"His other injuries are no longer life-threatening, but his left ear may suffer some lasting hearing loss."
Outside the intensive care unit, the doctor spoke with a faint look of helplessness. He glanced once more at the unconscious boy inside before turning back to the anxious woman before him.
"But that's not certain yet. We'll need to wait until he wakes before we can make an accurate assessment."
"When… when will he wake up?"
"..."
The doctor shook his head, offering no answer. Together with the nurse, he left the ward. Standing there alone, Futaba clenched her hands tightly. She could do nothing except pray in silence that Haruto would return safely to her.
—
When Haruto failed to appear at school and suddenly took a medical leave, it didn't take long for his absence to draw attention. Classmates like Nakano Ichika, Nakano Itsuki, Sawamura Eriri, as well as friends Sakamoto Yuji, Yoshii Akihisa, and Kinoshita Hideyoshi all began to worry.
They sent messages, but none were answered. Concern grew until Itsuki finally asked Fukuhara Shin, and the truth came out.
"A car accident?!"
"They say he was hit while trying to save someone. The girl he rescued wasn't badly hurt, but Miyamizu-kun is still unconscious. It may be a while before he can return to school."
Though Fukuhara's tone made it sound like the situation wasn't too severe, the fact that Haruto was still in a coma told a different story. This was no small matter.
"Do you know which hospital he's in?"
"I don't. But—here."
Fukuhara handed Itsuki a slip of paper.
"This is…?"
"His mother's phone number. I thought someone might need it, so I wrote it down."
With a small wave, Fukuhara turned toward the office, leaving Itsuki clutching the note. She thanked him softly and returned to the classroom.
"What happened?"
Her sisters, Yotsuba and Nino, immediately gathered around her. They had noticed her talking to the teacher.
"You went to ask Fukuhara about Miyamizu, didn't you? He's been gone two days. There must be a reason."
"I don't know anything," Itsuki answered curtly. "If you want to know, ask Fukuhara yourself."
Her tone was sharp. A pang of unease twisted in her chest as she looked away from Nino.
"What's with you? I was only asking. No need to get so worked up." Nino scowled, turning back toward her desk. "Forget it. I'm not that interested anyway."
Itsuki's irritation only deepened. She stole a glance at Nino's back, her expression darkening.
Yotsuba, who had been about to ask more, bit her tongue. When Nino left, she gently tried to soothe her older sister.
"I'm fine," Itsuki muttered at last. Anger still simmered in her chest, but reminding herself that this was simply Nino's usual personality helped her regain a little calm.
"Is Miyamizu-kun… okay?" Yotsuba asked carefully.
"We don't know yet. After school, I'm going to visit him."
"Then I'll come too!"
Itsuki hesitated but, after holding Yotsuba's gaze for a moment, nodded. On one condition—if Haruto's mother allowed it.
From a distance, Eriri stole a glance at Itsuki before quietly looking away.
That afternoon, Itsuki dialed the number. A weary female voice answered.
"Hello, is this Miyamizu-kun's mother?"
"Yes… and you are?"
"I'm one of his classmates. I heard about what happened, and I wanted to visit him, if that's alright?"
"I'm sorry," Futaba replied, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Haruto hasn't woken up yet, and I don't have the strength to entertain visitors right now."
"I… I understand."
Itsuki hung up, her chest tightening at the sound of the woman's frailty. She glanced at Yotsuba and shook her head silently.
"He's really in a coma…?" Yotsuba murmured, stunned. What she had assumed to be a simple illness was in fact far more serious.
"Let's go home," Itsuki whispered. She had no heart left for cram school. Yotsuba followed quietly at her side.
—
Nurses handled most of Haruto's care. Futaba wasn't even allowed inside his room—only to wait endlessly outside the ICU doors, never knowing when or if her son would wake. In three days, her hair had already streaked with white.
"Good day, Mrs. Miyamizu."
The unexpected voice startled her. She turned to find a petite, doll-like girl standing politely at her side.
"My name is Koharu Otori. I'm Haruto's senior at school."
"...Hello."
Futaba's mind filled with questions—how did this girl know where Haruto was? Why was she here?
"How did you find out Haruto was here?" she asked.
"Because I've been following him," Koharu admitted calmly. "The day of the accident, I already knew. It was I who asked my father to call in professors from Juntendo and the University of Tokyo to operate on him."
"...Following him?"
The word made Futaba's expression stiffen awkwardly.
"Haruto knows," Koharu added gently. "And he permitted me to."
Futaba blinked, taken aback by the girl's composure. "It seems you're very close to him… In any case, thank you for what you did for the doctors."
"I only didn't want him to be harmed. The situation was urgent, so I didn't step forward earlier."
