Writer's POV

"Mafuyu-chan, I'm here for your call! What's wrong?!" Hanae, Nariyuki's mother, is running toward Mafuyu, who is burying her head in her knees, with a doctor in front of and comforting her. Seeing Mafuyu like that, Hanae knows she has to calm down and face the situation calmly. So instead, she walks to the doctor and asks: "Doctor, what happened? There must be something wrong with my son?" Replying to her question, the doctor just gives a nod.

"Due to his head injury, I'm afraid that the pain has recurred. This time is actually... well... much harder for us to deal with. We need more times to check it further, but I'm afraid that if it's terrible, his chance of surviving is lower than expected..." The doctor said, but soon after that, she was scolded by Mafuyu, who stood back up with tears in her eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'LOWER THAN EXPECTED'? I've put a lot of things on this and you all just say that?! So those 12 months spending for his recovery will be gone for nothing?! What kind of hospital is this?!" Mafuyu said, but slightly lowered her voice in the last question. Can't even stand properly, she collapses to the ground and starts sobbing, fearing that all of her efforts, all the things she has been through for Nariyuki, all will vanish away. Hanae also has some tears in her eyes, but she wipes them away, keeping her hope that her son will survive.

"Doctor... thanks for the truth. Can you... just go back in there and continue your work?" Hanae said, tried to keep calm. Knowing the terrible atmosphere, the doctor simply nods and goes to the recovery room. After she is gone, Hanae crouches down to Mafuyu's place. Being next to the sobbing woman, she reaches out her arms and wraps them around the teacher's back, trying to calm her down.

"There, there, Mafuyu-chan... Everything will be okay... You see..." Hanae comforted Mafuyu, like a mother telling her daughter not to cry. Feeling the warm but strange embrace, Mafuyu just buries her face in Hanae's crook of the neck, and Nariyuki's mom can feel her teardrops falling to her knees. They just stay the same for a while, with Mafuyu's weeping sounds echoing across the silent corridor, with just flickering lights.

"Mafuyu-chan, do you want to talk? Let's have a talk to help you shake of all the sadness, okay?" After a while, Hanae whispered. Mafuyu then finally nods, knowing that she is not able to talk or say anything properly.

O0O

"You know, Mafuyu-chan, you really have some similar things to my son." Hanae told Mafuyu, who was drinking a bottle of water, hoping that some water would help her calm down. Hearing that makes Mafuyu starts blushing, almost choking on water. "S-Similar? I don't think so, Hanae-san..." Mafuyu rejected. However, Hanae let out a small smile. She starts remembering about a special thing, something that is the same with Mafuyu.

"Back when my son was young, he didn't have much friends, if I don't want to say that he hardly had any. So one day there was a little puppy followed him to our home. Seeing how cute it was and how Mizuki liked it, he begged Hiroshi and I to keep the puppy. So I said yes, but I had to make him promise to clean its place." Hanae told Mafuyu about her son's childhood.

"So he was kind of an animal lover, Hanae-san?" Mafuyu asked.

"Yes. That puppy was like a friend to him, the best one he had ever had. Not just him but also his little brothers and sisters. Our house was full of woofing, noisy but lively. Oh I can't even describe how I miss that time." Hanae said and Mafuyu let out a slight smile. However, Hanae's voice turns from cheerful to sad. "Things were going really great, until... that happened."

Noticing Hanae's sadness makes Mafuyu concern about her. "What's wrong, Hanae-san?" She asked and turns her look to Hanae. Nariyuki's mom then lets out a sigh and continues the story.

"So one day, our children decided to take Fugo, the puppy, outside for a walk. However, while they were walking, one of our little child was going in the middle of the road, which there were a truck coming right at him, only meters away. Seeing that, without any hesitation, Fugo just jumped into our child, pushed him away, and as a result... well... you know..." Hanae said, her voice was getting smaller in the end. Seeing how sad Hanae is also affects Mafuyu.

