Reviving Kenji
The white pulse of light faded slowly, giving way to the cold, sterile hum of a hospital room.
Ren opened his eyes.
He was back.
No more glitches. No more digital static. The headset lay beside him, disconnected. His heart raced in his chest—not from fear—but from overwhelming hope.
He stumbled to his feet and rushed to the bedside.
Kenji was still lying there.
His body was pale, thin, untouched by the chaos of Kōto—but something had changed. His eyelids fluttered, fingers twitching. The heart monitor jumped from its usual, steady beat to a sudden burst of spikes.
Doctors burst into the room seconds later. One gasped. Another shouted for support.
Kenji's mother, who had been sitting outside the room all night, dropped her cup of coffee and rushed to the doorway.
And then—his eyes opened.
Not a twitch.
Not a dream.
Kenji Sato woke up.
Gasps echoed around the room.
The nurse dropped her tablet.
His mother collapsed to her knees, weeping, her hands covering her mouth.
"Kenji…" she whispered.
His eyes scanned the ceiling, blinking under the harsh fluorescent lights. His fingers gripped the sheets. Slowly, painfully, he sat up, mouth dry, limbs shaking.
"Where is…?"
He never finished the sentence.
The doctors tried to hold him back, but Kenji, still in a hospital gown, ripped the IVs from his arms and stumbled toward the door.
"I need to find him," he muttered.
"Sir, please—lay down, you've just—"
"I need to find Ren!"
Ten minutes later, a knock echoed through the hallways of Ren's apartment building.
His mother opened the door—and froze.
Kenji stood there, barefoot, breathless, hospital gown fluttering in the wind.
She dropped the laundry basket in her hands.
"Kenji…?"
He smiled faintly, exhausted, eyes red.
"Is he home?"
Ren appeared behind her. His blonde hair was a mess. His eyes looked hollow.
He froze.
They stared at each other in silence.
Then—Kenji ran forward and wrapped his arms around Ren.
Tight. Shaking. Real.
Ren dropped everything he was holding and clung to him.
"I thought I lost you," he whispered.
"I knew you'd find me," Kenji said. "We did it, Ren. We stopped them."