The realization came slowly. She had missed her period, brushed off the nausea with laughter, but then the pregnancy test glowed a solid red. Natsuki stared at it, her hands trembling, her world tilting. She was single, fiercely independent, and her art was her entire universe—how could she juggle parenthood with the fire of her creative ambition? By the time the sun dipped below the rooftops, she had shared the news with her best friend, Kaito, a soft-spoken jazz musician who had been a constant presence in her life for years.