I’m already awake, but I can’t open my eyes. My body feels heavy, and I don’t want to get up. ’I lost consciousness, for I don’t know how many times now.’ I sighed as I opened my eyes. I’m neither in the school’s infirmary nor the mansion’s infirmary. Where am I?
"Doctor, she’s awake."
I turned my head to my right and saw a nurse wearing a pink uniform. "Hello there." Another person came into the room. She’s wearing a white coat and a stethoscope over her neck. "Do you feel alright?" She asked with a gentle tone and a smile on her face.
I nodded. "Where am I?"
"You’re in Westside General Hospital." She said. Why am I here instead of our school’s infirmary? "If you’re wondering why you’re here, it’s because you’re over fatigued." The doctor said, making me notice the IV fluids connected to my arm beside the bed.
"Uhm, who brought me here?"
The doctor sat beside me, holding something like a checklist. "Your schoolmate, he also called your guardian here. It’s because the school’s infirmary doesn’t have enough IV fluids for you to take. Did you know that you’re dehydrated? Did you skip breakfast?" She asked, which made me avert my gaze. "So you did? It’s good to be a diligent student, but you can’t risk your health like that, okay?" I nodded since it wasn’t my intention to skip breakfast like that. I did eat, but it wasn’t enough to fuel me for the day.
"I told your guardian that you can go home after finishing your IV fluids, but I suggest you rest and not do anything that might exhaust your body and mind. Is that clear?" The doctor said with a smile, but her words and tone were strict. "Your conditions tell me that you always push yourself to your limit, and I can’t let such a young girl like you come back to our hospital over fatigued again."
’I don’t think I’ll be returning to this hospital, though. Since Dr. Tricia will probably scold me because of this.’ I thought as I sighed.
The doctor left the room, and I heard a knock on the door soon after. "Young lady, may I enter?" I heard Kenji’s voice, so it didn’t matter if I didn’t want him to get inside. He’ll still get in anyway. "I’ve called the school about your club activities for tomorrow and the next day. The coach gave you a pass to skip those days."
"What?!" Coach Samantha gave me a pass. Just like that? "I can’t skip the training—"
"But you’re not capable of training in that condition, do you?" I gulped as I felt coldness in Kenji’s tone. "The young master had called for me after bringing you to this hospital because he cannot bring you back home with your teammate accompanying you guys." Huh? I don’t understand what Kenji’s trying to say. Young master? Did he mean Night? And teammate? I don’t remember being with a teammate after taking the special examination.
Kenji sighed. "Please, young lady. The wedding will be held next month, and you must prepare yourself as we’ll be holding it in the main house." Main house? He means in the Yamaguchi household? "I meant the main house in Kyoto, Japan."
We’re going to Japan?!
"Lady Tomoe isn’t happy with how you skip her class either." Oh, right!
"But I can do it all now since I’m done with my special examinations."
Kenji sighed. "Yes, you are done. But that doesn’t mean you should overexert yourself. Did you even listen to the doctor?" He shook his head. Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll skip two training days to focus on the bridal lessons more. If coach Samantha gave me the pass means it’s okay for her, right? Although I don’t think it’ll be fine for Leslie since she hates me, and she’ll hate me more because of how I keep skipping training.
As soon as I finished my IV fluids, I was discharged from the hospital. Kenji had already got my belongings inside the car where Kaoru was waiting. "Do you feel fine now, milady?" Kaoru asked with a worried tone. "Your friends have panicked, but I told them not to worry. Although they tried to follow us to the hospital." He said, showing the bruises on his arms. It must be caused by Andy because he often uses violence when things don’t go his way.
"I apologize for that."
Kaoru quickly shook his head. "No, milady! You should not apologize for anything. I should be apologizing because I wasn’t able to help you quick—"
"Let’s stop there," Kenji told Kaoru as he ruffled his hair. "Let’s go home."
"Wait, was Ericka with me when I passed out?"
Kaoru tilted his head as if confused. "Oh! Yes, she was just passing by and saw you fainted." Wow, what timing.
But where’s Night? I thought he was the one who brought me here, so why is he nowhere to be found? "The young master isn’t fond of hospitals, so he already went home," Kenji answered as if he heard what was in my head again. "Right, I forgot to tell you this, but the oyabun was furious about your condition." What? Why?
"Why?"
Kenji sighed. "It’s because you became this sick coming to the mansion. He’s blaming the servants and your attendant for not helping you relax." Wait, did Rika get scolded because of me? Shoot, now I feel bad for what happened.
"It’s not even their fault," I muttered. Why is grandpa Kenta getting mad? It’s not like I died or anything. "Rika’s younger than me, so I worry about her more," I said, which made Kenji chuckle causing my forehead to crease. There’s nothing funny about what I said.
"You’re in no position to worry about others, young lady," Kenji said. "That lad’s been through many horrible things in her life, even more than what you went through. You should worry about yourself more."
I know nothing about Rika; she might be stronger than me, so who am I to worry about her? But still, she’s important to me, and I can’t help but worry. I shut my mouth and leaned on the backrest with my eyes closed. "Is it dismissal already?" I asked.
"Yes, milady. It’s already 5 pm." Kaoru answered. I didn’t really notice that it was already getting dark outside. "Does the lady forget anything at school? Should I go fetch it?"
I shook my head. "No. It was nothing." I sighed. "Do I have to attend my bridal lessons for today?"
"No, young lady," Kenji answered. "You only need to read the notes Lady Tomoe wrote for the lady to study. It contains the values and rules of the yakuza." That’s what I already read the other day, but I was too tired to retort. I feel kind of sleepy even after being unconscious for hours.
"I want to eat ice cream."
Kenji immediately stopped the car, which caused me to open my eyes due to shock. "What was that about?!" I yelled.
"Did the lady just say she wanted to eat ice cream?"
My forehead creased. "Yes, I did. Is there something wrong?"
Kenji turned to me with a smile on his face. "It’s the first time the lady craved her favorite foods. Do you want to eat some with Kaoru and me?" He asked with such a huge smile.
"No. I would rather eat it with Ace and Andy, or—" El’s face flashed into my head, but I stopped before I mentioned his name. I don’t know why his face came into my head, but there’s no way I can contact him again after what happened. Even though he’s still messaging me, I keep ignoring his messages because I feel guilty.
"Or what?"
Kenji and Kaoru were staring at me, causing me to feel flustered. "A-Anyway, I want to eat ice cream, but you two are getting too much attention, so I don’t want to eat with you guys," I said. I didn’t say that to be cruel because it’s the truth. They’re both good-looking, and Kenji’s even wearing a suit, so how will I go to an ice cream parlor with them?
"Then should I just buy some for the lady?"
I gulped as I nodded thousands of times. Kenji chuckled and started driving back to the ice cream parlor. "What flavor does the lady wants?"
"Mint chocolate."
Kaoru and Kenji grimaced after hearing that. "You like that? It’s like saying you love eating toothpaste."
I scoffed. "What? You don’t like brushing your teeth?"
"It’s not that, but you don’t swallow your toothpaste," Kenji said, making me roll my eyes.
"Mint chocolate is delicious. You just don’t know how to appreciate it."
They disagreed, and Kenji was about to get out of the car, but I grabbed his arm. "Uhm, what’s Night’s favorite ice cream flavor?" I feel shy asking this because they’re already giving me those teasing looks. Even though Kaoru doesn’t mean it, Kenji does.
"The young master doesn’t like sweet foods, but what is this for?"
"N-Never mind then." I want to thank Night for helping me, but it looks like he doesn’t want ice cream.