The scene before her ripped away all of the girl's thoughts. Her legs, collapsed on the ground, felt as if shackled to heavy iron weights. No matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't move an inch.
In an instant, the colorful world turned black and white. Her wide eyes could only register the sharp ringing in her ears. Every sound around her seemed wrapped in plastic, muffled and distant. The only thing left was her own ragged, suffocating breaths.
"Haru?"
Togawa Sakiko stared blankly at the long skid marks carved into the asphalt.
Even her sluggish mind finally began to catch up, as the cold air and the overwhelming sensory shock pierced into her brain.
She… was hit by the truck?
But no... here she was, unscathed, sitting on the ground. At the very last second, Haru had pulled her away. Thanks to him, she had narrowly escaped.
The one who took her place was...
"…Cough… cough."
The black-haired boy lay on the ground, his faint coughs breaking the silence. His light gray coat was slowly being dyed dark with liquid, and the red scarf at his neck was stained at the edges with a rose-colored hue.
The brutal impact left his vision spinning, his thoughts breaking apart like a severed signal. Yet this sensation wasn't unfamiliar. He had already lived through it countless times inside the simulator.
He never thought he would fail to escape it in reality as well.
It was as if, from the moment he obtained the simulator, a curse had been attached to him. No matter how careful he was, he could never outrun it.
Still, compared to the simulated runs where he died instantly from catastrophic wounds, this was far better. Perhaps thanks to all those experiences, he had been able to brace himself, making some small movement to lessen the blow before it landed.
"…"
His blurred vision forced him to breathe deeply, steadying himself. His scattered thoughts began to clear, though a hammering pain pulsed through every part of his body. His limbs were numb and unresponsive, but at least his mind remained intact.
He didn't know what had happened after he pulled Sakiko out of the way. Regaining his focus, he pushed weakly with his arms, trying to lift himself up so he could check on her condition.
But before he could, a voice rang out from the distance, stopping him in his tracks.
"Haru!"
The crying voice grew closer and closer until Haru felt someone at his side. A warm, wet trickle touched his cheek, and a breath full of softness washed over him.
The faint, refreshing scent of grapefruit filled the air. When he slowly opened his eyes, a streak of golden hair caught his vision, and soon his hand was wrapped in a warmth like being tucked inside a blanket.
"Haru! Wake up… please, wake up!!"
He finally saw the figure kneeling in front of him—Ijichi Nijika.
The small-framed blonde girl looked terrified, reaching trembling fingers toward his chest, but then withdrawing as if afraid of making his injuries worse. In the end, all she could do was clutch his left hand tightly, her body shaking uncontrollably.
He could feel her hot tears splashing down on his arm, her trembling frame sending waves of fear straight into him.
His mood had been sour a moment ago, but now a faint smile crossed his lips.
Who would've thought, getting hit by a car and seeing Nijika-chan crying like this… maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get hit a few more times. How cute...
"Haru!"
"Stay awake! Breathe deeply!"
On his other side knelt Yamada Ryo. Her face was pale, completely drained of color, and her noble golden eyes trembled violently. That cool, untouchable beauty of hers had lost all composure, what replaced it was raw panic, something he had never seen on her face before.
Her gaze, lowered slightly, overflowed with unspoken emotions. Her slender fingers, the same ones that could easily play a bass slap solo, now pressed tightly against her skirt, stained with streaks of crimson she hadn't even noticed.
Usually so flippant, Ryo spoke in a hoarse, broken voice:
"Calm down. You have to stay awake…"
"Haru, I'll agree to anything, anything at all! Please, I'm begging you…"
Perhaps the intensity of their emotions had reached even farther, because Nagasaki Soyo had also run over from the overpass. She knelt at Haru's side, her face frozen with helplessness, unable to speak, tears sliding uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"No… please, why did it turn out like this?"
Soyo's pupils shook violently. She had never imagined things would end up this way.
All those fears and worries from before had vanished. Now, words wouldn't even come. The embrace she had always sought comfort in could no longer move, and the crushing sense of loss nearly broke her.
The wrenching pain in her chest was unlike anything she had ever felt. Her mind went blank, her whole being swallowed by the terror of "losing him."
