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{3rd Pov}
His family had only recently moved to Hanamugi due to his father’s transfer and promotion. That was also one of the main reasons why they had decided to buy a car, even if it meant paying for it through EMI. It wasn’t exactly a luxury purchase, but more of a practical necessity given their new situation.
As for Akari, he had already gone to this kindergarten a few times since moving here, but he still hadn’t properly adjusted to it.
The next morning came as expected.
Without any surprise, he was forced to wake up early. There was no escaping it. He had to go through the usual routine of getting up, handling his morning toiletries, and then sitting down for breakfast before anything else.
After that, his Okaa-san drove him to school.
Thankfully, Akari didn’t feel the usual drowsiness that most children struggled with in the morning. Perhaps it was because he was technically a ghost, even if he was currently inside a child’s body. Whatever the reason, those typical habits like feeling sleepy or sluggish didn’t seem to affect him much.
Not that he was complaining.
Still, that didn’t make the situation any more enjoyable.
Eventually, they arrived at the kindergarten. Keiko turned off the engine and got out first, then leaned over to help Akari unbuckle his seatbelt, even though he could have done it himself.
After that, he opened the car door and stepped out.
Keiko took his hand and gently guided him toward the entrance of the kindergarten, making sure he stayed close as they walked inside together.
“Hey, isn’t that Miss Keiko?” one of the teachers muttered quietly as she noticed them approaching. She had light brown hair tied in a low ponytail that was swept slightly to the left, dark eyes that gave off a calm impression, and a small mole on the left side of her mouth that made her appearance a bit more distinctive.
“Mero-sensei, it has been a while,” Keiko said immediately as she recognized the teacher, bowing slightly in a polite and respectful manner.
“Akari-chan is back, huh? I was actually getting a bit worried about him since classes had just started and he suddenly stopped coming,” Mero-sensei replied, her tone carrying a mix of concern and curiosity. Her eyes shifted toward Akari as she observed him more closely.
There was something different about him.
Even though she couldn’t point it out exactly, he didn’t seem quite the same as she remembered.
“Good morning, Mero-sensei,” Akari said after thinking for a brief moment. He had hesitated slightly before speaking, unsure of how exactly he should behave in front of a teacher in this situation.
For a second, he considered acting more energetic or talkative.
But then he decided against it.
It would be safer to act like a quiet, reserved child instead.
It wasn’t really worth trying to fit in with kids who were barely five years old. The difference in mindset alone made that effort pointless.
On top of that, standing out too much would likely make him an oddball in their eyes, and that would just lead to being ignored or avoided anyway.
In a way, that worked in his favor.
If he ended up being left alone, it would simply give him more free time to think, observe, or do whatever he wanted without interference.
‘Well, it’s not like a ghost has to worry about bullying,’ he thought with a hint of amusement. If anything, he almost felt sorry for anyone who might try to start the usual bullying drama with him in the future.
They wouldn’t understand what they were dealing with.
“Eh? Akari is suddenly so calm today, huh? Didn’t get enough sleep?” Mero-sensei asked, her tone light and slightly teasing as she looked at him with an amused expression.
“Actually, something did happen, which is why he was absent,” Keiko replied, her voice soft but carrying a trace of concern.
“I’ve already informed the principal about it,” she added, glancing briefly at Akari.
Her gaze lingered for a moment.
Although Akari had been acting normal on the surface, she had noticed a change in him. The usual lively and restless energy he once had was no longer there. He seemed quieter, more restrained.
From her perspective, there was only one explanation.
She assumed it was trauma from the recent incident.
“I see… if that’s the case, then there’s nothing to worry about. Madam will take care of the procedures. Though I do hope it would be best if Akari doesn’t miss any more classes,” Mero-sensei said in a reassuring tone.
Keiko nodded in response.
Even though it bothered her slightly, she understood the importance of maintaining consistency in his education. Building a proper academic record from childhood was something she believed would benefit Akari in the long run.
