The news of Michiya Gōshin's accidental injury and hospitalization, fueled by the prior heat of the Alice in Borderland teaser, generated yet another round of internet frenzy, leaving countless people related to him sleepless and unsettled.
On Twitter, Michiya Gōshin's fans had descended into complete madness and panic.
#Michiya Gōshin Injured#
#Safety Issues on Alice in Borderland Set!#
#Praying for Michiya Gōshin's Safety#
The popularity of these three trending topics continued to climb, and under the latest update on Michiya Gōshin's personal Twitter, tens of thousands of comments poured in within a mere half hour.
Filled with densely packed emojis of prayer, concern, and crying; after all, most of his fans were female, and encountering such an event, everyone was genuinely worried.
On the other hand, Hoshino Talent Agency's official account instantly became the primary target for fans to vent their worry and anger. The comment section was immediately spammed with fierce remarks like "Useless agency!", "How do you protect your artists!", and "You must give us an explanation!".
Michiya Gōshin's major fan groups were in chaos, with all sorts of rumors—true and false—emerging endlessly, and an atmosphere of anxiety and unease permeating everywhere.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the VIP ward area of Tochigi Prefectural General Hospital was extremely quiet.
Inside the pure white hospital room, the lighting was soft.
Michiya Gōshin lay quietly on the hospital bed, not yet fully awake from the dual effects of anesthesia and a concussion. Although his face was somewhat pale, his breathing was steady.
His right shoulder was already bound with thick bandages, while his left arm was tightly wrapped in white plaster and splints from wrist to elbow, suspended in front of his chest, making him look quite wretched and pitiful.
On the chair beside the hospital bed, Sakurajima Mai sat motionless like a statue bereft of its soul, keeping vigil.
She had long since changed out of her costume and was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans. Her face was bare of makeup, and the depths of her eyes held fatigue that could not be hidden, along with bottomless self-blame and lingering fear.
The girl's gaze barely left Michiya Gōshin's face for a moment, as if she wanted to carve his appearance into her heart.
Her hand held Michiya Gōshin's warm right hand tightly, seeming to intend to confirm his existence through this sole point of contact.
This night was extremely long for her.
Sakurajima Mai's mind kept flashing back to the moment Michiya Gōshin charged forward regardless of his own safety to shield her with his body; that image was like a sharp knife, repeatedly cutting at her heart.
Guilt, emotion, worry, and an indescribable scorching affection churned violently within her heart.
Time slipped away quietly like this, and the sky outside the window gradually turned a hazy gray-white.
The next day, at seven in the morning, the person on the bed let out an extremely light sigh laced with pain. Michiya Gōshin's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he finally slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing that came into view was the unfamiliar ceiling of the hospital.
The scent of disinfectant permeating the air rushed into his nose, and immediately following that, a sharp dull pain from his right shoulder and left arm made the young man instantly and thoroughly awake; he sharply sucked in a breath of cold air.
Michiya Gōshin subconsciously wanted to move, but was firmly restricted by the pain and the sense of restraint on his body.
"Michiya-kun! You're awake?!"
A female voice, heavy with nasality yet filled with immense surprise, rang in his ear, and he felt his right hand being gripped even tighter by a soft, small hand.
Michiya Gōshin turned his head with difficulty and saw Sakurajima Mai guarding his bedside. The girl's face seemed to wear a look of surprise akin to "surviving a disaster."
"Sakurajima... san?"
Michiya Gōshin found his voice raspy, but he still asked, "Are you alright?"
His first sentence upon waking was to care about her.
This sentence was like a key that instantly opened the floodgates of Sakurajima Mai's emotions.
Her tears rushed out uncontrollably again, and she hurriedly shook her head, her voice choking: "I'm fine, but why were you so stupid? Who told you to rush over like that! You scared me to death... you really scared me to death..."
Sakurajima Mai trembled as she wept, holding his hand tightly, as if afraid he would vanish the moment she let go.
"It's good that you're fine. Luckily, my body can take a beating." Michiya Gōshin pulled a weak smile, trying to comfort her. "I'll be fine after a good rest."
