Chapter 86: Remaining Sparks

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Translator: Soafp

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The white curtain gently sways, and soft light pours in from the window. The room, enveloped in silence, carries a faint scent of fabric, with the distant sound of people passing by in the hallway.

In the center of the room lies a bed, on which Kyoko is quietly resting. Her usual confident smile is absent, and her complexion looks slightly pale. I pull a chair close to the bed and look at her with concern.

“Kyoko-nee…”

When I call out to her, Kyoko squints her eyes and looks at me, offering a calm smile.

“Don't look at me like that, Hajime… This will heal quickly as long as I rest.”

“You're saying that, but you've got a broken rib!”

I raise my voice without thinking, and Kyoko shrugs her shoulders.

“I know, I know. Don't shout, it'll hurt my bones.”

It seems she still has enough energy for teasing, but considering the severity of her injuries, it's not a situation to take lightly.

After the incident at the hotel, I arrived at the hospital where Kyoko was brought. Alongside her was Marin, who had been accompanying her, and Ranko, Kagura, and others who had helped with the operation were also present.

“By the way, I heard that Akutsu was brought to this hospital too.”

Kyoko suddenly asked Marin.

Marin responded with a wry smile.

“Yes, he was questioned by the police, but he was brought to the hospital without saying anything.”

Kyoko smirked at this and replied with a grin.

“Tch, he must've been really shocked losing to a woman like me. Not being able to tell anyone about it… how cute.”

“Cute, huh…” Kagura looked at Kyoko with a puzzled expression.

“Hearing Kyoko call that cute, you're amazing… To me, he just looked like a monster…”

“I don't ever want to see a fight like that again… It was shocking…” Marin frowned and then glanced up at Ranko.

“By the way, the operation was successful, right? What was Kodaka's weakness?”

For a moment, the atmosphere froze.

“Huh? Uh, well, I can't really say… It's too early for you to know, Marin… right, Kagura?”

Ranko pushed the conversation toward Kagura.

“Don't push it on me!”

Kagura panicked before continuing,

“Ugh… well, Marin, Koda's weakness is… Hajime!”

“Huh? Me!?”

I was caught off guard and looked around in a panic.

“Ah, no! I, um, I don't think it's the right time to talk about this!”

I stammered.

“Eh! What's this? Don't leave me out of it!” Marin puffed out her cheeks and approached me.

I quickly turned away and tried to come up with an excuse.

Just then, the door to the hospital room swung open.

“Kyoko!”

It was Miyabi.

“Miyabi!? What are you doing here?”

I asked, surprised.

Miyabi panted as she answered.

“What do you mean, why? I tried calling you a bunch of times, but you didn't answer, so I called home and found out everyone was here at the hospital because Kyoko got hurt. What's going on?”

“Is mom here too?”

Kyoko asked Miyabi.

“Yes, she's talking to the doctor right now.”

Miyabi replied.

Kyoko frowned in response.

“I see… This time, they'll really squeeze me, huh… sigh…”

Kyoko slumped, and Kagura, Marin, and Ranko chuckled softly.

However, Miyabi suddenly changed her expression and turned to me.

“Hajime!”

Miyabi called out to me suddenly, looking like she remembered something important.

“What is it, Miyabi?”

“I can't reach Aoi again. I went to her house earlier to check, but she's not there…”

“Aoi?”

I asked, my mind immediately going to the days since Aoi stopped coming to school. I hadn't seen her since she was spotted with Kagura at the hotel.

Then, Miyabi continued, her voice tense.

“I had a bad feeling and asked where she went. Aoi's mom said she had plans to meet with a voice actress she knows at a café famous for pancakes…”

At that moment, something clicked in my mind.

“A voice actress…?”

I murmured, and a chill ran down my spine.

“Could it be… that voice actress…!”

“The café on the first floor of that hotel. It's the one with pancakes that were featured on TV!”

Ranko added.

Everyone froze at the mention of this.

“What? Do you know something, Hajime?”

Miyabi asked, still confused.

“Aoi might be in serious danger…”

I muttered, my face drained of color. This was bad… very bad… If Aoi is targeted by him…

“I'm calling a taxi!”

Kagura jumped to her feet, grabbed her bag, and hurried out of the room, phone in hand. She nearly bumped into a nurse in her haste.

“Wait, Hajime!”

Miyabi grabbed my arm and pressed me.

“I don't have time to explain, Miyabi. We'll talk as we go!”

I said, grabbing my coat and rushing out of the hospital room. My chest tightened with worry and fear. This was bad. I had to save Aoi.

I was breathing heavily, my legs trembling, but there was no time to care about that.

We rushed out of the hospital, urgency filling the air.