Of course, kindergarten records themselves wouldn’t matter much in a strict academic sense, but they still played a role in shaping a child’s habits, discipline, and overall character. As a mother, Keiko naturally wanted her son to grow up properly and succeed in life.
After exchanging a bit more small talk, Keiko finally left the premises, entrusting Akari to the school.
Soon, the day officially began.
The first activity was free play.
Basically, the children were allowed to do whatever they wanted such as play with toys, interact with each other, or just spend time however they felt like. It was meant to help them socialize and develop naturally without too much structure.
Meanwhile, the teachers observed from a distance.
They were there to supervise, stepping in only when necessary whether it was to resolve minor conflicts between children or guide them on how to play safely and properly.
As Mero-sensei watched over the playground, her eyes moved across the various children running around and interacting.
That was when she noticed Akari.
He was sitting quietly beside a tree, slightly apart from the others.
At first glance, it almost looked like he was dozing off.
“Isn’t that the new kid?” a woman with green eyes and yellow hair with brown accents said as she looked in Akari’s direction. It was Chie-sensei, who had just joined Mero-sensei near the playground.
“Akari… that was his name, right?” she added after a moment, trying to recall properly. Then her expression shifted slightly, showing a hint of concern. “Is he sleepy? Did he not sleep well last night?”
“I don’t know,” Mero-sensei replied with a slight sigh, clearly a bit annoyed by the situation.
“Honestly, this is such a hassle. And I still don’t understand why his parents named him Akari instead of Akira. He’s not a girl,” she added, speaking bluntly as usual without filtering her words.
Chie-sensei let out a small, awkward chuckle.
“I don’t think Akira-sensei would like hearing that,” she said wryly, clearly aware of how that comment might sound in the wrong context.
She knew Mero-sensei had a reputation for being straightforward, sometimes to the point of sounding harsh. But even so, bringing up that particular name so casually wasn’t exactly safe.
The moment Mero-sensei heard the name “Akira-sensei,” her expression stiffened slightly.
A faint shiver ran through her.
Without saying anything further, she quickly chose to remain silent, deciding not to continue that line of conversation any further.
Meanwhile, while Akari was busy trying to locate all the ghostly auras around him, carefully sensing and distinguishing each presence, he completely failed to notice that someone else was watching him.
Not far from where he was sitting, a girl with purple eyes and long purple hair styled into two low pigtails stood quietly, observing him without making any sound or movement.
Her face was serious.
There was no trace of childish curiosity or playfulness in her expression as she stared directly at Akari.
From her perspective, the scene looked completely different.
Instead of seeing a small boy sitting under a tree, she saw something else entirely—a large, unnatural ghostly figure resembling a reindeer, looming over and completely covering the boy’s body.
It wasn’t separate from him; it was wrapped around him, clinging to him in a way that made it clear something was wrong.
Her hands slowly clenched into fists.
She had already come to a conclusion.
‘That boy has been possessed,’ she thought, her mind reaching the answer almost instantly without hesitation.
The realization didn’t just make her alert, her thoughts shifted toward her mother.
Her fists tightened even more.
She knew her mother had changed. The person she used to be was no longer the same, and despite knowing something was wrong, she had been powerless to do anything about it.
That helplessness had stayed with her.
But now, seeing an innocent boy seemingly facing the same kind of situation…
She couldn’t ignore it.
This time, she didn’t want to stand by and do nothing.
“Kaya…” she muttered softly under her breath, almost as if grounding herself before taking any action. Her hands instinctively grabbed onto her own clothes, fingers tightening slightly as she steadied her thoughts.
She was already aware of how others saw her.
Most people considered her a weirdo.
If she suddenly walked up and hit a classmate without any explanation, it wouldn’t just confuse them it would probably make everyone dislike her even more. The teachers might intervene, and the other children would definitely avoid her after that.
Even if her intention was to help.
Even if the punch was meant to dispel the ghost and wouldn’t actually harm the boy, there was still the problem of how it would look from the outside.
He might end up hating her for it.
