Several weeks had passed since the day the light had slowly and painfully returned to my blurred world. Outside, spring had arrived with full force; messages from my friends painted pictures of glowing cherry blossoms that bathed the schoolyards in pink clouds, and the hustle and bustle of the resumed school routine that had continued without me. I still lay in the hospital bed, the monotony of the hospital room routine almost burned into my consciousness, but a glimmer of hope flickered on the horizon of my patience: in three days, I was finally supposed to be discharged home. A mixture of anticipation and slight apprehension filled me.

  Shigeo sat by my bed, boredly flipping through one of my schoolbooks, its pages filled with complicated formulas and historical dates that merged into an incomprehensible mush in my head. His usually lively energy seemed somewhat subdued here in these sterile rooms. Emiko leaned against the window, arms crossed, gazing outside where the wind played with the young leaves of the trees. Her expression seemed tense, almost restless. School had long since started again, and my friends were dutifully bringing me the missed material, as if trying to pull me back into normality with all their might. Ironically, I was making better progress with studying in the quiet hospital room, without the constant restlessness of the classroom, than ever before.

  Sometimes a strange feeling of isolation overcame me, settling around my heart like a cold breath. The world outside danced to its own rhythm, unimpressed by my silent suffering, while I was stuck here, trapped within the white, cold walls of my hospital room, where time seemed to beat its own slow rhythm. But then there were the fragments of memories, the conversations I had unconsciously overheard, Kasumi's quiet, melodic voice that had crept into my consciousness like a gentle echo in the silent hours of the night. I knew she was studying, working part-time in a small café to make ends meet, and that she earned money through illegal street racing – and that she did it because it also gave her a kind of release from the pressure and monotony of her everyday life, a moment of freedom and adrenaline. This image of such a fragile-looking girl venturing into the dangerous and dark world of street racing to find her own way fascinated me in a way I didn't quite understand.

  Since my awakening, since the moment I had seen her beauty with my own eyes, she hadn't reappeared. A quiet disappointment, mixed with an indefinite longing, had settled in my heart. I desperately wanted to see her again as soon as I escaped this hospital bed, to learn more about her, to unravel the secrets that surrounded her.

  The nurses here, especially Nurse Ayumi, had grown fond of me over the weeks. They secretly brought me extra snacks, chatted with me about their own little stories, and praised my rapid progress in recovery as if I were their own little protégé. Emiko didn't seem particularly pleased about this. I noticed her occasional, slightly annoyed glances she shot my way when I was enthusiastically discussing the latest manga releases with Nurse Ayumi. It was as if she were marking an invisible territory whose boundaries only she knew.

  The door opened quietly, and Hana entered with a gentle, almost shy smile on her lips. She held a small, lovingly decorated bag in her hands. "Hello Nobuyuki-kun! Only three more days, I heard. I'm very happy for you." Her voice was soft and melodic, and her eyes radiated a sincere joy that warmed me inside. "Hana! Nice to see you," I said, trying to sit up a bit, which elicited a loud protest from my aching ribs. "Thanks for visiting and the... contents of the bag, I assume?" "I thought you might need a little pick-me-up for the last few days in the hospital, to chase away the boredom," she said, carefully placing the bag on my bedside table. "A few of my favorite mangas. I hope you like them."

  Emiko shot her a brief, slightly cool glance, reflecting a hint of displeasure. "How thoughtful of you, Hana." Her voice sounded polite, but it lacked the warmth that usually characterized her. Hana either didn't notice Emiko's tone or skillfully ignored it. She turned back to me, her eyes shining with a gentle, almost concerned expression. "Are you okay? Are you excited to be back home soon, in your own familiar surroundings?" "Very excited," I confirmed with a soft sigh of relief. "Although..." I hesitated briefly, "...it had its quiet moments here too. Sometimes it was almost... restful to escape the noise of the world out there." Involuntarily, my gaze drifted to the window, and the vague image of Kasumi sitting beside my bed in the quiet evening hours appeared in my mind.

