A Cold Hearts - She brought Sushi

Blinding sunlight from the window slowly brings me back to my senses. I'm lying in a half-empty hospital room. The only furniture here is a bed, a nightstand, and an IV drip.

I've lost track of time—how long have I been stuck here? A week? A month?

After the fight with Killy, I was in pretty bad shape. Coach Namura pulled some strings with the police(god, this old man knows everyone in this city), and they tracked my phone. Thank whatever higher power is out there that we didn't go too deep into the forest, and my phone still had a signal. Otherwise, I'd already be dead. Kojo has saved my life twice now.

Damn, I should find a way to thank the old man—send him some candy or something.

Killy left me with three stab wounds in my stomach and five in my left leg. Speaking of that bastard—he's alive. He's in city jail, awaiting trial. Coach took care of that too. They caught him red-handed, unconscious next to me, with a bloody knife in his hand. I have no doubt that fool is going away for a long time now. I never want to see his disgusting face or hear that ridiculous laugh again.

I overestimated myself. I was better than him in terms of fighting skills, but I should've realized he'd fight dirty, that he had something else up his sleeve. Lesson learned—always stay on guard, and always trust my instincts.

I lost a lot of blood in that fight, but according to the doctors, no vital organs were damaged, and I should recover soon. Some time has passed since then, and I really do feel much better. The wounds have almost healed.

But honestly, what's been bothering me more are my nightmares. Every night, it's the same thing. A sea of blood… A girl in white… Asking if I love her… A katana… And then I wake up.

Maybe I'm losing my mind? No, it's probably just fever dreams from my injuries. Well, whatever. One day, I'll get strong enough to dodge her katana, and oh, I'll give that little brat a real fight. No way I'm giving up on training. The moment I'm discharged, I'm going to be glued to that old man's gym.

The door to my hospital room creaks open. I hear light, almost imperceptible footsteps. I focus my gaze—after a few seconds, a girl in a school uniform stands in my room, holding a large bag.

Aya.

She comes to visit me almost every day since I returned to a stable state, and honestly, it helps a lot to not die of boredom in this place. Other than books, there's nothing here. I don't even have roommates to pass the time with small talk.

"Isao! Hi!" she says cheerfully, placing the large bag on the nightstand next to my bed."How are you holding up? Sorry I couldn't come yesterday, my parents' store was super busy. I just couldn't find the time."

"Aya, you don't have to come every day, really. I'm fine. The doctors said I might be discharged soon."

"Really? That's amazing, Isao! We should totally celebrate when you're out. How about a Japanese restaurant?"

Seeing her so happy about my discharge, I couldn't help but feel my mood lift too. It's nice having someone who actually cares about you.

At first, I pushed her away, but no matter how strong you are, being alone is tough. It's good to have someone by your side.

"A restaurant, huh? Okay. But first, give me two months to save up enough yen by polishing Kojo's gym floors."

"Haha, you idiot. How are you gonna polish floors when you can barely stand up from the bed?"Don't worry about it—I'm treating you. Consider it a gift for your discharge."

"Speaking of gifts." She reaches into the bag, rummaging through it before pulling out a giant lunchbox. "Here. Sushi. Homemade. You must be sick of hospital food. There's also some salads, and a bunch of fruit in the bag. It's all for you."

The mere mention of sushi makes my mouth water. I really am sick of this bland hospital menu. I don't care if the doctors forbid it—I'm eating this.

"Wow, I don't even know what to say. You do so much for me. I don't even know how I deserve a friend like you. Thank you."

She gives me a genuine smile but then shyly lowers her head."You did something for me too, Isao."

She takes off her necklace, holds it in her hand, and extends it toward me.

Resting in her palm is a familiar golden pendant of a sitting Shiba Inu. It's no longer broken.

Damn. I actually managed to get those idiots to fix it. Maybe they're not such idiots after all.

"The seniors who broke it gave it back to me—completely fixed. They said a new guy asked them to repair it and then left."

Didn't apologize? I'll make them regret that.

I examine the pendant closely. Now that it's whole, it looks impressive. Clearly the work of a skilled sculptor. The dog has an incredible amount of detail, with an engraved collar that says "Shiba." A really beautiful piece.

"No one's ever done anything like that for me before. I'm really grateful, Isao. And back at the memorial… you supported me then too…All these gifts—they're the least I can do to thank you."

I take her hand, the one holding the pendant. Her cheeks flushed pink and she looked down.

"You already doing a lot by just being here. Thank you, Aya."

We stood like that in silence for a while until I finally let go of her hand.

"You really like holding hands, huh? Can't hide it now," she teases in a quiet, embarrassed voice, with a small smile on her lips.

But then, her smile fades, and she looks up.

"I was worried about you, Isao. You stopped showing up at school, so I went to Coach Namura. He told me you were in the hospital, in critical condition. I'm so glad you're getting better now."

She sits on the edge of my hospital bed and, this time, she's the one who places her hand on mine.

"Promise me you'll take care of yourself, Isao. Do you promise?"

She looks into my eyes, her face filled with sadness, as if she's barely holding back tears.

our palms met together.

"I'll try."

Feeling the warmth of her hand, her care, knowing that she truly worries about me—it feels good. At that moment, my heart beats faster, and it's like a fire burns inside me.

I couldn't lie to her, so I gave her the only honest answer I could.

I doubt Lia's father will leave me alone. Especially once he finds out about Killy's fate. Damn it, this is never going to end, is it?

In that brief moment between me and Aya, I wanted to just let go of the past. To leave it all behind—Lia, the fights with psychos, old friends—and just stay here, with her.

Aya carefully unpacks the food onto my nightstand. We say our goodbyes, and she leaves my hospital room.

All my fears, my inner thoughts, my memories—they stepped in to take her place as she left.

Once again, I'm alone with myself.

I took a deep breath.

I need to get out of here as soon as possible.