"Hanae-san... I'm so sorry. That was quite devastating, wasn't it? To lose one of the 'family member'..." Mafuyu asked.

"Yeah, it was really a pain, especially to Nariyuki. That night, we couldn't make him stop crying for losing Fugo. It must be hard for him to lose a best friend like that. I even remembered his shouting. 'I'll never let anything like that happen to anyone' was what he shouted. And I think he just did his 'promise', don't you think?" Hanae said and put her hand on Mafuyu's shoulders, while looking at the recovery room's door, where inside the doctors are checking on Nariyuki. Mafuyu then felt a small pain in her chest. His action one year ago wasn't random or in a sudden. It was actually his promise years ago, from the similar accident happened to his puppy. However, this time it was a human, or to say it correctly, it was himself, saving Mafuyu. Though to her, it is still an insult for seeing her as a puppy to save.

"Hanae-san... Are you mocking me?" Mafuyu asked. Hanae then wonders why she asked that, but as soon as she finds out, she lets out a laugh.

"What?! No, I didn't... Or did I?" Hanae said and smirked at Mafuyu, made the teacher mad.

"You just indirectly called me a puppy!" Mafuyu shouted at Hanae.

"No, Mafuyu-chan, don't be mad! Geez you're just so sensitive." Hanae jokingly said, but Mafuyu didn't like it. She turns around and starts pouting.

"Angry. Disappointed. I think I'm starting to find things I hate about your family. First it was Yuiga-kun, then you." Mafuyu said, avoiding Hanae's face. Hearing that does make Hanae a little confused. She knows that she might have made Mafuyu mad, but she doesn't know that her son has already joined the tray.

"So... tell me about our little trainee, Mafuyu-supervisor-chan." Hanae said and looked up to Mafuyu's face, made her slight blush.

"W-What do you... want to know?" Mafuyu asked, then Hanae started thinking, using her hand to hold up her chin.

"Hmm... let me see... How he taught his students, how well he got with the other teachers... Oh, how about what kind of 'stuffs' you guys usually did with each other at school?" Hanae asked and Mafuyu just blushed even more at the last part. Trying to stay calm, Mafuyu takes a deep breath and thinks of something to say, something to avoid Hanae's question.

"I... I HATE HIM! He always tried to change my World history lessons, push civilization to hundreds years, arrive at the academy late! But the worst thing, you know what it was? He always found chances to humiliate me publicly in classes when I wasn't around!" Mafuyu shouted and Hanae just nodded understandingly.

"Alright, got it! I'll spank him when he gets up!" Hanae made a conclusion, made Mafuyu widen her eyes.

"N-No! That's not what I meant!" Mafuyu denied.

"Okay, then what else was wrong with him?" Hanae asked.

"W-Well, he always got in somebody else's problems, which were not related to him, or if they were good or bad! There was also a time when he flirted with a female students at the academy!"

"Nariyuki actually flirted with someone else?!"

"Yes! And there was a teacher, who was really successful and clever, came to him and gave him advices after school! But..." Mafuyu was shouting, but she suddenly stopped in the middle.

"But he what, Mafuyu-chan?" Hanae asked concernedly. After taking a short while, Mafuyu continued the story.

"But he turned down the offer, because he knew there was something about that teacher. And... he was right. He was right all along, but I'd thought he was wrong, so I..." Mafuyu stopped and swallowed a bit. She looks at her right hand's palm, which still has a slight red mark from slapping Nariyuki in the past. Now remembering that makes her feel regretful and sad again. Seeing Mafuyu looking in her hand sadly, Hanae puts her hand on the teacher's shoulder.

"That doesn't seem like a bad thing to me." Hanae said. "So my son did have some good things in him, right?"

"... I guess..." Mafuyu said, then she continued. "However, I don't quite get what he was planning for his teaching method. It was strange to me, I mean what was he thinking?"

"And by strange here you mean...?" Hanae asked.

