White and Bell reached the school just as the morning bell rang. By the time he entered the classroom, it had been more than nine hours since he made his wish. Even though he had received a notification saying the "price" had been recovered, a sharp pain still lingered in his chest. It felt as though an invisible hand was repeatedly grabbing and clenching his heart.
Bell noticed his distress. Seeing him constantly fighting the pain, she tried to ask what was wrong, but White forced a smile to show he was strong, not wanting her to panic or worry over him.
He glanced at the classroom notice board, which listed the recent assignments and events scheduled for the coming week. As he finally sat at his desk, he could no longer hide his exhaustion. His facial expression betrayed the intense struggle of holding himself together; he clenched his hand over his heart and buried his head in his arms, utterly spent from a sleepless night.
"PAPA..." Bell called out to him, but he was too lost in the waves of pain to hear her.
Passing right by Bell, Zen walked over to White's desk. "Hey, are you okay...?"
White looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "I... I am fine, I guess."
"Your face says otherwise," Zen pointed out, frowning at White's devastated expression.
Trying to change the subject, and knowing she was likely still at the hospital, White asked, "What about Shu? Do you know where she is?"
"Well... Aris tried calling her, but she isn't picking up her phone. So, we were thinking of visiting the—" Zen began, but White interrupted him.
"Don't worry, I will visit the hospital," White said quickly.
He reasoned that if the others found out what had happened to Miku last night, they would panic. He wanted them to remain cautious, not terrified, otherwise they might make a reckless mistake.
"Okay... I guess we will just meet at the club later then," Zen replied.
"What about your match today?" White asked.
Well, It was good that I checked the notice board beforehand.
"Well... I don't think I'm going to play with Shu situation." Zen admitted, looking dejected but understanding the gravity of the situation.
"I'm back now, so I will look after her. You and Aris need to take a break," White urged. After a brief argument, Zen finally relented and accepted the offer.
---
White somehow managed to endure his classes, though his focus was entirely elsewhere. He desperately wanted to get back to the hospital the second school was over.
When the final bell finally rang, he bolted out of the classroom before anyone else could move. Sprinting down the hallway with Bell riding on his back, he accidentally collided with Luna, causing her to lose her balance.
"Hey! Look where you're..." Luna started to snap, but paused when she saw who it was. "White? And Bell too?" She stared in surprise, not having seen Bell in a long time.
"Oh! Cookie Sis!" Bell cheered. She jumped down from White's back, briefly stepping on his head as a launching pad. She landed in front of Luna and demanded, "Cookie!"
"Well... I don't think I have a cookie right now, but..." Luna searched through her skirt pockets until her fingers brushed against something. She pulled out a small piece of candy. "Will this work?"
"YUP!" Bell beamed.
"Hey Bell, we don't have time for this. Come on," White interrupted, catching her hand. As he tried to pass Luna, she quickly stepped back and grabbed his wrist.
"Hey... where are you going in such a rush?" she asked, concerned.
"Sorry. I'll tell you everything later, I promise, but right now I really have to go," White said. Without looking back, he gently pulled his hand from her grip and walked away, pulling Bell along with him.
Luna stared after them, a cold chill running down her spine. "I must be imagining things," she muttered to herself, "but why does it feel like White's aura is leaking so heavily?"
---
On the way to the hospital, Bell looked up at him. "PAPA... where are we going?"
"We're going to visit someone," White replied quietly.
"Hmm," Bell nodded, still a little confused.
Finally, they reached the hospital and walked down the quiet corridor to Miku's room. Taking a deep breath, White opened the door. "Here goes nothing."
Inside, Miku was sitting up in bed, happily eating a slice of cake.
"Umm?" she mumbled, turning toward the door with her mouth completely full.
"Miku..." White let out a sigh, a genuine look of relief washing over his face.
"Ahh! White-brother! Sorry!" Miku gasped, quickly wiping her face with her sleeve. "Here, do you want some?" she offered, holding out the plate.
"Well..." Before White could answer, Bell stepped on his head to push herself up, shouting excitedly, "Cake!"
She dashed straight toward the bed.
"Eh?..." Miku blinked in surprise, lifting the plate high out of reach as Bell jumped up to grab it. Then, she glanced blankly over at White.
White smiled, watching Bell's innocent antics.
But Miku's next words made the smile freeze on his face. "Um, sorry... but who is she? Is she your relative or something?"
A sudden chill shot straight down White's spine, and his eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Wait..." White whispered, his voice trembling. "Are you saying... you can actually see her?"