A Restaurant Near the Hospital
At a small restaurant near the hospital, Su Yu sat across from Kawasaki Keika.
The little girl quietly ate her lunch while two takeout meals sat in front of Su Yu.
Once she finished, he handed her a napkin.
"Thank you, Su Yu-oniisan."
Keika took it and whispered her gratitude.
"No need to be so formal."
Su Yu replied gently.
On the way here, they had chatted briefly, and Su Yu had gained a clearer picture of the Kawasaki family's situation.
Kawasaki Saki's father worked as an accountant at a small company, while her mother was a full-time housewife with fragile health.
With three kids in the family, expenses were high, and Saki had been working part-time since high school, often coming home in the middle of the night.
Keika admitted that she had always been worried—afraid that her sister might be doing something dangerous for money.
Su Yu reassured her, explaining that Saki had been doing normal part-time jobs.
Hearing this, Keika finally relaxed a little.
As they left the restaurant and walked back toward the hospital, Su Yu carried the takeout meals while Keika followed beside him.
She was noticeably more mature and well-behaved than most girls her age.
When Su Yu had paid for their meals earlier, he noticed her subtly memorizing the price.
After a few minutes of quiet walking, Keika suddenly spoke up.
"Su Yu-oniisan… do you have a girlfriend?"
"I do."
Su Yu glanced at her and answered truthfully.
Keika looked a little disappointed.
Seeing her expression, Su Yu instantly understood—
She's probably thinking her sister doesn't have a chance anymore.
Returning to the Hospital
Back at the hospital, they found Saki still asleep in the chair.
A coat had been draped over her.
Keika looked at her sister and knew that she must have been completely exhausted to fall asleep like this.
Hiratsuka Shizuka sat beside her, watching over her and waiting for updates on the situation.
Seeing this, Su Yu quietly entered the hospital room.
Saki's mother was still unconscious.
At that moment, a doctor walked in.
She glanced at Su Yu with slight confusion.
"This is my sister's friend," Keika explained.
Su Yu turned to the doctor.
"Can you tell me about the patient's condition?"
The doctor nodded, then gestured for Keika to wait outside before leading Su Yu toward her office.
Once seated, the doctor's expression grew serious.
"Kawasaki-san has always had poor health. She has been to the hospital multiple times for checkups. I advised her to stay hospitalized for a while to recover, but due to financial concerns, she refused."
"This time, her collapse wasn't random. It happened because both her mental and physical health had reached their limit."
"A weak body, combined with severe emotional stress, led to her falling into a coma. Cases like these aren't unheard of, but they can be very dangerous."
The doctor explained each point carefully.
Su Yu listened, then got straight to the main issue.
"How much would it cost for long-term hospitalization? And can she be transferred to a private room?"
"A quiet environment would help her recovery."
The doctor considered it for a moment.
"I can't give you an exact amount, but she at least needs two months of treatment."
"I see. Please transfer her to a private room. I'll go pay for the hospitalization fees now."
Su Yu stood up.
The doctor smiled knowingly.
Even though she knew Su Yu wasn't part of the Kawasaki family, he was willing to pay for the mother's hospital bills.
In her mind, there was only one explanation—
He must be Saki's boyfriend.
Su Yu followed the doctor to the billing counter and paid 500,000 yen upfront.
This covered the private hospital room, nursing care, and medication.
After finishing the payment, Su Yu made sure to get a receipt.
He knew that some of the costs might be reduced later, but for now, he had to cover the expenses.
With a nurse assigned to watch over her mother, Saki could at least return to school without constantly worrying.
A Debt to Repay
When Su Yu returned to the hospital room, Saki had woken up and was quietly eating her meal.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up—
Her expression was complicated when she saw him.
"I've paid for the hospitalization fees according to the doctor's recommendation."
"Your mother will be transferred to a private room soon, with a nurse to take care of her."
"You just need to take care of yourself and your sister."
Su Yu handed her the receipt.
Saki stood up and bowed deeply.
"…Thank you."
"From today on, you owe me 500,000 yen."
"You'll need to work for me to repay it. Any issues with that?"
Su Yu's voice was calm.
"…No problem."
Saki straightened up and answered without hesitation.
She had already prepared for the worst.
Hiratsuka had been quietly watching from the side.
She didn't interrupt—because she knew that Su Yu's approach was probably the best for Saki.
Just as she was thinking this, her phone rang.
She glanced at it, then stood up and walked away to answer the call.
"Finish your meal. Don't worry too much about the rest."
Su Yu sat down beside Saki and reassured her.
"…Su Yu-kun, I've troubled you."
Saki lowered her head.
"No need to be so formal. Honestly, I already told Shizuka-sensei about your previous part-time job. Giving you this new job is just compensation for that."
Su Yu leaned back in his chair.
"…I was always wary of you. I thought you were trying to chase after me."
"I'm sorry."
Saki's voice was filled with mixed emotions.
"You can still think that way."
Su Yu joked.
"I lent you money so you'd stay by my side and work for me. Clearly, I do have ulterior motives."
"…If you really do have those kinds of intentions…"
Saki hesitated, then spoke in a low voice.
"…We can talk about it."
Su Yu froze, staring at her in shock.
Saki didn't elaborate.
She just lowered her head and continued eating.
The Truth About Saki's Father
Su Yu soon learned why Saki had said that.
Her father had sold their house, then divorced her mother.
The reason?
He lost everything gambling on the stock market.
He took her older brother and ran, possibly to reduce the family's financial burden—
Or possibly to plan for his own future.
The divorce was supposedly to keep creditors from going after Saki's mother.
But the real problem was—
Saki's mother had zero income.
After selling the house, she received nothing.
She had no place to go.
Hiratsuka had investigated everything and shared this with Su Yu.
Saki's father had fled to Osaka and was now missing.
He might even leave the country.
Thanks to Hiratsuka's connections, the house wouldn't be taken immediately—
So Saki could at least move her belongings to Sakurasou.
"Thank you very much."
Saki bowed deeply to Hiratsuka.
Her mother was in the hospital.
Her home was gone.
She had nowhere left to go.