[Raden pov]
"You can't smoke in here!" The nurse yells
*I put my cigarette down*
"Sorry, I'm just a little stressed. My friends are here too, you know, and they're worse off than I am."
The nurse nods. "May I ask why you're here with us today?
"My friends and I got into a fight, but I probably am the least banged up of us all!" I laugh
Kanade was sitting by the bedside, cutting up an apple. "I am..." She clarified that I acknowledged her since she was the only one out of all of us that wasn't hurt. I could tell she felt guilty, so I tried to lighten the mood up.
"Why are you here anyway?" I ask
*she looks up*
"Shouldn't you be with Banchou?" I ask
She shakes her head. "You're the only one that is awake, and besides, they aren't allowing visitors yet."
How hard did Ao-kun hit her head that she is still unconscious? I watched the nurse leave before I spoke up about my feelings.
"This is my fault. I hesitated on pulling the trigger and got everyone else more hurt than they needed to be-pathetic, right?"
Kanade glared at me. "You have never killed-none of us expected you to shoot someone and ruin your whole life!!!"
"If Banchou or Riri died, my whole life would have been ruined anyway; it doesn't matter!!!!!" I scream
We both heard someone clear their throat. "Raden, you are an extremely kind girl. You can't beat yourself up over kindness. You hang out with people that are called delinquents, but all three of you are some of the most kindhearted people I know-don't think that because you got cold feet at a critical moment, you are a failure because you aren't!"
"G-Grandma?" I say it with shock.
"I came as soon as I got the call that you had been put in the hospital since you have me listed as your legal guardian in your contacts." She muttered
"I shot one of our opponents, but that was different. I was able to deliver a non-fatal wound, but the second time was different-you wouldn't understand the moment when you have to decide if you should take a life or not!"
My grandma looked down at her hands almost sorrowfully. "That may be true." She paused. "You don't want to get blood on your hands; otherwise, your innocence will be gone."
"Innocence huh?" I question
"What was with that look!?" Kanade asks
"She was in a gang, but they were as harmless as Banchou, Riri, and I," I explain.
"Let's change this subject..." She sighs
"Shachou went into surgery. She is done, but she still hasn't woken up yet from that-getting shot must not be fun."
I bit my lip, realizing I shot someone and caused pain to someone even though they were awful.
"I'm glad you are all okay," my grandma said while Kanade began to feed me the apples she cut for me.
"I'm happy my friends aren't going to look at me differently, but I hate myself. I wasn't ready to fight, and that is what cost us. That is the reason that Banchou and Riri got more hurt than they should!"
"Raden, do you think Hajime-tan and Shachou think that this is your fault!? Why do you constantly put the burden on yourself? What are you so afraid of!?" Kanade asks
YOU ARE READING
Delinquent's Crescendo
RomanceOtonose Kanade makes a deal with Todoroki Hajime to become her model. That is all she thinks of it; however, could there be more to that than she thinks?
