The Case of Kentaro Hiyama

***The Case of Kentaro Hiyama*** (Japanese: 桧山健太郎の場合; Hepburn: *Hiyama Kentarou no baai*) is the first chapter in the first collected work *Kentaro Hiyama's First Pregnancy* by Eri Sakai. The chapter covers Kentaro Hiyama's sudden pregnancy and his attempt at dealing with it.

## Synopsis

Elite office worker Kentaro Hiyama, 32 years old, single, 12 weeks pregnant! It's been 10 years since men became pregnant, whether it was a mutation or the will of God. Hiyama, who had an unexpected pregnancy, witnesses a prejudice against "male pregnancy and childbirth" while hesitating about "giving birth". "If a woman becomes pregnant, it will be a 'celebration compulsory' atmosphere! If a man becomes pregnant, it will be a laugh!" Or will he be able to take a break from work!? The first episode of a new human drama about a man's pregnancy and childbirth!

## Plot

Kentaro Hiyama, a salaryman for a restaurant firm, uses a pregnancy test to discover that he is pregnant, much to his embarrassment and shock. Ten years ago, men have started becoming pregnant, though there is still only a one-tenth chance of it happening. While visiting his doctor, Kentaro is informed that he is roughly ten to twelve weeks along and that he is still early enough to have an abortion. He is warned however that abortions for men are more dangerous than it is for women due to the men not having a birth canal. Thus, if he were to choose to have the baby, he would need to have a Cesarian section.

Kentaro, a heavily work-minded person, has had no prior interest in wanting to settle or have children; his pregnancy being the result of frequent trysts with women (apparently, he is unsure who the mother actually is). When the doctor asks if he can provide records of "his wife's" menstruation cycles, Kentaro is unable to provide one and leaves. He begins to consider the costs of aborting as he is unwilling to spend several days in the hospital and be away from work and also finds that having a baby would be more challenging, yet when he begins to think about the possible due date in January, he starts to realize that he is seriously considering having the baby.

While at work, he starts to use "Goolegle" to search for information on male pregnancy. He is interrupted by his young female coworker about the new restaurant uniforms and expertly gives advice on what to change or fix on it. The female coworker thanks him while clearly displaying a crush on him. Kentaro refuses to drink with his coworkers after work and begins to pick certain foods to eat at the grocery store; once again showing his commitment. As he starts to question what his happening to him, he decides to call his mother who reveals that his father died when she was eight months pregnant with him, but she chose to raise Kentaro on her own for his sake.

The next day, Kentaro heads to work via train and realizes how harsh the environment is. A kind woman, later revealed to be named Mizuki Kawabata, immediately pulls him into the women's only car of the train before loudly declaring him a pregnant man and asking if he can sit with them. Kentaro gets a mixed response from the women around, though one woman congratulates him. Mizuki reveals that she herself is pregnant and took pity on him after noticing his paunch. As she offers to ride with him on the train every day, Kentaro claims that he is unsure if he is keeping the baby anyway; leaving her flummoxed.

Kentaro shows his newfound look at things when he overmines his coworker Yuichi Sato by telling another coworker to stay home if they are tired. He reflects on his past behavior while Yuichi eyes him enviously. Kentaro visits the gynecology office again where Yuichi spots him entering, much to his surprise. He gets an ultrasound and sees the forming fetus; resulting in him immediately gaining empathy. Upon returning to work, Yuichi outs his pregnancy to his young female coworker who assumes that Kentaro had sex with a man. Kentaro corrects her, but she finds his sudden pregnancy unflattering and reveals her misinformed beliefs to him.

Kentaro returns home; shocked that when women get pregnant, people celebrate, but when men get pregnant, people see it as a joke and are not taken seriously. Realizing that he is in a high position at the company, Kentaro opts to use his advantage to help make people understand male pregnancy and make the world a better place for his child-to-be.

## Characters

* Kentaro Hiyama
* Mizuki Kawabata
* Yuichi Sato
* Kentaro's Doctor
* Kentaro's Female Coworker
* Kentaro's Mother