Friday morning, the classroom was filled with the faint scent of chalk. The math teacher stood at the front, quickly writing a few solid geometry problems on the board. The atmosphere in class felt somewhat heavy, as many students were hunched over, struggling to take notes and solve problems, yet there were still occasional quiet sighs.
Misaki glanced down at her workbook, frowning as she struggled with the diagrams. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t figure out the right method. She glanced at Kenta, noticing that he had the same troubled expression, not having written anything in his notebook for a while.
“If only Hiro and the others were here…” Kenta muttered quietly, a hint of frustration in his voice.
Misaki smiled slightly upon hearing this, tilting her head to look at him. “That’s exactly why we have to bring what the teacher taught back to them. We can discuss it with them after school.”
Kenta thought for a moment, then nodded but sighed. “Yeah, I just hope he gets better soon.”
Both of them tried to focus back on the board, but there was still that feeling of something missing—something familiar and reliable.
At the hospital—
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and spilled across the floor, gently like a touch of spring.
Hiro slowly opened his eyes. His body didn’t feel as heavy as the past few days, and his breathing was much smoother. He tried to lift his hand. Although it still felt a bit weak, he was able to control it more steadily than before. He looked down and saw Zero Two, who was lying beside his bed, tightly holding his hand as if afraid he might disappear again.
Her breathing was steady, her cheeks slightly flushed, as if she were having a good dream. Hiro couldn’t help but smile softly, gently reaching out to caress her cheek.
“…Darling?” Zero Two sleepily opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Hiro’s familiar gaze, full of tenderness.
“Good morning, Zero Two.” Hiro smiled, his voice much clearer than it had been in the last few days. “You’ve been by my side the whole time?”
Zero Two rubbed her eyes, surprised. “You… you seem to be feeling much better!”
“Yeah, I can move my hands now, but my legs still don’t have much strength. However, I think I can try getting out of bed.”
Her face immediately lit up with a bright smile. “That’s great! I’ll call the nurse and then we can go outside for a walk, okay?”
Just as they were talking, a nurse opened the door, entering the room with a familiar smile.
“Good morning, Hiro. You’re looking better today,” the nurse said as she opened the medical file, continuing her routine check-up. “Your condition is much better than yesterday, recovering steadily. If you continue to rest well, we can arrange your first activity tomorrow.”
After the check-up, Zero Two excitedly moved the wheelchair to the bedside, carefully helping Hiro sit up and put on his jacket. Then she pushed him out of the room and along the hospital hallway.
Outside the window, the weather was clear, and the blue sky and sunlight made the hallway feel warmer. As they walked and talked, sometimes stopping to look out the window, sometimes discussing school and classmates. Hiro would occasionally joke about Zero Two’s poor sense of direction when pushing the wheelchair, and she would teasingly stick out her tongue at him.
For them, this one morning felt like the most relaxed and happiest moment in these past few days.
At noon—
As the school bell rang signaling the end of class, Misaki and Kenta walked out of the classroom, joined by some classmates.
“Are you all going to the hospital today? Can we go together?” one of the girls asked, holding a box of freshly bought fruit.
“Sure, we can go after school,” Misaki replied with a smile.
“I made a card for Hiro, I hope he’ll be happy to see it,” another classmate quietly added.
Everyone began pulling small gifts from their backpacks—some comics, some jelly, others simple greeting notes. In that moment, the classroom was filled with soft concern and anticipation.
Back at the hospital—
The afternoon sunlight slanted into the room, casting a warm glow on the white walls. Zero Two pushed Hiro back to the room in the wheelchair, holding a lunchbox from the hospital’s cafeteria that she had carefully selected, with light and nutritious food suitable for a patient.
“Lunchtime, Darling,” she said, squatting beside him as she opened the lunchbox with a proud smile. “I picked out your favorite flavors.”
Hiro looked at her with admiration, smiling at her focused expression. “Did you eat, too?”
“Of course I did. I finished downstairs already,” she said, taking a small spoon. Then, leaning closer to him, she added, “Now it’s your turn, I’ll feed you.”
Hiro shyly looked away but nodded silently. His hands were still too weak to hold the utensils properly, and sitting made eating difficult, so Zero Two feeding him felt only natural.
“Ah—open wide, be a good boy,” she teased, almost like a child.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Hiro opened his mouth, and as he tasted the warm food, he felt a special warmth. It wasn’t just the temperature of the food; it was the care and affection from Zero Two.
“Thank you, Zero Two,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome. Taking care of you is what I should do,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder, her tone both playful and sincere.
After the meal, she wiped his mouth, ensuring he hadn’t eaten too much, then cleaned up the lunchbox.
“Now… it’s time for a nap.” She opened the small sofa beside the bed and nestled in, then held Hiro’s hand.
