The oppressive heat and humidity of the night made it nearly impossible for Akane to find any semblance of rest. She had long since given up on trying to sleep in her small, cramped bedroom and had instead opted for the slightly cooler confines of the living room couch.
Her reprieve was short-lived, however, as the sound of her mother’s drunken laughter and the obnoxious giggling of a man she assumed was her mother’s newest boyfriend filtered in from the hallway. Akane groaned, pulling a pillow over her head in a futile attempt to block out the noise.
“Look at you, Akane,” her mother slurred, stumbling into the living room. “All those late-night practices must be paying off. You’ve got quite the athletic build going on there. I bet you’re getting plenty of action, huh?”
Akane sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Mom, it’s three in the morning. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”
Her mother’s boyfriend, a burly man with a beer gut and a lecherous grin, ogled Akane. “Is she pregnant? She can’t be more than eighteen, nineteen at most. And she’s got a bun in the oven?”
Akane’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I’m twenty, and no, I’m not pregnant.”
Her mother waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, details. The point is, we’ve made a decision about your little situation.”
Akane’s heart sank. “What situation?”
“Your pregnancy, of course,” her mother replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We’ve decided that you’re going to marry the father.”
Akane blinked. “What? No, I can’t do that. I’m not ready for marriage, and I don’t even love him.”
Her mother scoffed. “Love has nothing to do with it. You’re a teenager, Akane. You don’t know what love is. This is the best solution for everyone involved.”
Akane’s new stepfather leered at her. “I can’t wait to see you in action as a married woman. You’re going to be one hell of a catch for some lucky guy.”
Akane felt a surge of anger and disgust, but she kept her cool. “I need some time to think about this. Can we talk about it tomorrow?”
Her mother sighed. “Fine. But you need to make a decision soon, Akane. We can’t have you running around town like some loose cannon, getting knocked up by every guy you meet.”
Akane nodded, her mind racing. She couldn’t believe what her mother was asking of her. Marriage? To a man she barely knew? It was madness.
As her mother and her boyfriend stumbled off to bed, Akane was left alone in the apartment, feeling trapped and overwhelmed by the situation. She couldn’t marry Nekomaru, could she? They were just friends. But what other choice did she have?
As she lay back down on the couch, her mind drifted to thoughts of Nekomaru. She wondered what he would say if he knew about her mother’s decision. Would he be happy? Excited? Scared?
She didn’t know, but one thing was certain – she had a lot of thinking to do.
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