(The apartment door closed behind them with a faint sound, but in their ears, it sounded like the echo of another fall. The air inside the apartment was warmer, yet Ahmed's body continued to tremble—not just from the cold, but from the image of the fall still hanging in his mind.)
(Ahmed carried Honoka with extreme caution, as if she were a piece of glass that might break in his arms. He placed her gently on the sofa, his hands still shaking. Her wet clothes clung to her body, and her skin was painfully pale.)
(Misaki stood beside him, silent, her eyes wide with shock and guilt, tears held back behind trembling eyelids. She felt that what had happened could have been avoided... if only she had noticed, if only she had spoken, if only she had drawn closer.)
(Ahmed leaned over and felt Honoka's pulse, his breath held, his heart pounding violently. When he felt the pulse, even if weak, he let out a long sigh—his first real breath since the fall.)
Ahmed (in a low, tense voice): "Her pulse is there... but she is very cold."
(Misaki nodded quickly, headed to the bathroom, dampened a cloth with lukewarm water, and returned to place it on Honoka's forehead. Her hands trembled as she did so, as if she were trying to atone for something she couldn't name.)
(At that moment, a violent shiver ran through Ahmed's body. His wet clothes clung to him, and the cold began to seep into his bones. He took a step back, looking at Honoka, then at Misaki.)
Ahmed: "I'll change my clothes quickly... I can't take care of her like this."
(He disappeared for a few short minutes, changing his clothes in haste, without drying his hair properly, and without catching his breath. Every second away from the living room weighed on his chest.)
(He returned quickly, as if fearing the world might vanish if he stayed away any longer.)
(At that moment, Honoka moved slightly. Her eyebrows contracted, and her lips trembled. She opened her eyes slowly—a lost, confused gaze, as if she had woken up in a world she didn't recognize.)
(Misaki froze in place, holding her breath.)
(Honoka's eyes moved between the ceiling and the walls, then settled on Ahmed's face. Her eyes were full of fear... and something deeper: astonishment at the fact that she was still alive.)
Honoka (in a hoarse voice, barely audible): "I... am I...?"
(Ahmed leaned over immediately, his voice warm despite its tremor.)
Ahmed: "You are safe now... you are here."
(Honoka's eyes widened, and her body began to shake, not just from the cold, but from the realization of the truth. Tears fell silently from her eyes as she looked at her hands, as if she couldn't believe they still existed.)
(Misaki gripped the edge of her shirt, feeling a sharp sting in her chest. In Honoka's gaze, she saw a reflection of an old version of herself... a version that once stood on the edge of despair.)
(Silence prevailed for a moment—a heavy but living silence. The silence after the storm.)
(Then, Ahmed realized one thing clearly:
Survival alone is not enough...
Now, the hardest part begins.)