"Humorous, easy-going, filling the class with laughter, serious is no needed... I mean what's up with all of that?" Mafuyu asked. After thinking for a while, Hanae then suddenly starts laughing, surprises Mafuyu.

"Hanae-san, don't look at this as something humorous. It's not funny at all." Mafuyu told Hanae, but she shook her head.

"Of course this is a serious business. But don't you think it's similar to someone?" Hanae asked but saw how confused Mafuyu was, she continued. "Isn't that what the teacher you admire, my husband, Hiroshi, usually did when he was a teacher? I'm sure he's not a great teacher, but he was still a role model for students to follow. Don't you think like that, Mafuyu-chan?"

"But in this time, being like that won't take you to anywhere, Hanae-san."

"I can be sure with you that Nariyuki isn't aiming to be a successful teacher. He's aiming to be a caring teacher, who puts his students on top, teaches for their students' future. Maybe his method is a bit different from you, but I think he has the same reason with you."

To be real, Mafuyu has never fully understood Nariyuki. Even his trainee program was almost over, she couldn't find out what he would do as a teacher, or what his goal was. To her, Nariyuki was an extraordinary individual. He always had crazy plans in his head, with odd teaching method. But she had to admit, every time he was there, her class was usually the liveliest, something she hadn't experienced since she was graduated. That young man was a treasure chest, with the key to open was the understanding from the other. Nariyuki's mom has that key, and now it's Mafuyu's turn to find the spare one. Knowing a little bit of clues to find that key, Mafuyu lets out a smile, the smile of satisfaction, for cracking the first secret.

"Mafuyu-chan, it's quite rare to see you smile, you know?" Hanae told Mafuyu, made the pink haired teacher blush.

"W-What do you mean, Hanae-san?" Mafuyu asked back.

"Oh don't mind about it. You look beautiful with it. Don't always just put on such a gloomy mask. Smile more! It will help you with a lot of things in life!" Hanae said, then she continued. "And I'm sure that Nariyuki would love to see you smile when he awakes." Hearing the last sentence makes Mafuyu blush harder. That actually makes sense since she had been smiling a lot to Nariyuki back when he was a trainee, and there was also a time when she made him fainted with it.

"Now putting all the bad things aside... What kind of dirty secrets are you guys keeping from me, Mafuyu Kirisu?" Hanae asked and smugged, which turned Mafuyu's face from a strawberry to a deep red watermelon.

"I-It's nothing! What are you even looking for, Hanae-san?!" Mafuyu stuttered.

"You know, now talking about Nariyuki, he usually stayed at your place overnight. What did you guys do there, hmm?" Hanae asked.

"W-Well... Just... Stuffs, not really! He and I just had some personal things to do together, that's all!" Mafuyu said, but her answer made Hanae even more suspicious.

'I can't tell her that Nariyuki came to my place just for cleaning!' Mafuyu thought and blushed.

'... Did these two actually did 'it'?' Hanae asked herself, then she decided to dig up the secrets. "So... Mafuyu Kirisu-chan, I know what happened! Nariyuki had told me already! Spit out the truth! How was he when you guys were doing 'stuffs'?"

'Yuiga, you idiot!' Mafuyu thought, angry and swore she would never forgive Nariyuki. But she knows that she has to speak out the truth. "W-Well... for someone at the age like him, he was actually quite youthful and energetic with this work..." She said.

'Hmm... Youthful and energetic, huh?' Hanae asked and smiled wider. "And how was that 'it', Mafuyu-chan?" Hanae asked curiously.

"Um..." Mafuyu tried to answer. "It (the mess) was actually really huge, or at least that was my view. But after all, we managed to do it (the cleaning) very smoothly. There were also times we created another big mess, but things were going fine after all!"

'Huge... smoothly... and even a big mess?! Wow!' Unable to understand how her son managed to do that, Hanae's curiosity gets the best of her. "I-I saw him going to your place multiple times! Is it...?" Hanae asked, and perhaps understood what she was trying to know, Mafuyu nodded.

