Jitsu -A different story-

"And what's the problem with being single?! I always have to put up with those types of comments or related questions. It's quite tiring." That scream that carried a very characteristic complaint and annoyance was said precisely by Akira... Who at that moment showed a completely different image compared to her usual calm attitude, although it wouldn't be very difficult to guess that the can that was in her hand, as well as the empty ones near her, was the main reason for her behavior.

"There's no problem with it, it's just that sometimes it can be difficult to maintain that way of living, mainly because of the society that surrounds us and the generalized idea of how a person should grow up, have a relationship, start a family and all those things, as well as the same human nature of wanting to be accepted and loved by someone else. All of this means that, although it is not bad to live for yourself, it generates doubts in you, questions about what it would be like to have that experience that many people live, to the point that you unconsciously long for it to happen sometime, in addition to the fact that it does not help the fact that those people or acquaintances who are already in that type of relationship think that this is normal and come to judge you on some occasions…" In response to Akira's complaint, Kazumi began to give that extensive explanation before taking her can and drinking it completely before giving a contented sigh. "Haha, but you don't need to listen to me."

Needless to say, the room had fallen into a deep silence, even Akira took a seat on the couch again and all of her previous momentum had been reduced to just staring at the floor as if she were in deep thought.

"Haha… Don't worry, Akira-nee. I'm sure the future will be bright for you." Rena quickly approached where Akira was and began to comfort her a little. Kazumi realized that too and walked over as she said whatever, though Akira's light sobbing made the situation a little uncontrollable.

On the other hand, Shizune was watching everything that was happening, some cans around her were already empty, but unlike the somewhat noticeable changes that Kazumi and Akira presented, she only had a calm, even somewhat sleepy look if you looked at her carefully, although that gave her a somewhat peculiar appeal that could captivate many.

To make the situation clearer, it is necessary to explain what had happened in the last two hours. After Kazumi finished with her jokes, Shizune remembered the cake and went to attract it to distribute it among everyone; from the stars that seemed to appear in Rena's eyes, she had been waiting for it for a long time, so she was the first to taste it and shout that it was delicious, which made everyone laugh and repeat the same action of hers.

It was again a nice moment to share, and when the cake had completely disappeared, Kazumi put on a mischievous expression again and excused herself to go to the kitchen to get something she had put away earlier. From Shizune's memories, in addition to the cake, she had seen that Kazumi was carrying a somewhat large bag with her. Still, Kazumi had not said what it was and had only asked if she could keep the contents in the kitchen, but once she returned and "that" was shown to everyone, they realized the night could be even more entertaining.

For the unaware, what Kazumi had brought was basically a large amount of cans of beer, as well as a bottle of sake that, in her words, was a gift from Kurono that she planned to open when a special event like this came up.

That amount of alcohol had put Shizune on alert a little. Still, understanding Kazumi's good intentions, in addition to the fact that Akira seemed quite interested in the idea, she didn't say anything that could ruin the fun atmosphere. However, maybe not everything was fun since Rena could only watch all that helplessly since she wouldn't be able to drink anything due to her pregnancy, even Kazumi apologized to her since she had forgotten that point due to the excitement of the moment.

So, returning to the present, right now you could say that Rena was the only one sober at that moment and the one in charge of controlling the situation a little since she had only had some iced tea, but she was still having a lot of fun, especially because of the situations that developed, plus the talks were fun enough, although she might have to leave a little earlier than the others.

"Yawn… My eyelids suddenly became very heavy." Rena had to rub her eyes due to the feeling of drowsiness that had attacked her.

"Maybe you should go to sleep already, Rena." Despite the situation, Shizune still worried about Rena and didn't take long to make that suggestion.

"But I had the idea of this little party, I wouldn't want to leave you… Yawn…" Rena's intention was genuine since she was enjoying everything about it, but that didn't stop the yawns coming out of her from betraying her.

"Come on, I'm sure you'll fall at any moment. We will continue celebrating in your name, Rena-chan." Kazumi also joined the conversation after seeing the state Rena was in.

"Do you want me to walk you to the room?" Even Akira seemed to be back to herself and offered to help Rena.

Rena could feel warmth and sincerity from all of them, which was enough to make it clear to her that they cared about her, and although she really wanted to be able to accompany them a little more, the sleepy did not stop accumulating as time, so that in the end she gave up and accepted Akira's idea, although, on the way to the room, Rena had to be more careful that Akira didn't have an accident...

"Sigh… Excited to soon be a grandmother?" Kazumi had already seen Rena and Akira's figure disappear into the stairs, so she turned her attention to Shizune and asked that question directly.

"Hehe. The truth is that yes, both my family and Akio's are very excited about it, I hope everything goes without complications." It was inevitable that no problems to arise during this type of event, so it was something that was worrying sometimes to Shizune.

"Don't overthink about it, Rena-chan looks completely healthy and full of energy, surely her little one is the same, maybe they have several nights with few hours of sleep ahead of them, haha." Kazumi couldn't help but joke about what it was like to have a baby around, it wasn't like she had already been through it, but she still had some experience taking care of young children due to her past at the orphanage, so she had both good and difficult memories about it.

"Yes, it has been many years since I was in the same situation… But just like how my mother helped me at the time, I want to be of great support to Rena." Again, Shizune showed a calm expression, one that was combined with a maternal feeling that even Kazumi couldn't ignore.

Perhaps the conversation between the two would change to some other topic while they continued waiting for Akira's return, but at that moment a sound would be heard that would catch both of their attention, especially Shizune's.