Ginger regained consciousness a few minutes later, finding himself "safely" nestled on top of another body.
As he tried to rise, an unyielding force held him down, causing his head to bump against the person's chest once again. He realized that the stranger had instinctively shielded him with their arms, and in this awkward embrace, a wave of embarrassment washed over him.
With a swift shove, the ginger-haired boy broke free from the uncomfortable entanglement, hovering above the other guy with his hands firmly pressed into the grass on either side of Haruki's face.
Face to face with Haru, Ginger clicked his tongue in disdain at the unconscious fool.
It's his own fault for playing the hero.
Nevertheless, he made an attempt to rouse Haruki. "Hey."
No response.
"Hey, you."
Still nothing.
Ginger added a small slap to Haru's cheek. "Keep this up, and I might just punch you."
Silence.
Growing increasingly anxious, Ginger urged, "Stop fooling around. I'm serious. I'll actually hit you."
But Haruki remained unresponsive.
Ginger shifted his position, leaning closer to examine the guy, pinching Haru's chin and tilting his head from side to side. Despite the lawn cushioning their fall, the ground hadn't been forgiving.
Haru's dark waves were already disheveled, but now they were even messier, with his thick bangs obscuring his eyes completely. This disarray only heightened Ginger's concern, as Haru truly appeared to be knocked out.
Moving his hand from Haru's chin, Ginger brushed the fringe away and felt Haruki's forehead, discovering an intense warmth.
Now he couldn't tell if it was the onset of a fever or simply Haru's natural body temperature.
"Damn it, wake up. Quit fooling around," Ginger said, his tone harsh, but he gently lifted Haru's head to examine it closely.
Little did he know that as his hand clasped the back of Haru's head, something warm and sticky would smear his palm. Bringing his hand closer to his face, Ginger confirmed his suspicion—an all-too-familiar red liquid stained the center of his right palm. Though it wasn't much, it was enough to confirm that Haruki was out cold.
*
After some time, Haruki's eyes fluttered open, driven by the persistent throbbing in his head that refused to let him rest peacefully. He raised a hand to his temple and closed his eyes again, taking a few seconds to adjust to the light.
The first thing he saw was a cluster of swaying green above him, with warm sunlight filtering through the gaps.
Wait... why was he under a tree again?
It was only when he recalled where he was and what had happened that he gasped in realization.
"Ginger!" he panicked, shooting up instantly. However, the abrupt movement was a big no-no for someone with a concussion, intensifying the splitting headache and causing Haruki to bury his face in his hands.
"Take it easy," came a voice from nearby, prompting him to turn. He hadn't even noticed someone sitting a few feet away.
Ginger still appeared as indifferent as ever, casually reading his math textbook while offering a nonchalant, "Welcome back to the land of the living."
Nevertheless, Haruki leaned over and grasped Ginger's shoulders, bewildering the ginger-haired kid.
"Are you out of your mind?! You—no, wait..." Haruki's brewing anger subsided as he suddenly remembered the most crucial thing. He began checking Ginger's body for injuries while asking, "Are you okay? Any broken bones or cuts? Sprained ankles? Concussions?"
Still puzzled, Ginger could only shake his head.
"That's a relief..." Haruki breathed. However, in the next moment, he flicked Ginger's forehead mercilessly, catching the other off guard.
Rubbing the stinging spot, Ginger's expression turned displeased as he prepared to complain.
"Jumping off from that height without any protection or at least ensuring you'd be fine... Are you crazy?" Haruki scolded, not giving Ginger a chance to speak. "Do you think you're made of steel or something? You're just a little brat!"
What's gotten into him? He's the one who acted without thinking; Ginger thought, couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. Instead, he mumbled, "I already told you I could make the jump. Between the two of us, you should worry more about yourself."
"Why would I..." Haruki trailed off, feeling another sharp pang across his head, as if it were splitting apart. He couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Damn."
"You landed hard on your head," Ginger explained, picking up something to show him. "Specifically, on this."
Haruki was taken aback the moment he saw a palm-sized rock in Ginger's hand, but it wasn't the size that startled him. It was the dried red liquid staining the surface of the stone.
"What the hell, did I bleed?" Haruki's hands instinctively went to the back of his head, where he felt a small, dried wound.
Ginger calmly nodded. "You were out for more than twenty minutes. Since the nearest water source is quite a distance away, I couldn't bring you there to clean the blood off. I tried, but... you're too heavy."
Haru understood the practicality of the situation. He noticed that Ginger now wore shoes, assuming that he always had them hidden somewhere on the ground whenever he climbed his tree, so he didn't question it. However, when he spotted the specks of dried blood on Ginger's hand, he couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you wash it off?"
"No one would have been around to watch over you while I was gone," Ginger nonchalantly remarked, but then regretted it soon afterwards. He found it strange to say something like that so openly, yet as he glanced at the other person, it appeared that Haruki didn't see it as peculiar in the least.
Haruki even nodded understandingly, his voice laced with comprehension. "Oh, I see. You were concerned about me."
