Before she could continue, Yuko interrupted her with a sharp slap across the face.

  Yuko (furiously): "You disgusting girl! How dare you say such things about my brother? Do you think he's a toy you can just play with?"

  Yuko stepped closer to Mio, grabbed her shoulder tightly, and spoke in a low, threatening voice:

  Yuko: "Listen carefully… If I ever see you near my brother again, or even trying to contact him, I’ll kill you. Ozawa doesn’t need someone like you in his life."

  Mio, now sobbing uncontrollably, nodded and ran out of the room without saying another word.

  ---

  After Mio left, Yuko sat beside Ozawa, held his hand, and whispered gently:

  Yuko: "Kotaro... I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I’m here now."

  ---

  Kotaro slowly woke up to a faint sound from the other side of the room. His eyes opened weakly, adjusting to the dim light. His body felt heavy and exhausted, and his heart pounded in his chest. He tried to move his hand but felt drained.

  Ozawa (weakly): "Neesan…?"

  Yuko rushed to his side, eyes filled with worry. Her face was pale, but tears of relief started to well up when she saw him awake.

  Yuko: "Kotaro! Thank God you’re awake! I thought I had lost you forever!"

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  Ozawa (tiredly): "As long as you're here… I’ll stay awake."

  Yuko smiled with love, tears streaming down her face. She quickly called the doctor to check on him.

  As Yuko stepped out of the room, Mio suddenly walked in. She was muttering to herself, her expression full of uncertainty and fear. It was clear she was nervous and tense.

  Mio (softly): "Ozawa… are you okay?"

  Kotaro turned his head slowly toward her, eyes filled with questions. Why was she here?

  Ozawa (calmly): "Mio? What are you doing here?"

  Mio (hesitant): "I’m sorry… I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you."

  Ozawa (sighing): "No need to apologize. I was the one who let things escalate."

  Mio looked at him with concern, then stepped closer and placed her hand gently on his. His heart skipped a beat.

  Mio: "I never want to see you like this again. I was scared… scared of losing you."

  Kotaro took a deep breath and smiled faintly through the pain.

  Ozawa: "Everything will be fine. Don’t worry."

  Just then, Yuko entered the room again. Her eyes widened in anger when she saw Mio beside her brother.

  Yuko: "Mio, didn’t I tell you to stay away from my brother? Why are you here?"

  Mio (nervously): "I just… wanted to make sure he’s okay..."

  Ozawa (weakly): "Neesan, please... Let’s talk peacefully."

  Yuko took a deep breath, looked conflicted, then finally gave a small smile and stepped back.

  Yuko: "Alright... But you need to rest now. Focus on getting better first."

  Mio stepped back and spoke sincerely:

  Mio: "If you need anything, I’m here. Always."

  She quietly left the room, and Kotaro watched her in silence. After she was gone, he turned to his sister and asked in a soft voice:

  Ozawa: "What did you say to her? Why did she seem so scared of you?"

  Yuko hesitated, then smirked and said:

  Yuko: "Nothing important. Just a few things that needed to be said."

  Kotaro smiled weakly, then closed his eyes and said:

  Ozawa: "I’m okay, Neesan. Everything will be fine."

  ---

  In the days that followed, Kotaro slowly began to recover thanks to rest and treatment. As he started to feel better, he recalled Mio’s words from that day. He decided not to let dark thoughts consume him again—he needed to focus on healing, knowing there were people who genuinely cared about him.

  One night, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, he whispered to himself:

  Ozawa (whispering): "As long as there’s someone who cares about me… I’ll stay and fight to live."

  Days passed, and Kotaro's condition continued to improve. Yuko visited him every day, worried something might happen again. After several weeks of rest, Kotaro returned to school. But he remained distant from everyone, not speaking to anyone, just attending classes and gazing silently out the window.

  One day, as classes ended, Kotaro walked out of school like usual. As he headed toward the gate, he was stopped by a group of unfamiliar boys.

  One of them (loudly): "Hey! You there!"

  Kotaro turned slowly and replied in a calm voice:

  Ozawa: "Are you talking to me?"

  The boy (mocking): "Who else, you pathetic loser?"

  Kotaro remained silent, but his expression showed a trace of restrained anger and slight tension. Then he spoke in a low voice:

  Ozawa: "So, what do you want from me?"