The moment the group stepped into the hospital room, their attention immediately shifted toward Mizuki. One by one, they walked over to her bed until they were all standing beside her.

  Arashi’s eyes lingered on her the longest.

  The moment he saw her lying there, a clear trace of worry appeared on his face.

  “Mizuki… what happened?” he asked quietly.

  Mizuki turned her head toward him. For a brief moment their eyes met, and then she gave him a gentle smile.

  “It’s nothing,” she said softly. “My health wasn’t very good, that’s all.”

  Arashi frowned slightly.

  “You should have told us.”

  Mizuki shook her head, still maintaining that calm smile.

  “No, it’s really not a big deal. I’ll be fine after some time, don’t worry. It’s just a small thing.”

  She then glanced toward the sofa placed a little farther away and gestured lightly.

  “You guys should go sit over there.”

  The others nodded and moved toward the sofa beside the wall, settling down together. The soft sound of cushions shifting filled the quiet room.

  Arashi, however, didn’t follow them.

  Instead, he quietly pulled a small stool chair closer to Mizuki’s bed and sat down beside her.

  Just then, Miyu suddenly clapped her hands lightly as if remembering something important.

  “Oh right! I almost forgot.”

  She looked at Mizuki with a bright smile.

  “Mizuki, congratulations. You topped the class.”

  Mizuki blinked in mild surprise.

  “Really?”

  Miyu nodded enthusiastically.

  “Yeah. You got 96%.”

  Mizuki’s reaction, however, was far calmer than everyone expected.

  “Oh… I see.”

  There was no excitement in her voice—just quiet acknowledgement.

  After a brief pause, she asked,

  “And what about the rest of you?”

  Hina leaned forward slightly and answered,

  She began explaining everyone else’s results one by one.

  When she finished, Takumi suddenly spoke with visible excitement.

  “Mizuki, you have no idea how happy I was when I saw the results!”

  Before he could continue, Satoru immediately added with a grin,

  “Seriously. This guy started crying.”

  Takumi looked embarrassed while the others chuckled.

  “And because of that,” Satoru continued playfully, “Miyu and Takumi are giving everyone a treat today.”

  Mizuki let out a small amused laugh.

  “Oh? A treat? That sounds fun.”

  Then she added apologetically,

  “But the doctor told me not to eat anything heavy… so you guys can eat it. That alone is enough for me.”

  Miyu immediately shook her head.

  “No way. We’ll order something light for you too. Don’t worry.”

  With that, the group began discussing what to order, their voices filling the room as they placed the order together.

  Watching them, Arashi let out a faint smile.

  “The delivery guy is probably going to wonder,” he said casually, “who even orders food to a hospital.”

  While everyone was busy talking, Arashi’s gaze slowly drifted toward the small table beside Mizuki’s bed.

  Several bottles of medicine were neatly placed there.

  His eyes rested on them for a brief moment.

  He noticed them.

  But he said nothing.

  Just then, Mizuki’s father stood up from his chair.

  “You kids sit here. I’ll step outside for a moment.”

  With that, he quietly left the room.

  Sometime later, Takumi’s phone rang.

  “The delivery’s here.”

  He and Satoru immediately stood up.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “We’ll go get it.”

  Miyu and Hina also rose from the sofa.

  “We’re coming too.”

  Ayane stretched her arms slightly before speaking.

  “I’ll come as well. I could use a bit of fresh air.”

  But in reality, it was nothing more than an excuse.

  The delivery boy had already arrived downstairs.

  Still, they all left together.

  Because without saying it out loud, they all understood the same thing.

  They wanted to leave Arashi and Mizuki alone.

  The door quietly closed behind them.

  And just like that…

  The room fell silent.

  For a while, neither of them spoke.

  The quiet atmosphere of the hospital room settled in after the others had left. The faint sound of distant footsteps and medical equipment from the hallway was the only thing breaking the silence.

  After a few moments, Arashi slowly turned his head toward Mizuki.

  His expression had changed.

  The light smile he had earlier was gone, replaced with something far more serious.

  “Mizuki…” he said quietly.

  “What happened? Please… tell me.”

  Mizuki avoided his gaze.

  “It’s really nothing,” she replied softly. “You don’t need to worry.”

  Arashi’s eyebrows tightened slightly.

  “No.”

  His voice became firmer.

  “You have to tell me.”

  He leaned forward a little.

  “Tell me.”

  But Mizuki remained silent.

  The room grew even quieter.

  Seeing that she still wasn’t answering, Arashi’s eyes slowly moved toward the side table beside her bed. A few documents and reports were placed there along with the medicines.

  Without saying anything, he reached out and picked up the reports.

  Mizuki immediately noticed.

  “Arashi… don’t.”

  But he had already begun reading.

  “Mizuki, don’t do that,” she said again, her voice slightly more urgent.

  Yet Arashi didn’t stop.

  His eyes carefully moved across the lines of the report.

  The more he read, the more serious his expression became.

  Finally, he lowered the papers.

  “Oh…”

  A quiet breath escaped him.

  “I see.”

  Then he slowly looked at Mizuki.

  His gaze was calm, but there was something heavy behind it.

  “Mizuki…”

  “Do you not trust me?”

  Mizuki immediately shook her head.

  “That’s not it, Arashi,” she said softly. “I trust you.”

  She lowered her eyes.

  “I just didn’t want to make you worry.”

  Arashi looked down at the report still in his hands.

  Then he raised it slightly.

  His voice became sharper.

  “What is this… huh?”

  Arashi’s fingers tightened around the medical report.

  The room was silent, yet the words printed on the paper felt unbearably loud inside his mind.