‘Kaya doesn’t mind,’ she thought, forcing herself to accept that outcome without hesitation. ‘Everyone just needs to be happy.’
Her gaze shifted back toward Akari, who still appeared to be quietly dozing off under the tree, completely unaware of what she believed was happening to him.
‘I will make your papa… and mama happy,’ she thought, her determination settling in firmly. In her mind, she was already convinced that what she was about to do was the right thing.
But even with that resolve, she didn’t act immediately.
She understood the risk.
If she moved carelessly and alerted the ghost, it might react unpredictably. There was a chance it could take the boy hostage or do something worse before she could stop it.
So she held herself back.
For now, she decided to wait and observe, looking for the right moment to act without making the situation more dangerous.
The day gradually passed, and before long, it was time for the final outdoor free play session in the afternoon.
Most of the children eagerly rushed outside, excited to play, but Akari chose not to follow them this time. Instead, he stayed back inside the classroom, remaining seated quietly as if he simply didn’t feel like joining in.
In reality, he had already spent a good portion of the day observing his surroundings.
By now, he had identified quite a number of weak spirits scattered throughout the school. They weren’t concentrated in one place but spread thinly across different areas, lingering without much activity.
‘Well, if I’m not wrong, places where lots of people gather from different backgrounds should naturally become hotspots for ghosts,’ he thought, trying to organize his observations logically.
‘But even then… not all of these spirits seem particularly dangerous.’
There was a clear difference.
Compared to the ghosts he had encountered in the hospital where death and suffering were more frequent the ones here were noticeably weaker. Their presence felt faint, almost insignificant in comparison.
‘Maybe it’s because when children die, their resentment isn’t as strong as that of adults most of the time… so the ghosts they turn into are usually weaker?’ he considered seriously, attempting to come up with a reasonable explanation based on limited information.
However, while he was focused on analyzing this, he failed to notice something else.
Someone was quietly approaching him.
Unlike normal people, Kaya-chan wasn’t an ordinary child. She was a spiritual medium, someone naturally capable of perceiving and interacting with supernatural entities.
More than that, she was a medium connected to a Kami or a god, which made her significantly stronger than most other spiritual mediums.
That alone set her apart.
At the same time, both ghosts and spiritual mediums possessed an instinctive ability to conceal their presence. Without that, weaker ghosts would constantly run away upon sensing stronger entities, and mediums would immediately notice anything abnormal.
Because of that natural concealment, Akari hadn’t picked up on her approach at all.
Akari was completely absorbed in his thoughts, and combined with Kaya’s ability to suppress her presence so effectively, he failed to notice her approach entirely. Step by step, she closed the distance until she was right beside him.
In that moment, her expression changed.
Her face darkened unnaturally, turning pitch black, and both of her irises followed, becoming completely black as well. It wasn’t something that could be seen by normal people only those connected to the supernatural would be able to perceive that transformation.
Akari noticed nothing, not until it was too late.
She struck immediately.
Her fist came down and hit his head. From an outside perspective, it looked like nothing more than a light tap, perhaps with a bit more force than usual for a child. To anyone watching, it wouldn’t seem dangerous at all.
But for Akari—
It was completely different.
Spat
Blood burst out from his mouth as an overwhelming wave of pain hit him all at once. The impact wasn’t physical in the normal sense, it directly affected his ghost form.
And the damage was severe.
From a single hit, his ghost form had been critically injured, pushed to the very edge of collapse. The attack had bypassed normal defenses entirely, striking at his core existence rather than just his body.
He was on the verge of death.
Because of that, the effects immediately reflected on his physical body as well. His condition deteriorated rapidly. He could feel his heartbeat weakening, becoming unstable with each passing second.
More blood spilled from his mouth, his body trembling as it struggled to keep functioning under the strain.
A few of the other children nearby quickly noticed that something was wrong.
“Akari-chan is vomiting!” one of them shouted in alarm, pointing toward him as he collapsed.
But then another child looked more closely, her expression shifting from confusion to fear.