"He might have so much energy that he can do it (the cleaning) so much time. Even I said I was exhausted, he didn't let me rest at all! He just kept forcing me to do it (the cleaning)!" Mafuyu spitted out the truth.

'Oh my god, son, what kind of animal were you?!' Hanae thought, but she tried to keep calm. "S-So are you tired of it? Did my son bother you or something?" She asked concernedly.

"NO!" Mafuyu said. "I mean yeah, it was tired at first, but soon I got used to it. In fact, I felt fantastic (when the apartment was cleaned)!" However, wanting to let Nariyuki's mom know that Nariyuki came to her place not just for being a janitor, she continued. "As my thanks to him, I taught him some tricks and helped him with his work (as a teacher), and we just did it overnight! Sometimes we couldn't even get any sleep."

Right now Hanae is having a universe of thoughts in her head, but knowing that she has to be supportive to her son's choice, she clasps Mafuyu's hand with hers, which surprises the teacher.

"Mafuyu-chan... congratulations!" Hanae told Mafuyu, made her confused.

"What are you praising me for? And why are you crying, Hanae-san?! Did I say something bad?!" Mafuyu asked confusedly.

"No... you didn't. In fact, you have quite an experience huh?" Hanae said, wiped away her tear.

"Well, yes, of course I do. But why are you saying that?" Mafuyu asked, but Hanae shook her head.

"You and Nariyuki will be quite an amazing couple! I'm totally rooting for you!"

"SERIOUSLY WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Mafuyu asked louder with her face blushing red. However, while they are talking, they aren't noticing that there is a doctor already standing next to them.

"Um... Ms... can I have a talk with you two?" The doctor asked, still confusing about what she heard earlier.

O0O

"What do you mean that the situation is worse?!" Mafuyu asked the doctor angrily. Both Mafuyu and Nariyuki's mom had heard that Nariyuki's state was much worse. His skull injury has become severely dangerous and if it's not treated well, his life is totally at stake.

"Look, Ms. I need you to calm down and do not panic. We are finding a solution here and I'm sure that maybe two or three more days-" The doctor tried to explain but got cut off.

"And when will be that 'two or three more days'?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I'VE PAID A SH*T TON OF HOSPITAL FEES AND THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID?! HOW IRRESPONSIBLE CAN THIS HOSPITAL BE?!" Mafuyu scolded the doctor.

"Mafuyu-chan, stay cool..." Hanae said, but Mafuyu shook her head.

"NO, MOM! I'VE ENOUGH OF THIS! I CANNOT LET MY ONE YEAR GOES OFF FOR NOTHING! THERE HAS TO BE SOMEWAY THAT CAN SOLVE THIS!" Mafuyu shouted while clenching her fists. Noticing what she said, she breathes out and tries staying calm. "Now where is the doctor that good with this... thing?" She asked.

"Well... there is one. But I'm not sure if she will be back or not..." The doctor said.

'Well with the fact of how ignorant and irresponsible this hospital is, it's quite explainable why she's gone...' Mafuyu thought. "You know what, give me her address, her email or something. I'll do all of you a favor and grab her a** up to the surgery room, so she can deal with this problem!" She said with a mad tone.

The doctor then hesitates a bit, but seeing how furious Mafuyu is, he just hands Mafuyu a card, which she takes it quickly. "It's hard to persuade her, so after all, if you can't, just leave it to the hospital." The doctor said.

"I can't even trust you one bit right now..." Mafuyu said and looked at the card. Suddenly, she finds something really similar, or more like, she has seen this before.

'I think... I've been to this place... And I've even met her before... Where she is actually?' Looking at the map, she knows that place. Then she turns it around, and that's when she realizes her prediction is correct.

'... Kominami's clinic...?'

Chapter 7

The end of everything or the beginning of a new [X]

O0O

Next chapter... A new arc will begin.