  For a few seconds, he simply stared at the page… as if hoping he had read it wrong.

  But the words didn’t change.

  Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Mizuki.

  “Mizuki…”

  His voice was quieter than before, yet far heavier.

  “This report says you’ve been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia.”

  Mizuki lowered her gaze.

  She didn’t deny it.

  Arashi exhaled slowly and looked back at the report.

  “Aplastic anemia…” he murmured, as if trying to process the meaning of the words.

  “It’s a condition where the bone marrow stops producing enough blood cells.”

  He glanced at Mizuki again.

  “Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets… all of them start dropping.”

  His expression darkened.

  “And when that happens, the body becomes weaker and weaker.”

  He lifted the report slightly.

  “It says here that when the blood cell levels fall too low, the body can’t fight infections properly. Even small illnesses can become dangerous.”

  Mizuki remained silent.

  Arashi continued speaking, his voice steady but tense.

  “That’s why patients with aplastic anemia get exhausted easily… feel dizzy… and sometimes even faint.”

  He paused.

  “And if it isn’t treated properly…”

  His grip on the paper tightened.

  “…it can become life-threatening.”

  The words hung heavily in the air.

  For a moment, the room felt even colder than before.

  Arashi slowly lowered the report.

  “Mizuki…”

  His voice carried a mixture of frustration and worry.

  “You call this ‘nothing’?”

  Mizuki looked up at him, her expression calm but slightly sad.

  “I didn’t want you to worry,” she said softly.

  Arashi stared at her for a few seconds.

  Then he shook his head.

  “Not worrying isn’t an option.”

  He pointed at the report again.

  “This says you need strict treatment, regular monitoring, medication, and proper rest.”

  His tone became firmer.

  “Patients with this condition can’t just ignore it. They have to be careful about everything—stress, physical effort, even infections.”

  Mizuki quietly listened.

  Arashi leaned slightly forward.

  “And yet you were still going to school like everything was normal.”

  He let out a small breath, almost like a frustrated sigh.

  “Mizuki…”

  His voice softened slightly.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  For the first time since the conversation started, Mizuki hesitated.

  “…Because I didn’t want to become a burden.”

  Those words made Arashi freeze for a second.

  Then he immediately shook his head.

  “A burden?”

  He looked directly into her eyes.

  “You really think helping you would be a burden?”

  His voice carried a quiet determination now.

  “Mizuki… listen to me.”

  He placed the report down on the table beside her bed.

  “If this illness requires strict care…”

  He paused for a moment.

  “…then we’ll deal with it properly.”

  Mizuki blinked slightly.

  Arashi continued,

  “You’ll take your medicines on time.”

  He raised one finger.

  “You won’t overwork yourself.”

  Another finger.

  “And you won’t hide things like this again.”

  Then he looked at her with a serious expression.

  “Because from now on…”

  He paused briefly.

  “…you’re not dealing with this alone.”

  Arashi lowered his head.

  For a few seconds, he said nothing.

  Then he suddenly spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

  “Mizuki… I’ll help you.”

  He lifted his head and looked straight at her.

  “Because… because I can’t see you like this.”

  His hands clenched slightly.

  “I really can’t.”

  His voice grew more emotional with each word.

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you… not even a little.”

  Before Mizuki could respond, tears slowly began forming in Arashi’s eyes.

  One drop fell.

  Then another.

  Unable to hold himself back anymore, he stepped closer to the bed.

  The next moment, he gently wrapped his arms around Mizuki.

  “Mizuki… please,” he said quietly.

  “Please rely on me a little.”

  His voice cracked.

  “Whatever happens… you have to share it with me.”

  He tightened the hug slightly.

  “…Because I can’t live without you.”

  His words were raw, honest, and filled with emotion.

  “Please, Mizuki… please.”

  For the first time since this conversation began, Mizuki’s calm expression began to break.

  Seeing Arashi cry like that filled her with a deep sense of regret.

  Slowly, she raised her hand and gently placed it on his head, softly stroking his hair.

  “Alright… alright,” she said softly.

  “But stop crying.”

  Her tone became slightly playful as she added,

  “Otherwise, I won’t tell you anything at all.”

  Arashi sniffed slightly, trying to hold himself together.

  “From now on,” Mizuki continued gently, “whatever happens… I’ll tell you.”

  She lightly tapped his head.

  “So, stop crying already.”

  Arashi slowly pulled back.

  And Mizuki wiped the tears from his face.

  Then he looked at her again.

  “Promise?”

  Mizuki gave a small smile.

  “Alright.”

  She nodded.

  “I promise.”

  After hearing that, Arashi finally wiped away the remaining tears and took a deep breath.

  “Good.”

  Then he said with determination,

  “From today onward… I’ll come here every day.”

  Mizuki looked at him quietly.

  “Arashi… you’ve already done so much for me before.”

  Her voice was filled with gratitude.

  “And even now you’re willing to do more.”

  She smiled softly.

  “Thank you, Arashi.”

  Arashi immediately shook his head.

  “No… I didn’t do anything.”

  But the moment he said that—

  The door suddenly opened.

  Everyone walked back into the room carrying the food.

  For a brief moment, Arashi and Mizuki quickly composed themselves, acting as if nothing had happened.

  Takumi looked around the room and said loudly,

  “Alright! The food has arrived!”

  Satoru placed the bags on the table while Miyu began taking the containers out.

  Within moments, the quiet hospital room was filled with laughter and chatter again.

  Everyone gathered together and began enjoying the treat.

  And just like that—

  The tense atmosphere from earlier slowly faded away.