Sensing their desperation, Haru's blurry gaze softened, and he forced a small smile. He spoke in a reassuring tone:
"…It's okay. I just need… to rest a little."
"Haru, don't talk! This time, I swear I won't let you—"
"…Haru, don't leave me."
"The ambulance, it's almost here…"
Beside him, Nijika was crying like a child, her gem-like red eyes clouded with tears. The girl who was always as warm as a mother now bit her lip like a frightened child, stripped of her usual cheer and sunshine. All that remained was pure grief and fear, as though terrified of losing something irreplaceable.
Haru furrowed his brows slightly. Struggling, he tried to lift himself, his voice weak:
"…Sakiko. Where is she?"
"How is she?"
Not seeing Togawa Sakiko anywhere filled him with unease.
Before the impact, he had definitely grabbed her hand and thrown her back with all his strength. She should have escaped unscathed.
"She's fine! Haru, don't talk anymore!"
Yamada Ryo grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. Her cold, trembling fingers made him narrow his eyes slightly.
Hearing that Sakiko was safe, he finally let go of the last bit of worry in his heart.
The cries of the girls and the approaching sirens still rang faintly in his ears. But the world was spinning, and his head felt so heavy… maybe he could just sleep a little.
"Don't sleep, I'm begging you…"
"Haru!!!!"
The ambulance pulled up, sirens blaring. Paramedics rushed over with a stretcher, carefully lifting him onto it. Nijika, eyes swollen red from crying, clung to the stretcher as they carried him, her expression pitiful.
Togawa Sakiko, legs trembling as sensation slowly returned, pushed herself up with her scraped palms. Her minor sprain didn't matter, her wide amber eyes were locked on Haru.
Why did it turn out like this?
Why did Haru sacrifice himself for her?
The crimson stains seared themselves into her vision. Clenching her teeth, forcing herself past the pain, she stumbled toward the stretcher. Her blank mind had only one thought: to make sure he was alive.
Her blood raced, her heart hammering wildly as if shocked into overdrive. Her breaths came hot and ragged, her ears ringing as her inner world clouded over.
"Don't touch him."
The cold, emotionless words struck her ears like ice. She couldn't hear anything else, but this one sentence was painfully clear. Before she could react, a tall, cool-blue figure stepped between her and Haru.
"I… I just wanted to..."
"I told you before, didn't I?"
Ryo's face was colder than Sakiko had ever seen, far from her usual detached indifference. Her golden eyes blazed like a volcano, daring anyone to approach.
Sakiko froze in place.
All she could do was watch as Ryo climbed into the ambulance. When the doors shut, it felt like a chunk of her heart had been ripped away, the agony flooding her with grief and regret.
It should have been her. She should have been the one hit.
She had said such cruel words to Haru. Even knowing his feelings, she rejected him coldly, only because she couldn't accept not being his "only one."
So why?
"…Why did you save me?"
Even after all that, why would he throw his life on the line for her?
…
The white hospital walls only heightened the suffocating unease. A green-haired girl stood anxiously in the waiting area, her loungewear still on. The sharp smell of disinfectant hung thick in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Wakaba Mutsumi had rushed here the moment she received Soyo's message. She had been waiting at home, but the instant she heard the news, her head went dizzy, her breath caught in her throat, and she nearly collapsed.
She didn't know what had happened. Only that Haru had been rushed straight into the emergency room.
Turning her head, she looked toward the others gathered not far away.
Nijika had calmed down somewhat, though her eyes were still swollen red. She kept her head lowered, saying nothing. Beside her, Ryo wore the same cold expression as always, but anyone who knew her could tell immediately that she was in worse shape than anyone else.
For Ryo, this was not her first time standing outside an operating room.
The painful memories she thought she had buried surged back the instant she saw Haru collapse in a pool of blood. Her heart felt as though a massive stone was pressing on it. On the surface she looked composed, but inside she was more terrified and shaken than anyone.
She could not, would not, go through this a second time.
"…"
Mutsumi silently met Ryo's gaze, but the bassist clearly had no intention of talking.
Unsure what to do, the cucumber girl turned her attention to Nagasaki Soyo, who even now was sobbing uncontrollably. Whatever had happened at the scene must have been something far beyond what Mutsumi could imagine.
