Outside the hospital, the air was thick with dust and the smell of blood. Sato stood alone in a formal karate stance, back straight, eyes locked on the giant in front of him. Inside, Adrian lay unconscious on a gurney while the nurse he'd handed a bouquet to just minutes ago worked on his head with trembling hands.
"You'll be okay, you'll be okay, you'll be okay," she whispered under her breath, like saying it enough times would make it true. The orange sun bled across the horizon behind her, painting everything in a dying gold light.
_Why is this happening? I already called the cops. So why aren't they here yet?_ She pressed the bandage harder. _And no one in the hospital is coming out. They're either too busy… or too scared. Obviously no one would. What do I do? What am I supposed to do?_
"Hey. You. The nurse."
Sato's voice cut through her panic. She jumped, nearly dropping the gauze.
"U-umm, yes? What do you need?" Her voice shook.
"Make sure that blonde fool gets the treatment he needs." Sato didn't take his eyes off the monster in front of him. "I'll finish up with the remaining fools."
She looked at him for a second — the calm in his voice, the way he stood like he wasn't outmatched by a foot and 200 pounds. Something in her chest settled. She nodded, jaw tightening with resolve.
Sato saw it. He closed his eyes for half a second.
His opponent moved.
Sato's smirk flickered as he leaned, letting a fist the size of a cinder block whistle past his ear.
"I knew you'd fall for that."
He drove a straight punch into the man's stomach. It landed solid. The giant didn't even blink. Sato followed with an uppercut, but the man caught his wrist mid-air and tried to crush it with a counter punch. Sato caught that fist too.
And instantly felt it.
The difference in strength was like grabbing a steel cable. The man started pushing, and Sato's heels dragged back across the concrete. It felt like an NFL lineman was trying to bulldoze him.
There was no winning a strength contest here. So Sato stopped resisting.
He used the grip against him, kicked off the ground, and flipped — driving his heel straight into the giant's face. Bone cracked. Blood sprayed from his nose. The man staggered.
Sato didn't let him breathe. He spun and slammed a back kick into his chest. The impact sent the giant skidding backward until he dropped into a crouch, one hand pressed to his bleeding nose.
The giant rose slowly, spat a mouthful of blood, and grinned.
"Guess your reputation ain't for nothin', huh… Black Rose?"
Sato just shifted back into stance, weight balanced, breathing even.
"My name's Bob. Number 5 in Class 1A at Blue Academy. Now prepare to—"
_THWACK._
Sato's calf kick snapped against Bob's leg before he could finish the sentence. Bob screamed, dropping half a foot as pain shot through his knee.
Sato drove a liver shot in right after. But Bob wasn't done. He came swinging — wild, powerful, desperate haymakers. Too slow. Too sloppy. Sato slipped every one, weaving under and around, countering between the gaps. Jab to the ribs. Hook to the jaw. Knee to the thigh. Hit after hit, stacking damage like bricks on a wall.
For a full minute it was a masterclass in control.
Then Sato went for the finish — a karate straight to the solar plexus. But Bob's arms shot out and locked around his torso before the punch landed.
"You're slippery, huh?" Bob growled, lifting Sato off his feet for a suplex. "But now that I've got you, you can't escape."
Shock flashed in Sato's eyes. Shock echoed in everyone watching — the nurse, who'd just finished bandaging Adrian, the patients pressed against the hospital windows, all of them.
"You were a fun opponent, Black Rose. But it's time you had a time out."
Bob slammed him down.
The ground cracked. Dust exploded upward in a choking cloud.
"N-no… this can't be," the nurse breathed. The only one standing between them and chaos… gone.
But as the dust settled, the sight wasn't what anyone expected.
Sato was jacketless now, but Bob was the one trapped — Sato's forearm locked under his chin in a brutal headlock.
"You're good," Sato said, voice flat. "But you got too cocky."
Elbow. To the chest.
Bob's eyes rolled back and he dropped like a sack of bricks.
Sato stood, picked his jacket off the ground where Bob had ripped it free, and draped it over his shoulders without breaking stride. He walked straight to the last man standing — the one whose finger he'd broken before Bob attacked. The guy was now shaking so hard he'd practically pissed himself.
Sato stopped in front of him.
"Talk," he said calmly. "Or end up like him."
---
Two hours passed.
Adrian's eyes fluttered open to white ceiling tiles and the faint beep of a heart monitor. The nurse was right beside him, shoulders finally relaxed, relief all over her face.
"Oh, Adrian! You're awake. Thank god," she breathed out, smiling.
Adrian pushed himself up, wincing as the room spun for half a second. "Oh hey, nurse. What happened after I passed out?"
She hesitated, then told him everything — Sato stepping in, Bob getting slammed, the whole hospital holding its breath.
Adrian listened, then smirked and let out a low laugh. "That guy's really strong, huh?"
"Yeah," she said with a nervous laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But he's also kinda scary."
Adrian glanced at the clock on the wall. "By the way, what time is it?"
"Umm… 7:30 PM," she said, checking her phone.
"Crap. I gotta get upstairs before my aunt gets here." He swung his legs over the bed and reached for his boots.
"W-wait," she said quickly, cheeks flushing pink.
Adrian paused, one boot half-on. "What is it, nurse?"
She fidgeted with her phone, not meeting his eyes. "Well… umm, I'm a huge fan of your work. So… could I get a picture? If you don't mind?"
Adrian grinned, tying his laces fast. "Sure. Anything for a fan."
Her smile lit up. She held her phone up and snapped a selfie with him, leaning in just a bit.
"Anytime, nurse," he said, standing and lacing up his Timberlands.
"My name's Olivia," she said softly as he headed for the door, where the bouquet he'd dropped earlier still sat.
"I'll remember that, Olivia," Adrian said. He scooped up the flowers and was gone before she could blink, already sprinting for the stairs.
Olivia just stared at the empty doorway. "Wow," she whispered.
---
Meanwhile, Adrian took the stairs two at a time, moving with that same chaotic acrobatics he'd shown outside. He reached the second floor, stopped in front of Room 116, and took a second. Straightened his shirt. Ran a hand through his hair. Then he pushed the door open slow.
His aunt Jenna was already there, standing over the hospital bed. The woman lying there looked pale and fragile, but the steady line on the heart monitor said she was still fighting.
Adrian's smile turned sad as he walked up and stood beside Jenna.
"Happy birthday, Mom… I brought you your favorite flowers."
He set the bouquet on the side table. The scent of lilies filled the quiet room.
Jenna squeezed his shoulder. "I'll give you some time with her."
She slipped out. In the hallway, she spotted Sato leaning against the wall, arms folded, waiting.
"Are you one of Adrian's friends?" she asked.
"No," Sato said calmly, respectfully. "But we go to the same school."
"I see. Can you give him a few minutes? He'll be out soon."
"Yes, ma'am," Sato nodded.
---
Inside, Adrian pulled the chair closer and took his mom's hand. For ten minutes he told her everything. The small stuff, the dumb stuff, the new stuff. It was their tradition — he'd done it every birthday since she went into the coma, and he wasn't about to stop now.
He paused, thumb brushing her knuckles. Then he reached current events.
"So… I got into a pretty big fight today," he said with a crooked grin. "But don't worry, Mom. You raised a strong kid."
His grin faded. He squeezed her hand tighter.
"I'm gonna make sure you wake up from this coma, Mom. I swear it."
His eyes burned with it. Quiet. Certain.
He unwrapped a lollipop, popped it in his mouth, and stood.
When he stepped back into the hallway, Sato was still there, unmoved.
Sato met his eyes.
"We need to talk," he said calmly.
---