"Ouch, ouch, that hurts Ki."
"Tough luck; if I don't tie it like this, the bleeding will start again," Sumire said sharply as she tightened the makeshift bandage around Mamoru's wounded arm.
When she walked with Masaru and saw Ru on the wall, she intended to leave him be. But when she saw the scars on his face and him not moving his arm much, he immediately understood.
Ru is the strongest person in this town. But sometimes, he ends up facing people who use underhanded methods.
Her thoughts broke off when he coughed; at first, she ignored it and continued to tend to his wounds. It is a good thing she brought her bag with her; she often carries medical supplies with her. After several more coughs and Ru turning away, she frowned.
"Do you still have that cold? It's already been two weeks."
Two weeks ago, Ru started to cough a lot; it was right before she got busy with her debut preparations. So she did not get a chance to take care of him; she did tell him to go to the hospital.
"It's okay. I'm alright." Mamoru extended his hand out and placed his hand on her forehead. "On the other hand, I think your feverish Ki, we should head on home."
"If you move, your wounds will reopen; let me finish patching you up first."
"Then keep my jacket."
Sumire looked at the bright yellow no neon-colored jacket and sighed. "Even if I do not care much for fashion, Ru, how could you offer me that?"
Mamoru looked at her dejectedly. "But this is my baby. I bought it in a sale!"
A sale, he says, didn't he just buy that at the flea market? No, he didn't buy it; somebody had tossed it aside. It was already in the trash can, but he took it out.
She made sure he washed it several times before wearing it, but she could see why the owner would throw it away. What is with that neon colour and the puffy sleeves?
Mamoru suddenly wrapped something around her neck. "Then Ki, you can borrow this."
'This is the scarf she got him.' Her gaze softened when she saw how worn out the fabric looked already. Ru does not have many possessions; most of the stuff he owns is stuff she bought for him. Is it because he does not have much money? But he managed to buy the house next to her.
The houses in that neighborhood may look normal, but they are expensive because it is a good area. Her external relatives bought her the place to try to get on her good side. They seemed to have mixed feelings when they realized she did not want to return to the restored Ibuki manor.
In the beginning, she planned to have the manor torn apart. But when she realized that there was something unusual about her parent's case, she decided to use some funds to restore the place.
Her external relatives found it very strange that she did not want to return. No, some were happy because it meant they could use the manor. But the majority were disappointed. When she reappeared before those people again, they seemed shocked that she was alive.
She stopped herself from getting mad and hitting them. They should have at least hidden their real thoughts. No, perhaps it was a good thing that they did not wear the usual masks on their faces.
If they did, she would have gotten angrier; this way, she saw their real faces. This way, she saw those people for who they really were.
Sumire looked over at Ru, who looked pale. Is he that ill? It is unlike him to be sick. Normally he fights off all illnesses with that stupid look on his face. If he is that unwell, they should go to a bigger hospital- Sumire paused in midthought and exhaled deeply.
There is no chance of that happening now. Her ex-boyfriend Nagawa Sano came from a family of doctors and businessmen.
His family never approved of dating and did ridiculous things to get her way. They went as far as to ensure nobody associated with her could be seen at the hospital.
Ru is not just any friend too. There were many times when Sano's relatives tried to create a scandal between Ru and her. But no matter what they did, they could not catch anything. Of course, they wouldn't. Ru has never overstepped his boundaries with her. They have remained good friends this entire time.
It's not like they are out of options for medical advice. But relying on an underground doctor isn't wise, even if he is their friend.
"I'll search for a hospital, Ru."
This is the first time she is seeing him in such a bad state.
Mamoru blinked and laughed. He reached over with his free hand and ruffled her hair. "Relax, Ki, it's only a cold."
"But, it's been two weeks. What if it's something serious?"
"It's probably just the flu or fatigue. Just relax, okay, Ki?"
But she is worried; what if he becomes seriously ill? What if he leaves her- ah. Recently she has had selfish thoughts like this about keeping Ru to herself. When did it start?
Is it when those girls started to confess to him? If that is truly the case, then she is very selfish. But even if that's the case, Ru probably wouldn't leave her.
She quickly patched up his wounds but advised him to wait for a while.
"What happened?"
"Ahh-" Mamoru exclaimed. "Your present!"
Sumire blinked, startled at his words. "Wait, did you get this injury while buying a gift for me?"
"Yeah! I was passing a shop that sold unique antiques. I know you like that type of stuff, so I was looking for anything I could get you. I was focusing too much that I let my guard down. Somebody tried to hit my head with a metal pipe. I sensed their bloodlust and managed to turn around and blocked it with my arm. But it still hurt me."
Listening to this guy ramble, Sumire felt even more troubled. This is not the first time he has gotten hurt for her sake. It seems to happen a lot, especially since they entered high school.
Ru only lets his guard down when he buys presents for her; this is something he has been doing since she dated Nagawa Sano.
One time she complained to him and said the stuff Sano buys for her is superficial. 'He only buys for me what every girl likes; he chooses the most expensive item on the girl's most wanted items list. He does not consider what I would like.'
Since then, he frequently bought stuff for her. Sumire felt her cheeks redden, embarrassed. She only grumbled to him about it one time; why does he keep this up? Moreover, she is not dating Sano anymore, but he is still doing this.
He even got hurt. Ru acts like a fool, but normally he has his guard up. But he got careless because he focused on something to do with her.
"What if you didn't sense him?"
"Eh?"
Sumire felt the tears fall from her eyes. What if Ru didn't move away on time and he suffered a head injury?