Kujou Family Residence — 9:15 PM
In her cozy room, Alya lay curled up on her bed, clutching her stomach as if it were being wrung out. A thin blanket covered part of her body, while the pillow that should have been under her head was now hugged tightly against her abdomen to ease the pain.
"Ugh... Why does it hurt more than usual this month?"
Her brows furrowed deeply, creating faint creases on her normally smooth forehead. This wasn't her first period, but somehow, the pain reminded her of her very first menstrual cycle.
"Haaah..."
Alya let out a long sigh. After several minutes of trying different sleeping positions without finding comfort, an idea crossed her mind.
"Maybe barley tea will help ease the pain."
Giving up on forcing herself to sleep, Alya slowly rose from her bed. Her long silver hair cascaded messily around her shoulders. She adjusted her pastel-colored pajamas before stepping out of her room and heading to the kitchen to make tea.
As she descended to the first floor, her steps were slow and slightly dragging. Passing through the dimly lit living room, illuminated only by a small corner lamp and the glow of the television, Alya spotted her older sister, Masha, lounging on the sofa.
Masha seemed engrossed in a variety show, casually popping a slice of orange into her mouth with her right hand while her left gently rubbed circles on her own stomach.
Seeing this, Alya guessed her sister was also suffering from menstrual cramps. The Kujou sisters had always shared the same menstrual cycle.
In the kitchen, Alya turned on the stove and boiled water. While waiting, she took out their favorite ceramic mugs. Once the water boiled, she steeped two bags of barley tea and let them infuse for a few minutes.
The warm, soothing aroma of barley tea filled the kitchen, calming her nerves. Carefully, Alya carried both mugs to the living room. Sitting beside Masha, she handed the pink mug to her sister.
"Here, for you, Masha."
"Thank you, Alya-chan."
Slightly surprised by her younger sister's sudden gesture, Masha smiled softly, her eyes shining with affection. She accepted the mug with both hands and took a slow sip, savoring the warmth spreading through her throat.
"You're having stomach cramps too?" Alya asked between sips of her own tea.
Masha flinched almost imperceptibly before nodding slowly. "Mm... Yeah."
"It's weird. This month feels worse than usual." Alya complained with a slight grimace. "I already took medicine, but the pain won't go away. It's like my first period all over again."
Masha's hands trembled slightly as she listened to Alya's complaints. Her eyes avoided meeting her sister's innocent gaze.
'Pregnant women stop menstruating during pregnancy.'
The thought flashed through Masha's mind, making her even more nervous. The truth was, she was pregnant—a secret she was still keeping tightly under wraps. Her body was now producing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone that halted her menstrual cycle. Because she was pregnant, she wouldn't menstruate for the next nine months.
Masha wasn't ready to tell her family, especially Alya. At the very least, she wanted to keep this secret for as long as possible—at least until her belly swelled and could no longer be hidden.
With a guilty conscience, Masha forced herself to sound normal and play along with Alya's conversation.
"I-Is that so? Maybe it's because we've been stressed lately, studying for next week's exams?" Masha offered a plausible explanation while biting her lower lip softly.
"Hmm, you might be right, Masha. I have been studying late a lot recently."
Completely unsuspecting of her kind and gentle older sister, Alya nodded in agreement. Her attention then shifted to the plate of peeled oranges on the table, and without thinking, she picked up a slice and popped it into her mouth.
"Mhm...?!?!"
Instantly, her face scrunched up, her eyes narrowing. The sourness was unbearable, but not wanting to waste food, Alya forced herself to swallow it even as her eyes watered.
"Hueek! Masha, these oranges are so sour! How can you eat them like it's nothing?" Alya protested before quickly gulping down more tea to neutralize the sour taste.
With an innocent smile, Masha chuckled softly. "Ah, well... I just felt like something sour tonight. It's... refreshing!"
In reality, it was just a pregnancy craving—one of the side effects she couldn't resist. During her pregnancy, Masha had been indulging in all sorts of sour foods, from limes to pickles to sour candies—things she normally wouldn't touch.
"Your taste is so weird, Masha..."
Alya shook her head in disbelief while Masha happily took another slice and ate it with relish, seemingly enjoying it a little too much.
'Alya-chan, you're going to be an aunt soon~' Masha thought to herself, a small smile playing on her lips. She glanced at her sister with deep affection, not daring to reveal the truth—at least, not yet.
