When Yusha woke up, he realized he had fallen asleep on the infirmary couch. The healer had done such a good job that sleep had simply taken him. The calm, cool feeling inside him from before was still there, like a quiet river running through his chest. Now that he was awake, he needed to check on Adjutant Arakawa. "I hope nothing happened to the old man" he said quietly to himself — though deep down, he was afraid of what he might find.
He walked down the infirmary hallway and tried to remember which room Arakawa was in. He felt okay physically, but his mind was still a little foggy — though it didn't matter much. He finally found Arakawa lying in a bed, looking smaller and older than Yusha remembered. The place where the arrow had hit him was carefully covered with bandages. Yusha wanted to go over and talk to him, but he knew he shouldn't wake him up. The old man needed his rest. Looking at the thick bandages around his stomach, it was clear that the healers had worked very hard to save him. His chest tightened at the sight.
Still, Yusha decided to stay and watch over this grey-haired man. He had nothing else to do — and even if he did, he wouldn't have left.
Even though he had only met Adjutant Arakawa recently, he already trusted him deeply. From the very first time they met, he had felt a sincere bond with the old man — as if he had known him long before, though he couldn't explain why. It felt like this old man filled an empty place inside him — a place he hadn't even known was empty until now.
But now, a strong anger was growing within him, slowly burning like a fire that had just found air. Should he kill them? Should he kill every single person who had hurt this old man — anyone who had dared to touch this innocent soul?The thought scared him. Not because it was wrong — but because part of him truly meant it.