“I-Is that blood?” she stuttered, her voice trembling.
The moment she realized what she was seeing, her face went pale, and she fainted on the spot, unable to handle the shock.
Meanwhile, Akari had already fallen to the ground.
More blood continued to pour from his mouth, staining the floor beneath him. His face twisted in fear and pain, his entire body trembling uncontrollably as the sensation overwhelmed him.
The pain wasn’t normal.
Even though no one else could see it, Akari could clearly feel what was happening to him.
His soul was being torn apart.
It felt as if countless sharp wooden stakes were piercing through every part of his being at once, tearing into him from all directions. At the same time, it felt like he was being burned alive from the inside, as if something was cooking him slowly while he remained conscious enough to feel every second of it.
It was beyond anything he had experienced before.
Even the pain from when that ghost had consumed part of him earlier, or when another had punctured his heart didn’t even come close to this.
This was on a completely different level.
“Motherfu—” he tried to speak, but the words never fully came out.
All the strength in his body gave out at once.
As he rolled slightly to the side, his vision blurred, but he still managed to catch a glimpse of someone standing there, a girl with purple eyes and long purple hair tied into two low pigtails.
In that moment, something clicked in his mind.
As if triggered by the proximity to death, his memory connected the dots instantly.
‘Kaya-chan is… seriously fucking scary,’ he thought, the realization settling in just before everything went dark.
He lost consciousness.
By that time, the teachers had already rushed over, drawn by the commotion and the children’s panicked voices.
The moment the teachers stepped into the classroom, they were met with a scene that instantly horrified them.
Akari was lying on the floor, completely motionless, with blood spattered across his clothes and the surrounding floor. Fresh trails of blood were still leaking from the corners of his mouth, slowly running down his cheeks. Even though he was unconscious, his face remained twisted in a terrified expression, as if the fear and pain he had experienced hadn’t faded at all.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
The shock of the scene froze them in place.
Meanwhile, Kaya stood nearby, completely still.
She hadn’t moved since it happened.
Her body felt stiff, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing in front of her. Even though she was still just a child, she understood one thing clearly, Akari was hurt.
Badly hurt.
She didn’t fully understand everything about blood, but she remembered what her papa had told her before: the more blood someone lost, the more serious their injury was.
That simple idea was enough.
Even when she herself had once fallen and injured her leg, despite how much it had hurt, there had only been a few drops of blood.
But here in front of her the classmate she had tried to save had coughed up so much blood that it had spread across the floor.
The difference was overwhelming.
And she couldn’t understand it.
“Akari-chan!” Akira-sensei shouted, snapping out of her shock as she immediately rushed toward him. Her movements were urgent, almost panicked, as she dropped to his side without hesitation.
Chie-sensei followed right behind her, trying to stay composed despite the situation, while Mero-sensei stood frozen for a moment longer before nearly collapsing, overwhelmed by the horrifying scene in front of her.
“Call the ambulance!” one of them shouted loudly.
“What happened?!” another voice followed, confusion and panic mixing together.
“Forget that—call the ambulance first!” someone else insisted, trying to bring order to the chaos.
…
Within minutes, an ambulance had been called.
The teachers, relying only on their limited medical knowledge, did what they could to keep Akari stable while waiting for professional help to arrive. They carefully monitored his breathing, tried to keep him conscious, and avoided moving him unnecessarily.
When the paramedics finally arrived, they quickly took over.
Akari was placed onto a stretcher and rushed out of the school. The principal, who had also arrived at the scene, decided to accompany him to the hospital, staying close behind as they moved.
When they reached hospital and moved him, the situation remained tense.
Akari lay on the stretcher, surrounded by three paramedics who worked quickly and efficiently, each focusing on different aspects of his condition. The principal stood nearby, watching anxiously but unable to do anything.
BEEP BEEP BEEEEP BEEEP—
The sound of the monitor filled the space.
“Heartbeat’s irregular! Possible arrhythmia!” one paramedic said immediately as he watched the ECG readings fluctuate unpredictably.
