In a private room at a karaoke shop in Shinjuku. Still sniffling, I was led inside by Ichika and Mitsuki and sat down on the sofa. Mitsuki, sitting beside me, kept rubbing my back and comforting me.
"Sorry for the wait~. I brought drinks~."
Ichika, who had gone to the drink bar, returned with a tray full of beverages and snacks.
"So? Sumimin, feeling a bit better now?"
"...Mmm, th-thank you..."
"Wow, you were bawling~. This is the first time I've seen Sumi-chan cry."
"Well, crying that much means you need to hydrate."
Ichika placed a drink in front of me.
"This is my special drink, so drink up and cheer up, Sumimin!"
"Special? Isn't this just your usual orange juice + iced tea combo? lol"
"Shut up! It's delicious, okay? lol"
I sipped the drink through the straw. It was incredibly sweet. Later, I found out she had doubled the amount of syrup. Ichika laughed, saying, "Sweet stuff helps in times like this, right? lol," and she was absolutely right. The overwhelming sweetness spreading through my mouth soothed my exhausted heart.
"So... Sumimin, mind telling us what happened now?"
"Huh? What do you mean... It's just..."
"You were crying so hard, it must've been something serious. But if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine."
"Serious? Not really... It's just... a common thing... The person I like already likes someone else, and they're both into each other... There's nothing I can do about it..."
"Whaaaaat!?"
Ichika and Mitsuki gasped in unison, their faces frozen in shock.
"For real!? Sumimin was into a guy!?"
"No way! This is the first time I've heard Sumi-chan talk about love!"
"Who is he? For Sumimin to get rejected, he must be crazy handsome, right?"
"I wanna know too! What kind of person did Sumi-chan fall for?"
"It's not like he's super handsome or anything. He's quiet, kind... just a normal guy."
"Huh~. So that's Sumimin's type~. But, like, he already has a girlfriend, right?"
"Not exactly a girlfriend, but... there's a girl he's liked for a long time. I'd never been into guys before, but... before I knew it, I'd fallen for him. By the time I realized my feelings, it was already too late."
"So, Sumi-chan, did you tell him how you felt?"
At Mitsuki's question, I shook my head.
"No. I didn't. He'd never look my way."
"You don't know that unless you confess!"
"It's fine. The way they feel about each other... I could never compete with that. If I confessed, I'd just make things awkward for him. He's so kind... he'd feel really bad about it. I don't want to make him uncomfortable..."
As I spoke, tears welled up again, dripping onto the table.
"Wow, you're head over heels~. He must be something special."
"I never really cared much about love before. I didn't get what everyone was talking about with their crushes and stuff. But getting rejected... it hurts so much. I just want to forget everything..."
Ichika and Mitsuki wordlessly pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel their heartbeats through their skin. Even without words, their warmth and care overflowed, and it made me so happy... so warm...
"Thank you, both of you. I'll be okay. I might not bounce back right away, but I will. You two really saved me today. Thank you so much."
"Sorry we couldn't do more."
"You're always helping us, Sumi-chan. If there's anything we can do, just say the word."
"Thank you. I'm so glad you're my friends."
"Alright, let's sing our hearts out! Let's blast those tears away with some karaoke!"
"Yeah!"
Ichika and Mitsuki grabbed the mics and picked their favorite songs. Maybe making a ruckus like this would help me feel better. I rarely go to karaoke, but I picked my 18th favorite song—my go-to.
"────I won't~♪ lose~♪"
Ichika and Mitsuki clapped more enthusiastically than usual, clearly trying to cheer me up.
"Wow, Sumi-chan, I never expected you to sing Alouette~!"
"Really? I watched it as a kid, and my little sisters love it too."
"If it's Alouette, Kido-kun knows all about it. He has the whole manga collection—you could borrow it. I've been reading it too, and it's super fun!"
Hearing Kido-kun's name made my heart skip. Was I okay? Did they figure out I liked him?
"Stop it, Mickey! Don't drag Sumimin into Creepy Kido's world. Making her talk to him would just be cruel."
Uh... I was just having sex with him earlier...
"Speaking of which, Ichika, I've been meaning to ask—why do you hate Kido-kun so much? Did he do something?"
"Not really... He's just a gloomy otaku. His laugh is weird, and his likability is negative a hundred billion."
"That's harsh... There's no reason to hate him that much..."
"Come on, Ichika, Kido isn't that bad. Or maybe... you actually like him? lol"
"No no no! Not a chance! Stop it, both of you! Creepy Kido isn't even on my radar! Besides, I'm not in a position to be thinking about guys right now. Right, Mickey!?"
