It was still dawn. The clock on my bedroom wall showed it was only half past four in the morning. I didn’t wake up because I was diligent, but because my throat suddenly felt dry.
So I stepped out of my room and went downstairs to get so water from the kitchen. But then, I heard voices. Two people I knew were talking in the living room.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating. But as I got closer, the sleepiness I felt disappeared.
“Please accept this. It should be enough to pay for Ren’s surgery.”
That was Yona’s mother’s voice.
My head felt a little fuzzy. Surgery? What the hell happened to that I’d need surgery? And why was Yona’s mom here so early in the morning?
Then I heard my mother respond.
“No, I can’t accept this. It’s... too much.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘too much.’ As long as Ren still has hope to recover, no amount is too much. None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for my daughter.”
In an instant, I understood what surgery they were talking about.
My mom fell silent after hearing what Yona’s mother said.
“...It wasn’t Yona’s fault. If Ren had crossed the street more carefully, she wouldn’t have been hit by your daughter. It was a pure accident. Please don’t feel responsible.”
“Accidents don’t happen unless soone is careless. If Yona hadn’t told about this... I never would’ve known that Ren could still be cured. Why are you hiding it? You’re still struggling to find money for the surgery, right? Yona said Ren’s uterus would be permanently damaged in two months.”
“...So my hunch was right. The doctor at the hospital told Yona everything.”
My brain needed ti to process everything I was hearing.
After a few seconds, it all made sense. The reason Yona was acting strange yesterday—it was because she’d been told by the doctor at the hospital where I was treated for that fever... that I could still get pregnant through surgery?
Was it that sa doctor I first t in this world? So the hospital I went to yesterday... was it the one that treated when I first arrived in this world!?
No, wait! Even if that’s true, it still doesn’t explain Yona’s behavior yesterday. I can be cured, so why did she seem so depressed?
Then my mom spoke again.
“...How could a doctor like that just blurt out a patient’s info so carelessly?”
“At the very least, I’m glad I found out Ren could be cured. We’ve been neighbors for years, and I’ve co to think of her like my own daughter. So please, take this money.”
“I... will think about it.”
“Thank you very much. Then I’ll take my leave. Sorry for coming so early. I didn’t have any other ti to spare.”
Footsteps followed by the sound of the door closing. Yona’s mother had left.
Strangely, after the silence returned, the dryness in my throat was gone. At the sa ti, I even forgot why I ca downstairs in the first place.
All I had in my head now was confusion. I began to walk up the stairs again, but then I heard my na being called.
“Ren... You’re awake?”
“I just needed to pee.”
“...The bathroom’s upstairs.”
“...”
“I see. You heard everything, didn’t you? I just... I’ve been struggling to get the money. The bank wouldn’t give us a loan, and your surgery has many risks. I’m sorry for keeping this from you, Ren. You... I should’ve told you from the start. You have the right to know. Y-You can bla for being a coward, but now with the money from—”
“That’s enough, Mom. I’m still sleepy.”
I cut her words in midair. I continued going up the stairs without looking back at all. Her voice sounded nervous and uneasy, but I didn’t care at that mont.
Because now, I had a much bigger problem to deal with after hearing their conversation.
I shut the door and lay back down. My eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
“I can... get pregnant again?”
Going back to sleep was impossible now. So I just stayed in that position until the sun began to rise. The alarm on the desk rang, and I got up. School was still waiting for .
I went downstairs again. My dad was cooking breakfast. My mom was nowhere to be seen.
“Good morning, Ren. Your mom left early for work today. Go take a shower first, breakfast’s not ready yet.”
“Okay...”
Half an hour passed, and everything was ready. Since I had a spare uniform, the pants I’d soiled earlier were still in the washing machine. I stepped out of the house.
On my way to the station, I accidentally ran into a man. Not just an ordinary man, his belly looked huge. Not fat, but pregnant.
He was talking with another man walking beside him.
“Hee~ So you had a C-section back then?”
“Yeah! It was really tough. The doctor said my baby’s position was tilted a bit, so it was hard to get him out naturally.”
“What about , I wonder?”
“You’ll be fine. Yours is big, the baby will co out easy, haha!”
Big what?
Suddenly, my stomach hurt. ... No, since in this world n can get pregnant, maybe it wasn’t my stomach.
I’d been wondering for a while why I often felt cramps in the morning, but nothing ever ca out when I went to the toilet. Now I think I understand. In this world, n have wombs. And mine was injured from being hit by Yona. So the pain wasn’t from my stomach, it was from my uterus.
“...Why am I only finding out now that I can be cured?”
If I hadn’t overheard that conversation this morning, it might’ve taken much longer before I knew the truth. My mom and dad would obviously be happy if I could carry a child again, but I wouldn’t.
I still have my banana, yet I can carry a baby? As a man from the old world, there’s nothing logical about this. Just imagining myself soday married and pregnant... No, I can’t imagine it.
Also, how the hell am I supposed to give birth? Don’t tell ... from my banana? I-Isn’t this like a real-life horror movie!?
“...What am I supposed to do now?”
This morning didn’t feel as bright as it usually did.
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