Chapter 16: Leaving early

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Translator: Soafp

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Did she stop somewhere along the way?

She went straight home, right?

With my thoughts in complete chaos, I just kept running.

I was out of breath, and nausea started to rise.

Even so, I didn't have the luxury of stopping.

Komori-san's life mattered far more than my suffering.

(Damn it… I'm not going to let her die now of all times.)

I had already grown too close to her.

If she were to die right in front of me just like in that dream, I wouldn't be able to recover this time.

I'd probably never try to get involved with anyone ever again.

(That's why, for my own sake too, I have to save her…!!)

There was just one thing bothering me.

It was because of that “nightmare” that I became close to Komori-san.

Because of that, she ended up having a huge fight with Yuzuki—her first friend—and even left school early.

Could it be that, because of me, Komori-san would end up getting into a traffic accident?

(Anyway, there's no point regretting what's already happened.)

Just because I know the future doesn't mean I can execute every action perfectly.

To begin with, Komori-san was the one who approached me first about Yuzuki.

No matter what I had done, the danger of a traffic accident might have still happened.

So right now, what I should do isn't regret the past.

It's to somehow save Komori-san—that's all.

(If I knew this would happen, I should've exercised more regularly…)

When was the last time I ran at full speed like this?

Could I even catch up to Komori-san like this?

If a taxi passed by, I'd jump into it—but at times like this, not a single one was in sight.

“Damn it!”

Every breath scraped against my dry throat.

My airway felt crushed, wheezing out metallic-sounding breaths.

From inside my ribs, my heart was raging as if it would burst through my skin.

(Almost there.)

As the edges of my vision darkened, only the blooming satsuki flowers came faintly into view.

Dragging my legs, heavy as lead, I kept moving somehow, thinking only of Komori-san.

My muscles trembled, and my knees felt like they might give out at any moment.

(Hot sweat and cold sweat at the same time… this feels awful.)

Where is she?

Normally, her figure should stand out—but why can't I find her now?

I could taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.

(Please, just be safe…!!)

My sweat-soaked shirt clung to my back like an unpleasant film.

My stiff uniform jacket weighed down my upper body like a heavy weight.

I loosened my suffocating tie and pushed into a final sprint.

(There she is!!)

Her blonde bob swayed slightly over her uniform.

Her short skirt, cut quite high, boldly showed off about 25% “gyaru” energy.

“Komori-san…!”

I called out to her in a hoarse voice.

But she didn't respond—her shoulders slumped, head lowered, lost in thought.

“Damn it!”

Before long, she stepped onto an unmarked crosswalk, carelessly, without even checking left or right.

I gathered the last of my strength.

Running straight toward her, I stretched my arm forward as far as I could.

At that moment—

HOOOOONK—!!

A white sedan blared its horn.

The screech of sudden braking tore through the air.

Only then did Komori-san lift her face.

But seeing the white car bearing down on her, she froze in fear.

“—!!”

Please… reach her.

I extended my right arm to its absolute limit.

I ran with every last ounce of strength.

“Komori-san!!”

My fingertips brushed her shoulder.

In that instant, I shoved her away with all my might.

She stumbled forward and was pushed out of the crosswalk.

“F-Fukagawa!?”

Her panicked voice.

And then—

THUD—!!

A massive impact struck my leg.

The sedan's bumper had hit me.

Like taking a brutal tackle, my body lifted into the air.

I was thrown onto the hood.

Crack—

A strange sound came from somewhere in my body.

A sharp pain, even worse than the impact to my leg, surged through me.

My right upper arm had slammed into the A-pillar.

“F-FUKAGAWA!!”

Komori-san scrambled to her feet and rushed toward me.

Through my fading consciousness, the only thing I could faintly see was the scrape on her cheek from the asphalt.

“Sorry… your face…”

“Now's not the time to worry about me! Fukagawa, are you okay!?”

At that moment, the driver got out of the car.

“You can't just jump out like that, student!!”

His words actually made my mind clearer.

“There was a stop sign, and you ignored it. If you had stopped properly, this accident wouldn't have happened.”

“…!”

The driver had no comeback.

More than that—no “Are you okay”?