“Are you going to sleep too?” Hiro asked.
“Mm, this way I can watch you sleep,” she replied, smiling brightly like spring.
Sunlight bathed their joined hands as warmth flowed through the still air, and time seemed to slow down.
This translation keeps the essence and details of the original text, conveying the warmth, care, and peaceful moments shared between Hiro and Zero Two.
The afternoon sunlight grew even gentler as Zero Two pushed Hiro into the reading area outside the hospital room. It was furnished with a few small tables and bookshelves, and the sunlight streamed through the glass curtains, creating a quiet and comfortable atmosphere.
“What book do you want to read, Darling?” Zero Two crouched in front of the bookshelf and turned to ask.
“Hmm… something light, my brain still isn’t working too well,” Hiro replied with a wry smile.
Zero Two picked out a warm novel with illustrations, sitting next to him to read aloud. Her voice was soft, with a playful and affectionate tone. Hiro occasionally laughed, and the two of them exchanged words, feeling like a couple in their everyday life.
“This kind of afternoon… feels like it’s been a long time,” Hiro murmured.
“Yeah, we’ll keep having afternoons like this,” Zero Two said, holding his hand tightly, her voice full of determination.
Time quietly passed until the school bell rang from afar—
Knock knock.
The door to the room was knocked on.
“Sorry to interrupt!” With Misaki’s lively voice, several classmates walked into the room one by one.
“You guys are here!” Hiro greeted with a surprised smile, and Zero Two also smiled and nodded at them.
But the next second, Misaki saw Zero Two feeding Hiro with a spoon and couldn’t help but laugh: “Oh dear, looks like we came at the perfect time! You two are already at this stage, huh?”
“Eh—this is taking care of him!” Hiro immediately turned red and retorted, his gaze inadvertently drifting toward Zero Two’s smug smile.
“Zero Two is so thoughtful! Hiro must be so happy being with her, right?” One of the classmates teased.
“Right? Darling himself says I’m the best,” Zero Two responded without hesitation, causing Hiro’s face to turn even redder.
The atmosphere became lively, and everyone gathered around Hiro’s bed to chat. Kenji also took out the math problems he couldn’t solve that morning.
“Hiro, can you help me with this problem…?” He handed over the paper.
Hiro looked at it for a moment before shaking his head. “My mind’s still not quite clear, but it should be better tomorrow. We can discuss it then.”
“Alright! I’ll wait for you to catch up with me tomorrow!” Kenji laughed.
At that moment, the door was knocked again, and a doctor walked in, holding Hiro’s medical records.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Hiro’s attending physician,” he said with a smile, nodding in greeting. “I’m here to briefly explain his current condition and some things to watch out for.”
Everyone immediately quieted down and turned their attention to the doctor. Hiro also stopped smiling and listened quietly to the upcoming explanation.
The doctor flipped open the medical records, glanced at Hiro lying on the bed, and spoke in a gentle tone: “From the observation over the past few days, Hiro’s recovery is quite stable. The fever has subsided, and his appetite and mental state have significantly improved.”
Everyone listened intently. Misaki and Kenji stood beside the bed, unconsciously gripping their notebooks and bags.
“The only thing we still need to pay attention to is that his lower body strength hasn’t fully recovered yet, but this is normal. Tomorrow, we’ll arrange the first standing activity to see if his legs can start bearing weight slowly.” The doctor glanced at Hiro and nodded at Zero Two. “You’ve taken great care of him, and his mental state is even better than we expected.”
Zero Two smiled slightly, a hint of pride on her face. “He’s been really hardworking and obedient.”
Hiro coughed slightly, feeling embarrassed, and murmured, “It’s just that Zero Two has been… staying with me.”
The doctor continued, “If the activity training goes well in the next couple of days, we’ll start discussing the possibility of discharge this weekend. The latest he can be discharged is early next week, though he will still need to follow up with checkups and some rehabilitation.”
“That’s great…!” Misaki sighed with relief, whispering to Kenji, “That means he can come back.”
“He’ll come back to help me with math problems,” Kenji chuckled.
“Not just math, right?” Zero Two overheard and teased, making Hiro blush once again.
The doctor looked at the smiling faces of the group and gently nodded. “But remember, the visiting time shouldn’t be too long. He needs plenty of rest.”
“We understand, doctor!” Everyone answered in unison.
Before closing the medical records, the doctor added, “His mood looks great, which will greatly help with his recovery. Your company means a lot to him.”
After the doctor left, the room became quiet again. Hiro gazed out the window at the sky tinged with the glow of sunset, a faint smile on his lips.
“I really want to get back to school soon,” he murmured.
Zero Two took his hand and softly replied, “You will, we’ll take it slow together.”
The warmth returned to the atmosphere in the room.
To be continued…