“Oxygen levels dropping! Eighty-eight!” another added, his tone sharp with urgency.
Hearing that, the third paramedic quickly adjusted the oxygen mask, pressing it more securely against Akari’s face to stabilize his breathing.
“Akari-chan! Can you hear me? Breathe in! focus on breathing!” the paramedic said firmly, trying to keep him responsive.
Akari’s consciousness flickered weakly.
He had barely managed to regain awareness, but everything felt distant and unstable. His vision blurred, his body felt unresponsive, and more than anything his soul itself felt like it was on the verge of being completely destroyed.
As they rushed through the hospital hallway, another stretcher was being pushed in the opposite direction. The two teams briefly adjusted their paths, exchanging quick glances to make sure they wouldn’t collide in the narrow space.
In that moment Akari acted subconsciously.
He was barely conscious, his awareness fading in and out, yet his body or rather, his instinct reacted on its own. His hand weakly stretched out toward the other patient as they passed each other.
It was purely instinctive.
Something within him reached out and pulled.
From the other patient’s body, something intangible was dragged out—something only he could perceive. The man’s soul was forcibly extracted, slipping away from its physical form without resistance.
At the same time, the monitor connected to that patient reacted.
A flat line.
His heartbeat dropped to zero.
Meanwhile, Akari’s mouth opened slightly, as if he was struggling to breathe, but the motion wasn’t just for air. The extracted soul began to melt as it was drawn toward him, dissolving into a form he could absorb.
It entered him.
Slowly, steadily, it was consumed.
The energy flowed into his nearly shattered soul, stabilizing it just enough to prevent complete collapse. It wasn’t a full recovery, but it was enough to keep him from crossing the final line.
And through all of this the paramedics noticed nothing.
They continued moving.
“Incoming pediatric emergency! Possible internal injury!” the lead paramedic called out loudly as they approached the emergency room.
The doors ahead slid open instantly.
Inside, doctors and nurses were already prepared, moving into position as the stretcher was rushed in.
Akari was taken inside without delay.
The principal, who had been following closely behind, was stopped at the entrance, left outside as the medical staff took over completely.
…
Once Akari’s parents arrived at the hospital, they were completely devastated by what they saw and what they had been told.
“How could something like this even happen?!” Takeshi said, his voice filled with disbelief and rising anger.
“Doctors had checked him just a few days ago! They said there were no problems, no anomalies at all!” He couldn’t process how his son had suddenly ended up in such a critical condition again.
Nothing made sense to him.
Keiko stood nearby, barely holding herself together. Her eyes were already filled with tears, and her hands trembled slightly as she tried to remain composed, but it was clear she was on the verge of breaking down at any moment.
The principal, who had accompanied Akari to the hospital, stood in front of them, feeling both ashamed and deeply confused about the entire situation.
She still had no idea what had actually caused this.
From her perspective, everything had escalated too suddenly, and there was no clear explanation for why Akari’s condition had deteriorated so drastically.
“It has to be because someone attacked him!” Takeshi continued, his voice tightening as he looked directly at her.
“Tell me, Kobayashi-sensei, how could this happen?! How did my son end up in such a critical state under your supervision?”
Kobayashi-sensei, the principal, felt the weight of his words but didn’t have a clear answer to give.
She was just as confused.
Still, she explained everything she knew, the situation in the classroom, how Akari had suddenly collapsed, the panic that followed, and how she had personally escorted him to the hospital with the paramedics.
“That must be that girl’s fault! She’s the one who hurt my Akari-chan!” Keiko shouted, her voice shaking with anger and desperation. Her face was twisted with emotion, her eyes bloodshot, and tears continued to stream down her cheeks without stopping.
“Takeshi! My son—!” she cried, her voice breaking as she struggled to hold herself together.
“Keiko, listen to me!” Takeshi said firmly, grabbing her by the shoulders to steady her.
“We don’t know what actually happened yet. Please, calm down!” he insisted, trying to keep her from spiraling further.