"You don't have to deny it that hard. And what do you mean, 'not in a position'?"
"Uh, well, it's just..."
Ichika's eyes darted around. She and Mitsuki exchanged glances, silently communicating something.
"Ichika, I think it's okay to tell Sumi-chan."
"Hmm, yeah. Maybe it'll help her get over her heartbreak."
"What is it? There's a way to get over heartbreak?"
"Well, not 'get over,' but... move on? A way to be happy without needing a guy?"
"So, Sumimin, you know about the Genius Gene, right?"
"Huh!?"
"Actually, Mickey and I applied to be Genius Gene Recipients. In two weeks, we're gonna have sex with the Seed Distributor~ lol"
CRASH!
"Ah! Sumimin, you okay!?"
I had dropped my glass. The shock of today's events had just been blown away by something even more unbelievable. What was going on?
"R-Recipients? You two are having kids!? You're still so young! Why!?"
Look who's talking.
"Well, younger applicants have a higher chance of being selected. And... I really want a kid."
"Huh? Why? Why do you want a kid?"
Ichika hesitated slightly before explaining.
"I have an older brother—three years older. He's in med school, and he's crazy smart..."
"Keihou University, right? I've met him a few times at your place. Glasses, super smart vibe."
"Keihou..."
The most prestigious private university. If he's in their med program, he must be brilliant.
"And... I'm not that great. I've always been compared to him since I was little..."
"That's..."
"Eventually, my family gave up on me. 'You'll never be as good as your brother.'"
"That's awful! That's way too harsh!"
"So, I'm gonna have a genius kid and shove it in their faces! Even if I can't measure up, my kid will surpass my brother!"
"What did your parents say? Minors can't apply to be Recipients without parental consent."
"Wow, Sumimin, you know a lot~. Were you interested too? Of course, my parents were all for it. 'Finally, you're doing something useful for this family.' Pisses me off, right?"
"Yeah... that's way too harsh."
"Once I have the baby, I'm leaving. Cutting ties with my family and raising the kid on my own."
Not exactly a positive reason, but... I get it. My reason for becoming a Recipient wasn't exactly noble either. I can't judge her.
"I see... But Mitsuki, what about you? You're not just doing this because Ichika is, right?"
"Actually, I was the one who suggested applying to Ichika. So, the opposite."
"Huh? Why?"
"I want to be a pâtissier, so I'm going to culinary school. But my real dream is to taste sweets no one's ever had before."
"...You don't mean..."
"Yep. I'll raise my kid with elite education and have them make amazing sweets for me. School is more about teaching them than learning myself!"
I know I shouldn't judge, but Ichika and Mitsuki are both pretty out there. That's their reason for becoming Recipients? Well, the Sisters all had similar motivations, so maybe that's just how it is...
"But... you're having sex with a stranger. You're okay with that?"
"Of course! I heard the Seed Distributor even had sex with Yua-chan! Yua-chan! Kawakami Yua-chan. My goddess!!"
"Also, the writer Asakura Mana and the former announcer Kawana Ayaka are Recipients too. With celebs like that as siblings, who cares what the Seed Distributor is like~?"
They were both way too excited about this. Oh boy... this is gonna be a mess. Ohno-san, what are you thinking?
"So... you don't care at all what the Seed Distributor is like?"
"Not really. My guess is he's a cool older guy. Mature, gently takes the lead~ ♡"
"I think he's a hot, lean hunk~ ♡. Around our age, maybe 25?"
I covered my mouth and looked down. If I didn't, I might blurt something out. I was also trying not to laugh. No, no, I can't laugh. Ichika and Mitsuki are precious friends... But what faces would they make if they knew the truth about the Seed Distributor? Especially Ichika.
I'll probably never forget this day. It's rare for so many shocking things to happen at once. But Kido-kun must have gone through this countless times before. And he'll keep going through it.
On my way home, walking alone, I looked up at the night sky. Countless stars twinkled overhead. I exhaled, watching my breath turn to mist and vanish. My eyes were still puffy, but the tears had long since dried.
"I've decided. I'll give up on Kido-kun. I'll support Nanami and Kido-kun. If they end up together, Nanami will suffer even more. So I want to help her. Just like Ichika and Mitsuki helped me today. Even if Nanami hates me for it, I'll keep telling her—I'm on her side."
Clutching the shaving cream I bought at the convenience store, I made my vow to the stars. Maybe because I had cried so much, the tangled mess of emotions inside me had completely vanished.
That's right. I'll have Kido-kun's child. And I'll support those two with everything I've got. It might be a strange resolution, but it's my true feelings right now. That much, I know for sure.