The cool, filtering light of a winter morning was the first thing Himari registered. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and expensive lilies—the controlled pulse of an IV syringe pump.
Her head pulsed. She tried to sit up, but her body was sluggish and heavy.
She blinked and finally saw him—Kiro. He was slumped in the armchair, his dark suit rumpled, rigid with exhaustion.
When she stirred, he instantly snapped awake. His eyes, dark and calculating, fixed on her.
"Easy. Don't move so fast," he murmured, voice rough.
Himari risked a glance at the polished surface of the bedside table. Her eyes reflected back: the unnerving, exposed color of spilled wine. Her heart seized. Her wrist felt strangely light; the illusion was gone.
oh no crap my illusion is not working does and what happen at the archives i can't ask him
"You're at Shouta's house," Kiro clipped out, maintaining the lie about the Archives. "I'll let them know you're awake."
Before he could reach his phone, the door swung open. DJ burst in, eyes red-rimmed and frantic, followed by Shouta, worry muting his usual extroverted energy, and Dr. Sakamura, calm and professional.
"Hima!" DJ rushed to the bedside, grasping her hand with fierce, protective loyalty. "Oh my god, you idiot! I refused to leave. We just napped down the hall!"
Himari stiffened slightly, allowing the embrace. Dr. Sakamura gently checked the IV. "Welcome back, Himari. I'm glad your friends insisted on being nearby. You had us quite concerned."
II. The Skillful Lie and Kiro's Desperation
Shouta, though relieved, looked at Kiro, his best friend. "You look like you haven't slept, Kiro. We can take shifts now."
Kiro ignored him, his gaze fixed on Himari.
Dr. Sakamura then turned his focused, professional attention to his patient. His voice was gentle but probing.
"Himari, I must ask a few logistical questions for my report," he began. "It was past 10:00 PM when you were found, and the university closes its main facilities at 8:00 PM. What exactly were you doing in the Archive at that late hour, and how did you end up so far from the main dormitory complex?"
Himari seized the moment, offering her polite, practiced lie. I must be fragile. I must be forgetful.
"I am truly sorry, Doctor. I feel terribly dizzy still. I must have been very disoriented by the cold—I don't remember anything clearly. I was reading some assigned material and lost track of time. I just want to cooperate."
Dr. Sakamura nodded kindly. "That is the right attitude. You are stable, but severely exhausted."
Kiro stepped forward, his eyes burning with a silent, intense urgency only Himari could see. He needed them gone now.
"I need five minutes alone with Himari," Kiro stated, his voice tight and professional. "The Dean requires immediate confirmation that she is stable enough to give a statement before noon. I need to brief her on the official university protocol."
DJ frowned, tightening her grip on Himari's hand. "Alone? Why can't we stay? I'm her friend."
Kiro didn't break his professional facade. "University protocol, DJ. For a high-level security breach, the conversation must be recorded and confidential. It's non-negotiable."
Shouta, though clearly confused by his best friend's cold rigidity, laid a hand on DJ's shoulder. "He's right, DJ. It's Kiro's job. Let's let him get the protocol sorted."
Dr. Sakamura gave Kiro a final, piercing look that acknowledged Kiro's professional need while silently warning against causing more distress. "Five minutes, Kiro. Then she rests." He ushered DJ and Shouta out.
Kiro closed the door firmly. He turned to Himari, the façade crumbling instantly. The silent, high-stakes confrontation had begun.