The two months of recuperation slipped away quietly amidst the strange sensation of time being both long and fleeting in the hospital.
Outside the window, the plane trees had long since shed all their leaves. Their bare, jagged branches pointed toward the pale winter sky, only to be draped in a thin layer of frost on some inadvertent morning.
The day for Michiya Gōshin's discharge had finally arrived.
The scent of disinfectant no longer dominated the private ward; it was replaced by the cardboard smell of packed items and a subtle, restless atmosphere belonging to both parting and rebirth.
Kurokawa Akane was cautiously packing several reference books from Michiya Gōshin's bedside table, along with the bound first draft of the We Made a Beautiful Bouquet screenplay, into a sturdy cardboard box.
The girl's movements were gentle and focused, as if she were handling not ordinary objects, but some precious, fragile artifact.
With each book she set down, her gaze would linger on it for a moment, as if reviewing this period of time spent with Michiya Gōshin.
Kato Megumi was at the side organizing scattered daily necessities—a water cup, tissues, unopened snacks, chargers, and the like.
Her efficiency was high as always; her movements were methodical, quietly and quickly sorting them into another smaller storage bin.
Her calmness formed a subtle contrast with Kurokawa Akane's visible emotions mixed with joy, yet they coexisted strangely harmoniously in this space.
"Finally able to leave here."
Michiya Gōshin gently moved his left arm. The cast had been completely removed, but the long period of immobilization still made his arm movements appear somewhat stiff.
He was dressed in a simple gray turtleneck sweater and dark trousers, with a black long coat draped over them. Hospitalized for over two months, he had become slightly thinner, yet he appeared even more upright; the composure and sharpness in his eyes had not been diminished in the slightest by injury or illness.
Kurokawa Akane looked up and flashed a bright smile at Michiya Gōshin, though a trace of imperceptible reluctance lingered in the depths of her eyes.
To some extent, this ward was her "privileged territory" where she could justifiably stay close to him and take care of him for long periods. Once they left, many things might return to their original tracks, becoming full of variables once again.
After all, Sakurajima Mai had visited quite often during this time, and she could sense the dynamic between her and Michiya Gōshin...
However... thinking of the upcoming production of We Made a Beautiful Bouquet, Kurokawa Akane felt more anticipation rising in her heart.
Kato Megumi closed the lid of the storage box and spoke in a flat tone, "Michiya-san, I've already had someone clean and ventilate your apartment in advance. You can move back in directly today."
"Okay. I've really troubled you during this time, Kato-san."
Michiya Gōshin touched his own arm, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Just then, the ward door was knocked on and immediately pushed open.
"Congratulations on your discharge! Michiya-kun!"
MEM-cho's energetic voice poured in first. She flew in like a cheerful bird, holding a large bouquet of bright sunflowers.
"Wishing you a life facing the sun from now on, one hundred percent health!"
Following closely behind was Asakura Toru. She still carried that dreamlike sense of transparency. The girl held a delicate paper bag in her hand, her voice soft and light.
"Congratulations, Michiya-kun. This is a gift I prepared for you."
She placed the paper bag on the table; inside seemed to be wagashi from a boutique snack shop.
Kumano Nobuyuki and Morimoto Kengo appeared together as well. Kumano smiled and handed over a gym bag that looked very practical.
"Michiya, congratulations. I put some simple rehabilitation training equipment in here. Remember to proceed gradually; they'll definitely come in handy."
Morimoto Kengo remained reserved as usual, but a smile also appeared on his face. His gift was a set of books.
"Michiya, congratulations on your discharge. I heard you're writing a script recently. These are creative materials I bought specifically for you. I hope they can be of use."
The group from Love is a Required Course in Life gathered once again, instantly making the ward lively and filling it with laughter everywhere.
Michiya Gōshin smiled and thanked everyone. His gaze swept over the sincere faces of his friends, and a warm current flowed through his heart.
MEM-cho blinked and saw the extremely elegant bunch of white freesias on the bedside table. "Wow! These flowers are so beautiful! Who sent them?"
Kurokawa Akane explained, "Sakurajima-san had someone send them. She has a magazine shoot today and really couldn't get away, but she had the flowers and well-wishes sent over first thing in the morning."
Michiya Gōshin nodded, the image of that busy female entertainer coming to mind.
