One and only friend

I found myself walking onto the second floor of the academy building, and every student looked at me. Then they whispered to each other. I could hear the whispers of both boys and girls as I walked.

"It's him."

"Yes, it's him, the one who brought shame and embarrassment to our school."

"You're right. After all, it's his fault why our school, Hanayami Academy, didn't win the singing contest."

I turned my head to look at them, but they immediately looked away and then walked off.

As they walked away, I heard a boy whisper to another boy with a smirk.

"He's mad. He has no right to be mad when he's just a loser."

After he said that, I knew he had a point and was right all along. I didn't deserve to be mad at them when I was the one who caused shame and embarrassment to Hanayami Academy.

I looked down at the floor in shame, and some of the students were looking at me, laughing.

"HAHAHA! Look, he's ashamed now!"

"You should just quit attending here. You're just an eyesore."

A blonde-haired boy, a student, approached me. Once he was in front of me, I raised my head to look at him. He was grinning at me and then immediately punched my stomach.

"GAAK! It hurts..." I dropped to my knees and vomited blood while still clutching my stomach in pain.

The blonde-haired student put his foot on my head and smirked again.

"You're just sh*t!"

He then stomped on my head hard, causing it to bleed. I could see my eyes mixed with blood coming from my head, and with that, I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. From the top of me, there was an expensive chandelier. Wait, where am I? But before I could get up from the bed, I stopped as I felt someone touch my right hand. It was a warm feeling, so I looked to see who was holding my hand. It was Emi Shinohara, wearing a seifuku, a blue blouse with a navy blue skirt, and black stockings. She was sleeping while holding my hand and smiling.

She kept saying repeatedly, "Mine... Mine... Mine... Belong to me."

It was weird and curious at the same time; what was she dreaming about? So, I decided to speak to wake her up.

"Umm... It's you, Emi."

With my low tone of voice, she immediately woke up and was startled.

"Ah! You're awake, Inzo."

"Yes, I am."

"Did you hear me muttering while I was asleep?"

"Muttering? No, I haven't heard anything," I lied, even though I had heard what she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Really, really?"

"Yeah, yeah."

I didn't dwell on it too deeply. Maybe Emi was just muttering about food. Perhaps she was craving something, which would explain why she kept saying 'mine' repeatedly. There's nothing strange about craving food, and maybe Emi was embarrassed about it and didn't want to reveal that side of herself.

"Maybe you didn't hear it after all, Inzo."

"Yeah, I never heard it, Emi."

Emi stood up from her seat and hugged me tightly.

"I'm glad you're fine, Inzo."

It was a tight hug, not letting me go. Emi was really worried about me. The thought that no one at Hanayami wanted to be my friend now disappeared, replaced by Emi's hug, showing me that she was still here, my one and only friend.

She was special and loyal to me. She became a fan and friend even when I was a singer, and now, since I lost my singing voice, she still stands by my side. She was indeed a loyal fan and friend, someone precious and rare. I should... I should maybe cherish her.

"Thank you for always staying by my side, Emi."

After I said it, the heaviness in my heart disappeared, replaced by joy and happiness that she was still here.

"Of course I'll always be by your side, Inzo."

Emi said it with her sweet and kind voice, which immediately melted my heart, causing tears to fall from my eyes uncontrollably.

I was crying, and I couldn't seem to stop.

Emi pulled away from the hug and wiped my tears, smiling gently.

"You're such a crybaby, Inzo."

"Hahaha... I'm sorry, Emi. It's just that I thought no one would want to be my friend."

"Inzo."

"Emi?"

Emi cupped my face with her hands, and it was a warm feeling once again.

"You shouldn't try to find friends anymore, Inzo."

"Why?"

"Because you don't need them, and they are just... fake friends."

"Fake friends? Are you saying all my schoolmates and classmates at Hanayami Academy are fake friends?"

"Yes, all of them, Inzo. Now that you're facing hard times, none of them want to support you. They all run away because they don't want to be involved in your problems. They only stick around for your success, but when problems arise, they flee and ran away. That's what friends are—just fake friends."

I couldn't find the words to reply to Emi's statement. Even though my mind wanted to reject the harsh truth, deep down, I knew she was right.

"Accept it, Inzo," Emi continued, seeing my eyes still filled with denial. "It's the truth. The only friend you have is ME."

I nodded slowly, accepting the harsh truth, and Emi smiled sweetly, hugging me again.

"I'll be your only friend, Inzo. Remember that."

I looked at my hands, seeing Emi's back and I hugged her back.

"Emi is my one and only friend," I said, smiling.

She let go of her right hand, which was hugging my back, and patted my head repeatedly with her right hand.

"Good, Inzo. Good. You seem to have accepted the truth."

I continued to smile and hugged her back tightly. After a moment, I pulled away from our hug, and Emi was startled.

"Inzo? Couldn't we stay like this for a moment?"

"Sorry, but I have to ask something first, Emi."

"Hmm? What is it, Inzo?"

"When I was unconscious, who brought me here? And it looks like this isn't a hospital room either."

"This is my home, Inzo."

"Eh? Your home? But this room is too huge, Emi, to be just a regular room."

"Of course, this is the private infirmary of my home."

"Private infirmary? Are your parents that wealthy?"

"My mother and father are currently on a business trip, and they'll be gone for two weeks."

"So you're the one who brought me here, Emi, when I lost consciousness in the academy building?"

"Yes, I'm the one who brought you here, Inzo, since every schoolmate despised you."

"Thank you, Emi." I bowed my head to her. "If you weren't around, maybe... maybe I'm..."

