Chapter 7:

Loosened.

Unravelling Winter.


"The doctor's? Is something wrong?" I asked while sipping the broth from a cup noodle pack in the store Saeko worked in.

"It's nothing like that. Just a regular checkup and sonography."

"I'll come with then. I'm pretty free. When is it?"

"Tomorrow, around 9."

Guess I would have to skip out on some sleep. Well, I could always sleep after coming back. Luckily it was Saturday tomorrow.

After our little conversation, we headed home. I headed off to work, which I did till 5 and then woke up at 8.

Sharp at half past 8, I heard the bell ring and thus slid the door open.

The early morning was yet again filled with the dirty winter's snow. And amongst all of that was a young lady waiting for me.

"Shall we?" I asked while getting out of the house.

"I'd be in your favour." Clearly, it wasn't the easiest to walk around. Add to that her awkwardness with her parents. I just filled the role seemlessly.

"Stop saying stuff like that, you're making this weird."

Taking part in our usual conversations, we headed into town in our car. She guided me throughout.

In the end, we were standing in front of a bricked building with a hospital sign on it.

The order of the business was checking in on the first desk and then going to whichever room they told us to go to. Supposedly simple... But in practice much more complex.

"Are you her husband? Did he finally decide to come? Wasn't here the last couple of times." The nurse stationed behind the table asked. How did I not see this coming?

A man and a woman, the same age going to the OB/GYN. There was one stereotype hard to beat.

"No, actually he is uhh my bro-" I cut Saeko off before she would say something more embarrassing than that.

"I am her current guardian. You can sign me in as Hanoda Ichi."

"Hanoda Ich- wait Ichi kun?!" The nurse yelped while turning her head up.

"Yes?"

"Don't you remember me? I'm Hina, the girl from your high school class. It sure is a surprise seeing you here. I didn't know you would turn out so handsome!" She openly flirted with me.

"Ha... ha I didn't think you would turn out so pretty either." I complimented back.

"You're just flattering, aren't you? You probably don't even remember me."

"I..."

"Well, you were always really busy studying. It was pretty understandable." Her chattering was pretty annoying. "So? What are you doing here with... her?" She looked a little scornfully at the girl next to me.

Clearly, with a stable job, the nurse openly showed off that she was superior to the pregnant 23-year-old single mother who didn't go to college and worked part-time to pay the bills. But that didn't sit right with me.

"I am here with her because I promised I would take care of her since we're childhood friends. I am just making good on that promise."

"Thinking back you two were rather close in high school too." She pondered.

"Some would say we were inseparable." I answered. She was into me so it was fine to hurt her with the words she aimed at Saeko.

If we were talking about success, I had her beat. If we were talking about happiness... well. That was another story.

Nonetheless, the passive-aggressive battle ended as soon as the doctors called us in.

The process now was way simpler than I expected. The doctor laid Saeko down on a bed and exposed her stomach. Nothing I hadn't seen before. She almost looked like she did after the new years' celebration.

But I could actually see the veins. Her skin was thin.

The doctor pulled out some sort of gel and rubbed it all over her belly.

"I'll start now."

She took out a device that looked like the handheld barcode scanners in supermarkets and scanned Saeko's tummy.

Over on the screen, there were white marks flowing across.

I didn't get a thing.

"Is that the baby?" I pointed at a thing that looked like a heart.

"The whole thing is the baby. I'm checking for the development."

"Oh... that makes sense." I sounded dumb. Like why wouldn't the whole thing be a baby? She was literally aiming at a filled womb.

"So, who is he?" The doctor whispered in Saeko's ears. Unfortunately, it wasn't quiet enough to get past mine.

"He's my childhood friend."

"Ooh. You two dating?"

"Nope."

"Then why didn't you tell me you had a childhood friend like that?!" Her whispers were rather loud. The doctor was a little too old for my liking, though. "You should have introduced me properly!"

"Lady. You are married." Saeko pushed her back.

"Oh, yeah." The doctor sighed as she stepped aside. "I'll have your prints ready in a bit you can get up now."

The doctor was a whole mood. Somehow even more chaotic than Saeko.

We bowed as she headed out.

My eyes were glued to her belly. I was rather fascinated.

"Wanna feel?" She pulled her top back down to cover her belly.

"I don't really want to-"

"OOH!" The next second her hand grabbed my wrist and shoved it under her T-shirt.

There were palpitations in her belly.

"Gas?"

"The baby is kicking dumbass."

"Oh." And how was that good?

There were sudden vibrations from time to time. Like it was speaking in Morse code. But it didn't make any sense.

Her belly felt very organic and very alien.

It might not have felt the best but it was certainly a little fascinating. A little.

I looked at Saeko and her happy face revealed that for whatever reason the baby kicking was the best thing happening to her at that moment.

"By the way, you do know that when I said that I'll take care of you, I meant just you and not the baby right?" I hated to break the mood but I didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

I was incapable of taking care of the kid. And the one thing I had to blame was my past.

My birth father used to like me. He was gentle. We would spend all day together until I was 5. And that was the reason why he left. Because he stayed home all day while Mom was out at work. She was way more successful than him.

She didn't mind working. Mom was happy taking care of the family financially. Maybe it was Dad's parents nagging him, or his in-laws looking down on him... He finally gave up and ran away.

My Dad, who loved me- his own blood abandoned me for his stupid pride, who was I to cherish someone else's child?

"The one I like is you not the kid." I mutte- Wait! What did I say? I turned around to see her face to see if she heard me right.

Her head got turned down.

"I already know."

"You already know what?! I didn't say anything. It was a mis-" No. That was an excuse.

In the first place, how did she even know? I clearly didn't realise until a few moments ago!

"I mean you made it pretty obvious."

"No, I didn't."

"The dates, the bashful attitude, being overprotective, meeting my family, solving my problems."

"I was just looking out for you as a good fri-"

"Say, Ichi." Her voice was all serious again.

"What?"

"Will you hate the kid?"

I didn't hate the kid, per se. And I don't think I would at any point in the future. I-

"I'll be indifferent about the baby."

"Then it's fine!" Her face turned up and with a somewhat quaint smile, she slowly released my hand.

Our ties were loose. But that was about all we needed to keep together.

Ah Rin
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