Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro…… Volume 7, 2 - The Retreating Figure That Disappears Into the

Volu 7, Chapter 2: The Retreating Figure That Disappears Into the Night Is—

By the next day, news of Koremitsu impregnating Asai had reached the entire Heian High School Affiliate.

No matter where he went,

“I heard that the delinquent king made the Matriarch Asa pregnant.”

“I heard it's been 4 months now.”

“Is it true that the Matriarch Asa threatened the delinquent king to get married with her?”

There were such whispering that caused Koremitsu much consternation.

And Tōjō,

“So you are the type of man to act early, you bastard…!? The thing about you being on bad terms with Asai is all a fake!? I still have no understanding however what is good about Asai, no, before that, what does Asai see in you, you bastard, in other words, what sort of developnt caused this event, no this is truly a coarse way of asking. My apologies, please forget about that. Everything that happens between man and woman is really beyond what I can imagine. Asai is still a woman after all. Hah! Are you thinking of doing such incorrigible things to Aoi too! Never with Aoi! Not Aoi!”

Was threatening him,

“Congratulations, Mr. Akagi, do you mind asking Miss Asai whether she wants paper diapers or cloth diapers?”

Tsuyako too teased him. And Beni Hitachi, the pen pal from another school he t during sumr vacation, sent him a mail, stating,

“Mr. Akagi, is it true that you're going to get married? The rumors that the student council president of Heian Academy did it with the red-haired delinquent king have circulated around our school like crazy. Does this have to do with you?”

And inside the classroom,

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I do believe in you," Michiru stamred.

Though she had a change of hairstyle, Michiru's personality did not. And Honoka, sitting beside him,

“Akagi's kid…Akagi's kid…”

Was muttering a mantra with hollow eyes.

During the break, Asai sent him a mail that was filled with murderous intent,

“Ignore what anyone else say at this point. If you dare say anything unnecessary, I will kill you.”

Nonetheless, she was unable to hide her usual poker face whenever they t, and she was pouting her lips, blushing.

“That Matriarch Asa is all dere here!”

“That Matriarch Asa's stomach contains the delinquent king's baby after all!”

The commotion got increasingly chaotic, and there continued the vicious cycle of Asai gritting her teeth, giving a murderous look of wanting to eviscerate everyone.

That was rely the commotion that happened before lunch break.

(I didn't do anything that would have made her pregnant…)

Making his way back, Koremitsu was too tired to even raise his eyebrows that he slumped into the chair. Hikaru, right above him, was either having his hands clapped together or his head lowered.

“A-Akagi…I can believe you, right?”

Honoka, who was entranced in her own world, suddenly turned his face to Koremitsu and stared at him as she said that,

“!!! Of course.”

“Y—yeah. There's no way Akagi and the Matriarch Asa would…do such a thing…”

One had to wonder what she was thinking as her face went beetroot.

And even Koremitsu was blushing,

He spotted a delicate, pretty girl with long black hair at the corridor, seemingly looking for sothing.

Aoi!

She looked extrely pale, her shoulder shivering slightly as she peeked into Koremitsu's classroom. Once their eyes t, her shoulders jerked in shock as she showed a feeble, hesitant look, seemingly wanting to say sothing as she looked back at him.

Koremitsu imdiately stood up and went off in Aoi's direction.

“Akagi!”

Behind him, Honoka let out an unreliable voice.

Once Aoi noticed that Koremitsu was headed in her direction, she averted her eyes, intending to leave in a hurry.

“Miss Aoi, please wait.”

Hikaru pleaded with a desperate expression, and Koremitsu, in his delirium, grabbed her arm without a care.

Aoi was shocked.

And Koremitsu spoke with a serious tone,

“You ca here wanting to tell sothing, right? I got so things to say to you too, Aoi. Do you mind being with for a while?”

And so, he lowered his head as he held a thoroughly skeptical Aoi by the hand, heading to the roof,

Within the shade ford by the overbearing sunlight, Koremitsu let loose of Aoi's hand. She looked at her feet, and let out a little whisper,

“I…Asa…Mr. Akagi's child…erm…”

“I don't have a kid with Saiga, and it's not mine.”

Koremitsu was worried if Aoi was fretting too much over this matter.

