"Sorry, senpai. Would you like to come in?" Misaki said, forcing a smile on her face and opening the door fully, revealing Ito Emi and Aoyama Shinji in the background. That was quite a relief, Shouichi thought.
"Right. Thanks." He replied, stepping inside.
"Shouichi! My man!" Shinji waved his head energetically, lying in a large hospital bed in a spacious suite adorned with all the convenience appliances. Shouichi noticed his head was wrapped in gauze.
"Seem like you are doing well, Shinji." Shouichi remarked as he approached the bed and waved at Emi at the bedside. Misaki followed him closely behind.
It had been a few days since the tragic incident but all of them appeared to have recovered mentally and physically, "Thank goodness," Shouichi thought.
"Of course. I'm surrounded by sweet and beautiful ladies. Hehehe." Shinji jested, rubbing his nose as the mood lightened.
"Hahaha, a nice suite you got here. Shinji." Shouichi asked, sweeping his eyes around.
"It's my private room… My old man owns this place anyway." Shinji muttered, waving his hand dismissively, the tall boy was always humble when it was something to brag about.
"Woah, really?" Misaki spoke up, amazed.
"Yeah," Shinji confirmed as he casually grabbed a remote controller, turning on the TV.
"That's hella awesome!" Shouichi exclaimed, admiring his friend and the Aoyama family, their wealth truly knew no bound.
"I wonder why Shinji was rushed to the hospital right after that. As it turns out he is the owner's son, after all," Shouichi mused.
"What about you, senpai? Is your throat okay?" Misaki asked him with concern, her obsidian eyes endearingly stared at him.
"Yeah… It's fine."
"I'm glad…" Misaki replied, averting her eyes toward the large screen TV. It featured the news of the recent massacre at Seihei school, turning Kurohashi a secluded nowhere into an infamous town of the death. Two anchors appeared to be discussing over the subject, their eyes laced with terror.
With that, everyone in the room tuned in to the news attentively.
"...So right now, the school is closed right?" The male anchor asked.
"That's right, it's reported that the school is now closed indefinitely." The female anchor replied.
"So today, we'd have the special guest who could enlighten us on some information about the case." The male said.
"Welcome, Officer Akiyama Suzuki." The female announced energetically.
The video conference connected, and a young, beautiful officer appeared on the right side of the screen. Her dark eyes were full of expression, captivating in their depth, while her black, fluffy hair cascaded elegantly over her shoulders.
"Wow, Officer Akiyama is beautiful today." Shouichi thought, mesmerised by her mature beauty. Everyone in the room, grew quiet and strained their ears to listen to what she had to say.
"So, Officer Akiyama, would you please recap us on what happened?"
"Right. First of all, I can only answer the nonsensitive information that can be disclosed to the public without jeopardising the case." Suzuki reported in a confident and stern voice.
"The police had been tracking down the human trafficking syndicate that operated within our jurisdiction." She paused slightly, pondering for words.
"Just before the massacre at the school, the Kurohashi police managed to seize their base of operation and apprehend the syndicate members. However, some of them escaped the seizure. One of them was a student, who acted as a surrogate to lure new victims and funnel them into the organisation. It's later discovered that this student fled the scene and hid himself inside the school."
"That's a bastard president, Sakurai Hiroshi," Shinji commented with anger in his voice.
"The police believe this case was closely related to the school massacre as 3 perpetrators were of the same syndicate sending in to eliminate the student."
"Wow, that's quite a complex case indeed." The male anchor commented, his lips parted in astonishment.
"However, the horrifying massacre at the school seemed too extreme. What are the police's thoughts on this?" The female anchor asked.
"1 perpetrator was shot dead in the scene and the other two were later found deceased in the captivity. The police found an excessive content of highly stimulated drugs in their systems. This could explain their psychotic behaviour leading to the incident. As well as their cause of death," Suzuki explained confidently without stuttering.
"Man… They were completely crazy," Shouichi commented, wiggling his nose.
