Just trust me, Aki.”

“Huh…?”

“If there’s anything hard, tell me. If there’s anything you think you can’t do, tell me everything. I’ll do it all for you.”

“……”

Zhiiii.

Aki stares up at me, unblinking.

“Hee-eung…”

“……What is it?”

“No, well…”

Her eyes narrow, the end of her sentence trailing off. Then, as if a thought has struck her, Aki grins.

“I was just wondering… if I really only had to *say* it, you’d do it all?”

“Well… wouldn’t I do it all? Just say the word. Just *say* it.”

“……Then.”

Aki smoothly slips her arm through mine.

“Breaking the news about the pregnancy to Papa and Mama… and formally asking for permission to marry… you can do that too?”

“……”

My body freezes, solid.

To think that in this moment, barely an hour after finding out about the pregnancy, she’d ask me something like this…

I should say yes, that’s the right thing to do. But, for a moment, I’m too fl*stered and only manage to utter some idiotic sounds, “Uh, uh…”

From noble mtl dot com

Aki looks at me as if I were the cutest thing in the world, gently stroking the tense muscles in my arm.

“Hee-heh… Just kidding. A joke. Why are you so tense?”

“Ah, is that so…?”

“Uh-huh. Just joking. Didn’t the doctor say? It’s best to wait until after eight weeks to tell them about the pregnancy.”

Eight weeks.

Which meant, three weeks from now, I have to formally go ask for permission to marry…?

I should probably wear a suit when I go, or at least that’s what I’m thinking seriously about… when a giggle escapes from beside me.

“Pfft… Ah, you’re so cute…”

“……I’m really serious here, Aki.”

It’s not like any other time. Hearing jokes like this right after finding out she’s pregnant makes it sound like no joke at all. Every word Aki says sounds like pure, one-hundred-percent truth, making my heart pound.

“Hee-heh. Okay, okay. I won’t tease you. …Ah, but, my darling.”

“Huh?”

“Calling you ‘Husband,’ ‘Husband’… looks like you’re really going to *be* my husband, huh?”

“……”

Is that what you want to say right now, Aki…?

“……Don’t joke around. When should we tell them? Should we really tell them in 8 weeks?”

“Wouldn’t that be best? They said the stable period starts after 8 weeks, right?”

“Yeah. So we can tell our parents about a month from now, roughly….”

It is jarring to hear Aki’s sudden pregnancy announcement. But, now that things have come to this, let’s look on the bright side.

After all, we were going to get married someday anyway, and we were going to have a baby together eventually… you could just say the timing is a little sooner than expected.

Besides informing both sets of parents about the pregnancy, I’ll have to make some preparations on my own.

“How should we tell Grandpa and Grandma? It’s almost vacation, should we make some time to go see them?”

“Ah, I’d like that!”

“Avoiding the rainy season, how about the end of July or the beginning of August?”

“Uh-huh. Great! Let’s decide on a date between now and then. Let’s keep it a secret from Grandpa and Grandma for now, they’ll be so happy when we tell them in person! Hehe….”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

……Prepare to formally propose.