He understood her reaction.
He knew how much she loved their son, and seeing him in such a critical condition was pushing her to the edge. In that state, it was only natural for her to latch onto someone to blame, especially someone who had been present at the scene.
But acting on that impulse wouldn’t help.
Keiko’s strength finally gave out as she broke down into tears, leaning into Takeshi as he tried to comfort her, holding her firmly while she cried.
…
Later, Akari was moved into the ICU.
Although his condition had improved slightly compared to earlier, it was still far from stable. The doctors weren’t willing to take any risks, so he remained under close observation, surrounded by monitors and medical equipment.
Meanwhile, investigations began.
The school staff, along with the authorities, tried to piece together what had happened based on witness accounts and what little information they had.
Eventually, one detail became clear.
Kaya had struck Akari.
From what the children described, she had hit him on the back, and shortly after that, he had started vomiting blood and collapsed.
However, despite that information, both the doctors and the police were reluctant to accept that Kaya alone was responsible for Akari’s condition.
It didn’t add up.
Instead, they formed a different conclusion.
They believed that Akari might have already had some serious underlying medical condition that had gone unnoticed. According to their assumption, Kaya’s action may have triggered or worsened that condition, leading to his sudden collapse.
From a medical standpoint, it seemed more plausible.
After all, Akari’s condition was extremely unusual.
It resembled the aftermath of severe internal trauma, almost as if he had been violently injured but at the same time, his body showed no visible signs of external damage.
But for Keiko and Takeshi, none of those explanations really mattered.
All they knew was that their son was seriously hurt, lying in the hospital, and they needed clear answers.
That was all that mattered to them right now.
The police had already contacted Kaya’s parents, asking them to come to the hospital as well. When they arrived, they immediately began apologizing, their faces filled with worry and guilt as they tried to explain and calm the situation.
But Keiko wasn’t in a state to listen.
“WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TEACHING YOUR DAUGHTER?!” she shouted, her voice filled with anger and desperation.
“Because of her, my son is in the hospital! If anything happens to him, I will never forgive you!” Her words came out harsh and uncontrolled, driven entirely by her emotions.
Kaya stood beside her parents, trembling.
She didn’t say a word.
Her small body shook slightly as she kept her head lowered, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.
She understood.
At least, she believed she did.
In her mind, everything that had happened was her fault.
Her classmate was nearly dead because of her actions.
Because she had believed he was possessed.
Because she thought what she was doing was the right thing.
She had seen something dangerous and tried to remove it.
But in the end it had only made things worse.
Kaya’s parents, meanwhile, did not believe that their daughter was entirely at fault. The doctors themselves had already explained that Akari showed no signs of external trauma.
There were no visible injuries on his body that could justify such a severe condition. What he had suffered from was internal bleeding and other complications that simply could not be caused by a single punch from a child.
Even so, they chose not to argue.
They understood the situation well enough to know that, regardless of the medical explanation, their daughter had still been involved. Whether she was directly responsible or not did not matter in that moment.
From the perspective of Akari’s parents, Kaya was the one who had caused everything, and in their eyes, she was the sole culprit.
Trying to defend her right now would only make things worse.
So they remained silent, continuing to apologize without pushing back, even when the accusations became harsher.
The police also did not step in to defend Kaya’s parents from the verbal lashing. They had already looked into Kaya’s background and were aware that she had a history of problematic behavior. Because of that, they didn’t see any immediate reason to interfere in the confrontation.
As far as they were concerned, the situation still required further attention.
However, due to her age, there would be no criminal charges placed on Kaya. She was still a child, and the law treated such cases differently.
That didn’t mean there would be no consequences.
Her parents would be questioned regarding her upbringing and behavior, and Kaya herself would likely be placed under observation by child guidance services. The goal would be to monitor her actions and attempt to correct what was being seen as problematic behavior before it escalated further.
Kaya’s parents continued apologizing deeply for her behavior, repeatedly lowering their heads and expressing their regret without trying to defend themselves.