Ginger's confusion grew, "???"
"Now that I think about it, there was a time when it felt like I was comfortably lying on someone's lap," Haru continued, oblivious to Ginger's gradually reddening face. "You must have—"
"Don't be ridiculous! Why would I do that?" Ginger interjected hastily, his flustered demeanor betraying him. "Get over yourself."
Haruki silently noted Ginger's transparency but chose not to expose him. "Alright, alright. I was just dreaming. The situation has stabilized. We're both fine, even though you were the one who acted without considering the consequences—"
"No."
Ginger's voice was barely audible, causing Haru to miss what he had said. "Hm?"
"No, it's not okay. You're the stupid one!" Ginger erupted suddenly.
Confusion engulfed Haruki: What now?
Ginger sprang to his feet, positioning himself directly in front of Haruki, his expression seething with irritation. "You keep accusing me of acting recklessly when you were actually the one oblivious to your surroundings."
"... Fine, we both acted recklessly."
"Don't lump me together with you. I already told you I could make the jump, so why didn't you let me?" Ginger's voice trembled with frustration.
"If the police had asked me for a detailed report of your death, what would you have wanted me to say? 'Officer, the kid bragged he could make the jump, so I let him. I watched him fall to his death.' Is that it?"
"You're exaggerating! We both know I wouldn't have 'died' from that fall. At most, I would have sprained my ankles. So why did you do it?"
Haruki remained silent.
"We're just strangers, yet you had to prove some pointless point by playing the hero where it wasn't necessary. Look at where it got you now. You must be regretting it, huh?"
"No, I don't," Haru replied, a smile adorning his face. "Not even a bit."
Ginger was left speechless.
"Sorry to disappoint."
Ginger's hands clenched at his sides.
"It's because of what you said," Haruki spoke, picking up the textbook Ginger had abandoned on the grass and perusing its pages. "That's why I reacted."
"What I said?" Ginger couldn't help but feel both irritated and perplexed.
"That you're used to pain. I couldn't help but think that you were disregarding your own well-being, in a way."
Ginger gritted his teeth as he retorted, "And so? It's none of your business."
"Yeah, it isn't," Haru didn't contest, chuckling lightly. "Initially, I even thought, 'This ungrateful brat has no idea how easy he has it. While others can't even get out of a hospital bed, he parades around acting tough, as if he knows true pain. I hope he breaks a leg someday and learns his lesson.'"
"Then why didn't you let me break them, huh?"
"Shh, I'm not done yet. As I was saying, I wanted you to learn a lesson, but then another thought crossed my mind. I remembered that you're currently a victim of bullying, and I thought, 'Hey, how will he escape from those bullies if his leg is all messed up? It wouldn't be entertaining to watch at all.' So I reacted."
Ginger stared at him in disbelief for a prolonged moment. "You... you're a terrible person."
"And you write like a duck," Haru remarked, holding Ginger's book upside down. "Seriously, look at the size of this handwriting..."
Ginger quickly snatched his book back, flustered and annoyed. "I don't always write like this. There's a reason for it!"
"Ah?" Haru nodded as if comprehending. "Is it because there are no margins or lines?"
"You're insufferable, you know that?"
Haruki shrugged. "Meh, can't always be the hero."
With that, he skillfully diverted the conversation, leaving Ginger too embarrassed to bring up the previous topic again, and thus it remained unmentioned.
"Well, I think I've entertained you enough. Can't leave the house unattended for too long either, so..." Haruki began to rise to his feet when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his left ankle, causing him to slump back down onto the ground.
Observing this, Ginger snorted, thinking it was merely Haruki's playful antics. "Changed your mind about leaving the house unattended? Don't feel like going anymore?"
"Of course I'm going," Haruki affirmed, but he refrained from acting rashly. He carefully rose to his feet, using the tree for support, closed his eyes, and paused in that position. He stood there silently, without uttering a word.
Ginger watched him with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. The sudden silence from Haruki seemed almost too good to be true. He half expected him to start performing some kind of ritual to pay homage to the tree.
Little did Ginger know that a thin layer of sweat had already formed on Haruki's forehead, concealed by his hair.
What's he up to? Ginger's thoughts raced uncomfortably as he observed the other person. With a mix of concern and curiosity, he finally confronted him, "Hey, did you pass out standing? What's with you?"
Although Haruki didn't reply right away, his head shook slightly before his brown eyes, filled with pain, met Ginger's inquisitive grey gaze.
Ginger's alarm bells rang again, but he quickly composed himself, skillfully concealing his worry. "Seriously, what happened?"
"Haha... hahahahaha..."
He's gone mad; Ginger thought.
"This... this isn't what I expected," Haruki winced, his eyes drifting down to his feet.
Confused, Ginger followed his gaze, before his eyes returned to the other's face. "What's wrong?"
"I sprained my ankle."
Ginger's response was an understated "Oh."
Haruki smiled sweetly, his voice filled with a hint of vulnerability. "Could I trouble you for a bit of assistance?"
~~~~~~