"That explained it. I kicked the muscular one pretty hard. His neck should have been broken, right?" The silver-haired friend turned to discuss with the pretty boy.
"Yeah, it's horrifying when he caught your kick with his neck." Shouichi recollected, a shiver down his spine. Meanwhile, two girls were listening to the dazzling duo in participation.
"I'm relieved that they're gone now. Scums like them should not exist." Shinji spoke, eyes glueing at the screen.
"Seito-senpai, thank you for saving us." The tall girl in a ponytail, Ito Emi, bowed her head lowly to him and Misaki followed with the same gesture of appreciation.
"That's alright," Shouichi responded with a sweet smile.
"That's what heroes do, right?" Shinji smirked and gestured double-pistol signs at him.
Misaki fidgeted with one of her twin tails, eventually she opened up, "Umm… Shouichi-senpai, I'm leaving soon." However, her lips acted as though she wanted to say more, so Shouichi anticipated for her next words as he waited patiently.
"May I have a few words with you… please." Misaki pleaded with a quick bow. Shouichi turned to look at the couple with a dumbfounded expression. None said or act, offering no comment.
Soon Shouichi steeled himself, turning to Misaki, "Yes. I don't mind that at all, Misaki-chan." He replied with a gentle smile.
***
"Shouichi-senpai… I heard that you guys came to save Emi and me on that day. Is it true?" The girl asked as they sat next to each other on the empty bench in the white hospital hallway.
"Yeah… I guess, I still care about you."
His word struck her harder than she anticipated, she swallowed before returning, "Thank you so much, Shouichi-senpai." She told him, sincerity in her tone, "I'm so glad… "
The silence and tension crept up in the air around them, neither managed to say what they wanted to say.
"Misaki…" He finally uttered his words to break the silence. His eyes lingered on the glossy hospital floor.
"Yeah?"
"How are you doing?"
"I'm just getting by," Misaki answered flatly.
"I know it must have been hard for you. I'm sorry for that." Shouichi said, remained well composed.
The girl grew quiet again, her expression darkened.
"If you don't mind me asking. How's your BDD condition?" The boy inquired further, a tinge of concern in his voice.
"Oh, you meant that when you asked initially." Misaki figured, understanding his initial question, "I went to the psychiatrist and have been taking meds ever since." She explained with her softened tone.
"That's good, Misaki-chan." Shouichi said, relieved. Disregarding their current relationship, he'd feel the need to ensure that the girl was in a good spot.
Shouichi gathered his courage and said it aloud. "I know, we are not like that anymore. But Misaki-chan, if you need anything. Just let me know, okay?" His eyes met her gaze at last.
A warm smile tucked at Misaki's lips immediately. His words somehow touched her heart, its warmth gradually washed away her aching.
"Huh? Would you mind if I hug you one last time?" The girl pleaded out of nowhere. Shouichi was taken aback by her sudden request but agreed without a second thought.
They shared a brief, heartfelt embrace. The boy could remember her sweet, floral scent, it did take him back to the good old days.
"Don't worry, senpai. I'm not suicidal anymore." Misaki reassured him before smiling sweetly at him.
"Good girl." Shouichi said and patted her on the head, letting his fingers thread her silky strands, gentle with each stroke.
"Senpai, it's your kindness that taught me how to love myself… And also, how could I throw away the life that you risked your own to save?" Misaki uttered, her words tinged with resolute. No life was ever meaningless. Understanding that at last, Misaki had gained a new perspective to combat battles to come.
As if the time stopped for a brief moment, seeing how improve in her mental condition and stability, Shouichi was brimmed with satisfaction. It led him to think that perhaps Misaki could change or already had changed for the better.
Misaki casually stood up, "I gotta go now, see you later. Shou-senpai." She bid her farewell with a wave before leaving the scene.
Shouichi stared melancholy at the empty ceiling, sitting alone in the hallway. His mind began to wonder, he hadn't been thinking as of late but to be completely honest with himself, he did miss Misaki's sweet smile ever so dearly.
"But I can't turn back time... I just miss the way I used to see the old version of her," Shouichi mused.