Chapter 18 - Hospital and Regret

Kiyoshi then suddenly woke up, back in reality, only to realize that he is in bed in the hospital. The room he was in was in commotion, with his relatives and classmates talking to each other about Kiyoshi's condition, with his classmates worrying about his current state. The room was cooled by the air conditioner, and outside the window, it was daytime. It's been 14 days since Kiyoshi was murdered by a dark, psychopathic lunatic, and in that period of time, Kiyoshi's teacher and classmates wondered and became worried where he had been and what is he doing. Then, as soon as he saw them gathering, Kiyoshi spoke up, "Um, hello?"

When they heard him asking that question, they turned towards Kiyoshi's hospital bed, only to be surprised that Kiyoshi had miraculously survived his coma, thanks to the hard work and effort by the hospital's doctors and surgeons. Seeing their faces, Kiyoshi commented, "Uh, where am I?"

"Kiyoshi-kun!" two of Kiyoshi's classmates shouted as they ran towards him and hugged him in embrace and relief. Tears of joy and relief flow freely from their eyes. His homeroom teacher and school principal are happy with pity, while his relatives from the Tokyo hugged each other in relief. But, Sachio was unable to express her feeling for Kiyoshi, since there are many people in that room.

After that happy commotion, Kiyoshi began to ask them what happened to him, and where he was now. Trying to calm his student down, Kiyoshi's teacher, Hideko, calmly told him that he had been stabbed in the chest and went on a coma for two weeks. Sachio then added that a stranger found his body in an abandoned restroom, with blood dripping on the dirty tiles and his school bag untouched, and luckily called an ambulance immediately before more bleeding would end the young student's life. Upon hearing all that details, Kiyoshi was stunned at first, but he was relieved and became happy that he was still alive, and even thanked that stranger who helped him in his heart. All this time, a coal black business coat hung on the chair, with red, dried blood staining on it.

Meanwhile, at the abandoned restroom in the abandoned building, Daku slumped against the dirty, filthy, tiled and on the dirty, tiled floor, feeling extremely guilty of his murderous crimes of killing people. His dark grey and black clothes, splattered a little bit with blood, matches the dark, miserable surroundings. And as he light up a cigarette, he felt sorry for Kiyoshi's death, in which he was responsible for. And on his face tears of guilt, shame, remorse, and regret flew in normal amounts, and he said to himself, "I'm sorry, Kiyoshi-kun..." So that means that, he will change? Or not? Was it a show off for Kiyoshi, or a real, regrettable thing he had felt for the first time in his life?