He could feel her small hand trembling and could sense the emotion that was almost overflowing, so his heart softened.
After a while, Sakurajima Mai softly explained the doctor's treatment to Michiya Gōshin: the dislocation in his right shoulder had been reduced and immobilized, and the comminuted fracture in his left arm had undergone internal fixation surgery, which was very successful. Coupled with the mild concussion, he needed absolute rest and recovery. It was estimated that a full recovery would take about two months.
"Two months, huh..."
Michiya Gōshin muttered, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes, but he was soon relieved. "That's okay... it's not too long."
"Just stay put here honestly for these two months."
Sakurajima Mai recalled the short-haired girl who had stayed up all night with her yesterday and said, "Your little assistant is right there~"
The girl pointed with her finger. Following the direction she pointed, Michiya Gōshin discovered a small camp bed not far from his hospital bed. Kato Megumi was lying quietly on it, covered by a cotton quilt.
"She stayed here guarding you all yesterday too. At 3 AM, she was so sleepy she couldn't hold on anymore, so I forced her to take a break."
"It really was hard on you both."
Michiya Gōshin sighed, moved by the companionship of the two women.
Just then, a gentle knock sounded on the ward door.
After receiving the news of Michiya Gōshin's awakening, the first to arrive were Hoshino Talent Agency's President, Kato Arashi, and Michiya Gōshin's manager, Nakahara Kazuya.
Both wore grave expressions and looked travel-worn; evidently, they had rushed over from Tokyo the moment they received the news.
Kato Arashi first carefully asked about Michiya Gōshin's injuries and how he felt. After confirming that his mental state was good, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, with Michiya Gōshin's current fame and status, he was already the absolute number one money tree of this agency.
Nakahara Kazuya, on the other hand, was more concerned about Michiya Gōshin's personal state. Since he was injured, subsequent work would have to be paused.
"President, Nakahara-san," Michiya Gōshin was weak, but his mind was clear.
"Has news of my injury leaked out?"
"It has. It hit the Twitter trending topics last night."
"Then help me take a photo now. Post an official tweet to report that I'm safe. Since there are many people paying attention to Alice in Borderland right now, I'm afraid of unnecessary trouble arising."
Kato Arashi and Nakahara Kazuya looked at each other and nodded.
Posting a photo to report safety was indeed the best way to stabilize public opinion and soothe the fans. With Nakahara Kazuya's help, Michiya Gōshin sat up slightly, leaning against the pillow. He revealed a smile that, while pale, was still warm toward the phone camera, then reached out to make a "V" sign (using his uninjured right hand).
The background was the hospital ward, but he deliberately avoided the medical equipment.
Michiya Gōshin dictated, and Nakahara Kazuya edited a simple tweet.
[I've made everyone worry, I'm very sorry. I'm fine now, I just need a little time to recover my energy, and I'll be back very soon! Thank you to everyone for your concern and support.]
Once this tweet was posted, it was instantly retweeted, liked, and commented on by fans and media who had been lying in wait for a long time.
Seeing his eyes, which were bright despite his weakness, immediately quelled the fans' fierce panic.
The official accounts of Hoshino Talent Agency and Nenshi also retweeted successively, releasing more detailed official statements confirming that Michiya Gōshin's injuries were stable and that he needed to recuperate, along with reassuring updates thanking all sectors for their concern.
This timely action smoothed over this sudden public opinion crisis.
Another half hour passed, and Director Aoyama of Alice in Borderland arrived with the producer to visit. Director Aoyama's face was written with guilt and lingering fear as he bowed repeatedly to apologize to Michiya Gōshin.
Although he was the absolute leader of the production crew, this project belonged to Nenshi, and Michiya Gōshin was a current partner of the Suo faction, so he was also very worried about real problems arising.
"Director Aoyama, don't blame yourself too much. No one can predict an accident."
Michiya Gōshin comforted the director instead. "How should the filming be handled now?"
Director Aoyama thought for a moment, then continued, "You can rest assured about this! I've already held an emergency meeting with the producers and investors. Your injury is the most important thing; you must fully recover before returning to the set for filming."
