Chapter "Bruises Of Friendship"

In the dead of night, Hisashi, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, placed a heavy box into a van. He appeared utterly exhausted.

All around him, numerous vans were being loaded by a throng of workers, and Hisashi was among them, visibly worn out from the relentless labor.

Suddenly, the manager stormed over and yelled at Hisashi, "Hey, you! No time for rest! We need all of this loaded within the hour!"

Hisashi nodded, quickly went over to the stack of boxes, and picked up another heavy one. He walked towards the van and placed the box inside, breathing heavily. Just then, his phone started ringing.

He retrieved his phone from his pocket, and Hanae's name flashed on the screen. Hisashi answered the call, his voice strained, "Yes Hanae?"

Hanae, lying on her bed, quickly sat up and asked, "Hisashi, are you okay?"

Hisashi, still catching his breath, replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Hanae responded with concern, "You don't sound fine. You seem exhausted.”

Hisashi said, "Yeah, I'm on night duty. Is everything alright?"

Hanae responded, "Yes, I was just wondering if you're free tomorrow."

Hisashi, sounding confused, asked, "Why?"

Blushing, Hanae replied, "I want to spend my tomorrow with you.”

Hisashi was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise. Hanae quickly reassured him, "I just want…. It's fine if you don't want to."

Hisashi smiled warmly and replied, "Alright, no problem." Hanae's face lit up with a bright smile as she asked, "What's your favourite colour?"

Hisashi appeared momentarily confused before he could respond, a voice boomed out, "Hey, you! Get back to work, or you won't get a single penny!”

Hisashi noticed the manager glaring at him, so he hurriedly told Hanae, "I have to go. Let's meet tomorrow. Bye."

Hanae tried to continue the conversation, but the call abruptly ended. Disappointed, she placed her phone on the bed and leaned back, whispering to herself, "You should've told me your favourite colour….. idiot." With a sigh, she closed her eyes.

As dawn approached, Hisashi trudged along, his exhaustion evident in his weary gait and heavy-lidded eyes. With a tired smile, he retrieved an envelope from his pocket, peeked inside, and muttered, "This could be a big help. I hope they'll remember me for the next loading job." Placing the envelope back in his pocket, he resumed his walk.

Suddenly, his phone began to ring, displaying an unknown number on the screen.

Hisashi answered the call, saying, "Hello, who's this?" The voice on the other end inquired, "Is this Hisashi Ogawa?"

With a hint of eagerness, Hisashi confirmed, "Yes, speaking." The voice continued, "Do you know anyone named Subaru Tanaka?"

Hisashi's heart skipped a beat, and he stopped in his tracks. Anxiously, he asked, "Yes, he's a friend of mine. Is he okay?"

The voice replied somberly, "Unfortunately, no. He's currently admitted to Oshima Hospital.”

Hisashi hurriedly asked, "Admitted? Why? Is he okay?"

The voice on the other end reassured him, saying, "Yes, don't worry, he's okay now. He just wanted to let you know."

Relieved but concerned, Hisashi responded, "Alright, Thank you, I'll be there." He ended the call, turned around, and sprinted towards the nearest public transport.

Inside the hospital, Hisashi burst through the doors and spotted Subaru lying on bed with bandages all over his face and head. Their eyes met, a mixture of relief and concern passing between them.

Hisashi stormed over to him, his tone laced with concern and frustration. "What happened?" he demanded.

Subaru forced a smile and replied, "It's nothing, really. I'm fine."

Hisashi's expression grew serious. "Fine? You've got bandages all over your face and head. That doesn't sound like 'nothing' to me," he pointed out.

Subaru hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, I tripped and fell during training"

Hisashi interjected, "But falling doesn't usually result in bruises like these," emphasizing his point.

Hisashi asked, his voice edged with concern and a hint of anger, "Tell me, who gave you those bruises?"

Subaru smiled nervously and admitted, "Taiga."

Hisashi's expression darkened with anger at the mention of Taiga's name.

Subaru rushed to explain, "It's nothing serious, really. We were just practicing, and he accidentally hit me a bit too hard."

As Hisashi continued to gaze at him with simmering anger, Subaru tried to maintain a reassuring smile.

Hisashi remarked, "Alright, so when are you getting discharged?"

Subaru responded, "Tomorrow afternoon, I think."

Hisashi cautioned, "Subaru, you don't have to push yourself so hard in training."

Subaru sighed and replied, "It doesn't matter how much effort I put in; I always feel like I need to do more and more.”

Hisashi placed his hand on Subaru's shoulder, and they exchanged a smile. Suddenly, a voice interrupted their moment. "Well, well, well... it looks like someone took quite a beating."

Hisashi and Subaru turned to see Hanae entering the room.

As Hanae sat down next to Subaru, she asked, "What happened? Did the world champion Taiga give you a tough time?”

Subaru inquired, "How did you know?"

Hanae burst into laughter and replied, "Just a hunch, considering you and him train at the same dojo."

Subaru's tone grew serious as he clarified, "It wasn't serious, just a practice session."

Hisashi interjected, "Alright, you two chat. I'll go speak with the doctors." With nods from Hanae and Subaru, Hisashi stood up, turned and left the room.

As Hisashi stepped out and took a few steps, he abruptly froze in his tracks. His eyes widened as he saw Taiga Todoka and their friends approaching, all clad in dojo uniforms, their faces twisted in mocking laughter.

Hisashi was paused, gazing at them, having flashbacks of Todoka beating him up in the dojo and tossing him out, with Taiga's warning echoing in his mind.