Nagi's eyes were suddenly blinded by a burst of light. As he focused, he realized a truck was careening out of control. In an attempt to avoid collision, Kaiser abruptly swerved the steering wheel to the left, hoping to evade disaster. Yet, their attempt to dodge the truck's path ended in a violent crash against a colossal tree. Shattered glass scattered in all directions, with Nagi instinctively shielding Rea Mikage, who sat in the middle seat, from the potentially dangerous shards.
As Nagi lifted his head, he was met with the sight of Kaiser's head resting on the steering wheel, blood seeping from an injury. Chigiri, seemingly unconscious, remained silent. Reo slumped against the back of the driver's seat. Nagi's concern shifted to Rea, whose eyes fluttered open.
"Are you alright?" Nagi asked, his hands retreating from around the girl's waist as he moved back. Rea nodded, but an uneasy silence hung in the air. She glanced down at her stomach, prompting Nagi to follow her gaze. His heart raced as he noticed crimson stains spreading across her once-white dress. "Oh no."
"Guys?" Chigiri's voice broke the tense atmosphere as he struggled to release himself from the seatbelt.
"Are you alright?" Nagi inquired, while Chigiri grunted in an effort to unfasten his restraint. "We need to call an ambulance immediately. Now!"
"I know, I know." Chigiri managed to free himself and hurriedly opened the door on Nagi's side. His eyes widened at the sight of blood on Nagi's hand and tears streaming down the girl's face. "Damn! Could you help her out?"
Chigiri dialed for an ambulance while Nagi swiftly exited the vehicle. "Can you move?"
"I'll try." Rea attempted to shift, but the movement caused a piece of glass to pierce her skin, sending a sharp, unbearable pain through her body. She looked at Nagi, shaking her head. "It hurts..."
A sheen of sweat formed on the white-haired boy's brow as he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling helpless in the face of the situation. Reo appeared uninjured, Kaiser was unconscious with a head wound, and Rea Mikage was critically hurt.
"They're on their way, Nagi," Chigiri informed him. "The truck?"
Both their gazes fell upon the truck, which had collided with another tree in the opposite direction. Chigiri hurried to the driver's seat to inspect, finding the driver unconscious with minor injuries.
"It'll be a few more minutes until the ambulance arrives, Nagi," Chigiri reported. "We need to stop her bleeding. We have to get her out."
"She can't move, she's already in pain," Nagi observed, noticing Rea's slowing breaths. Time was of the essence. "Lend me a hand. We need to act before she loses consciousness."
Kneeling on the seat, Nagi carefully removed Chigiri's coat that had been draped over Rea. Meanwhile, Chigiri accessed the trunk and attempted to lay the seat flat. "Mikage-san, don't worry. Help is on its way."
Assuring the nearly unconscious girl, they carefully extricated her from the car, using the coat to stem the bleeding. Moments later, the blaring sirens of two ambulances reached their ears, bringing a wave of relief.
The paramedics swiftly arrived, and a few rushed towards Rea Mikage, checking her pulse. "This is an emergency. Take her quickly!" One of the medics commanded, as others wheeled a stretcher over to Rea. "You two need medical attention too, get into the ambulance with the girl."
Nodding in compliance, Nagi and Chigiri followed the paramedics' instructions. Kaiser and Reo were loaded into the other ambulance.
Efficiently, the medical team administered treatment. Saline dripped into the veins of the purple-haired girl, while a nebulizer assisted her breathing. Nagi had minor injuries and some scratches, while Chigiri had a wound on his forehead that was promptly tended to inside the ambulance.
The ambulance raced down the road, a mere five minutes feeling like an eternity. The boys watched over the girl, who slowly opened her eyes, reaching out her hand. "Nagi."
"Rea, nothing is going to happen to you, okay?" Nagi seized her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're going to be fine."
Glancing upward, a faint chuckle escaped her lips. "Could you promise me something, if something happens—"
"Nothing is going to happen to you, Rea." Nagi intertwined his fingers with hers. "Everything will be okay; stop talking."
"Promise me that you'll take care of Reo, please." Her words were sluggish as the white-haired boy nodded. Chigiri gazed at them, his heart sinking. He never imagined such a tragic turn of events. All he wanted was to escort the Mikage siblings away from the party due to the unfavorable circumstances, but now, it was far worse. Rea Mikage teetered between life and death, and they had no clue about Reo's status or Kaiser's condition from the other ambulance.
"I will, but you'll be okay. Nothing will happen to you—"
"I like you, Nagi Seishiro."
As her confession spilled out, the named boy's eyes widened. Before he could respond, the monitor alarmed, indicating zero heart rate. Paramedics swiftly pushed Nagi aside, commencing CPR.
"Did—did you hear that?" Nagi stammered, his gaze fixed on Rea's body. "She said she likes me."
