When Saeko found out the news about Aya she dropped everything and ran to the hospital's gynaecology department where she was examined. Satoshi was already inside with her. He'd used his influence to arrange a meeting with the best OB-GYN available.
As she reached the waiting area, she spotted Kaito sitting there, his head buried in his hands.
"Kaito? Why are you here?"
"Just thought this would be a fun place to kill time," he muttered sarcastically.
"Kaito! Please, tell me it's not…" She dropped onto the seat beside him, rubbing her temples.
"It's not."
"No?" A flicker of relief made her exhale sharply.
"You told me to say that, but you didn't actually ask a question."
She hesitated, then forced out the words. "Is the baby yours?"
Kaito looked up at her, and the pain in his eyes made the question feel almost pointless. Saeko's stomach twisted. God. He must be terrified… having something this huge dumped on him out of nowhere.
The door swung open, and Aya stepped out. Her face hardened the second she saw Kaito.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped. "I told you. It's over. You have no reason to be here."
Satoshi appeared behind her, his presence tense, radiating fury.
"You idiot," he spat. "Ever heard of condoms? I swear, I'll castrate you."
"No need," Kaito said with a dry, hollow laugh. "Aya already took care of that."
Saeko instinctively stepped between them, blocking Satoshi before he could do anything. It seemed ridiculous for such a tiny lady to stop a man of his size, but somehow, it worked. He stopped in his tracks.
"Leave him alone," Aya said suddenly. "If you want to blame someone, blame me."
Saeko and Satoshi both turned to her, caught off guard.
"I lied to him," she admitted. "I told him I was on the pill."
"What?" Saeko and Satoshi said in unison.
Aya's expression didn't waver. "I tricked him."
"Why the hell would you do that?" Satoshi demanded.
Aya met his glare without flinching. "Because I wanted a child."
Satoshi scoffed. "And you chose this guy, who looks and behaves like a kid himself?" He pointed at Kaito, who was wearing an anime-themed t-shirt.
"I don't need a father," she said flatly. "I want to raise the child alone."
"Huh?" Saeko glanced at Kaito, trying to process what she'd just heard.
So that's what he meant being castrated by her.
Aya crossed her arms. "Yeah. I've been working on this plan for years. I was trying to get pregnant, and Kaito was the only one who succeeded." Her tone seemed like she was actually proud of him.
Saeko's jaw dropped. "So that's why you were so obsessed with one-night stands?"
"That's insane," Satoshi muttered, shaking his head.
"I knew you'd all react like this," Aya said. "That's why I never talk about it."
Satoshi grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the exit. "Let's go, we're talking this through at home. You can still have it terminated."
Before anything could happen, Kaito was on his feet, stepping in front of them with a calm but resolute intensity. He grabbed Satoshi's arm with one hand, effortlessly prying it off Aya's wrist as if it were nothing.
"No. Even if I don't matter in this story, I won't let you stand in her way. That baby is her dream. So you'd better respect that."
Satoshi hesitated, his eyes narrowing, but he knew better than to make a scene in the hospital, so he let it slide.
Saeko stood there in silence, staring at Kaito. And then it hit her. His devastation before. It wasn't fear of responsibility. It was disappointment. But not because he was going to be a father. It was because he couldn't really be one.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I jumped to the wrong conclusion."
Kaito let out a hollow laugh. "Don't be. It's usually the same story, isn't it? Guy knocks up a girl, bails, and she's devastated, because she needs him." He let out a slow breath, his voice thick with bitterness. "But in my case? I'm going to have a child… and I don't even factor into the equation. She doesn't need me. Not as a man. Not for support. Not physically, not emotionally, not financially. I have nothing to offer that she would even want."
He clenched his jaw. "I feel… offended, you know?"
„Would you really want to be a father to this child? Do you feel you could..." Saeko asked softly.
„Hell, yeah! Do you have any idea how much fun it would be? I'm sure, I would suck at so many things at first, but I would always make sure they would enjoy life."
"Kaito…"
"I know, I'm not responsible enough. I get it, Granny. Don't worry, she doesn't even need me for entertainment…"
"This must feel awful. What she did is… completely unacceptable. I'm not going to defend her. I know you must be disappointed in her…"
"Disappointed?" Kaito scoffed, then let out a sharp laugh. "No. She's incredible. I mean, can't you see how cool she is? Damn!" His whole face lit up, grinning ear to ear the moment he started talking about Aya.
"Kaito…" Saeko interrupted, puzzled. "Are you in love with Aya?" She knew he liked her, but this? This was something else entirely.
"In love?" Kaito repeated, then scoffed. "Granny, I…" He trailed off, then chuckled bitterly. "…I have no fucking idea what being in love even feels like."
"Well, it's…"
"Sota was right. I don't even understand basic emotions." His earlier smile faded, replaced by something much darker. Seeing Kaito like this; so lost, so hurt, was painful.
The next words came out instinctively, like a reflex, the same thing she used to say whenever she saw Mitsuko sad.
"How about I buy you some cake?"
As soon as she said it, she realized how ridiculous it sounded. He wasn't a little kid whose problems could be solved with sweets.
And yet, his face immediately perked up.
"Can I get ice cream too?"
"It's not even spring yet…"
"Please! And a hot chocolate?" he asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Saeko couldn't help but smile.
He really is like a little kid.
Later Saeko was escorting him back to his flat. She couldn't let just leave him alone in such a fragile state like this.
As they walked up the stairs, Kaito slung his arm around Saeko's shoulder.
"Anyway, it was pretty cool how you stood up for me, like my personal bodyguard. You really are a badass angel," Kaito said with a grin as they reached the corridor, where Sota had just stepped out, luggage in hand.
"Yeah… sure," Saeko mumbled, clearly flushed.
Then their gazes met. Kaito unconsciously straightened up, his arm still resting on Saeko's shoulder. A moment later, that European girl from before appeared, practically latching onto Sota with such enthusiasm that even he looked taken aback.
"Let's go, Europe awaits!" she cheered, shutting Sota's door behind her.
Saeko froze, but Kaito tugged her along, refusing to let her stand there and stare blankly.
There's pride in this world too.
Man… who are you kidding? I saw how jealous you were when you saw Saeko next to me. Get yourself together.
Once inside his flat, Kaito glanced at Saeko. She was silent, keeping everything locked inside.
With no better idea, he asked, "Want some pudding?" as he pulled a serving from the fridge. "It's a limited-edition flavour."
She looked at him, then let out an unladylike snort.
"That actually sounds pretty good," she admitted, sitting down to eat.
"It's funny, you know," Saeko mused between bites. "How can something that wasn't even a relationship hurt more than years of a real one? It was literally just a one-night stand for both of us before we got thrown away,"
Kaito stared at her, incredulous.
"You really don't know how comfort food works, do you? You're totally ruining the pudding's effect right now."
"Sorry," Saeko said, smiling despite herself.