Inogura's Ramen part 1

The next day, Neo remained locked in his room, immersed in the reflections provoked by the conversation with his brother. Searching for his mother would be one way to unravel the enigma he was involved in.

But the way his brother reacted to it made him think that perhaps he should put it aside and focus on the present, on what he needed at the moment. A job and his relationship with Saya.

When he looked at the calendar, he realized that next week would be the start of exam week. It was one more problem he needed to solve. He had been so busy recently that he hadn't had much time to study or revise.

The school had provided a book with various exercises from different subjects to help him prepare for the exam. It wasn't as if the same questions would appear from the book, but it provided a guide to identify difficulties.

So he planned to divide his time between studying and finding a job before focusing on anything else. He spent the rest of the day studying.

Throughout the week, the tension in the school was palpable. While all the students focused on their studies, Neo struggled to balance his studies, his training, and his search for a job. Saya was as brilliant as ever, but her attention was entirely focused on her studies.

Despite his best efforts, the days went by and Neo couldn't find a job, as the same problems as before kept recurring.

Anxiety began to build, and he felt the weight of responsibility growing. Nights were especially difficult, he couldn't sleep.

Thoughts of giving up cross his mind and he begins to consider asking Leo for help. However, Neo's body vehemently rejected the idea, especially when he considered being near his father.

While the training with Takeshi continued relentlessly, Neo's performance declined. He felt mentally and physically exhausted, and his fatigue began to affect his physical abilities.

During one particularly intense training session, while hitting one of Shike's balls and running to base, Neo tripped and fell to the ground. The fall was not normal, which worried Takeshi even more when Neo didn't get up and seemed to be in pain.

"Hey, stop, stop!" Takeshi shouted to the rest of the baseball team, who hadn't noticed and continued practicing. He ran over to the boy and looked for any visible injuries. "Are you okay, Neo?"

Takeshi called Pietro over to examine Neo's foot. The boy quickly removed Neo's shoe and sock to take a look. It was bruised.

"He probably sprained it."

"Nagoya, can you take Neo to the infirmary?"

Nagoya replied, carrying Neo in his arms to the infirmary.

Katherine was startled to see a crowd of students gathered at the entrance, and especially to see someone being carried.

"Put him on the bed," she said almost instinctively.

"Be careful with his foot," Shike said, drawing Nagoya's attention.

Nagoya maneuvered carefully through the doorway and placed him on the infirmary bed.

"So, what happened?" she asked worriedly after things had calmed down.

"He sprained his foot," Tadashi said.

"Just that?" she said, annoyed that she had been scared into thinking it was something more serious. "And you all scare me like that?" Then she turned to Neo, who was lying on the bed. "Let me see."

She looked, and it was just as Pietro had seen it before-bruised and swollen.

"It looks like a sprain. I'll have to send you to the hospital for an X-ray to make sure nothing's broken. For now, I can give you some ice to take down the swelling."

While Katherine went to get the ice, the boys gathered around Neo, who was sad to have interrupted the training.

"Sorry, Takeshi, I haven't been feeling well lately."

"It's okay."

Katherine returned with an ice pack and two crutches. "Does anyone have a car to take Neo to the nearest hospital?"

"My father can pick me up," Shike suggested.

"If you can ask him."

Shike pulled out his cell phone and called his father while Katherine applied ice to the injury. "Do you have insurance?"

"I don't know, do I?"

"My dad's coming," Shike said.

"Just give me your full name, and don't forget to return the crutches when you're better. Keep the ice on while you wait. They'll immobilize your leg, and if nothing's broken, you'll feel better soon."

The baseball team went with Neo, who, after presenting himself at the reception, was quickly attended to by Dr. Wellington Miyamoto, who ordered an X-ray.

After confirming that nothing was broken, he applied a splint to the injured leg and mentioned that it would be better in a few weeks. He just had to be careful not to get it wet when showering.

Takeshi suggested they visit his uncle's ramen shop to lighten the mood a bit.

"IRASSHAIMASE!" (Welcome in Japanese), his uncle said as they entered, radiating an energy that Neo had been missing. It cheered him up a bit, though he was still sad about being hurt and exhausted from sleepless nights.

The place was full, and they had to sit in the back where only two separate tables were available. As the baseball team chatted, their words mingled with the conversations in the room, making Neo's head spin.

After eating, he rested his head on the table. "Sorry, guys. I'm a little tired."

The other boys agreed to let Neo rest, especially after what had happened. As he lay there, he watched Takeshi's uncle working. He had so many orders to fulfill. There were so many people and it was so much work that it seemed impossible for one man to do it all.

"Takeshi..." Neo called.

"Yes, are you feeling better?"

"Your uncle, doesn't he have anyone to help him?"

Takeshi looked at his uncle who was struggling to serve all the tables. It made sense to ask for help.

"No, he was actually looking for two helpers, but no one showed up."

Neo got up from the table and smiled as if all his energy had returned. "Hey, Uncle!" he called.

"Sure, boys, what do you need?" the man said, pulling a notepad out of his pocket, sweat clearly visible on his face from the effort.

"I heard you needed an assistant; I can help."

"You want to work here?" the uncle asked, confused, his fatigue affecting his thinking.

"Yes, please."

He thought for a moment, his day's problems coming to mind. "Okay," he gestured to Neo's foot, "but I think it would be better to start after your foot heals."

"Thank you."

"We'll keep in touch."

Later, Shike's father drove Neo back to the dormitory, and in a way, Neo felt a little jealous of Shike for having a father who cared about his son.

That feeling vanished when he realized that he had found a job. The weight on his shoulders was lifted and he finally felt like he could rest. He took the elevator and quickly went to his room, climbed onto the top bunk and lay down. Despite the return of his energy, he was still tired and soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, he was awakened by a loud noise at the door. It sounded like someone trying to open the door. It could have been a student who had mistaken the room, so Neo tried to go back to sleep.

Then the door opened, startling him. He was so startled that he grabbed one of the crutches to defend himself.

A boy of the same age, a little shorter, with slanted eyes, long silver hair like the moon, and wearing a colorful outfit with a white dragon in the middle, entered the room and turned on the light. The boy seemed as calm as a light winter rain. Neo felt a cold breeze as soon as the boy entered the room.

"Who are you?"

The boy went outside, looked at the names on the door, and closed it. He was carrying a duffel bag, which he set down next to the bunk.

"Neo?"

"Yes?" Neo asked startled, pointing the crutch at the boy.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Len and I'm tired." He lay down on the lower bunk, turned off the light, tucked himself in, and fell asleep.