Although Sakurajima Mai did not arrive in person, this sentiment was timely and thoughtful, just like her usual style.
Amidst the liveliness, several staff members from the Hoshino Talent Agency to which Michiya Gōshin belonged, as well as the assistant director and two familiar key grips from the Alice in Borderland crew, arrived one after another to present fruit baskets and blessings.
Everyone congratulated him on his recovery and discharge, and briefly communicated preliminary intentions for follow-up work arrangements.
For a time, the ward was crowded with people, with endless greetings and laughter, filled with the warm breath of worldly life.
After the bustle, the friends and staff considerately did not stay long. After offering their blessings once more, they took their leave one by one, leaving the final packing time and space to Michiya Gōshin and the two girls who had been accompanying him.
There weren't many things here to begin with, and soon everything was packed properly.
The nanny van arranged by the company was already waiting downstairs at the hospital, with the same driver uncle waiting by the car.
Michiya Gōshin took one last look at the ward where he had lived for two months. It was bright and clean, restored to its original tidiness and emptiness, as if no one had ever stayed there for long.
"Phew~ Finally going back."
Withdrawing his gaze, the nanny van drove smoothly toward the luxury apartment where Michiya Gōshin resided.
Inside the car, Kurokawa Akane sat in the front passenger seat, occasionally looking at Michiya Gōshin and Kato Megumi in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Kato Megumi gazed at the passing streetscape outside the window as always, while Michiya Gōshin closed his eyes slightly to rest. A silence mixed with the relaxation of returning home and a faint melancholy of parting permeated the car.
Arriving downstairs at the apartment, the three of them took the elevator together to Michiya Gōshin's floor.
The corridor was quiet and immaculate, paved with soft carpets that absorbed all footsteps. Standing in front of the familiar apartment door, Michiya Gōshin actually felt a trace of strange unfamiliarity.
He took out the key and inserted it into the lock, his movements hesitating slightly.
"Haven't been back for two months; seems I'm a bit unaccustomed to it."
Opening the door, the interior of the apartment was indeed as Kato Megumi had said: cleaned spotlessly, the air fresh. There was even a small pot of fresh greenery placed on the coffee table in the living room, clearly a sign of careful tending.
All the furniture was covered in a faint quietness of long disuse, but that underlying scent of "home" still existed.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Kurokawa Akane spoke softly, taking off her shoes and placing them neatly in the entryway.
Kato Megumi appeared much more natural. She skillfully found slippers to change into, then put the luggage they brought back into their respective places one by one. Since the move, she had indeed been a frequent visitor here.
The girl opened the refrigerator to look, then began boiling water, seemingly preparing to make tea.
Michiya Gōshin walked slowly into the living room, looking around. His fingers unconsciously brushed over the back of the sofa, feeling this familiar strangeness.
There was no ever-present smell of disinfectant like in the hospital here, only the scent of fabrics warmed by sunlight—warm and comfortable.
"Michiya-san, you don't seem to have greeted the neighbors yet, have you? It seems you haven't seen a single one."
Kato Megumi walked out carrying the brewed tea and asked casually.
She knew Michiya Gōshin had been busy with work before; he had joined the filming set just a few days after moving in, and then fast-forwarded directly to hospitalization.
It could be said that even now, he didn't know what kind of people lived on this floor.
"Yeah."
Michiya Gōshin took the teacup, warmth transmitting through the porcelain wall. "I've been busy ever since moving in, and my work is different from ordinary office workers, so I've hardly ever encountered neighbors at normal times."
"Wait a few days. It's New Year's soon. I'll visit the neighbors then to maintain basic etiquette."
After resting for a moment, the two girls began helping with more detailed organizing and cleaning.
Actually, the apartment was already very clean, but they still wiped away dust where they could, carefully put the items brought back into their original places, and put the clothes to be washed into the washing machine.
Kurokawa Akane was especially attentive; she even helped Michiya Gōshin reorganize and arrange the stationery and materials on his desk that might have collected dust.
Michiya Gōshin wanted to lend a hand but was always pushed back to the sofa by them with the excuse that "patients need to rest properly."
Watching the figures of the two girls busy in his space, a feeling that he was "living off women" even popped up in Michiya Gōshin's heart.
Truly strange.