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  Shigeo grinned widely, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Quiet? With Nurse Ayumi constantly bringing you extra snacks and treating you like her little favorite? I think you've settled in quite nicely here, my friend. Almost too nicely." He winked at me meaningfully, and I felt a faint blush spread across my cheeks.

  Emiko cleared her throat loudly, drawing our attention. "Do you think so, Oka? I thought you were impatient to finally get back to real life, to the parties, the outings, everything we've missed these past few weeks." Her voice sounded a bit sharper than intended, and her eyes fixed on me with an intensity I couldn't quite decipher. "I am," I replied, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible. "But..." I hesitated again, a slight pause hanging in the air. "There was... someone who visited me often when I wasn't conscious yet. Someone whose voice I heard in the darkness."

  Emiko and Shigeo exchanged a quick, meaningful glance, a mixture of curiosity and a hint of concern reflected in it. Hana looked at me attentively, her gaze calm and searching. "Kasumi-san, you mean?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. I nodded slightly, a vague feeling of melancholy washing over me. "Yes. She was here every evening. She... kept me company. I don't know why, but her voice... it was comforting."

  Emiko's expression hardened slightly, her lips tightening into a thin line. "Why? She's just... a stranger, Oka. Someone you don't know." Her voice sounded dismissive, and I sensed an underlying tension in her words. "She was there when I was at my worst," I countered, trying to keep my voice calm and matter-of-fact. "I heard her voice when I didn't even know if I would wake up again. She told me about her life, her university, her job, even about... her races. I feel connected to her in a strange way."

  Shigeo grinned mischievously, his eyes flashing with mocking amusement. "Well, well, looks like someone developed a little secret while in a coma. A silent romance with a voice from the beyond, eh?" He nudged me with his elbow, and I felt my face flush slightly. "Be quiet, Shigeo," Emiko interjected, her voice sharper than intended, her eyes sparkling with an undefinable emotion. She turned to me and forced a smile, but her eyes betrayed an underlying unease. "But when you're fit again, Oka... we should definitely do something again. The three of us. Like old times."

  "Sure," I said, but my gaze involuntarily drifted to the spot in the room where Kasumi had last stood, bathed in the faint light of the evening sun. "Yes, for example... going out," Emiko specified, looking at me with an intensity that was almost demanding. "A nice evening in the city. Just the three of us." Shigeo let out a soft whistle, his eyes widening in surprise. "Uh oh! Sounds suspiciously like a date, doesn't it, Oka? Shouldn't you be careful what you promise?" Emiko's cheeks flushed slightly, and her hands involuntarily clenched into fists. "It's not a date, Shigeo! We're friends. We're going out as friends. To reconnect, to..." Her voice trailed off, and she seemed to search for the right words. "Sure, sure," Shigeo said, grinning and holding up his hands defensively, as if protecting himself from an impending storm. "Just like how I and... uh... Nurse Ayumi talk purely platonically about your symptoms, Oka. Right?"

  I had to chuckle slightly at Shigeo's clumsy attempt to lighten the tense situation. Hana watched the back-and-forth with an amused smile, as if observing an interesting play. "I'd also like to do something with you again sometime, Oka-kun," Hana said gently, her eyes radiating a warmth that was soothing and genuine. "When you've fully recovered, of course. We could... we could read the new mangas I brought you together." "Thanks, Hana. I'd really like that," I said honestly, a sincere smile flitting across my lips. Her calm and unobtrusive manner felt good, and I felt strangely secure in her presence.

  Emiko shot Hana another glance, this one slightly longer and more piercing, before turning back to me with a forced smile. "So, Oka? What do you say to our... friendly outing as soon as you're back on your feet? Dinner, a walk, maybe a movie? We have to plan, after all." I nodded slowly, a hint of hesitation in my voice. "Sounds good, Emiko. But let's not rush things. I need to get properly back on my feet first." Inside, however, my thoughts circled relentlessly around Kasumi, and I knew that my first priority upon leaving the hospital wouldn't be dinner with Emiko and Shigeo. I had to find Kasumi.