Futaba studied her carefully. The girl was polite, respectful—but there was something unusual about the connection she seemed to share with her son. Her lips tightened as she thought of Haruto's actual girlfriend, and fell silent.
"Thank you," she said at last. "When he wakes, I'll tell him what you've done."
Koharu looked briefly at the ICU, then bowed and took her leave.
Futaba watched her go, the earlier phone call with Itsuki echoing in her mind. Her feelings grew complicated. Clearly, her son was quite… popular in Tokyo.
—
At first, Mai had thought to hide Haruto's accident from her daughter Setsuna, planning to wait until he woke before telling her. But when the days dragged on with no sign of improvement, she could no longer keep it secret.
That weekend, Mai brought Setsuna to the ICU. They found Futaba already there, her face drawn and weary.
"...Haruto's inside?" Setsuna asked softly.
"He's been unconscious for five days now," Futaba answered, her voice quiet. "The doctors can't say when—or if—he'll wake."
Setsuna stood frozen at the doorway, staring at the ward in silence. The atmosphere grew heavy. Mai glanced between her daughter and Futaba, her own heart sinking under the weight of it all.
—
In the gray world of dreams, Haruto set aside his newspaper and looked at the woman leaning against him.
"No work today?" he asked.
"Only monthly financial reports," Sayuri replied casually, perched on his lap in her nightgown.
"Other matters are handled by the board. A useless director like me would only annoy people if I showed up too often."
She glanced at the paper in his hands, then into his eyes.
"I heard about a lovely hot spring inn. Shall we go?"
"A trip?"
"Just you and me."
He smiled faintly. "Alright."
Day after day, he lived wrapped in Sayuri's warmth—carefree, thoughtless, happy. Like a dream he never wanted to wake from.
They packed their bags, loaded the car, and drove together from Tokyo to Hakone, trading off at the wheel until they arrived at the inn they had reserved.
"Welcome," greeted the proprietress, bowing in her kimono. "I am Kiyoura Mai, owner of Togetsutei."
"I'm Sawamura Sayuri, and this is my beloved, Miyamizu Haruto. We reserved a room."
"Yes, your room is ready. Setsuna."
Haruto froze. There was something uncannily familiar about the woman's face. As he tried to recall where he had seen her before, he suddenly felt Sayuri's sharp gaze burning into him.
"Ahem—I just thought the landlady looked familiar, as if we'd met somewhere. Have we?" he asked awkwardly.
"Perhaps. But I rarely leave Togetsutei," Mai replied smoothly. "Setsuna, please guide our guests to Drunken Moon. I have other matters to attend to. Excuse me."
A young girl, resembling Mai, approached. Kneeling gracefully, she set out indoor slippers for them and guided them down the hall.
Watching her small figure ahead, Haruto's eyes filled with quiet confusion.
"What is it this time? Don't tell me you've seen her somewhere before too?"
"..."
Haruto didn't answer. He knew if he spoke, it might only provoke Sayuri's jealousy. Quietly, the two of them walked down the hall until they reached their room. With the help of the girl named Setsuna, they settled into the suite called Drunken Moon and laid down their luggage.
Once Setsuna left the room, Sayuri suddenly threw her arms around Haruto.
"What is it?"
Caught off guard by her sudden embrace, Haruto glanced down at the woman clinging tightly to his side.
"The hostess and the attendants here... they're all so young. So, to make sure you don't get yourself into any kind of trouble while we're here, I've decided—I'm going to drain every last bit of your energy."
"...Wait—hold on a second!"
—
A month later, Haruto's condition had gradually stabilized. He had been transferred out of the intensive care unit into a private luxury room. Throughout it all, Futaba stayed faithfully at his side, sleeping in the same room and keeping constant watch, her brow perpetually furrowed as she gazed at her unconscious son.
"Good afternoon, ma'am."
Koharu stepped into the room, bowing politely to Futaba before her eyes drifted toward Haruto's peaceful, unmoving figure on the bed. For just a moment, a faint glimmer of light flickered in her gaze.
"Haruto is still the same as before?" she asked softly.
"It's already been half a month since he left the ICU," Futaba sighed. "His body has recovered almost completely, but... he still hasn't woken up."
Koharu had made a habit of visiting nearly every day—always choosing the moments when Setsuna was absent to come to the hospital.
At first, Futaba had been both surprised and puzzled by her persistence, but by now she had more or less accepted it. Still, every time the girl appeared, her only real concern was leaving her alone with Haruto.
There was something unsettling in the way Koharu's eyes lingered on him—an intensity that made Futaba's heart uneasy. She couldn't help but wonder: If I'm not here... would she try to do something to my son while he's unconscious...?
~~~~~~~~~~
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