Chapter 161: Consequences of the Act
Wednesday, April 19 – Week 2, Day 0
That morning, when I took my basal body temperature, it had clearly dropped from the day before.
I’d read that it tends to dip right before shifting from the low temperature phase to the high temperature phase. If that was the case, then ovulation was likely to occur in the next day or two.
And once an egg is released, it can be fertilized for roughly 24 hours.
Knowing that made it impossible to stay calm during school—I couldn’t concentrate on the lessons at all.
I’d heard that the cervical mucus becomes stickier around ovulation, so I tried to check in the bathroom during break, but my pad was already soaked and sticky with Souta’s semen, making it impossible to tell anything.
Still, the fact that there was so much of it gave me a sense of reassurance in its own way…
That was part of the reason why I skipped club activities and went straight to the apartment after class.
Thursday, April 20 – Week 2, Day 1
Beep, beep, beep—the notification sound rang as I took the thermometer out of my mouth. My basal body temperature had gone up.
“Am I ovulating…?”
Lying in bed, I gently pressed my hand against my stomach and murmured.
Now that my relationships with people had finally settled down, a new worry had emerged—whether I could actually get pregnant.
The soul of Alicia within me was gradually, but surely, fading away.
To distract myself from that fear, I could only focus on what I could do right now. So apart from going to school and eating, I’d spent nearly all my time having sex.
Because when I was in his arms, I didn’t feel like I was about to be crushed by anxiety.
Friday, April 21 – Week 2, Day 2
I skipped school.
Because I had begged Souta to stay with me.
I sent a message to Yuna to ask her to cover for me, and from morning on, we indulged in our unhealthy acts.
I just wanted to raise the chances even a little, so I did everything I thought would make Souta happy.
Saturday, April 22 – Week 2, Day 3
As we drifted through a time where day and night no longer mattered, Yuna suddenly showed up at the room.
“Ugh… what the hell, it reeks in here.”
Yuna grimaced as she began cleaning up the mess the room had become.
Souta and I were both completely naked under a sheet, but she didn’t even bat an eye.
We were both groggy and exhausted from just waking up, so it took us a while to start thinking straight. And by the time we could think clearly, being seen no longer felt like a big deal.
“I-I’ll clean it up myself!”
“It’s fine, really.”
Even so, I still felt like letting Yuna take care of our self-inflicted mess was wrong—just wrong as a human being.
But the muscle pain all over my body made it nearly impossible to move.
The table was covered with lunch containers and empty plastic bottles, the top of the fridge lined with energy drink bottles, clothes were strewn everywhere, and tissues were crumpled on the floor and overflowing from the trash.
“Ugh… ngh…”
There was no end to the things I didn’t want someone else to clean up, yet Yuna handled it all briskly and without complaint.
“I ran a bath. You two get in. I want to clean the bed too.”
“O-okay.”
Dragging our aching bodies, Souta and I slowly made our way to the bathroom.
We didn’t even have the energy to properly wash—we just gave ourselves a quick rinse with the shower and got into the tub. I slid in between Souta’s legs, who had entered first, and leaned back against him.
Then we just stayed like that, letting our muscles loosen in the warmth.
“…Hey, something hard’s poking me.”
“Can’t help it—it’s morning, you know? You get what I mean, right?”
“I get it, but what I don’t get is why your hands are on me.”
“Because I didn’t know what to do with them.”
“You’re touching me in a really lewd way… You can’t, Yuna’s here right now!”
“Hearing that just turns me on even more.”
“Stop… I’m serious, not now! You can do whatever you want later.”
“…Sorry, I can’t hold back.”
“Idiot… mmph—!”
I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep any sounds from escaping.
At this point, it was better to just get it over with quickly. The longer it went on, the higher the chance Yuna would notice.
Maybe the switch for Souta’s horny mode had completely broken over the last few days.
“Mmm, mmmph! Nngh—!”
…Maybe mine had, too.
After cleansing my body with magic, I left Souta behind and got out of the bath first.
I changed into the clothes Yuna had left outside the bathroom and returned to the room. The window had been opened to air the place out, and the fresh breeze felt incredibly refreshing.
Apparently, she’d brought a fresh set of sheets, and even made the bed.
Yuna was sitting on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, looking at me with an exasperated expression.
“You two, seriously…”
Her face was slightly red.
“…Sorry about everything.”
I thought we’d been quiet, but apparently it had been obvious what we were doing.
“Well, it’s whatever, I guess.”
“Ahaha…”
Forcing a smile, I sat down next to her.
"...Have you been eating properly?"
"Ah, yeah... more or less."