For now, this little secret would remain hidden in the warmth of the Kujou family's living room, accompanied by two mugs of barley tea and a plate of sour oranges that only one of the two sisters could enjoy.
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Uesugi Family Residence — 10:22 PM
Nakano Yotsuba—now bearing the Uesugi name after marriage—closed the video call app on her phone with a long sigh. Her call with Itsuki, her youngest sister, had just ended. The girl once known for her signature green ribbon now sat alone in the dimly lit living room, accompanied only by the soft glow of a table lamp in the corner.
Her hand drifted slowly, touching her still-flat stomach despite being married to Fuutarou for over a year. An inexplicable unease lingered in her chest.
"Even though I was the first among the quintuplets to get married, Itsuki is the first to get pregnant—even though she's not even married yet."
The next moment, Yotsuba shook her head vigorously, as if trying to dispel the thought.
"No, I shouldn't think badly of my sister."
Getting up from the sofa, Yotsuba adjusted the pink lingerie she had deliberately worn tonight. The slightly transparent sleepwear accentuated her curves—an attempt to reignite her husband's passion.
*CLICK!*
The sound of the front door unlocking snapped her out of her thoughts. Quickly, Yotsuba smoothed her hair and hurried to the entrance to welcome Fuutarou home.
"Welcome back, Fuutarou. Thank you for your hard work." She greeted him with a sweet smile, deliberately standing in a way that showcased her alluring lingerie.
Uesugi Fuutarou—the man who had once been the private tutor for Yotsuba and her four sisters—lifted his tired face. His sharp eyes barely glanced at his wife's seductive attire.
"Oh, I'm home, Yotsuba." His reply was flat.
Under normal circumstances, Fuutarou would have been thrilled to see Yotsuba greeting him like this. But tonight, his expression made it clear his mind was preoccupied with something else. He handed his work bag to Yotsuba, removed his suit jacket, and hung it by the door.
"Eh...?" Yotsuba couldn't hide her surprise at her husband's indifferent reaction.
As Fuutarou walked past her, loosening his tie, a whirlwind of thoughts stormed through Yotsuba's mind.
"Am I not attractive to Fuutarou anymore? Or maybe..."
Though she didn't want to think the worst, her body moved before her rationality could stop her. With quick but careful movements, she inspected Fuutarou's jacket, searching for any evidence—lipstick stains, a woman's perfume, or perhaps a suspicious business card.
"Thank goodness, I was just overthinking."
Finding nothing incriminating, Yotsuba sighed in relief. Guilt immediately washed over her for doubting her husband.
She hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner for Fuutarou, reheating the curry she had made earlier—his favorite meal since his tutoring days.
At the dining table, Yotsuba anxiously watched Fuutarou eat listlessly. The dark circles under his eyes and the stiffness in his shoulders betrayed his exhaustion after a long day as a "corporate slave" as he often jokingly called himself.
"Fuutarou-kun, did something happen at work?" Yotsuba asked worriedly.
Fuutarou hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but decided against it. After a moment of silence, he simply shook his head and continued eating quietly.
After dinner, Fuutarou headed straight to the bedroom. He changed into his pajamas and collapsed onto the bed without another word.
Yotsuba, who had been feeling aroused earlier, tried to coax her husband into intimacy. With a seductive motion, she climbed onto the bed and touched his shoulder.
"Fuutarou-kun... it's been a while since we... you know..." She whispered in a sweet, pleading voice.
But Fuutarou only sighed and replied wearily, "Sorry, Yotsuba. I have to work early tomorrow. Maybe next time, okay?"
Disappointment was evident on Yotsuba's face, but she tried to understand. Reluctantly, she lay down beside Fuutarou, who had already closed his eyes and begun snoring.
"..."
In the silence of the night, Yotsuba stared at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting. Without realizing it, her lips moved, uttering words that even surprised herself.
"Itsuki is so lucky... Rokuhara-san seems so strong in bed that Itsuki often complains she can't handle him alone..."
Yotsuba recalled Itsuki's stories about how her boyfriend, Ren, had incredible stamina in bed. Itsuki had even jokingly said she wouldn't mind if Ren took another woman just so she could "share the burden".
"What am I even thinking?" Yotsuba covered her face with her hands, embarrassed by her own thoughts. "I should be grateful to have Fuutarou-kun..."
With mixed emotions, Yotsuba finally fell asleep beside her husband, hoping tomorrow would bring some change to their increasingly dull married life.