The afternoon passed in a blur of white coats and clipped words. The doctor came one last time, checked my vitals, tapped notes onto his chart.
"You're stable," he said. "Just rest. Don't overdo it."
By 3 o'clock I was discharged. My mother called a taxi, her hand tight on my arm the whole ride home. The streets looked hazy, unreal, like I was peering at a city that didn't want me in it anymore.
When we reached the house, she whispered, "Just rest for today."
I nodded and went straight to my bedroom. The mattress welcomed me with its old creak, and I sank into it, staring at the ceiling.
The image of the truck burned against my eyelids again. Over and over, its headlights swallowed me whole. Why did it keep returning? Was it a warning? Or a memory of a future I hadn't lived yet?
Sleep dragged me under.
---Time:5:00PM
When I woke i heard Soft footsteps in the hall, then the door creaked open.
"Haruto?"
Yui's face peeked in, with Miyuki right behind her. My mother's voice called from the hallway:
"He's in his room. Go on."
The girls stepped inside carefully, as though I were made of glass. I sat up, leaning against the wall.
"Are you okay?" Miyuki asked first, her voice trembling. "We were so scared. When we heard you collapsed"
"I'm fine," I cut in gently, though the word felt thin.
Yui pursed her lips, holding out a notebook. "I copied today's notes. You don't need to worry about classes. Just… focus on resting."
We talked for a while about school, about how quiet class felt without me, about meaningless little things that pretended at normal. For a moment I almost believed in it. But the glow on Miyuki's face, the kindness in Yui's eyes it all flickered like fragile glass against the weight of the visions I couldn't shake.
By six, they left. The room fell silent again.
---Time:7:00PM
Myy homeroom teacher arrived. She bowed politely at the door before sitting by my bed.
"You scared me, Haruto," she said softly, her eyes still carrying the red of old tears. "If something is wrong, you need to tell me. Please don't carry it alone."
I hesitated. My throat tightened with the urge to spill everything the nightmares, the betrayal, the bloodied man who wore my face. But the words stayed trapped behind my teeth.
"I'm fine," I lied instead. "Really."
Her eyes searched mine, as if she knew there was more. But she only nodded, stood, and left me with a faint, lingering sadness.
Later, my mother brought dinner to my room. She helped me sit up, spooned rice into my bowl like I was still a child. Her hands trembled.
"I'm sorry," she whispered suddenly. Her eyes brimmed. "For yelling at you. For… everything. I shouldn't have treated you that way."
I froze. Her apology stung more than her cruelty ever had, because it didn't erase the memory of her voice the venom she'd spit at Father, the words she would one day use to destroy me. I forced a smile.
"It's fine, Mom. I'll be okay."
She wept quietly before leaving.
---Time:10:00AM
Father came home early. He rushed straight into my room, his face pale with relief.
"Haruto! Thank God. If something happened to you…" His voice cracked. "I don't know what I would've done. I couldn't bear it."
The sincerity in his voice broke something in me. My chest ached as we spoke, his words clumsy but genuine, my answers shaky but real.
When he finally left, he paused at the door.
"You don't need to go to school tomorrow," he said. "Rest. Don't overdo it. I don't want you to become like me."
"I have to go," I answered quietly.
His eyes softened with pain, but he nodded.
"Then… just promise you'll be careful."
I didn't promise. I only let the silence answer for me.
When the house finally settled into stillness, I drifted back into uneasy sleep, the hum of my own heartbeat echoing like distant footsteps in the dark.