"Make sure you eat, okay? I put some of the meals and side dishes your mom made in the fridge, in Tupperware."
"Thanks."
"Also, I’ll take your uniform to the cleaners and bring it back later with a change of clothes."
"Really sorry for all the trouble."
I’d acted without thinking, and the result was a wrinkled, dirty uniform.
"You’re coming to school tomorrow, alright?"
"Yeah."
Yuna hugged me.
"Don’t push yourself too hard... okay?"
"...Okay."
April 24th, Monday, Week 2, Day 5
Today was my first day back at school in a while.
I’d told everyone I was out sick on Friday, so my classmates were worried. That just made me feel even more guilty.
I really had been exhausted, so no one doubted me...
But I ended up sleeping through more than half the classes.
April 26th, Wednesday, Week 3, Day 0
My basal body temperature had clearly entered the high-temperature phase.
If I was pregnant, it would stay high like this. If not, my period would come and it would drop to the low phase.
...Please, let it stay high.
Ovulation would have happened around the day my temperature rose, and if fertilization had occurred, the fertilized egg would now be called an embryo.
Smaller than a millimeter, weighing less than a gram—a tiny, tiny thing. And yet it could become a person. The human body is such a mysterious thing.
Starting today, I’ve decided to go home at night.
I’m still going to the apartment, since there's still a chance I could be pregnant. The human body is full of exceptions and unexpected outcomes—nothing is absolute.
May 3rd, Wednesday, Week 4, Day 0
Today marked the 28th day since my last period—my expected period date.
I decided to use an early pregnancy test.
Pregnancy tests detect a hormone that increases if you’re pregnant. Regular ones usually only give a result about a week after your expected period.
But early tests are more sensitive and can give results around your expected date.
You can’t buy them at normal pharmacies, and sometimes you have to provide your name and contact info, so Mom bought it for me.
Sitting on the toilet seat, I held the stick-shaped test in my hand and slipped it between my thighs.
"...Mm."
I let the tip soak for a few seconds before pulling it away.
After putting the cap back on, I set it down on the handkerchief spread across my knees.
If a line appeared in the little round window in the center, that meant I was pregnant.
I stared at it, silently praying—and then, faintly, a line began to appear.
"I-I did it...!"
Unable to contain my excitement, I quickly cleaned up and rushed out of the bathroom.
"Well?!"
As soon as I opened the living room door, Yuna rushed over. Holding up the test that showed a result, I flashed a peace sign with my other hand.
"Hehe..."
"You did it, Alice!"
Yuna hugged me tightly, and I jumped up with her, overjoyed.
"If you get too excited, you’ll trip."
Mom’s words reeled us back from our floating mood.
"Just because the test shows a line doesn’t mean it’s a confirmed pregnancy, okay? So try not to get too carried away."
"Yeah."
All the test tells you is that your body is producing the hormone necessary for pregnancy.
Whether the fertilized egg has safely implanted in the uterus and is developing can only be confirmed at a hospital.
"Once Golden Week is over, let’s go to the OB-GYN."
"Shouldn’t we go right away?"
I wanted to get confirmation as soon as possible, but Mom shook her head.
"It’s not something that needs urgent care. Besides, they probably won’t be able to confirm a pregnancy at this stage anyway."
"I see..."
After that, Mom taught me what I needed to know as an expectant mother. Things like staying relaxed, keeping my body warm, avoiding staying up late, cutting back on caffeine—apparently there’s a lot I should be careful about.
That night, before going to bed, I stroked my stomach over and over again, renewing my determination to save Alicia.
May 4th, Thursday, Week 4, Day 1
"I might be... pregnant. I’m not sure yet, though."
I told Souta when I visited the apartment.
"I-I see."
Souta looked clearly flustered by the sudden news. Even though everything had been done for the purpose of making a baby, now that it might have actually happened, it probably still didn’t feel real to him.
"So... that means we can save Alicia, right?"
"Yeah... It’s all thanks to you, Souta."
"I didn’t really do anything worth thanking me for..."
He muttered self-deprecatingly, "All I did was do it over and over."
"That’s not true. You really gave it your all."
Even when it must’ve been exhausting, Souta never turned me down, no matter how many times I asked. Even during his post-ejaculation cooldown, when it’s hardest to keep going—he still responded to me. I know how difficult that is.
"Anyway... I’m just glad."
"Yeah. So, that means we can’t do it anymore..."
"Ah... yeah. Makes sense."
"Sorry."
"Don’t worry about it. More importantly—are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah. I’m a bit feverish and tired, but it’s always like this before my period."
"I-I see... Well, just take care of yourself."
"Thanks, Souta."
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