The principal also apologized again, even though she had already done so when Akari’s parents first arrived at the hospital.
She felt it was necessary to repeat it, knowing that the situation had not improved and that Akari was still in critical condition.
Time passed slowly.
After two days, Akari’s condition finally stabilized to some extent. The immediate danger to his life had reduced, and his vital signs no longer fluctuated dangerously like before.
However, there was another problem.
He had not woken up.
“He is in a state of unconsciousness. His vital signs are stable, but he has not regained consciousness,” the doctor explained clearly to his parents.
At first, hearing that his condition had stabilized brought a sense of relief to both Keiko and Takeshi. Compared to the fear of losing him entirely, this felt like a step in the right direction.
But as more time passed, that relief slowly began to fade.
There were still no signs of him waking up.
What had initially seemed like recovery gradually turned into something else entirely.
Akari had entered a coma.
The reality of that situation weighed heavily on everyone involved, replacing the earlier relief with growing concern and quiet fear about what would happen next.
As for the financial side of things, most of the hospital expenses were covered by insurance. The remaining amount, which was relatively smaller in comparison, was handled jointly by the school and Kaya’s parents, who took responsibility for contributing to the costs.
Kaya’s parents also entered into negotiations with Akari’s parents regarding the situation and the responsibilities that followed. In the end, they agreed to cover the remaining medical expenses that were not handled by insurance, and this support would continue until Akari fully recovered.
In addition to that, they were required to pay an extra amount of 300,000 Yen as compensation for emotional damages.
There were also further financial responsibilities placed on them, including covering certain daily expenses for Akari’s family, as Takeshi and Keiko were unable to go to work properly due to their son being in a coma.
The situation did not end there.
Both Kaya’s parents and the school had to go through an official investigation. Authorities reviewed the incident in detail, questioning everyone involved to determine accountability and whether negligence had occurred. In the end, both the parents and the school were pardoned from any severe legal consequences.
However, Kaya herself was officially placed under child guidance supervision.
This meant that her behavior would be monitored, and steps would be taken to correct what was seen as problematic actions.
At one point, her parents considered transferring her to another school in order to give her a fresh start and avoid further issues. But due to her father’s work situation, an immediate transfer was not possible, so they had no choice but to keep her enrolled in the same kindergarten for the time being.
The impact on Kaya was immediate.
She became socially isolated after the incident.
Other children kept their distance from her, and even among the staff, there were whispers and quiet judgments that she could not avoid. The constant murmuring and subtle reactions around her gradually wore her down.
The determination she once had to protect others and deal with what she believed were evil spirits slowly faded.
Instead of feeling confident in her actions, she was left questioning herself, burdened by guilt and the consequences of what had happened.
Just like that, a full month passed by.
Time moved forward, but nothing seemed to change.
“Akari-chan still hasn’t woken up…” a strained smile appeared on Keiko’s face as she sat beside her son’s bed, her voice soft but clearly tired. She had been repeating similar words every day, holding onto even the smallest hope.
“Son, please wake up. I promise I will make your favourite dishes every day,” she said, as if her words alone could reach him and bring him back. Her hands gently held his, as if afraid that letting go would make things worse.
Meanwhile, outside the room, a couple of nurses observed quietly.
They had seen this scene many times before.
“His mother comes every single day and talks to him,” one nurse said with a sigh. “From those dark circles under her eyes, you can tell she hasn’t been sleeping properly either.”
The other nurse nodded slightly.
“Akari has been in a coma for a month now. That already suggests something is seriously wrong, and there is no way to predict when he might regain consciousness,” she added, her tone calm but realistic.
Inside the room, nothing seemed different at first.
But then Akari’s eyelids fluttered slightly.
Slowly, with visible effort, his eyes opened.
His vision was blurry, and his body felt weak, but the first thing he saw was Keiko sitting beside him.
“Mom…?” he muttered faintly, his voice barely above a whisper as he tried to speak.
After an entire month—
He had finally woken up.
To be continued...