While the relationship between Aoi and Asai showed signs of recovery during the fireworks festival Tsuyako organized, the relationship was still delicate. She probably let her thoughts run too much when she heard that Asai was pregnant with Koremitsu's child or sothing.

She was the only one Koremitsu had to explain matters to no matter what.

Naturally, it was difficult for him to ntion that the child within Sora may be Hikaru's.

But after hearing Koremitsu's words, Aoi's face went pale.

“If it's not your child, Mr. Akagi…then, does it an that it is Hikaru's?”

Both Koremitsu and Hikaru widened their eyes in unison.

Both Asai and Aoi were probably too sensitive when it ca to Hikaru's matters.

Well, Hikaru himself was probably the worst form of existence to cause others to imdiately assu 'pregnant with a child = is it Hikaru's child?'.

(Isn't this all your fault for saying that all the girls are pretty flowers, wandering around and having fun?)

“Is the child within Asa's belly Hikaru's?”

Aoi leaned forward, the silky black hair blown by the breeze at the roof.

“Mislead her, Koremitsu!”

“Th-that's not it! It's another woman who got pregnant!”

“Another…! Then is it true that Hikaru has a child!?”

“Ahhh, you revealed it Koremitsu!!!!! Was that actually deliberately? Hey, was it deliberate!?”

Hikaru was in the air, hugging his head as he writhed.

You're blaming now!? Isn't this all because you're fooling around too much!? Koremitsu lambasted in his mind as he saw Aoi's teary face, muttering away what do I do now

The tears slowly seeped out from her eyes, and she quivered.

She probably heard all sorts of rumors of Hikaru fooling around when the latter was alive, but it was too much for her to hear that he had a child. She could no longer chide him for he had already left.

Well, the culprit was certainly beside him, writhing around. Fortunate or not, she would no longer be able to see that person or hear his voice,

(Damn it, you're always causing trouble.)

He was extrely furious at his Casanova of a friend, but still, he placed his hands on Aoi's shoulders.

And Aoi widened her eyes in shock.

“The thing is that Hikaru may have a kid, and that's because he's that sort of person! The one he chose in the end is you, Aoi! His feelings for you aren't a lie!”

“What Koremitsu said is correct, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru too was seemingly revived as he clenched his fists and nodded.

“Hikaru broke up with the other girls so that he can protect and be with you alone, the important person to him. Please believe that about him!”

“Please believe Koremitsu's words here, Miss Aoi!”

Hikaru too was serious.

Aoi initially stared at Koremitsu in surprise, and then, the eyes were gradually hazed with anguish,

“…I understand. If you say so, Mr. Akagi.”

She whispered, but she did not seem convinced.

Her red teary eyes were lowered slowly, and she remained silent.

“…”

The strand-like black hair swayed fleetingly, and Aoi looked more fragile than before, to a point where anyone was able to feel the skepticism and sadness emitting from her slender shoulders. Seeing this, Koremitsu felt really depressed.

I'll be the one to protect her.

For an instant, Koremitsu felt this feeling surge within him.

That was sothing he could never say to Hikaru or Aoi.

It was after class, and with the complicated feelings he got from Aoi, Koremitsu went off to Sora's apartnt, still feeling perplexed.

(I guess I feel this way, guilty…definitely because of Sora.)

Aoi was never able to be united with Hikaru when he was alive.

But Sora was entrusted with Hikaru's child.

And because Hikaru died, that was sothing Aoi could never ever do…

One had to wonder who was the blissful party between Aoi and Sora, and as a boy, Koremitsu would never know…

He stood in front of the door, the intercom rang, and Sora exited.

“Why are you here?”

She looked extrely shocked.

“I have sothing that I want to be certain of.”

He responded with a sullen, serious look, ostensibly plotting sothing as he looked hesitant, and walked in.

“Co in. It's no different from yesterday.”

Koremitsu placed a plate of pickled paprika that was served on the plate in this room filled with the aroma of green tea and paprika, gulped down the tea, and stared at Sora and said,

“You said that the father of the baby is an angel, right?”

“Yes.”

“But an angel can't give you living expenses, and he can't change diapers. How do you intend to raise him when he's born? What about college?”

“I intend to take leave from college.”

Sora answered without a second thought, her gentle tone not showing any signs of being worked up.

“I do intend to do so part-ti translation work involving English and Chinese. The Church will also assist however they can. I'll get past this by being a little frugal.”

