Nakajima Takuto arrived at Akikawa Sosuke's ward, carrying a tray with breakfast.
He glanced at his wrist.
Nearly 50 minutes had passed since he had left.
This amount of time clearly exceeded what was needed just to get breakfast.
If nothing unexpected happened, Akikawa Sosuke, who had been looking forward to his return to continue their conversation, should have become extremely anxious during this period.
He would suspect that he had been deceived.
After gently knocking, Nakajima Takuto pushed the door open and walked in.
Then he saw Akikawa Sosuke, who had originally been leaning against the headboard, head bowed, radiating an intense aura of dejection, suddenly lift his head.
Upon seeing him, Akikawa Sosuke's previously dim eyes suddenly brightened, and a very happy expression appeared on his face.
This scene had a strong impact on Nakajima Takuto.
He felt as if he had worked overtime until late at night, finally returned home, and saw a puppy that had been cooped up indoors all day.
Akikawa Sosuke's reaction upon seeing him now was very similar to that of a puppy eagerly awaiting to be taken out to play.
Thinking about what he had done and was about to do to Akikawa Sosuke,
Nakajima Takuto's heart once again felt a surge of complex emotions.
"You... you're here."
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I was just called by the head nurse and came over after finishing up with another patient."
Nakajima Takuto felt as if there was a touch of genuine sincerity in his apology, even though he had decided from the beginning to intentionally return late.
"I forgot to tell Akikawa-kun my name. My surname is Nakajima."
"Hello, Mr. Nakajima."
Nakajima Takuto could have easily made up a surname to tell Akikawa Sosuke, but he chose to use his real surname.
He also didn't understand why he did this.
Perhaps he wanted to alleviate some of the guilt in his heart, or perhaps he didn't want to continue deceiving this simple-minded young man in front of him.
"Akikawa-kun, your injuries haven't healed yet, so I've prepared food that's easier on your stomach."
Nakajima Takuto opened the small bedside table and moved it in front of Akikawa Sosuke.
Then he placed the tray on it.
The tray contained only simple food.
A steaming bowl of rice porridge, a bowl of vegetables that looked very soft and well-stewed, a piece of silken tofu as smooth and delicate as pudding, and a small dish of fruit.
"Thank you."
Akikawa Sosuke thanked him softly, then tremblingly picked up a spoon with his left hand, gently scooped a little rice porridge, blew on it twice, and then drank it.
"It's... it's delicious."
Nakajima Takuto saw Akikawa Sosuke give him a very forced and stiff smile.
"He really isn't good at lying..."
Nakajima Takuto muttered to himself, then asked:
"Doesn't it suit your taste?"
"No!"
Akikawa Sosuke suddenly raised his voice, but then he seemed to realize his reaction was a bit too strong, so he quickly lowered his volume.
"I'm... I'm sorry. No, it's very delicious... It's just a bit too hot..."
"Then wait a moment before drinking it. Have some vegetables or tofu first."
"Okay..."
Akikawa Sosuke assented, picking up the small spoon specifically for silken tofu, and reached for the tofu.
Nakajima Takuto felt an indescribable awkwardness watching Akikawa Sosuke eat with a spoon.
But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was awkward.
He recalled Akikawa Sosuke's reaction just now when his thoughts were exposed, and he pondered again:
"It's just rice porridge, yet he's eating it so reluctantly."
"Even if he's a picky eater, he wouldn't dislike rice porridge, would he?"
"And after I pointed out that it didn't suit his taste, his reaction was so strong..."
"It seems he's afraid I'll misunderstand that he doesn't like the breakfast I brought... A child who suffered abuse when he was young can be so humble and sensitive..."
Through this brief interaction, Nakajima Takuto had a new assessment of Akikawa Sosuke.
"Perhaps it's because he hasn't had much contact with outsiders; his lying skills are really bad."
"Also, he seems to be afraid that I will become displeased."
Having made these two judgments, Nakajima Takuto felt it was time to get to the main point,
So he teased Akikawa Sosuke, who was struggling to swallow a piece of broccoli:
"Speaking of which, looking at Akikawa-kun, I always feel like he's a child."
"He's about the same age as my sister, but the two of them seem like they're ten years apart."
"Eh?"
Akikawa Sosuke looked up, curiously gazing at Nakajima Takuto.
"Mr. Nakajima, you have a sister? Is she in school now?"
"Yes, she's on summer break in her second year of university. She's basically either working various part-time jobs or going wild with her friends."
"That's nice..."
Akikawa Sosuke immediately showed an envious expression.
"There's nothing good about it. She and her friends often play until midnight and don't come home. She doesn't think about how dangerous that is!"
"Before, she and her classmates were singing karaoke in Shinjuku until midnight, and when they came out, they were harassed by a few hooligans. If I hadn't happened to be nearby, who knows what would have happened."
"Mr. Nakajima, aren't you afraid of hooligans?"
"Heh, hooligans? I am a dignified Metropol... cough, I am a Kendo 2nd Dan, why would I be afraid of hooligans?"
(The first sound of 'Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department' and 'Kendo' in Japanese are similar, both 'ke')
Nakajima Takuto, who almost let slip, quickly corrected himself, and Akikawa Sosuke didn't show any signs of suspicion.
After chatting with Akikawa Sosuke for a while, and after reinforcing Akikawa Sosuke's impression that he had a sister roughly his age,
Nakajima Takuto smiled at Akikawa Sosuke and said:
"Don't just listen, eat more, or it will get cold."
"Akikawa-kun, you are very weak right now. If you don't take in more nutrients, you won't recover, you know."
"Okay..."
Akikawa Sosuke picked up the spoon again, painstakingly bringing a small piece of vegetable to his mouth.
After he finished one bite, he was about to put down the spoon.
However, when he noticed that Nakajima Takuto was still watching him, he had no choice but to pick up the spoon again and continuously put many bites of food into his mouth.
The more Nakajima Takuto watched, the more awkward Akikawa Sosuke's eating movements seemed.
But fortunately, Akikawa Sosuke apparently didn't dare to resist his instructions, so Nakajima Takuto didn't mind.
After watching Akikawa Sosuke painstakingly finish an entire bowl of vegetables and half a bowl of rice porridge, Nakajima Takuto finally nodded with satisfaction.
He felt the time was right, so he subtly began to speak:
"Speaking of which, my sister has been having trouble sleeping lately."
"And from what she says, it seems young people her age are all troubled by insomnia these days. I wonder if Akikawa-kun has this kind of problem?"
After speaking, Nakajima Takuto immediately stared at Akikawa Sosuke's reaction.
Last night, the hospital detected Triazolam, the main component of sleeping pills, in Akikawa Sosuke's body.
Now, what he needed to confirm was whether Akikawa Sosuke truly suffered from insomnia.
If not, it would mean that the sleeping pills Akikawa Sosuke took were prepared in advance for suicide.
Then he heard Akikawa Sosuke blurt out, almost without any hesitation:
"No."
Nakajima Takuto thought, 'Just as I expected,' and confirmed again.
"So, Akikawa-kun can usually fall asleep very easily, right?"
"Yes, I don't have insomnia."
Akikawa Sosuke looked at Nakajima Takuto, his jewel-like sapphire eyes filled with confusion.
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