A nurse was changing the clear bag attached to his arm as Kuro woke the next morning. She smiled at him and asked a few of the same questions the Doctor had last night. He answered them all, assuring the nurse he was fine. Kuro looked around the room and found himself staring at the chair the mint haired girl had been sitting in. Definitely a weird dream. There was no evidence of a floating girl as far as he could see. He noticed the nurse was looking at him expectantly and he said, “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was just asking if you needed anything else before your breakfast got here?”

“Actually, would you mind getting me my phone, it’s in my jacket.”

The nurse cheerfully obliged and handed him his phone before leaving the room. He unlocked it and prepared to send a message to his boss, Ichigo. There’s quite a few messages from her… There was even a message from the night he was injured.

“I just got a message from that law firm saying you were still there when the manager left. You know damn well I don’t pay overtime. We’ll talk Monday.” Sent Saturday 12:05 A.M. from Ichigo.

Kuro shuddered thinking about the lecture that was coming his way. I didn’t think that dude was going to rat me out… He sighed and kept reading.

“The police called and said you were hurt pretty badly. You could have told me I was your only emergency contact! I don’t know when you’ll get this but you better not die. You can’t get out of working here that easily.” Sent Saturday 4:26 A.M. from Ichigo.

“That girl Mai explained the whole story to me. So you’re telling me you only got hurt because you don’t know how to follow my instructions? If you don’t start working the hours I tell you to, you won’t get any more assignments.” Sent Wednesday 12:45 P.M. from Ichigo.

“Mai says you almost ripped open your stitches because you thought I was going to fire you for getting shot. What the hell? I’m not a monster, you better not bother me about work unless you’re actually healthy enough to do any.” Sent yesterday 9:20 P.M. from Ichigo.

Kuro sighed again and set his phone down on the little table next to his bed. I guess there’s no rush. I don’t need to call her immediately.

“Good morning!” Mai suddenly poked her head into the room, making Kuro jump a little.

“You’re back sooner than I would have expected.”

“I said I would be stopping by often.” She seemed much more cheerful today as she made her way to the little chair with wheels.

“I was just reading some messages from work and it looks like you met my boss. I hope she hasn’t been causing you any trouble.”

“Not at all, in fact I think she’s a wonderful person.”

“That’s true, she may be strict but, she’s a kind and dependable person when it really comes down to it.”

Mai smiled and gave a little laugh, “She says the same about you. Except for the strict part of course.”

“So, Mai-”

“Are you hungry? I asked the Doctor if it was ok and brought you something to eat. Its got to be better than hospital food, don’t you think?”

“Listen, I really do appreciate you stopping by and going to all this trouble, but it really isn’t a big deal, you don’t owe me any-” Kuro’s words were cut short by a spoonful of omelet shoved into his mouth.

“You listen. Setting aside whether I owe you anything or not, I’m here because I want to be. Ichigo was right, you’re stubborn as a rock when it comes to accepting things from others.”

“But-” Another spoonful of surprisingly tasty eggs was pushed into his mouth.

“No buts. You keep saying it wasn’t a big deal. Well, it’s a big deal to me and my family. If it wasn’t for you I would probably be dead. We want to make sure you properly recover, is that too much to ask?”

I guess she feels responsible for me now. It’s fine. Just a matter of time and things will go back to normal. Kuro resigned himself to whatever was to come, for now anyway. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to say your life wasn’t a big deal or anything like that. I appreciate what you’re doing. I won’t argue but just know that you don’t have to do anything to pay me back. I just did what I thought was right.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Here, you finish eating this and I’ll be back soon.”

“Sure, but where do you need to go so soon after getting here?”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Mai brushed her hair back with her fingers and smiled, “You’ll find out soon.” She left the room in a chipper mood.

Kuro looked at the little pink box of food Mai had brought him. You could tell just by looking that it was well made, and it tasted as good as it looked. He was hungrier than he thought and finished the fancy looking omelet quickly, enjoying every bite. She must be chef or something, that was fantastic. Kuro almost forgot about his injuries as he cleaned up the last remnants of food.

Not long after Kuro tidied up the meal container and set it to the side Mai had returned. She entered the room walking with her back straight head held high. She was followed by a familiar kind faced balding man. He was dressed in high quality suit and had a warm smile. “Mr. Manager? What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Mr. I.T. guy.” The older man said in a friendly tone, “To think you were the one who saved my daughter. I greatly appreciate what you did for her.”

“Your daughter?” Kuro couldn’t believe the odds.

“Yes, but I should introduce myself. I am Genji Tanaka, owner of the Tanaka Law Firm, among other things.” Mr. Tanaka handed Kuro a business card.