I was speechless in disbelief.

(So this is where Komori-san got hit and fell backward, hitting her head hard…)

At the same time, I understood why I had that “nightmare.”

Even if the driver didn't stop, this wasn't a road where cars could go that fast.

So Komori-san, walking slowly with her head down, couldn't absorb the impact and fell straight backward.

I, on the other hand, was running at full speed—so I ended up on the hood and got off relatively lightly.

Komori-san spoke through sobs.

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… I really was about to get into an accident, wasn't I? I'm sorry I didn't believe you… Because I didn't, you ended up like this…”

“It's okay. Don't cry. It doesn't hurt that much. More importantly, you're safe—that's what matters.”

“Y-yeah… thank you. Shouldn't you go to the hospital? Are you really not in pain?”

“Surprisingly, I'm really not. It hurt a bit earlier, though.”

I got off the dented hood.

I could walk fine, and my head was clear.

I could even see the driver panicking and making a call.

“But just in case, let's go to the hospital, okay? If something happens to you… I really…”

Even as she tried to stop crying, tears kept falling from her eyes.

Well, she must have been badly shaken.

For me, I had already experienced this in that “nightmare,” so I could stay calm.

To lighten the mood, I gently patted her head like comforting a child.

“My Nodoka—”

“Waaah—!!”

…That just made her cry even harder like a little kid.

As I wondered what to do—

“Eh?”

Suddenly, an intense pain shot through my arm.

My vision slowly darkened, and strength left my body.

I realized immediately.

So the adrenaline had just been numbing the pain.

On top of that, I had pushed my body to its absolute limit running.

“F-Fukagawa!? Fukagawa!! No—don't die!!”

I didn't even have the strength to move my mouth.

The last thing I felt was the warmth of Komori-san's tear falling on my cheek—

—and then my consciousness sank into deep darkness.

---

When I woke up—

The hardness beneath my back and the strange smell.

An IV needle was stuck in my left arm.

I immediately knew I was in a hospital room.

(No wonder my arm hurts.)

My right arm was splinted and wrapped tightly in bandages.

On top of that, a black mesh sling held it against my chest.

It seemed I had broken it when I hit the A-pillar.

(So I've been here the whole time…)

To my right, Komori-san was asleep in a chair, leaning forward with her head resting on my bed.

Her drool had stained my hospital gown.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but she must have stayed by my side the whole time and gotten exhausted.

After all, she had already gone through so much that day.

“Komori-san.”

I called her softly.

I felt bad waking her, but someone had to notify the nurse or doctor that I was awake.

“Mm…?”

She rubbed her eyes and looked up.

The moment our eyes met—

She suddenly hugged my face.

“I'm so glad… I really thought something might happen to you… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… And thank you…”

She started crying again.

More than the softness pressed against my face, what I felt most clearly was her racing heartbeat.

I gently stroked the back of her head.

“I should be the one thanking you. For staying alive.”

My precognition was definitely helping someone.

Just realizing that was enough.

---

After that, I stayed in the hospital for about two more days for tests.

Thankfully, aside from the broken arm, I had no other injuries.

The fracture itself wasn't serious enough to require surgery.

Still, injuring my dominant right arm meant daily life would be inconvenient for a while.

(No issues with the stocks today either.)

Naturally, the driver who ignored the stop sign covered all my medical expenses.

I'd also be receiving a settlement.

Saving a life and getting compensation on top of that—well, you could call it a fair trade.

It was inconvenient and painful, sure, but thinking that way was better for my sanity.

I closed my stock app and was about to get ready for school.

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock.

Yuzuki wouldn't come anymore, and my mom never knocks.

Tilting my head in confusion, I heard a voice.

“F-Fukagawa, are you there?”

“Komori-san?”

“Y-yeah…”

Why was she suddenly at my house?

She had been here a couple of times before, and she had met my mom at the hospital—so maybe my mom let her in.

I opened the door.

“What's up? You came all this way.”

“Um… your right arm—it's inconvenient, right?”

“Well, yeah. Can't be helped.”

“If it's not a bother, then…”

Her cheeks turned slightly red as she spoke.

“Until your right arm fully heals… I-I'll help you with everything!”