Chigiri didn't reply, unable to articulate anything. The girl he had been trying to approach for months harbored feelings for someone else, and now she was on the brink of death. Tears welled in Chigiri's eyes as he watched the paramedics' desperate attempts to revive her heartbeat.
They reached the hospital promptly, and Rea Mikage was rushed into surgery. Kaiser's head wound was attended to, and Reo was also taken for surgery due to broken bones in his leg.
Nagi and Chigiri waited outside the surgery room where Rea had been taken. Nagi managed to contact the Mikage parents after multiple attempts, while Chigiri informed his sister of the situation. An hour passed, yet there was no change. Nagi sat on the floor, his back against the wall, staring into space.
Feeling helpless, Chigiri struggled to find the right words to console his friend. He didn't even know if Nagi shared the same feelings as Rea. However, if something happened to her, they had no idea how to face Reo Mikage.
"Chigiri-kun." Kaori hurried over to him, with Kai and Bachira close behind. "Is she alright? How's Rea, and what about Reo-senpai?"
Chigiri explained the events to them while Bachira approached Nagi, meeting his gaze. "They'll be alright, Nagi. Have faith in them."
Nagi met Bachira's eyes, appreciating the words but still overwhelmed by worry. They were his closest friend and his friend's sister; they were like family, always together. According to Chigiri, Rea's condition was uncertain. Bachira couldn't bear to consider something tragic might have happened to their friends.
After a few more minutes, the distinct sound of high heels echoed across the hospital floor, capturing everyone's attention. A woman with purple hair, bearing a resemblance to the Mikage siblings, hurried in.
"Where are my children?" Her voice rang out, and the man beside her tried to soothe her. Nagi recognized them as the Mikage parents.
"Calm down, dear," Mr. Mikage tried to console his wife. They had been away on a business trip, and as soon as they received the news, they rushed back. Their children were everything to them, despite any conflicts between them. Rea and Reo were their cherished treasures.
Mr. Mikage glanced at the teenagers, their wide-eyed expressions conveying their surprise at seeing the parents in person, as all they had heard were the Mikage siblings' stories about their parents' business dealings.
"Can someone explain what happened?"
Kaori stepped forward. "They were returning from Chigiri-kun's party when a truck suddenly collided with their SUV. Kaiser is also injured and currently in his ward. Reo's undergoing surgery for his broken left leg, but Rea—"
Kaori's eyes filled with tears, causing Mrs. Mikage to hold the girl's shoulder tightly. "Sweetheart, tell me Rea is okay, that she's going to be alright."
The mother cried, clinging to her daughter's friend, and the red-haired girl could only nod, tears streaming down her face. One couldn't bear the thought of her daughter's predicament, and the other couldn't bear the idea of losing her only best friend. Mr. Mikage struggled to contain his emotions, trying to remain strong for the family.
The light outside the surgery room turned off, drawing everyone's attention. Nagi stood up, his heart pounding as the doctor emerged. Removing his mask, he glanced at the worried faces gathered around him.
"She made it."
A collective exhale filled the room as relief washed over everyone. Nagi dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion. Kaori wiped her tears, offering a relieved smile as she closed her eyes, silently giving thanks. Chigiri slumped into a nearby seat, resting his head in his hands, while Kai approached the red-haired girl, enveloping her in a comforting hug.
The relief swept over the room, calming the tense air that had engulfed them all. Rea had made it through, and while the ordeal wasn't over, the news of her survival brought a sliver of hope to everyone present as she was taken to the hospital room.
***
Rea's mother, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster, lay down on a nearby sofa, her eyes still fixed on her daughter's bed. Despite Nagi's insistence that she get some rest, the worry kept her from finding any respite.
Nagi, on the other hand, chose to sit vigilantly by Rea's bedside. He gently held her hand, covered with bandages and connected to an IV tube. Seeing her alive was all that mattered to him at that moment. He contemplated the words she had spoken before losing consciousness, questioning their validity. Could Rea Mikage truly harbor feelings for him, Nagi Seishiro, her brother's closest friend? He found it difficult to accept, perhaps assuming he had misheard her in the frantic moments before the accident.
Leaning closer, Nagi rested his head against the bed, gazing at Rea's peaceful face as she slept. He had never taken the time to observe her so closely before, to truly appreciate her features. Despite the striking resemblance to her brother, there was an inherent innocence etched into her visage. The fear of almost losing her lingered within him, adding gravity to the weight of their last interaction. The memory of their disagreement haunted him. He vowed to himself that he would never allow such recklessness to dominate their interactions again. It was a realization that the final moments shared between people were unpredictable, and he swore to never leave things on a bitter note again.
As exhaustion enveloped him, Nagi drifted into alight slumber, his little finger intertwined with Rea's. His only wish was forher to awaken, to see her teasing smile once more.