"Mutsumi!"
A familiar voice called from the distance. When she turned, she saw Takamatsu Tomori and Chihaya Anon rushing over, both of them pale and out of breath.
"What happened?! Why is Haru hurt?!"
Anon ran straight to Mutsumi, demanding an answer. But since Mutsumi hadn't been at the scene, she only knew the outline. Faced with Anon's desperation, she could only shake her head in silence.
Of the three who actually knew what had happened, only Nijika could still just barely hold herself together. But even she couldn't bring herself to explain. With weary, apologetic eyes, she simply lowered her head.
Everyone here was in the same state...
Even though her own chest was tight with dread, Mutsumi forced herself to stay calm. With Haru not here, someone had to hold things together.
After a pause, she spoke quietly.
"Tomori, have you contacted the others?"
"Kita-chan… she's a little far, it'll take her some time to get here…
Taki-chan's working nearby in Ikebukuro, so she should arrive soon. Hitori-chan's in Yokohama…"
Tomori's eyes were already shimmering with tears. She bit her lip, trying desperately not to break down.
But just the thought of something happening to Haru left her weak all over.
With Haru, the one they all relied on, suffering something like this, even the eternally optimistic Anon was lost and the two who usually calmed and supported everyone, Soyo and Nijika, had been there when it happened. The shock had left them in no state to console anyone.
"Mutsumi… Haru really… he really will be okay, right?"
That pessimistic, fearful question spread like a curse through the group, pressing the already heavy air down to a suffocating level. Mutsumi wanted to reassure them, but Tomori was already at the edge of breaking down.
So this is what it feels like, she thought... losing the one who holds everyone together.
All of them had fallen into a pit of despair.
Just when the atmosphere had reached rock bottom, and even Mutsumi's eyes were welling with tears as she fought to stay steady, the tightly shut doors suddenly opened. A silver-haired doctor in a white coat stepped out, holding a chart.
Her expression was strange as she glanced around, then asked casually—
"Who's the family?"
That single, ordinary question made everyone raise their heads.
"…I am."
Mutsumi didn't hesitate. Under the nervous stares of the others, she followed the doctor into a private room, her hands twisting her skirt and sweat cooling on her forehead.
The young doctor, attractive with her silver braids hanging neatly down her back, sat down lazily, sipping coffee before setting the chart on the desk. She raised her eyes, studying Mutsumi thoughtfully.
"Honestly, there was no need to bring him to the hospital at all."
"…!"
Mutsumi's pupils shrank. She froze where she stood.
Her legs almost gave way, her vision went black, and her mind couldn't form a single thought. Instinctively she staggered back, nearly collapsing on the spot.
"For an injury like this, just wrap it up and let him rest at home."
The doctor waved her hand dismissively. The sudden shift left Mutsumi stunned, unable to respond. She opened her mouth but no words came out.
Noticing her confusion, the doctor paused, then continued.
"Are you sure he was actually hit by a truck? He came in with nothing but a few cuts and some bleeding. A little dizziness from the impact, that's all."
"His organs are untouched, not even a single broken bone."
"…Haru, he's really… okay?"
The doctor raised an eyebrow, lips twitching into something like a smirk.
"Didn't I just say so? In my opinion, he doesn't even need to stay for observation. Wrap him up and send him home. Of course, if you're worried, you can keep him here for a day or two. But don't make such a fuss next time… Who is that kid anyway, to have so many girls waiting outside for him?"
Only now did Mutsumi's fears finally lift. She realized her back was soaked with cold sweat, but she had no time to think about that. With urgent breath she asked:
"Doctor, may I see him now?"
"You could take him home today if you want. NPC, another coffee!"
Mutsumi bowed quickly, thanked her, then rushed to the ward. Her nerves were strung so tight that she could hardly breathe, her fingers trembling despite her efforts to steady them, her eyes brimming with tears that threatened to spill over.
Click~
She pushed the door open.
"…Haru?"
She froze at the sight of him sitting upright on the bed. At her hesitant call, the black-haired boy instinctively turned his head. His dark eyes gleamed faintly, and the curve of his lips still carried that familiar confidence.
"Sorry, did I worry you?"