Kawasaki Kyoka had been very worried about this and feared that her sister might be doing some strange job.
Akira helped Saki Kawasaki explain the situation, which made Kyoka feel relieved.
Leaving the restaurant, they headed back to the hospital. Akira carried a packed lunch, and Kawasaki Kyoka followed him. Compared with ordinary girls, she was more well-behaved and sensible.
When Akira paid for the meal, Kyoka seemed to remember the cost.
"Mister, do you have a girlfriend?" Kyoka suddenly asked.
"Yes," Akira replied, glancing at her.
Kyoka felt a little regretful upon hearing this. Akira saw her expression and understood what she was thinking. She must have felt that her sister had no chance.
A few minutes later, Akira and Kyoka walked into the hospital and stopped in front of Kawasaki Saki. She had not woken up yet, though she was wearing a windbreaker.
Kyoka looked at her sister and understood that Saki must have been exhausted to fall asleep on the chair.
Shizuka Hiratsuka sat beside the sleeping Saki, waiting for news and keeping an eye on her.
Seeing this, Akira opened the door to the ward and walked in.
Saki's mother had not woken up yet.
Coincidentally, the doctor arrived at that moment. She was slightly surprised to see Akira.
"This is my sister's friend," Kyoka introduced softly.
"Can you tell me about the patient's condition?" Akira asked, looking at the doctor.
The doctor nodded, glanced at Kyoka, and then walked toward her office. Akira followed her.
Once in the office,
He saw the doctor's serious expression.
"Mrs. Kawasaki has always been in poor health and has visited the hospital multiple times for checkups. I recommended she stay for treatment before, but she refused due to the high costs. This time, her fainting was not accidental. Her body and mind had reached their limits. She is frail, and the blow caused her to fall into a coma. This is dangerous, though not uncommon."
The doctor spoke carefully, word by word. Akira listened and understood.
"How much will it cost if she needs long-term hospitalization? Can she be transferred to a single room?" he asked.
"A quiet environment will help her recovery. I cannot calculate the exact cost yet, but she will likely need at least two months," the doctor said after a moment's thought.
"I understand. Please arrange a single room for her. I will pay the hospitalization fees immediately." Akira stood.
"....Follow me. I'll help arrange everything," the doctor smiled.
She knew Akira was not part of the Kawasaki family, but since he was willing to spend money on their care, he must be Saki Kawasaki's close friend.
Akira followed the doctor and paid 500,000 yen for hospitalization—
The sum included the single room, nurse care, and medication. After paying, he remembered to request a receipt. The total cost would decrease after treatment, but immediate payment was necessary.
A dedicated nurse in the single room relieved Saki Kawasaki sister's worries. At least now their will be someone to take care pf their mother when they are in school (or work).
At the ward door, Saki Kawasaki had woken up and was quietly eating lunch.
After hearing footsteps, she looked up at Akira with a complicated expression.
"According to the doctor's advice, I've paid for the hospitalization. Your mother will be transferred to a single room with a nurse to take care of her. You only need to take care of yourself and your sister," Akira said, handing her the receipt.
"Thank you," Saki Kawasaki bowed deeply.
"From now on, you owe me 500,000 yen and will work for me. Is that okay?" Akira said lightly.
"No problem," Saki Kawasaki replied firmly, prepared for the worst.
Shizuka Hiratsuka watched quietly from the side. She knew Akira's approach was best for Saki Kawasaki.
Just then, her cell phone rang. She glanced at it, then stood and left.
"Let's have lunch first. Don't worry about the rest," Akira said to her and sat beside Saki Kawasaki.
"....Akira-kun, thank you for your help," Saki Kawasaki said, keeping her head lowered.
"Don't be so formal. Speaking of which, I already told Hiratsuka-sensei about your previous job. Now I've given you a new one, which can be considered a kind of compensation," Akira said, gazing down the quiet corridor.
"I… I've always been wary of you and thought you might want to pursue me....I'm sorry," Saki Kawasaki's tone was complicated.
"You can think like that if you want. I lent you money so that you'd stay with me and pay off your debt. I still feel the same way toward you," Akira joked.
"If… if that's really your intention, we can talk about it," Saki Kawasaki said after a moment of silence.
Akira looked surprised.
Saki Kawasaki didn't explain further and lowered her head, resuming lunch. Soon, he understood why she had said that.
Saki Kawasaki's father had sold their house and divorced her mother. He had tried investing in stocks to make money but lost everything. Taking their brother away may have been an attempt to reduce the burden or plan for the future.
The divorce was to protect Saki Kawasaki's mother, but the problem was that she had no income as a housewife. After selling the house, she received no money and had no home.
This information came from Shizuka Hiratsuka's investigation. Saki Kawasaki's father had fled to Osaka, and his current location was unknown.
Thanks to Hiratsuka, Saki Kawasaki could move her belongings to Sakurasou.
"Thank you," Saki Kawasaki bowed seriously to Hiratsuka.
Her mother was hospitalized, the house sold, and she had nowhere to go.
...
In front of Kawasaki's house,
A moving company truck arrived. Personal things packed in advance, like clothes and books, were already in the trunk of Hiratsuka's car.
The movers only needed to transport furniture to Sakurasou.
Saki Kawasaki and her sister watched the furniture being moved out, feeling uncomfortable. Akira stayed silent. Saki Kawasaki would not cry in front of him, so there was no need for consolation.
After an hour, most belongings had been moved. The sisters got in the car. Akira took the Kawasaki family's doorplate, walked up, removed it, and handed it to Saki Kawasaki in the back seat.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Akira nodded and said nothing more, sitting in the passenger seat. He checked the time on his phone; the first afternoon class should have ended.
Hiratsuka drove patiently. Her help extended far beyond what an ordinary teacher could provide; she even covered the moving costs.
Less than half an hour later, the moving truck stopped in front of Sakurasou. Akira had rented another room on the first floor for the Kawasaki family without discussing rent for now.
After simple cleaning, the movers arranged the furniture. Saki Kawasaki's sister kept glancing at the cherry tree in the yard, her eyes red.
Passing by, Akira patted her head.
"Next year we'll see the cherry blossoms bloom."
"Mhm," Kyoka nodded.
It was mid-May, and most cherry blossoms had withered. They would bloom again around April next year, with some as early as March. The Sakurasou cherry tree was special; it had lived a long time.
The moving were completed quickly. Hiratsuka paid the movers, who bowed and drove away.
Akira walked downstairs with an envelope containing 500,000 yen.
Saki Kawasaki saw it and hesitated. She owed him so much—hospitalization, moving rent, living expenses. One million yen would not be enough.
"Can you help me clean up the cherry blossoms in the yard?" Akira asked Kyoka.
"Yeah," she nodded. She knew he was about to speak with her sister.
Kyoka, well-behaved and sensible, closed the door as Akira handed the envelope to Saki Kawasaki.
"Thank… thank you," she said, lowering her head.
"Apart from the one million yen I lent you, the rent is 800,000 yen per year. I'll pay you 100,000 yen monthly, which counts toward repayment. Each month of work equals one hundred thousand yen."
"Additionally, I'll give you one million yen to purchase ingredients for my meals and lunch boxes. Yui comes over often, so you'll help with her lunch too. Occasionally, I may ask you to buy other things; I'll pay separately. If you go on a summer trip with me, I'll double your salary."
...
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