Time passed in quiet labor. When the setting sun once again sprinkled golden afterglow across the living room, the apartment had been restored to a complete sense of life, even feeling a few degrees warmer than before.
It was time for Kurokawa Akane and Kato Megumi to leave.
"Well then, Michiya-kun, please rest well. If you feel any discomfort, you must remember to call me anytime."
Kurokawa Akane stood at the entryway, instructing earnestly, her eyes full of concern and tenderness.
"Yeah, I know. Thank you both for your help today. You've worked hard."
Michiya Gōshin thanked them sincerely.
Kato Megumi nodded. "Michiya-san, it's New Year's in a few days. When that time comes..."
"I've already spoken to the director about joining the set to film Alice in Borderland." The crew would also stop work for New Year's, so it would probably be about a week before he went over.
Michiya Gōshin looked at his artist assistant. With her care, he had indeed been saved a lot of trouble.
"During this time, please take a good rest as well, Kato-san. Consider it a holiday for you."
"Okay."
Kato Megumi nodded and didn't say much more.
Seeing the two girls off, Michiya Gōshin closed the door and let out a long sigh of relief.
The spacious apartment fell completely quiet, leaving him all alone.
This silence, different from that of the hospital, was a domain belonging entirely to him alone—free, yet also carrying a trace of sudden emptiness.
He glanced at his system panel. After two months of writing, among the two entries, the experience points for [Tireless Writer] were nearly full, while [Proficient Sheng-Tai-Xing-Biao (Green)] was still short by a small half.
[Production Queue 1: Proficient Sheng-Tai-Xing-Biao]
[Experience: 62/100]
[Production Queue 2: Tireless Writer]
[Experience: 78/100]
"Still need to continue working hard. Before the film production of We Made a Beautiful Bouquet begins, I must obtain [Lead-Level Acting (Purple)]."
Michiya Gōshin looked at the synthesis path and clarified his next goal.
[Newcomer Actor (Green)] + [All Living Things (White)] + [Proficient Sheng-Tai-Xing-Biao (Green)] = [Lead-Level Acting (Purple)]
For the next two days, Michiya Gōshin enjoyed his long-lost solitude. Aside from holding the script and performing it himself, he also carried out basic exercise training, slowly re-adapting to a fully autonomous life.
The calendar pages turned one by one, and the atmosphere of New Year became stronger and stronger.
The streets of Tokyo gradually became decorated with lanterns and festoons. Television played various year-end special programs, and the air was filled with the vibe of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
After giving Kato Megumi time off, Michiya Gōshin also informed Yamazaki Kento that he needed to rest quietly recently, turning down some non-essential gathering invitations.
He knew that everyone needed their own New Year holidays.
On the day before January 1st, his phone rang. The caller was Yamazaki Kento.
"Hey! Michiya, for the New Year's visit at midnight tonight, do you want to go to Meiji Jingu with me to look around?"
Yamazaki Kento's voice was full of vitality as always. "I heard Meiji Jingu is particularly effective. Praying for blessings on the first day of the New Year gets rid of bad luck and can also ensure everything goes smoothly next year!"
Michiya Gōshin held the phone, looking at the clear winter sky outside the window. He thought about it; going out for a walk seemed like a not-bad idea, and he could experience the New Year atmosphere.
"Alright, let's go look around together then."
"OK, then we'll go after midnight tonight, right at the moment of the New Year countdown! There'll definitely be super many people, super lively!"
Yamazaki Kento planned excitedly.
"Okay, see you then!"
That night, the city was immersed in a festive atmosphere. The sound of Joya no Kane (New Year's Eve bells) ringing from temples could be heard faintly in the distance, distant and solemn.
After Michiya Gōshin and Yamazaki Kento met up, they followed the bustling stream of people toward the famous Meiji Jingu.
The Omotesando leading to the shrine was brightly lit. Both sides were lined with all kinds of yatai food stalls, emitting the enticing aroma of food.
Even though it was late at night, it was brilliantly illuminated here. People wore thick down jackets, smiles overflowing on their faces, the white breath they exhaled interweaving into a lively cloud in the cold night sky.
Young couples, families with children, groups of friends... everyone was moving in the same direction, filled with beautiful expectations for the New Year.
Yamazaki Kento looked left and right excitedly. Michiya Gōshin followed beside him, feeling this long-lost liveliness filled with the smoke and fire of life, and his mood gradually broadened.