“But.”

That's still too hard for you, while Koremitsu was worrying about this.

“I am a frugal person.”

Sora tried to pacify Koremitsu with a cheerful voice,

“With 100 Yen, I can make 3 cans of side dishes, and the Church speaker will help with the recycling. The water used to wash rice especially can be reused quite a lot. I was very good at that when I was still in elentary school.”

The sincerity in her expression was never frivolous, and her thorough explanation was such that there was no way to refute it.

“Did your family say anything, Sora?”

Sora smiled.

The mole beside her eye beca more apparent, and there was a tinge of loneliness reaching him,

“I didn't let anyone in my family know about this. Father has just started a new family. I can't be bothering him now.”

“Sora's mother died when Sora was still in elentary school. I suppose her father was remarried.”

Hikaru chid in with lancholy.

(I see…she doesn't have any family to rely on…)

At this mont, he rembered Yū, now residing in Australia.

Back then, Yū had her money supply cut off due to her father's remarriage, and she lived alone in that tattered apartnt.

But unlike Yū, who seed to be disappearing like a dream, he could feel that Sora's tone, attitude and heart were exceptionally sturdy. The room was as neat as how he saw it the previous day; the alluring sunlight shining in from outside the window.

Sora herself took up a piece of pickled tomato, and popped it into her mouth.

“It's sour.”

She curled and twisted her lips,

“I suppose sour is the best taste after all.”

“Sora, the pickles.”

“But in fact, I really am not good with sour things. However, once I got pregnant, I saw everyone eating a lot of sour things, so I thought it may be good to do this. Any mother would wish for their child to have sothing nice to eat after all. There is a certain person who wrote a thesis saying that a pregnant lady should be eating honey-covered bean jam and fruit 3 tis a day. Thinking about that, I think that I can eat anything.”

“…Stop with the nonsense.”

Looking over at the kitchen, he found many cans of dried plums and radish pickles,

“You don't like eating them, but you made quite a lot.”

Sora narrowed her eyes, her smile this ti tender and warm.

“I am a klutz of a mother who dotes on her child very much.”

She answered with a delighted alto voice.

Koremitsu's heart was filled with a little tension.

And Hikaru's eyes too were filled with heavy tension.

To cushion herself, Sora reached her legs wide and sat down, getting into her usual posture as she began to knit a sock.

“This sock too…is already the 5 pair. I accidentally knitted too many of them. The child will soon grow up, so after I knit this pair, I have to make a larger pair the next ti.”

The clear sunlight at the end of sumr shone upon the natural, long hair, reflecting a golden color. The eyes lowered were that gentle, and the fingers holding the sewing needle were white and slender.

“It seems that when the child is born, I'll be knitting a sock as large as Santa's Christmas bag.”

She continued to knit one step at a ti, gently doing so with love for the fetus in her tummy. The threads were a clear blue, and a cheerful sky gradually cleared as the white fingers weaved the golden needle about.

“I really am a klutz of a mother here.”

The tender words were oozing with earnest love, causing his heart to tighten.

She probably was not confident in raising a child alone…

Yet there was nary a panic to be felt from Sora. One could see her knit socks for the child that was to be born with a blissful expression. From ti to ti, she would pat her hand on the tunic above her belly, smiling gently.

A gentle yet determined profile.

There was no sense of sadness from her at all, and furthermore, one could sense a solemnness from her—

Koremitsu endured the bittersweet feelings in his heart as he watched her.

(The only 'mother' I know of is one that keeps crying every ti…)

On his way ho,

Koremitsu heard the chirps of the cicadas as he dragged his feet, recalling the scene of his mother leaving ho when he was still in elentary school.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

—Sorry.

The mother who continued to sob with her head lowered.

Feebly apologizing 'sorry' over and over again whenever she saw Koremitsu's face.

Though she was not too fond of going out, and often lingered in a corner of the room, making small, felt things, apparently engrossed in her own world…the thin, slender silhouette looked increasingly tragic.

—I’m really sorry, Mitsu.

There was the petite figure holding the large luggage bag, gradually departing under the dim road lights in the middle of the night.

And on the other side was his young self, standing and clinging to the window, praying for his mother to return.

That wish was never granted.

Koremitsu continued to scowl, and Hikaru did not disturb him. All this ti, Hikaru had been pondering silently and solemnly, seemingly recalling sothing once he heard Sora's decision.

