The path to the truth: Male Reader X Naoto

Part 72

07/06

I'll spend some time with Kanji. Apparently his mom wants to meet me.

"Gotta warn you, there's nothin' fun here. Hey ma, I'm home. She ain't here, what's she doin', leaving the store open?" He asked after going inside and checking.

"Kan-chan! There you are! Your mother's in the hospital!" The owner of the Chinese restaurant said as he came running up to us.

"The hospital?" Kanji asked, and started to panic.

"Let's hurry." I said.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I need to go, and see." Kanji said.

"I only heard from a customer, but she's at Inaba Municipal Hospital! Hurry, go!"

"Y-yessir!" Kanji said.

Him and I ran to the hospital. We got there just as Kanji's mom walked out of the room she was in.

"Ma!! You all right? You were taken to the hospital!? Someone do this to you!?" Kanji asked frantically.

"Goodness, but you look pale." Kanji's mother said.

"Never mind me!! What about you!? Huh? You're okay?" Kanji asked.

"I wasn't taken to the hospital, I took someone." She said. A young boy walked out from behind her. "The poor thing got hit by a bicycle right in front of our shop. He hit his head, so I had a doctor examine him. He said there's no damage, thank goodness. The one who hit him was a boy from your school. When he saw the poor child fall, he ran away. Why don't you find him and give him a little scolding?"

"Cut the crap!! You've got no idea how I felt!" Kanji said.

"Haha, I'm fine. Your mother isn't kicking the bucket that easily. It's not like you to get so worried over such a little thing." She said.

"Shut up, you old cow!!" Kanji said before running off.

I chased after him.

"Sorry, looks like it was no big deal." He said

"You wuss." I said.

"Haha, yeah no kidding. I thought I faced alla my bad parts back there. But not everything can change just like that, huh? Oh, uh, sorrry for draggin' you around. If I'd been by myself, I mighta been even more scared, hah. Hope I can repay the favour." He said.

I was able to support Kanji and I sense his trust in me.

Emperor Social Link: Rank 3

"I'm goin' home." Kanji said before heading out. His mother walked up to me.

"That boy. We were both going home. He didn't have to run away like that. Oh, you're Y/n-kun? You came to our store with Yuki-chan, right? I've been hearing a lot about you from Kanji. "Senpai this" and "Senpai that", he must really like you. I'm sorry to have made you both come all the way here. He hates hospitals you see. His father, my husband, died here. Kanji happened to be somewhere else when he collapsed. So, I think he was scared today. Haha, but it's good to see you. He's always had trouble getting along with people, he didn't have any friends like you before." She said.

"Because of his attitude?" I asked.

"That's part of it. He's become clumsy, inarticulate, and cowardly. He would always rather play house instead of catch, or go to home ec instead of P.E. So he never had any male friends, but the girls didn't accept him either. After a while, he started getting into fights every day about bleaching his hair. I was worried about him, but lately, he seems to be having fun. Please, take care of him." She said.