Haru’s In The Hospital

"Nice strike, Rein!" Miyu screamed, clapping excitedly as the bowling pins crashed to the floor.

Rein turned with a smug grin, raising her hands in victory. "I told you guys, I'm basically a pro at this."

"My turn." Sakura stepped up confidently, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. She whipped her hair back dramatically. "I'll show you two that I can get a strike easily."

Rein and Miyu exchanged a glance, barely suppressing their laughter.

Sakura lined up her shot, inhaled deeply, and threw the ball with perfect determination—only for it to veer completely off course and roll straight into the gutter.

A beat of silence.

Then, Rein and Miyu burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, you were so confident and managed to fail spectacularly!" Rein wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Sakura stood frozen for a moment, staring at the empty lane as if willing the ball to magically knock down the pins. When that didn't happen, she sighed dramatically before finally breaking into laughter herself.

"In my defense, I haven't played bowling in like a year," she said between giggles.

Actually, six. But that was because she came from the future.

"Let's see how little Miyu does," Rein teased, nudging her playfully.

"Stop calling me that," Miyu huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm not little. I'm petite."

"Okay, okay."

Sakura's lips curled into a sly smile.

Just as Miyu was about to throw the ball, Sakura suddenly shouted, "You got this, little Miyu!"

Miyu flinched in surprise, her throw going completely wild. The ball missed every single pin.

"You did that on purpose!" Miyu shrieked, half angry, half laughing.

"Respect," Rein said, smirking as she gave Sakura a fist-bump.

Miyu puffed her cheeks. "I hate both of you."

Rein smirked. "You love us."

Miyu grumbled, but the small smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

…

The game ended with Rein taking first place, Miyu in second, and Sakura dead last. Which meant, of course, that she was stuck buying drinks.

Not that she minded. It had been so long since she'd had a night like this—just simple fun with girl friends.

Before she went back in time, Mia was plausible of course, but for some strange reason, Haru was always there too. At the time, it was a constant, painful reminder that they were together.

She inserted the coins into the vending machine, selecting a can of beer for Rein and Diet Pepsi for herself and Miyu.

When she returned, she handed out the drinks.

"Aren't you pissed you had to buy for us?" Rein asked, cracking open her beer.

"Not at all. A loss is a loss," Sakura said, shrugging. Then she pointed a finger at Miyu. "But I'll beat you next time!"

"Sure." Miyu giggled, taking a sip of her drink.

"What about me?" Rein teased, raising an eyebrow.

"You're way out of our league when it comes to bowling," Miyu admitted.

"Yeah, you're the undefeatable," Sakura agreed, taking a sip of her Pepsi.

Rein smirked, clearly pleased with herself. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Then her eyes landed on Sakura's drink, and she sighed dramatically.

"Jeez, what a letdown. I was hoping you'd be my drinking buddy since Miyu can't hold her liquor."

"Haru's picking me up later," Sakura explained, glancing at her soda. "I don't want to reek of alcohol when he does."

Miyu sighed dreamily. "Must be nice to have a boyfriend."

"Well, that depends on who your boyfriend is," Sakura said, swirling the can in her hands. "And if you're actually a good match."

"True. The last guy I dated was a real dipshit. He was my type, but still a dipshit."

"Sorry."

"I'm just glad I broke up with him first."

Sakura checked the time on her phone. 7:30 PM.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh no."

"What?" Miyu asked.

"I told Haru to pick me up at 7. I'm gonna go call him."

She stepped away from the table, dialing his number.

It rang. And rang. And rang.

A strange, uneasy feeling settled in her chest. Was he ignoring her? Was he mad she kept him waiting?

Finally, the call connected.

"Hi, Haru, I—"

"It's not Haru. It's me, Kei."

Sakura's stomach dropped.

Why was Kei answering Haru's phone?

Before she could ask, Kei spoke again.

"Haru's in the hospital."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"What?" she shouted, her heart slamming against her ribcage.

Miyu and Rein immediately turned to her, alarm flashing in their eyes.

"Kei, what happened?" she demanded.

"I—I don't know. He just collapsed. He's been unconscious for a few hours now."

Hours?

Sakura felt the blood drain from her face.

"When did he collapse?"

"At 4PM, but I thought it was due to shock, but when he didn't wake up after a few hours, I called the ambulance."

Oh dear god.

"I'm coming right now."

She spun on her heel, grabbing her purse.

"Is everything okay?" Rein asked, standing up.

"Haru's in the hospital. I need to book a taxi."

Rein was already grabbing her keys. "Forget the taxi. I'll drive you. It'll be faster"

"But you were supposed to take Miyu home—"

"Go," Miyu insisted. "I'll call a taxi. Just get to Haru."

Sakura didn't argue. She was already rushing to Rein's car.

…

The car ride was silent for the first few minutes. Sakura was gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Rein, usually full of snarky remarks, was quiet. But she drove faster than usual, making sharp turns and ignoring speed limits.

"So, what happened?" Rein asked, despite hearing Sakura's phone call with Kei earlier.

Sakura exhaled shakily. "Kei said he collapsed. He was fine earlier. But—"

Rein glanced at her. "Did he say if Haru was sick before?"

"No." Sakura swallowed. "He never said anything about him feeling unwell."

Rein frowned. "Maybe it's exhaustion. He's number one in our class. He must study a lot and not get enough rest."

Maybe.

Finally, they reached the hospital entrance.

Rein barely stopped the car before Sakura threw open the door.

"I'll text you later," Rein said.

Sakura barely nodded before running inside.

She spotted Kei in the waiting area immediately. He looked exhausted, rubbing his face.

When he saw her, he stood up.

"Sakura."

She didn't waste time. "Where is he?"

"They took him for tests, we'll hear back from the doctor soon." Kei assured her. "Still unconscious, though."

Sakura clenched her fists. The doctor will tell them what's wrong. It'll be okay, but she wanted to know now.

"I need to see him," she said.

Kei nodded. "They'll bring him back to a room soon. I'll take you there."

Sakura followed without hesitation, her heart hammering in her chest.

As soon as she stepped into the hospital room, she saw him.

Haru was lying on the bed, looking almost peaceful.

Sakura let out a shaky breath, stepping closer.