"Our current shooting schedule will be significantly adjusted. We can concentrate on filming all the other actors' scenes first, especially the large ensemble scenes in [The Beach] part and the supporting characters' side stories. All main storylines involving [Arisu Ryōhei] will be postponed until you recover, then we'll shoot them in a focused batch."
"This way, we can maximize savings on schedule and costs while giving you ample time to recover. Michiya-kun, just focus on healing; we will wait for you!"
This decision was undoubtedly the best plan, and Michiya Gōshin nodded in agreement.
After seeing off the director, the ward temporarily returned to silence.
Michiya Gōshin looked at his immobile left arm and right shoulder and sighed somewhat helplessly; the troubles brought by his lack of mobility were starting to show.
"Kato-san."
He looked at Kato Megumi, who had already woken up and was standing to the side, her expression calm. "Could I trouble you to go back to the hotel and get my laptop?"
Kato Megumi looked up, immediately understanding his intention, and objected. "Michiya-san, you just had surgery. What you need now is absolute rest and recuperation, not to use your brain to think about scripts. The doctor explicitly ordered you to avoid overusing your brain."
"I know."
Michiya Gōshin smiled. "But in my current state, what else can I do besides lie here? My brain isn't broken, so I might as well use it."
The script for We Made a Beautiful Bouquet was stuck at a key point. Since he was idle anyway, he planned to use this time to perfect the details and wrap it up.
If it was just typing, doing it slowly with his right hand was feasible.
Kato Megumi looked at him silently for a few seconds. After the two stared at each other for several seconds, she finally compromised.
However, before leaving, Kato Megumi added very seriously, "I'll go get the computer now, but you must promise me, Michiya-san, that you will only work for three hours a day. When it's time to rest, you must lie down immediately."
"...Okay, I promise you."
After Kato Megumi left, only Sakurajima Mai remained in the room. The girl rested her chin in her hand, looking at Michiya Gōshin with a very soft expression.
"Michiya-kun, are you hungry?"
"Mm..." Michiya Gōshin thought about it and realized he actually was a bit hungry. He had only been on an IV drip from yesterday until now and hadn't eaten at all.
"Then I'll go buy something for you now. And looking at you like this, it probably isn't easy for you to use utensils, right?" Sakurajima Mai thought for a moment and suddenly added, "How about I feed you later?"
"Don't be silly, it's not like my right hand can't move." Michiya Gōshin felt somewhat helpless.
"No, I want to stay and take care of you. This happened because of me; I must take responsibility!"
"Sakurajima-san," Michiya Gōshin sighed. "Director Aoyama just said that your subsequent scenes still need to be filmed. I'm awake now; having Kato take care of me is enough."
"I..."
"Besides, Sakurajima-san is different from me. If you stay here all the time, what about your work?" Michiya Gōshin interrupted her gently but firmly. He understood the look in her eyes and was moved, but he needed to be more rational.
After all, Sakurajima Mai was a big star who needed to attend scheduled events every day. It was impossible for her to really do nothing for two months.
In this era, it was an iron law that the more famous a person was, the busier they would be. In the entertainment world, an artist who couldn't get work meant their popularity no longer existed.
"Furthermore, your agency will absolutely not agree to you dropping all work to stay here long-term. Kato-san is my assistant; handling these matters falls within her scope of work, and she is the most suitable person."
"But..."
Sakurajima Mai still wanted to insist. Mist gathered in those beautiful eyes, and the small hand holding Michiya Gōshin's unconsciously tightened its grip.
Just then, the ward door was knocked on again.
The second wave of visitors arrived—it was—it was Yamazaki Kento.
Carrying an expensive fruit basket, he walked in briskly. After seeing the two people in close proximity, his expression froze slightly, but he still spoke subconsciously.
"Michiya, you're finally awake."
After walking in, his voice lowered and became cautious because Sakurajima Mai was present.
"How is it? Does it still hurt? I wasn't at the set yesterday; I only found out this morning checking Twitter. You really scared me to death."
"Why did you come?" Michiya Gōshin was a bit surprised.
