Kanzaki Kumo wanted to raise his hand to smooth Shinobu Kocho's furrowed brows, wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and cover her with the blanket that had slipped to the floor at some point.
Unfortunately, every muscle in his body was desperately telling him: No, you don't.
At that moment, the only parts of Kanzaki Kumo's body he could move were above his neck.
Below his neck, only the muscles in his chest and abdomen kept working to sustain his basic breathing, despite being damaged as well.
As for the rest, aside from announcing their continued existence through endless pain, they could not move at all.
He could not even perform the simple act of closing his fingers around Shinobu Kocho's small hand, which was already resting against his palm.
Because the muscles in his limbs had suffered severe tears, and other areas had sustained varying degrees of strain, everything below his neck was tightly wrapped in bandages to control the swelling and internal bleeding.
In the end, Kanzaki Kumo could only let out a helpless sigh.
Yet that barely audible sigh seemed to disturb the sleeping girl. Her long lashes fluttered a few times before she opened her eyes.
Those purple, gemlike eyes met Kanzaki Kumo's gaze, tinged with tenderness and surprise, and her mind, still hazy from just waking up, instantly switched on.
"You're finally awake?"
"Yes. Sorry I made you all worry."
"It's all right. As long as you're awake, as long as you're awake... You've been unconscious for days. Are you hungry? I'll go warm up a bowl of porridge for you."
Shinobu Kocho's voice trembled slightly. Without waiting for Kanzaki Kumo's response, she gently slipped her hand free and hurried out.
With Makomo and Kanzaki Kumo both recovering there, porridge had