“I'm back.”

Koremitsu reached ho, opened the sliding door, and the white Lapis poked its head out from the living room.

Lapis did not ask where Koremitsu was, rely staring at him coolly with its Lapis-colored eyes.

Recently, whenever Koremitsu returned ho, Shioriko would co scurrying out and greet him, shouting, “Welco back! Big brother Koremitsu!” She however did not appear today.

In contrast, Koharu, wielding a kitchen knife, poked her head out from the kitchen.

“Welco back, Koremitsu. Go clean up the bathroom before dinner.”

It was Koharu's style to leave her red hair unkempt, and wear a T-shirt and trousers with ssy hems. She would wear a short apron around her waist whenever she was working in the kitchen.

“Got it…” he answered, and then, he asked, “Where's Shiiko?”

“We ran out of soy sauce, so she went out to buy it with the old man. She said that the old man could ca along as it's too dark and dangerous, but it's just a 10 minute trip to the supermarket, and isn't the outside rather bright too? He said that he's going out to buy so Go magazine in the anti, but the issue this month's already sent over, and he even yapped saying that he saw it. I'll say he's one clumsy grandpa doting on Shiiko rather than bonehead.”

She answered with a stunned look, shrugging her shoulders,

—I really am a klutz of a mother here.

Sora's soothing alto voice rang in his ears, and his heart ached yet again.

And suddenly, he asked Koharu, who was headed to the kitchen,

“Erm…when soone's pregnant, is there sothing I can get or help out with?”

“Huh?”

Koharu frowned hard, contorting the tip of her nose, and she glared furiously,

“Did you make so Missy pregnant or sothing here?”

And she pointed the kitchen knife at Koremitsu's nose.

“I didn't!”

“Really? That lady who ca to eat with us that day looked like she had a lot on her mind.”

“You're talking about Shikibu? Shikibu's my classmate—anyway, I didn't do anything, whether it's to Shikibu or any other girls.”

I can't stand being mistaken for a scoundrel who made a girl pregnant by my own family! He denied this with all his might.

And so, he asked,

“It's not …an acquaintance I know of is going to give birth. The kid's dad died…and there were so things she couldn't leave it to in the family. Well, I guess giving birth is quite the big thing…huh?”

“Of course. It's a matter of life and death.”

Koharu put the knife down as she concluded. And she probably thought of sothing, for she asked,

“How many months now?”

“7 months.”

“I see…”

Koharu sank into a long, deep thought.

She probably recalled the ti when she gave birth. Perhaps too, as a woman in a similar circumstance, she was worried about Sora, who was to give birth to a child alone. The child Koharu gave birth too was soon taken by the father after the divorce, and she never saw him again. It was said that she found out about her husband's infidelity when she was pregnant, and adamantly proposed a divorce. Either way, it was not a happy pregnancy.

Finally, with a scowl, Koharu spoke up,

“I'll co up with a list later stating all the preparations needed before a pregnancy. If you feel that there are needs you really need, take as much as you want.”

“O-okay.”

(Akagi's reading stuff about child raising again…)

A few days after the furor over the pregnancy caused by Koremitsu Akagi.

Koremitsu was reading a book titled 'First labor and child raising' solemnly, one page at a ti, and Honoka, seated beside him, was fiddling with her cellphone as she watched on tentatively,

“The classmate I'm interested in made a girl pregnant 。 ゜( ゜′Д `゜ ) ゜。'

What do I do now?

By Hono Hono.”

She left this ssage on an internet imageboard without any anonymity.

The ones answering this question would probably be torn on what to do. Even Honoka would be troubled by anyone asking her similar questions on her own website.

And the mont she thought of that, she received her ssage on her blog address.

“Purple Princess, please hear out!

I think I may be pregnant here! (T□T)

And it may not be my boyfriend's kid, but B's kid, whom I have an affair with! Σｗ(?д?`)ｗ. Do I lie and say that it's my boyfriend's kid here, or do I ask B for compensation and abort the kid? I'm so troubled by it that I can't sleep for nights （∩ ∩）

I've been without my period for 3 months already.

My weight has increased by 10kg.

At the rate this keeps up, I feel like I'll give birth tomorrow.

Purple Princess, please give so advice here ~ 。°(>o