Halfway through the meal, Kurosawa-san’s phone rang. He glanced at the name and excused himself from the table, moving into the living room. 

When he looked at the caller ID, his expression had a subtle change. It could have been my imagination, but I thought I saw a soft glimmer in his eyes. Not only that, but his voice, too, sounded so much warmer while talking to that person.

I knew it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, so I tried my best not to listen. But it was quite a difficult task since the kitchen and the living room consisted of a large open space.

Then, all of a sudden, I heard Kurosawa-san’s voice crying out in a panic.

“WHAT?! THE CENTRAL HOSPITAL?”

A second later I saw him grabbing his jacket and getting ready to fly out the door. 

The moment I heard his loud voice I was startled out of my thoughts, so when I saw him in such a hurry, I immediately got up and tried to stop him.

“Kurosawa-san, what happened?”

“Uhm, I’m sorry Masato-sensei. I need to go now. I’m sorry that we cannot finish our lunch together but…”

“Stop worrying about stupid things and tell me what’s going on!” I snapped at him, moving closer towards the door. “I heard you saying something about a hospital? Did something happen?”

“Uhm, yes. Amami… Amami-chan she…” He stopped and scratched the back of his head, his expression slightly distorted from the panic he was surely feeling inside.

Eh? Amami-chan he said? A woman? I wonder who she is in order to make this usually hyped and happy person show such an anxious expression.

While I was wondering inside my head, I heard Kurosawa-san continuing his sentence.

“She called and told me she is at the hospital. So, I have to go now. I’m sorry.”

“Hold on!” I cried out, grabbing his elbow. “How are you planning on getting there?”

“Car… I… I have brought my car here so I’ll drive.”

It was a moment’s impulse, but seeing his rattled appearance there was no way I could leave him alone.

“Give me the keys, I’ll drive you there.” I said in what I hoped was a natural voice.

“No, there is no need to trouble you.”

“It’s alright. I have eaten enough for now and a little break from my computer will do me good. Besides, allowing you to drive in this state of mind would be a disservice to the country and the people living here. What if you get into an accident?” I explained calmly.

“Ah, yes. I guess you’re right.” He scratched his head gaping at me in wonder. 

“Of course, I’m right. Now give me the keys.” I demanded, smacking the back of his head lightly.

That pulled him out of his stupor. The next second, he shoved the car keys into my hands and rushed outside. 

We got inside the car and hurried out of the parking lot. 

Since it was sometime around 2 p.m. there was a bit of traffic so the car moved rather slowly.

“Thank you very much, Masato-sensei!” Kurosawa-san said earnestly while we were waiting at a red light.

“You’re welcome. Since it is an emergency, I just wanted to help.”

He simply nodded at my words and remained silent throughout the rest of the drive.

The Central Hospital was a twenty-minute drive from my place, but due to the traffic it took us almost half an hour to get there. By the time the car was parked, Kurosawa-san’s complexion changed from white to red and back several times. 

I didn’t know what to say in order to calm his anxiousness, so I kept quiet.

When we got inside, Kurosawa-san went straight for the main desk to ask about the person he was searching for. Meanwhile, I kept a proper distance of a step or two, in order not to hinder him. 

After finding out the floor and room we were supposed to go to, I saw him taking a deep breath. It appeared that the fifth floor where we were directed to, was designated for people with broken bones and light sprains. At any rate, that meant Amami-chan wasn’t hurt too badly, or at least it wasn’t anything life-threatening.

While riding the elevator, I followed my instinct and placed a hand on Kurosawa-san’s shoulder. It was just my desire to offer him some form of comfort and support. But I didn’t expect him to reciprocate in an over-the-top manner.

The moment he felt my hand on his shoulder, Kurosawa-san turned around and hugged me, completely disregarding the stunned people who were riding the elevator together with us.

“Ku-Kurosawa-san! Kurosawa-san, what the hell are you doing?! Let me go!” I growled at him, while trying to push him away.

“I just wanted to thank you, Masato-sensei.” I heard him mumbling over my head.

“Well, you’ve already thanked me back in the car. Is it really necessary to go this far?”

For the second time since I’ve known him, Kurosawa-san reminded me of a big, silly dog. The way he clung to me, hugging me tightly and saying thank you… Everything he did rendered me unable to respond properly. I wanted to push him away, but I suddenly lost the strength to do it.

All I could do was raise my hand and pat his back gently. 

A moment later, I heard myself speak with an uncommon gentle tone.

“It’s alright. Everything is going to be alright.”

That’s when I heard it, a low buzzing coming from somewhere. Then, I thought I heard a voice, but I couldn’t be sure. There was static noise covering the sound, making it impossible to discern anything. 

A second later, the sound disappeared as abruptly as it had appeared.

I was still confused by this odd occurrence, when the ding of the elevator came, signaling the fifth floor. Only then did Kurosawa-san finally release me. He was still worried, but at least he looked better than before. 

He went ahead, searching for room 509, while I followed behind him.

For some reason I was beginning to feel nervous. 

Who was this Amami-chan to Kurosawa-san? What was the relationship between them? What if I was getting in the way with my presence there?