Managing to move with the crowd to the inner side of the shrine, long queues had already formed in front of the huge Ema racks and the offertory box for prayers. Devout people clasped their hands together, silently making their New Year's wishes.
Michiya Gōshin and Yamazaki Kento followed suit, lining up to pray.
The wish he silently made concerned health, concerned his career, and also concerned obtaining a clear answer for those emotions that were too tangled to unravel.
After paying respects, the two moved slowly toward the exit along with the crowd. Yamazaki Kento was still eating the takoyaki he had just bought with gusto.
Just then, Michiya Gōshin's gaze inadvertently swept past a huge wishing tree not far away, and his steps paused slightly.
He saw a familiar figure.
It was Kurokawa Akane.
She was wearing a very fashionable indigo jacket with a white sweater lining underneath, and a plaid short skirt on her lower body. Her long blue hair draped smoothly over her shoulders. Illuminated by the shrine lights, she looked as bright and beautiful as a girl who had walked out of a painting.
However, what surprised Michiya Gōshin was that standing beside her was an extremely burly and tall middle-aged man.
That man wore a crisp dark suit jacket with an overcoat of the same material draped over it. Even in such a casual setting, he gave off a sense of meticulous seriousness.
He stood as straight as a pine, his shoulders broad, his eyes sharp and steady, appearing dignified without being angry.
Just standing there, he naturally formed an invisible aura that made the noisy crowd around him unconsciously keep some distance from him.
At this moment, Kurokawa Akane was looking up slightly and saying something to the man. There was a faint smile on her face. As the man listened, the hard corners of his mouth seemed to soften by a sliver of an arc, his eyes revealing the doting affection unique to an elder.
Yamazaki Kento noticed it too. He nudged Michiya Gōshin's arm and lowered his voice: "Whoa... isn't that Kurokawa-san? The person beside her... his aura is so strong!"
Before Michiya Gōshin could answer, Kurokawa Akane seemed to sense something and turned her head to look over as well.
Their eyes met, and a surprised smile immediately appeared on her face. She waved from afar, then pulled on the arm of the man beside her, walking toward them.
"Michiya-kun, Yamazaki-san, what a coincidence!"
Kurokawa Akane's voice carried cheerfulness. "Are you here for the New Year visit too?"
"Yes, I didn't expect to run into you by such chance," Michiya Gōshin responded with a smile, his gaze looking politely at the male with the extremely strong presence beside her.
Kurokawa Akane immediately introduced, "Dad, this is Michiya Gōshin, whom I've mentioned to you often, and this is his friend, Yamazaki Kento-san."
Then she turned to Michiya Gōshin and Yamazaki Kento. "This is my father."
Kurokawa Osamu—currently a Senior Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Department—let his gaze fall upon Michiya Gōshin like a physical weight. That gaze carried a sharp scrutiny, as if to see through him from the inside out.
He did not speak immediately, only nodding slightly as a greeting. That dignified, formidable aura made Yamazaki Kento beside them subconsciously straighten his back, even lightening his breathing by a few degrees.
When the other party's gaze descended, Michiya Gōshin immediately felt an invisible pressure, but he did not shrink back. Instead, maintaining a polite smile, he bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Kurokawa-san, hello. Nice to meet you, I am Michiya Gōshin."
Only then did Kurokawa Osamu speak slowly. His voice was deep, carrying the steady strength formed by long-term command.
"Michiya-kun, I have heard Akane mention you many times."
His words were ordinary, but that look unmistakably conveyed the meaning: "I know you, and what I know goes far beyond just your name."
Kurokawa Akane seemed to detect the imperceptible tension in her father's attitude and hurriedly smiled to smooth things over. "Dad, Michiya-kun was discharged from the hospital not long ago; his body is still recovering."
"Is that so?"
Kurokawa Osamu's eyebrows twitched slightly. His gaze swept over Michiya Gōshin again, seemingly assessing his physical condition, or perhaps thinking about something else.
After a few seconds of silence, he made a move that surprised everyone.
The man looked at Michiya Gōshin and proposed in a tone that was calm but allowed no refusal, "Michiya-kun, since meeting is fate, how about we find a quiet place and have a chat alone?"
In an instant, this accidental encounter during the New Year visit suddenly became subtle.
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