Chapter 12 - Choice

"Help... What do you mean?" I pretended not to understand what Ryo was proposing. I knew. It was impossible not to.

"Oh? Are you going to pretend you don't understand, Nishida-kun?" She took a step forward and put one hand on her waist.

I swallowed hard. "Yes... I just didn't expect to hear it from you now. After all..."

"What happened between us must be forgotten," Ryo said in an icy tone. "It's a different matter now. My friend isn't like me. Her husband knows all about the group and supports her. But of course, there will be an interview first. He needs to approve the candidate. After all, we're talking about their future child."

"Interview?"

"Yes. You don't think just anyone can do that, do you? They want someone healthy, young, with good genes. You're a suitable candidate in that regard, otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen you."

I was confused whether I should take this as a compliment. I didn't even understand yet why Ryo was part of a natural insemination group and hadn't told Hayato. It didn't make much sense either, considering Hayato wasn't infertile — I knew that because Shizuri was their daughter.

All things considered, getting involved with another woman from this group seemed risky for my peace of mind.

"I don't know..." I muttered.

Ryo took another step forward, standing just centimeters away from me. Her perfume was sweet, subtle.

"My friend is passionate," she said.

I closed my eyes for a second, fighting the expression that threatened to form on my face.

"That's not a very valid argument."

"No? You've already done it with me, Nishida-kun. Doing it for money isn't a problem for you, so why are you hesitating now?"

"The difference is that my first client brought more problems than I anticipated."

"First?" Ryo raised an eyebrow and turned away, shrugging. "Anyway, it's just an offer. If you don't want to, forget it. Go work. Hayato will know tomorrow that you left us alone while he was away and that you're not living up to the agreement."

The problem was that I really needed the money. My job at the bar would only be for one night, and the pay was never that good. An insemination service in just an afternoon would earn me the equivalent of four days of unhealthy work in the early hours.

"Right..." I muttered. "I'll take the job." 

Ryo looked at me over her shoulder and smiled with satisfaction. "I'll text her now... At least for the first few days, try not to work outside. It's better for people to know that there's a man in this house when Hayato isn't around. That might keep the stalkers away."

I sighed once more and scratched the back of my head.

"So... it's not exactly a choice, is it?"

"I'd say it's a choice... with benefits."

I knew what benefits she was talking about. "Fine." 

Ryo laughed quietly. "Good. I've texted her, and she'll give me an answer tomorrow. I'll text you the answer. We can't talk about it when Hayato and Shizuri are here."

-:-

Waking up and staring at an unfamiliar ceiling was strange, but I wasn't unaccustomed to it, nor to the hard mattress. At least I still had all my things from my old apartment. After all, I had barely furniture because I'd only been there a short time.

Automatically, like every morning, I pulled my phone out from under my pillow. There were two notifications.

[Haru: No problem. We'll talk later, man.]

It was the reply to my message saying I couldn't go to work.

[Carl: I only saw your missed call just now. I was with a guy. What happened?]

It was just like Carl to disappear for a while and then reappear as if nothing had happened. I quickly typed a reply.

[Me: Are you free for breakfast today? It's a long story.

Carl: Where?

Me: That corner café we always go to.

Carl: Deal! See you there.]

I sighed and put my phone down beside me. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to hear for any movement outside. No sound of footsteps, no noise coming from the kitchen.

'Did they leave?'

I sat up in bed, rubbing my face with my hands before getting up. I picked up the clothes I had left folded in the corner of the room and put them on without hurrying. My mind was still digesting the previous night's conversation with Ryo. Had I really accepted that?

'Damn... is it too late to turn back?'

I needed the money. That was the only reason I had said yes, or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

When I left the room, the main corridor was as quiet as I'd imagined. I thought about going to the kitchen to see if they had really left or were just sleeping. However, the second option was almost impossible. It was almost eleven in the morning. Besides, Hayato should be back, and I knew he didn't want to see me walking around.

'He made it very clear. I can only use the bedroom and the bathroom. I have to follow that rule, at least.'

So, without further ado, I left the house without saying a word. Fortunately for me, there was no one spying on the house.

I put my hands in my pockets and started walking. The route to the center was quiet in this neighborhood, so when I got there, I was a little lost in the crowd.

I arrived at the café a few minutes before the agreed time. It was one of those modern places, with wooden tables and large windows that let natural light in. I chose a table in the corner and sank into the chair, finally feeling the weight of the sleepless night.

I could hardly count how many times I woke up because of the whirlwind of thoughts.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for Carl to arrive, and he was wearing his usual broad smile. Carl was an American student, so he dressed differently from the Japanese of our age. He was wearing a faded denim jacket and sunglasses, which attracted a lot of attention from the girls.

Carl put his glasses back on as soon as he saw me and walked over to me with a casual smile.

"What's up, Nishida! You look wiped out!" He pulled up a chair and sat down, dropping his cell phone on the table.

"Bad night's sleep." I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

"Well, I slept very well, so I don't know what that's like. But what happened?"

Over the next few minutes, I told him everything that had happened since I went to meet the user "Ryo_Nakano72" whom I had met in the group he had put me in. I told him everything from the meeting between me and her to the eviction from the old apartment and how I ended up finding out that Hayato, my new landlord, was Ryo's husband.

"Holy shit, man... How did all this happen in just one day?" Carl said, slack-jawed. "Like, I put you in a group, you meet a random woman, have sex with her in her establishment, find out that her husband doesn't know she's trying to get pregnant by another guy, and now you're about to be interviewed to become a sperm donor for her friend? How are you so unlucky and lucky at the same time?!"

"Shhh! Can't you speak a little louder?" I was ironic and sighed. "But yes, you got it right."

He hissed, picking up the menu on the table and flipping through it absent-mindedly.

"Well, at least you're getting paid well, right?"

"The money's good... but man, I don't know. There's something strange about all this."

Carl put down the menu and leaned his elbows on the table, paying attention again because he knew the story wasn't over.

"How strange?"

"I don't know. Hayato is fertile. I know he is. He has a daughter with Ryo. So why the hell is Ryo in this group?"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Didn't you think she just wanted to cheat on her husband?"

"That may be... but the way she acted before and after we had sex wasn't that of someone who just wanted to have fun." Carl snorted.

Carl snorted. "Thanks for the compliment, but I don't know if that makes me any more comfortable with this situation."

"You can quit, you know."

"I know... but the money, Carl. I'm broke. You know that. And this is a very cheap place."

He nodded several times. "Okay... Yeah, that's a problem... But what about it? Do you have any idea what this interview with the other woman is going to be like?"

"No idea. Ryo said that her friend is married and that her husband has to approve of me."

Carl laughed. "At least she told her husband."

I remained serious, and he stopped laughing.

"Anyway, when is this interview? If you have bills to pay, I can lend you some money until..."

Ding!

Ironically, a message arrived at that moment. I took my phone out of my pocket, and it was a message from Ryo's fake account, Ryo_Nakano72.

[Ryo_Nakano72: Tokyu Plaza Shibuya, Floor 18. In 30 minutes. They'll be waiting.]

'She was probably feeling like an international drug dealer when she sent that message,' I thought, looking at the extremely brief message.