Point of View: Megumi
The school uniform fit a bit tight.
Her body could no longer hide what was obvious: she was pregnant.
The entire classroom went silent when she walked in.
And even though she tried not to look, she saw them all:
—The ex-friend who called her a "slut" over text.
—The classmate who asked her out just to make fun of her.
—And above all, Hikaru, who once promised to protect her…
…now pretending she didn't exist.
Megumi sat by the window, the farthest seat from the center.
She clutched her notebook to her chest.
She didn't cry.
But it hurt as if she had.
Point of View: Alex (Yamada Takashi)
When Megumi came home, her shoulders were lower than usual.
She said everything was fine. Just tiring.
Alex knew she was lying.
She went to shower.
He stayed in the kitchen, making dinner.
The rice was about to boil when the phone buzzed.
📱 Class group chat: [3-B]
"Is that girl seriously back?"
"Yamada knocked her up and now he's stuck with her?"
"Gross. Poor baby."
Silence. Then, anger.
Then, a decision.
Decision System — Alex/Yamada
🔹 How will he respond to the rumors?
▷ Ignore the group and focus on Megumi.
▷ Send a general warning to the group.
▷ Screenshot the comments and take them to school officials.
Choice: Option 2 — Send a general warning.
Alex typed without thinking too much:
"I'm not going to tolerate anyone talking about Megumi like that.
Like it or not, she's back.
And the next person who opens their mouth better be ready to say it to my face."
Silence in the group.
Two people left.
A third reacted with a "scared face" emoji.
Alex put the phone down.
It wasn't enough.
But it was a start.
Point of View: Alex
Megumi came out of the shower in pajamas.
Damp hair, calm face, but distant.
She sat next to him on the futon, saying nothing.
"Rough day, huh?" Alex said.
"It will be, every day," she replied, like someone who had already accepted it.
He nodded.
Not like someone giving up… but like someone getting ready.
"Wanna see something?" Alex asked.
He opened his phone and pulled up the bank app.
Showed her the screen.
"I've got money. More than I need.
I'm going to use it for you. For the baby. So nothing's missing.
And if that means I have to stop being Yamada Takashi, then so be it."
Megumi didn't respond right away.
But for the first time… her lips curved toward a smile.
Just for a second.
But it was real.
Point of View: Megumi
The exam bed was cold.
Though the room was clean and quiet, Megumi's heart beat too loudly for her to feel calm.
"Please lift your shirt.
We're going to do a quick ultrasound," said the doctor in a calm voice.
The gel was freezing against her skin.
Megumi clenched her teeth.
Alex was there, behind the curtain. He didn't speak. He didn't look. But he was there.
On the screen, a blurry shape.
A beating heart.
"Everything's growing well.
Would you like to hear the heartbeat?"
Megumi nodded slowly.
Then she heard it.
Thump… thump… thump…
And for the first time, she didn't feel fear—only wonder.
Point of View: Dr. Yuzuki Narahara, OB/GYN
In front of her, a teenage girl—too young, too tense… with eyes that didn't match her age.
Beside her, a blond boy with a delinquent vibe, but eyes that didn't match his face.
"He's not the same one who got her pregnant," Yuzuki thought with sharp intuition.
During the consultation, she was clear and direct:
"Megumi-san, the baby is healthy. But your body is at its limit.
Yamada-kun, right? You're here… out of obligation?"
He looked at her, almost defiant.
"No. I'm here because if I don't show up for her, no one else will."
Yuzuki didn't reply. Just wrote it down.
But inside, something recognized that kind of silence:
The silence of men who don't know how to love,
but are trying to learn.
Third Person Narrative
The apartment was small.
A single room. Open kitchen. One futon.
And now, a constant presence: life.
After the doctor's visit, something shifted.
Megumi spoke a bit more.
Alex went down to the market more often.
Sometimes, they cooked together.
Sometimes, she fell asleep on the couch while he read the brochures the OB had given them.
One day, Alex tried to make nikujaga, Megumi's favorite dish.
The meat burned. The potatoes fell apart.
Megumi raised an eyebrow at him.
He offered her a spoonful with a proud look.
"Is it… edible?"
She tasted it.
It wasn't good. But she smiled. A real smile.
"Looks like you're not as useless as I thought."
Alex laughed.
"Thanks, Miss No-Filter Pregnant Lady."
That night, as they slept back to back,
Megumi's hand found his under the covers.
They didn't say a word.
They just laced their fingers together.
It wasn't love yet.
But it wasn't just guilt anymore.