Kuro had heard of this guy. Mr. Tanaka wasn’t just any lawyer. He’d been on TV a few times representing some of the most powerful people in the country. He hadn’t recognized him the other day but there was no room for doubt at this point. Kuro started thinking about why a lawyer would be here. Am I going to get arrested for killing someone? Kuro hadn’t even considered the repercussions of that night until now.

“What’s the matter son? Are you still in pain?” Mr. Tanaka took a seat in the chair next to Kuro’s bed.

“Am I going to jail after I get out of the hospital?”

Mr. Tanaka laughed heartily and said “Of course not, you may have to answer some questions in the future, but you aren’t being charged with anything. The whole thing was caught on camera from the bank across the street, which made things quite a bit easier for me.”

“Easier? Does that mean you did things for me while I was out?”

“You could say I did it for me. I thought it would be easier to chat if you had nothing to worry about when you woke up. I owe you a great deal after all. Nothing is more precious to me than my adorable daughter.”

Mai blushed and stamped her foot. “Dad, I’m an adult! Please stop acting like I’m still a teenager.”

“Of course, of course!” Mr. Tanaka laughed and turned back to Kuro. “I’d like to offer you a reward for helping Mai. If there is anything I can do just name it and I’ll make it happen.”

Kuro was worried about this. When Mai mentioned her family earlier, he suspected something like this might happen. Although he wasn’t expecting it to be someone so important. There was no way he wanted to get more involved in this than he already was. “Sir, I don’t really need anything. Your daughter already thanked me, and I got to eat a tasty breakfast. That’s more than enough. Thank you though.”

“Ha! You were right Mai, this guy’s too modest for his own good!” He said chuckling to himself. “Mr. Raiku, I like your attitude. I’ve only met you twice and I already know you are a hardworking, sincere, and brave man with good taste in food. I’m sure it’ll pay off for you in future. For now, how about marrying my daughter?”

“What?!” Kuro exclaimed, coughing and holding his side from the surprise proposal.

“Dad! That’s not funny!” Mai was bright red and furious.

“All right, all right, fine. Just think about what I said and if you need anything just give me a call.” Mr. Tanaka turned to Mai. “I’ll leave things to you for now but if you figure out something he needs you let me know too.”

“I will.” Mai was still annoyed but less angry.

Mr. Tanaka stood from his seat and straightened his suit. “All right then Mr. Raiku, you take care. Sorry this was so short a meeting. I may not look it, but I am a busy man. I’m sure we’ll see each other again at some point. Until then.” He waved good-bye and nodded to his daughter before heading out of the room.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Kuro said after Mr. Tanaka was gone.

“I’m sorry about that. He’s a bit off if you ask me but still a nice man. Although, you probably should think of something you want as a reward. Once he gets an idea in his head he doesn’t let it go easily.” Mai said as she sat next to Kuro.

“I see, well I really don’t need anything. I wasn’t just saying that.” Kuro frowned a little. “So he’s your dad huh? I guess that explains what you were doing there.”

“Yes, I was on my way to meet him for a late dinner. Please don’t think about it too much though. I don’t like relying on him all the time so I do what I can to earn my own living as an artist.”

“Wait, you’re not a chef?”

Mai let out a little giggle, “That’s sweet but no. I do paintings and graphic design.”

“It’s cool you want to earn your own way; I get wanting to do things on your own.”

“Which reminds me, how are you going to care for yourself when you’re released in a few days?”

“My place isn’t that big so getting around won’t be an issue. I’m sure I can handle it.”

“What if you need help, what are you going to do then?”

“I have a phone; I can just call someone to take me back to the hospital.”

“And who do you plan on calling?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because if Dad finds out the guy who saved his daughter ended up back in the hospital because he’s too stubborn to accept help, I guarantee he’ll do something drastic. Now answer the question.”

I don’t even want to know what ‘something drastic’ could mean. Kuro shook his head “I guess I could call Ichigo.”

“Fine, as long as you have a plan that’s enough for now.” Mai said with an exasperated sigh. “You better take your recovery seriously or you’ll end up with more trouble than you think.”

Kuro spent the next few days in the hospital getting evaluated by doctors and nurses to make sure he was healing properly. Mai visited him each day and usually brought him something to eat. Mai’s meals were definitely the best part of the day for Kuro, since the hospital food was less than appetizing. After spending four more days like this, the Doctor from his first night waking up in the hospital stepped into the room.

“I’ve got good news and bad news.” The Doctor said as he flipped through the chart at the end of Kuros bed. “The good news is that you are being released tomorrow morning and will be free to head home. The bad news is that I won’t get to see Mai everyday anymore. A travesty to be sure.”

“It’s not very nice to mess with your patients you know?” Kuro muttered.

“Well, I wish you luck on your recovery. Try not to get into any more trouble.” The doctor said as he waved and strode away