Akira paced in the bathroom with apprehension. She threw a glance at the three sticks in the sink, but she did not look at the feedback indicated on them. She was too nervous, and she did not know the results she wanted.

In truth, as soon as Hina made her suspect her condition, she made at least five plans for having and taking care of the baby. And she had multiple contingencies in case things did not work perfectly according to her original plans.

She did not think about not having the baby.

She trusted that Kaito would be there for her.

And even if he was not there, she was capable of raising a child. Granted she knew nothing about babies, but she had enough theoretical knowledge, multiple houses and plenty of money to get the help she needed.

But a part of her was scared.

She was so afraid.

She dialled Kaito's number again. She had been in the bathroom for about fifteen minutes, and in that period, she had already called him about ten times. Unfortunately, all she got was an automated message indicating the phone was off.

Once again, she heard the monotonous message.

She tried to calm down and breathe slowly. She felt like she was in danger of hyperventilating, and she felt sick to her stomach.

She could not do it.

Where was that stupid fox when she needed him?

She was not only thinking about the potential child as she paced. She was starting to feel afraid about Kaito's current status. Even though she had already tried to comfort herself with things like the potential unexpected occurrences on the field, she knew he was not a flaky person.

He knew it was important for her to know that he was fine. He had promised to call her in the morning. Since he had not called and his phone was still off, she could only assume there was an accident. And now, she did not know what to do.

Her eyes watered, and her nose stung a little.

"Akira, are you alright? It's been over twenty minutes." Hina called out from the other side of the door.

Akira blinked back the tears. No, she would not cry. She was a grown woman. There was no need to be afraid. She could look at the stupid sticks. And when Kaito returned, she would kick his ass. And if he did not, she would find him and then, kick his ass.

"Wait a minute," Akira responded.

She took a deep breath and leaned over the sink. She looked at the three tests from the first to the last. Then, she repeated the motion once again. She took another breath before she picked the sticks and threw them in the bin.

She washed her hands and opened the bathroom door. Hina was standing there looking like she was on a hot pan. She grabbed Akira's shoulders.

"Why are you keeping me in suspense? Am I going to be an aunt?" She asked.

"Can't you tell from my face?" Akira smiled at Hina.

Hina peered at Akira's face. "I can't tell. Are you happy or sad? And what results did you want? Aaah, just tell me."

Akira laughed. "You are going to be an aunt."

Hina squealed for a moment before she stopped and looked at Akira awkwardly. "Is this the news you wanted? Are you happy or sad?"

Akira sighed. "Well, I was not sure about the results I wanted. I was so nervous and afraid. But when I saw the positive, I felt calm and peaceful. I don't know if I should have been excited. I just felt ok with the outcome."

"That's good. That's good. Because I might have some bad news for you." Hina grimaced.

Akira felt her heart sink a little. "What is it?"

"Check out MR Circle."

Akira opened the app and found that the first three trending topics had something to do with her. The first was news about Kaito resigning from Takahashi Corporation. The topic was not explicit, but the clues left indicated that he could not bear the pressure of Mountain Ridge and returned to Tokyo.

The second was a blurry picture of her and Hina at the pharmacy. The sensationalised post did not mention her name, but it described her thoroughly. Even an idiot would figure out the 'shunned returnee daughter of a top family' was her.

Based on the post, people thought that she was living in an apartment because she was kicked out of the Yamazaki family. The last article was just a torrid connection between the first two posts, painting both her and Kaito in a poor light.

As she finished reading the article, her phone rang.

It was her mother.

She hesitated before picking the call.

"Hello. Have you seen the posts on MR Circle?" Sayaka asked.

"Yeah, I was just reading them," Akira responded.

"Oh, that is good. Can you come over to the house? I have called your father and Seiji to meet up at the house as soon as possible." Sayaka said.

"That is not necessary. I will deal with the posts personally. You don't have to worry about it." Akira said firmly but politely.

"That is not ideal. Right now, these posts have been tied to the entire Yamazaki family. We have to come up with the right strategy for dealing with the situation. Even if we remove the posts, the damage is done." Sayaka countered. "Come back immediately."

After she ended the call, Akira rolled her eyes and looked at Hina. "I think I am being invited to an intervention."

"Right now? I thought we would spend the evening coming up with baby names." Hina pouted a little.

"You can come up with a list. But I will not use any of your undoubtedly terrible names." Akira did not spare Hina's feelings. "I have to go. I have apparently ruined the Yamazaki name. I should go at least and talk to my brother and father."

"Alright. If you need anyone handled the old-fashioned way, call me immediately. Don't suffer alone." Hina added while waving her fist in the air.

"When have I ever suffered? Don't worry. There is nothing they can do." Akira picked her phone and her handbag. "Close the door when you leave."