"Stop saying that you're going to die, Inzo." Emi hugged me again. "It wouldn't be fair if you were the first one to go."

She was right. I didn't want to die, especially from that stomp on my head. I have my mother, and I couldn't worry her too much. She's already worried about my health, and if she knew about this, she would be really, really concerned.

So, I gently pushed Emi away. "Emi! Did you contact my mother about what happened to me?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't contacted your mother yet, Inzo."

"Ah... okay." I sighed in relief. "I don't want to worry my mother too much about me."

Emi pouted, seeming sad. "This is our moment, Inzo. I don't want you talking to other girls."

"O-other girls? But it's my mother."

"Whatever... Hmph!" She crossed her arms and looked away, pouting intensely.

Emi was really disappointed in me.

"Um... look, I'm sorry, Emi. I was just so worried about my mother," I said, looking down at the red bedsheet.

Emi looked at me again, and her disappointment disappeared as she smiled once more. "Okay, reason accepted!"

"I just want you to not talk to other girls in front of me, Inzo. It makes me jealous when you're talking to them in front of me."

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again, Emi."

"Promise me that you won't talk to other girls in front of me, Inzo."

She extended her pinky finger. Wait... Was she being childish right now, wanting a pinky promise?

"Okay, I promise." I put my pinky finger with hers, and we made a pinky promise. "I promise I won't talk to other girls in front of you."

"Okay! That's settled then~!"

————

You may wonder how I ended up kidnapping Inzo and bringing him to my private infirmary room. Or, let's say, how I rescued him at the academy. It all started on a fresh morning, filled with excitement. Finally, my beloved Inzo would be returning to school, and I couldn't wait to see his face in real-time, an inspiration that drove me to excel even more at school.

Ever since Inzo was gone, Hanayami Academy has become unbearably dull for me. Each day he was absent, and it felt like torture to even step foot in the school and not see him there. What was the point of going to school if I couldn't see my Inzo?

That question plagued my mind every time I set foot in Hanayami Academy. But when the clock struck 2:30 pm, I would immediately leave the classroom and rush to the hospital to visit my beloved Inzo.

This routine continued until, finally, today arrived, and Inzo was back attending classes at Hanayami Academy. It filled me with a sense of relief, knowing that these classes would not be as boring now that he was back.

But what I saw today in the academy building, on the second floor, shattered my hopes. Inzo was lying unconscious on the floor.

Seeing his body lying there, one thought immediately consumed my mind.

"I-IS HE DEAD?"

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO, HE'S NOT DEAD, THAT CAN'T BE TRUE!" My mind screamed repeatedly as I rushed towards Inzo.

I checked his pulse, and thankfully, he's still alive, but his head is bleeding. I needed to get him to the nearest hospital, so I called my driver to park outside the school and summoned Dr. Ruujiro Matsuura. After instructing the driver to head to the nearest hospital from Hanayami Academy, I carried Inzo in my arms to ensure he wouldn't fall. As we exited the school, the car was waiting in front, and I quickly opened the door while still holding onto Inzo.

"HURRY UP, GO TO THE NEAREST HOSPITAL!" I ordered the driver urgently, and he rushed to comply, driving us to the hospital with every second feeling like an eternity. I kept caressing Inzo's face, watching the blood continue to trickle from his head.

The "what ifs" plagued my mind.

What if he doesn't wake up?

What if he dies?

He'll leave me alone, won't he?

I can't live without Inzo. He can't die. He can't die!

After a few minutes, the car stopped at the emergency room, and I carried Inzo inside without even saying farewell to the driver. I headed to the triage station and mentioned Dr. Ruujiro Matsuura's name, and they said that he was available and in the emergency treatment room number 5. One of the nurses in the triage station, who was in her twenties, was concerned to see me carrying a high school boy.

"Can we help you, ma'am?"

"A girl holding Inzo? No, no freaking way!!" I thought to myself.

"No thanks, I'll manage," I replied hastily, walking away and heading to emergency treatment room number 5. Ruujiro was there, and he immediately began assessing Inzo's condition.

After some examinations, Ruujiro approached me with a wheelchair, and Inzo was still asleep in it. He stopped in front of me to give his report.

"Fortunately, there are no damages to his skull or brain, so there's no fatal injury, only minor bleeding. But I want you to observe his condition for a month for any worsening symptoms. For now, based on these tests, I can conclude that he's fine."

I sighed in relief, feeling reassured that Inzo would not die.

"Okay, Ruujiro, then I'll be observing him very closely."

"Understood, Harashino-sama. Just call me if something worsens."

With that, I nodded in agreement and went home, still carrying Inzo. This wasn't just any home; it was the family mansion of the Harashino family. Here, I went by the identity of Mei Harashino. This place was huge, perfect for keeping Inzo safe.

As I arrived at the massive door, it automatically opened, and a group of girl maids bowed to me as I carried Inzo.

"Welcome, Harashino-sama. How can we assist you?"

"Nothing, just continue with your regular tasks and... avoid letting this man see your faces. If you talk to him, you'll be dismissed from your job. Understand?" I warned them.

"Understood, Harashino-sama!"

I proceeded to walk, still carrying Inzo, until I reached the private infirmary room. Carefully, I set Inzo down on the hospital bed.

Taking a seat beside him, I held his hand.

"I'm glad you're alive, Inzo," I said, smiling warmly as I caressed his hand. "I promised I'd never let someone hurt you again. I'll find the ones who bullied you, and if I do, I'll make them pay. I'll make them suffer, and I'll make their parents feel the pain of losing a loved one. Fufufu..."