Chapter 155: This is real, pregnancy

The first semester of freshman year was hell. After switching medications, I felt constantly ill, exhausted and achy. Waking up in the morning was a struggle, and my head felt heavy all day.

Every day was a blur of fatigue and discomfort. I felt like I’d been undergoing egg retrieval the entire semester. Except for a few week-long breaks, I’d been constantly injecting myself with hormones.

I barely managed to submit my assignments on time, and some, I missed completely due to exhaustion. I’d always been a diligent student, but I’d never missed deadlines before, not until now.
Aya, who’d only needed one retrieval procedure, helped me as much as she could, but there was a limit to what she could do. We were at Tokyo University, after all, a highly competitive environment where everyone was focused on getting into medical school. Helping others wasn’t exactly encouraged.

“Ugh… Thank you, Aya.”
“Don’t mention it. Get some rest today.”

“…Okay.”

Exam season was actually better, since there were no classes. I would spend the entire day in bed, sleeping. I’d long since lost the ability to focus in class, the professors’ lectures going in one ear and out the other.

I hadn’t realized retrieving a few eggs would be this difficult. It made me appreciate how… easy it was for men. A quick, painless procedure… I felt a surge of resentment, a childish thought I’d never had before: ‘It must be so easy for men.’ I even made a deal with a god I didn’t believe in, asking to return to my past life. Of course, there was no answer.

The first semester finally ended, and final exams arrived. The exams themselves weren’t difficult, about the same level as Takamari’s third-year exams, but as expected, my grades were abysmal.

Barely a 3.0 GPA out of 4.3. A humiliating score, a blow to my pride, having once been ranked third in the nation. Aya, of course, got a perfect score in every subject. I felt so inadequate.

But thankfully, everyone was understanding. Aya, and even my new university friends, seemed to get it. They were worried about me, checking in on me, offering to help with assignments I’d missed. “Are you okay? Don’t worry, we’ll do it together next time!” They’d say, smiling cheerfully. If it weren’t for their support, I might have given up.

The hellish first semester finally ended. It had been difficult, but I’d survived.

****

As soon as the break started, I finally got some good news. The egg retrieval was complete. They would proceed with the implantation as soon as the fertilization was successful. I sighed in relief, but then—

“You’ll need to take medication and have injections to thicken your uterine lining before the implantation. While we have successful in vitro fertilization cases, there aren’t many clinical cases with this specific procedure, so it might take some time.”

More medication! More injections! I’d hoped things would be easier after the egg retrieval… My face paled, and the doctor, seeing my expression, smiled reassuringly.

“The implantation procedure itself isn’t difficult, so don’t worry. But we need to make sure your uterine lining is thick enough, so please take the prescribed medication and have the injections as scheduled.”

So, another round of medication and injections. The side effects weren’t as severe this time, but I still felt constantly tired and nauseous. Taking pills every morning and evening, regular injections at the hospital… it was tedious and tiring, but much better than the ovulation induction medication.

After about a month, my uterine lining had thickened sufficiently, and the fertilization process, surprisingly, finished quickly. The implantation day arrived.

Aya came with me to the hospital. “It’s okay, Rina. It’ll be over soon. It’s not a difficult procedure.”
“…Okay.”

Aya sat beside me, holding my hand tightly, as I lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling like a patient on her deathbed.

“Just relax and take deep breaths. You won’t feel much pain.”

The doctor inserted a thin tube… there… and I felt the embryo being implanted into my uterus. It was more uncomfortable than painful, much better than the hormone injections.

“Okay, it’s done. Just lie down and rest for a while. Please take it easy today and avoid strenuous activity.”

The procedure itself was quick, but the sudden release of tension brought on a wave of exhaustion. I lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was finally real… I might actually be pregnant.
Fear, excitement, and a mix of other emotions swirled within me as I squeezed Aya’s hand.

“You did well, Rina,” Aya whispered softly, squeezing my hand back. Now all we could do was wait.

I silently prayed that the embryo would implant successfully and drifted off to sleep, exhausted.

****

About a month after the implantation, I was relaxing at home when I suddenly had an intense craving.

‘Spicy food… kimchi…’

For some reason, I craved Korean food, the kind we’d had during our graduation trip. The thought of spicy, crunchy kimchi made my mouth water. It was strange. The only time I’d had kimchi as Kurosawa Rina was during our graduation trip to Korea with the Trinity.

“…Huh?”

Then I realized what this meant. The craving for spicy food, the nausea on an empty stomach… I rushed to the bathroom and retched.

“Is this… morning sickness?”

My heart pounded. Could it be…? Already?
It had been a month… it was about time.

Had it… worked? In my dream, which felt like a premonition, I was three months pregnant in my second year of university, so I’d thought it wouldn’t happen until then… I’d been so careful, avoiding strenuous activity and treating myself as if I were already pregnant, just in case. I’d studied so much about pregnancy, preparing for this.

But… it had worked.
Aya’s and my baby was growing inside me.

Tears streamed down my face.

“It… worked. It worked…”

I was so relieved that it had happened in the first semester, not a year later. If it hadn’t, I would have taken a leave of absence in the second semester because of the medication. Well, I’d still have to take a leave in the second semester, since I’d be pregnant…

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t stand the nausea any longer, so I threw on some clothes and ran to the nearby convenience store, grabbing a spicy kimchi fried rice and a cup of instant noodles. I wished they had real kimchi. Japanese kimchi wasn’t the same.

I devoured the food as soon as I got home, and the nausea subsided, the spicy flavor refreshing.

“Haa…”

That evening, Aya, who was working at her family’s company during summer break, came home.

“Rina, how was your day?”
“I… I was acting strange today, Aya… It was weird.”
“Strange how?”
“I suddenly craved Korean food so badly. Spicy kimchi fried rice and ramen… and then I felt so nauseous… so I went to the convenience store.”

Aya’s eyes widened, sparkling with an intensity I’d never seen before.

“Rina, is that… morning sickness?”
“Yeah… probably.”

“So… it worked?”

Aya, knowing how much I’d struggled, started to cry. Tears welled up in my eyes too, and we hugged each other, sobbing.

“Rina, it finally… finally… worked.”
“I’m so happy, Aya.”

Aya smiled brightly, gently caressing my cheek. She was crying and smiling at the same time… It reminded me of a Korean saying, but I was probably making the same face.

“Let’s take care of you. Eat whatever you want, and tell me if you’re feeling unwell, okay?”
“Okay, thank you, Aya…!”

I was so happy…
I snuggled up to Aya, pushing away all negative thoughts, and we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
We’d promised to wait until our wedding night for… anything more.