SAI SHINU
"My name is Yosuke," the man said kindly. "It's an honor to be working with Miss Yuri's father."
"I'm grateful to meet you, Yosuke," I replied, then tilted my head. "What's your last name?"
He smiled, calm—too calm. "That is… a mystery. I don't even know it myself. And I've never had the interest to learn."
His voice was steady, but something about it rang false. He was lying. Not caring about your own name? No one's that careless.
"Oh… alright then. Thank you for your help, Yosuke."
"That is my job." He placed a hand gently on Yuri's shoulder. "Miss, your father would like to see you."
"Of course." She gave a small nod and began walking toward the door. But then she paused.
"Oh—sorry. I forgot my bag."
She slipped back into the room, leaned close to me, and whispered, "Take this. In case you need it." A folded scrap of paper was pressed into my hand before she quickly grabbed her bag and left.
When I opened it, my chest tightened. It was her phone number.
For a long moment, I just stared at it, smiling faintly, before saving it into my phone.
The silence of the room crept back in. I stretched, went to the window, and let my eyes rest on the bright sky outside. A day this beautiful… wasted behind hospital walls.
With nothing else to do, I scrolled through my contacts. My eyes landed on Jiro's name, and without hesitation, I hit call.
No answer.
I tried not to worry—maybe he was busy. But then, just as I opened the system again, my phone rang. His name lit up the screen.
"Hey, Jiro," I said quickly, my voice edged with relief and nerves.
"Sai? Is that you?" His voice was faint, cut by static.
"Yes. Can you hear me clearly?"
"I can hear, but… the connection's bad."
"Okay. Come to the town hospital, room thirty. We need to meet." I raised my voice, hoping he caught every word.
"Got it!" He shouted back over the noise, then the line went dead.
I frowned. Where was he? The sound in the background was loud—metal clanging, maybe engines. A worksite? It hit me then: we were twenty now. We all had jobs. No wonder the call was rough.
If he was at work, he might not get here until late. And at night… I had Yuri to meet. He better come before then.
NARRATOR
Two hours passed. Still no sign of Jiro.
During that time, Taro Koi himself came to check on Sai. He asked questions, listened carefully, making sure the young man's condition was stable. After their talk, Taro concluded that Sai could be discharged around 5 p.m.
But not once did he mention Yuri.
YURI KOI
Yosuke guided me down the corridor until we reached Father's office. I thanked him softly before pushing the door open.
"Hi, Father."
"Hello, my dear." He stood, arms open, and hugged me warmly.
"How are you?" we asked at the exact same time.
"Ah, very good," we answered in unison, then blinked at each other before laughing.
"You first," he chuckled.
"Ahh… what?" I tilted my head, confused.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes twinkling. "So. How was your talk with your middle school boyfriend?"
My heart stopped. What? My breath caught, my eyes widening.
"H-how do you know?"
He smiled knowingly. "We already had a talk."
I felt my cheeks heat—part shock, part anger, part something else. I was pissed that he spied on us… but at the same time, I couldn't stop the tiny, secret happiness bubbling inside.
Because my father had said it himself.
Sai wasn't just a boy anymore. He is a good man.