Chapter 8 – The Decision to Marry

The storm began the moment Aiko whispered the truth.

Her mother, Midori Hoshizora, had been setting the table for dinner when Aiko finally forced the words out. Her voice was thin, almost weightless.

“…Mom. I’m pregnant.”

The plate in Midori’s hands slipped and shattered across the floor.

Aiko froze.

Midori stared up at her daughter, hand covering her trembling lips. Tears welled instantly, spilling before she could stop them. Aiko expected anger or loud accusations—she wasn’t prepared for this kind of heartbreak.

“A-Aiko…” Midori’s voice cracked. “Please tell me this isn’t real. Tell me it’s a mistake.”

“It’s real.” Aiko’s voice quivered. “I’m sorry.”

Midori sank to her knees, gathering pieces of broken porcelain with shaking fingers as if cleaning would somehow fix the situation. Tears fell onto her hands.

“My daughter… what have you done…?”

Aiko couldn’t breathe. “Mom… please don’t cry…”

But footsteps approached from the hall, heavy and controlled.

Her father stopped at the doorway.

Hiroshi Hoshizora—cold, formal, a man who carried authority like armor. His gaze swept the broken plate, then settled on Aiko.

“What happened?”

Midori’s voice trembled. “Hiroshi… she’s… she’s pregnant.”

Silence filled the room like a suffocating fog.

Aiko’s heart pounded in her ears.

Hiroshi’s expression barely shifted, but something in his eyes hardened. “Who?”

Aiko swallowed. “Yuji. Yuji Sakamoto.”

A sharp breath left him, quiet but full of judgment.

“That boy.”

“Dad… don’t talk about him like—”

“He’s beneath you,” Hiroshi said coldly. “And you know it.”

Midori flinched. Aiko clenched her fists.

“He didn’t force you?” Hiroshi demanded.

“No.”

“He didn’t threaten you?”

“No!”

“Then what?” His voice rose. “You threw away your entire future for a boy who stocks shelves at a convenience store?”

Aiko’s breath shook. “He cares about me. He was there when no one else—”

“Enough.” Hiroshi slammed his hand against the table, making both women jump.

Midori whispered, “Hiroshi, she’s frightened—”

“She should be,” he said sharply. “Actions have consequences.”

Aiko felt something hot rise in her chest. “It wasn’t just me, Dad. I wasn’t alone.”

Hiroshi’s lips curled in disdain. “He trapped you. I knew it from the beginning.”

Aiko shook her head. “He didn’t!”

“He saw your allowance. Your family name. Your weakness—”

“Yuji doesn’t want anything from me!”

Midori reached toward her daughter. “Aiko, please just sit down—”

Hiroshi cut her off. “You will end this relationship.”

Aiko’s nails dug into her palms.

“No.”

Hiroshi went still. “What did you just say?”

“I’m not breaking up with him.” She forced her voice to stay steady. “I love him.”

Hiroshi stared as if she’d spoken another language.

“You’re choosing him over your family?”

Aiko’s voice wavered. “I’m choosing the only person who listened when I couldn’t breathe.”

Midori’s tears flowed again. “Aiko… please don’t do this…”

Hiroshi pointed toward the stairs. “Go to your room. Now.”

“No.”

“Aiko.”

“I’m going to Yuji’s place,” she said softly. “And I’m keeping my baby.”

Hiroshi’s eyes turned to ice. “If you step outside that door… don’t expect to return.”

Midori grabbed his arm desperately. “Hiroshi, please, she’s our daughter—!”

But Aiko was already numb.

Her father’s threat didn’t surprise her.

It simply confirmed everything she feared.

She bowed her head once—not out of respect, but acceptance—and walked past them, her footsteps light and final.

Midori cried out her name. Hiroshi didn’t say a word.

The door closed behind her.

And the tie to her family snapped cleanly.

---

Yuji opened his apartment door before she finished knocking.

“Aiko?” His eyes widened when he saw her swollen, tear-stained face. “What happened? Did they—”

She didn’t answer. She threw her arms around him, shaking uncontrollably.

Yuji held her tight. “Hey, hey… I’ve got you. Tell me what happened.”

“They hate me,” she choked. “Dad said… if I stay with you, I’m not welcome home anymore.”

Yuji’s expression darkened with anger he almost never showed. “He said that?”

Aiko nodded into his chest. “He thinks you trapped me. That you want money. That I’m destroying everything.”

Yuji clenched his teeth but kept his voice calm. She needed comfort, not his rage.

“You did nothing wrong,” he whispered. “Nothing.”

Aiko’s voice wavered. “I’m scared…”

Yuji breathed out slowly. He rested his forehead against hers.

This wasn’t a small mistake anymore.

This was a turning point neither of them could avoid.

Aiko sniffed, looking up at him with puffy eyes. “Yuji… what do we do now?”

Yuji stared at her, searching her face.

Her fear.

Her loyalty.

Her trust.

She had walked away from everything she knew for him.

Yuji took her hands gently.

“We get married.”

Aiko blinked. “W-What?”

“I don’t have a lot,” he said. “But I have you. And I want to take responsibility. I want to stand beside you.”

Tears spilled again, softer this time. “Yuji…”

“I want to try,” he said. “Even if we’re scared.”

Aiko’s resolve broke, and she leaned into him, whispering, “Thank you…”

Yuji wrapped her in his arms again.

“Then let’s do it,” she whispered.

---

Two days later, they stood inside the small city office.

No guests.

No fancy clothes.

No celebration.

Just two kids trying to grow up overnight.

The clerk passed them the forms. Yuji’s hands were steady, but Aiko noticed a slight tremble in his thumb. It made her chest ache.

“Are you nervous?” she asked quietly.

He let out a short breath. “A little.”

The way he said it made her smile faintly.

She wrote her name—Aiko Hoshizora—for the last time.

Yuji signed beside her.

And just like that, they were married.

“Congratulations,” the clerk said politely.

They stepped outside, the afternoon air cool on their skin. Their hands brushed, uncertain, shy.

Then Aiko reached out and gripped his hand tightly.

“Yuji…” Her voice was soft and unsteady. “Please don’t let go.”

He squeezed back without hesitation.

“I won’t,” he said. “Never.”

Aiko closed her eyes.

She had no home to return to.

No clear future.

No idea how they were going to survive this.

But Yuji’s hand was warm and steady in hers.

And for now, that was enough.