"Nonsense! Something this big happened to you, could I not come? We're good brothers!"
Yamazaki Kento put the things down, walked to the bedside, and carefully examined Michiya Gōshin's wretched state, unable to stop himself from sighing.
"It's really serious. But thankfully the surgery went well. Now it's just waiting and recuperating, right?"
"Yeah."
Only then did he notice that the atmosphere in the ward seemed a bit subtle, especially Sakurajima Mai's slightly reddened eyes and the unabashed look she gave Michiya Gōshin.
In the next moment, Yamazaki Kento instantly figured it out.
No wonder he always saw these two staying close together discussing scripts on set. This was really something.
However, given that Sakurajima Mai was a senior (debuted earlier, not older in age), he didn't dare tease Michiya Gōshin right now. Instead, he found a chair and sat nearby.
After Yamazaki Kento arrived, Michiya Gōshin brought up the matter of Sakurajima Mai again. He didn't want Sakurajima Mai to give up work to accompany him here; the loss would outweigh the gain.
After a long stalemate, seeing Michiya Gōshin's resolute attitude, and adding to the fact that her manager's calls were coming one after another, the girl was in a dilemma.
"Alright, Sakurajima-san. Besides Kato-san, look, isn't there this guy Yamazaki here too? He can also take care of me."
Michiya Gōshin said gently, "And since he's a guy, it'll definitely be more convenient than for a girl."
"Hey, are you planning to make me a caregiver here?" Yamazaki Kento glared.
"Why? Do you have a lot of work recently?"
Michiya Gōshin glanced at this good friend who was the same age as him.
Because the role he played in Alice in Borderland was [Karube Daikichi], the good brother of [Arisu Ryōhei], their scenes were basically completely bound together. So when Michiya Gōshin couldn't film, he also didn't need to go to the set.
"I..."
Yamazaki Kento knew Michiya Gōshin wasn't mocking him but understood his good brother's hinted message, so he immediately said to Sakurajima Mai:
"Sakurajima-san, if you have work, go ahead and get busy. I can take care of Michiya here. Don't worry, we are good friends; I'll take good care of him."
Sakurajima Mai glanced at him coldly, then looked at Michiya Gōshin. "...I will come over often after work finishes. Michiya-kun, you must take good care of yourself."
"Mm."
Sakurajima Mai finally compromised. She gave Michiya Gōshin a deep look, a gaze so complex it contained a thousand words, and finally left the ward extremely reluctantly.
After she left, Yamazaki Kento finally relaxed a lot. He sat by the bed bantering with Michiya Gōshin, trying to use this method to lighten his friend's mood.
However, this brief "bro time" didn't last long.
The ward door was knocked on again. The person entering this time was yet another girl, causing Yamazaki Kento to freeze once more.
It was Kurokawa Akane.
She had obviously come in a rush, perhaps not even having time to dress up. She was wearing only a simple black trench coat, her face bearing unconcealed anxiety and the fatigue of travel.
Kurokawa Akane's usual elegant temperament was replaced by urgency and worry. The moment she entered, her gaze locked precisely onto Michiya Gōshin on the hospital bed. Those eyes, usually carrying a gentle smile, were now written with heartache and concern.
She almost sprinted to the bedside, completely ignoring Yamazaki Kento nearby, and extremely naturally reached out her small hand to tightly grip Michiya Gōshin's right hand.
The girl's voice carried a tremor and lingering fear, "Michiya-kun! How are you? Does it hurt? I'm sorry, I'm late!"
"I only had Director Aoyama's contact information. It took me so long to ask around for the specific ward... When I saw the news yesterday, I..."
Kurokawa Akane's words were somewhat hurried, her emotions clearly very agitated. Moreover, she didn't hide her extraordinary concern for Michiya Gōshin in the slightest; her intimate attitude was very obvious.
At this moment, standing to the side, Yamazaki Kento was completely dumbfounded. His mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, not knowing what to say.
He just watched as his good brother's right hand, which had just been freed, was held by another woman.
Hiss, could this one be the real girlfriend?
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