Clearly, she was the culprit.
"My name is Mai Takatsume. This accident was my fault, and I'll take full responsibility for all related matters, including compensation. I'm truly sorry."
Mai Takatsume bowed deeply, her apology executed with perfect etiquette.
In old-school urban novels, you'd often see clichéd plots where a villainous rich kid hits someone and uses their influence to bully the victim.
But in reality?
The compensation money is pocket change to a true elite heir.
At most, it's a few days' worth of their allowance.
On the other hand, connections and favors in high society are far more valuable and must be used with utmost caution.
Take the infamous street food stall brawl that caused a public uproar—get caught in something like that, and the consequences are dire!
Using official resources for a minor issue that money can solve? Only an idiot would do that!
Raised with an elite education, Mai Takatsume wasn't as calculating as her parents, but she was still polished and tactful.
Especially now, during a critical phase in her father's career, she couldn't afford to give his rivals any leverage.
Mai wasn't arrogant or unreasonable. The accident was indeed her fault, and her apology to Hakuto was sincere.
"Let's discuss the details of compensation later. For now, focus on your recovery."
Her polite tone and impeccable demeanor marked her as a true second-generation elite.
"Hakuto… right? How's your body feeling?"
A nurse and doctor behind Mai stepped forward to check on him, their tones unusually gentle, likely due to her presence.
"The anesthesia should wear off soon, so you might feel some pain…"
Hakuto answered the doctor and nurse honestly about his condition, learning the extent of his injuries.
Multiple external injuries, two broken ribs, and a comminuted fracture in his left leg.
Thanks to Mai's prompt action in getting him to the hospital and securing a top-tier surgeon, Hakuto's condition wasn't as bad as it could've been.
His left leg would recover to normal function in six to eight months.
After the doctor and nurse left, Mai and Hakuto discussed compensation.
Medical fees, meal subsidies, transportation costs, lost wages, nutritional supplements, and mental distress compensation totaled 20.9 million yen.
This was the amount after covering the surgery and primary hospitalization costs.
To Mai, this sum was negligible, but her goal was to resolve the matter, not to shower Hakuto with money.
So, while taking responsibility and offering compensation, she aimed to minimize her losses.
For Hakuto, 20.9 million yen was an offer he couldn't refuse.
If he signed the settlement agreement today, the money would be in his account by tonight.
Hakuto didn't hesitate long, making the choice most ordinary people would.
Sure, compensation for a comminuted fracture might seem equivalent to getting beaten up, but not everyone is a top-tier elite.
Mai had countless ways to avoid this "payout," like letting the insurance company drag things out.
From her behavior, Hakuto could tell the settlement agreement was important to her, but he knew nothing about her background or how much it truly mattered.
To a bottom-tier ordinary person, 20.9 million yen was a fortune. Weighing all factors, Hakuto signed the agreement without fuss.
Instructing the hired caregiver to take good care of the patient, Mai apologized again before leaving with elegant steps.
Mai was confident in her appearance and aura, yet Hakuto showed no trace of timidity or admiration during their interaction, which mildly surprised her.
In a domineering CEO drama, this would be the moment for a line like, "This man is interesting."
But that was it—just a flicker of curiosity. She and Hakuto were from completely different classes, no, different worlds.
With the settlement agreement in hand, she'd have no further connection with Hakuto.
The story of a rich girl falling for a working-class guy only happens in novels.
"Is this what that old priest meant by 'noble aid'? What a…"
Hakuto watched Mai's retreating figure with a sardonic smile.
"Phew, whatever."
Exhaling heavily, Hakuto's gaze shifted from the IV drip to the starless night sky, Tokyo's neon lights glittering in the distance.
Alone, with no family or ties, Hakuto didn't care much about his life. Death might even be a release.
No resentment, just a touch of reflection.
This 20.9 million yen, even after medical bills and miscellaneous costs, would cover the mortgage his father left behind.
Without eating, drinking, or paying rent, it would've taken him nearly 20 years to earn that much.
Lying on the soft hospital bed, bathed in mercury-like moonlight, Hakuto's racing thoughts gradually stilled.
"Huh!?"
In a moment of utter calm, as his soul settled, Hakuto's eyes snapped open.
Something was off!
Since waking, he'd felt a strange sense of disconnection, so subtle he hadn't noticed it in the day's chaos. Only now, in the quiet, did he confirm its existence.
It wasn't physical—it felt like it came from the depths of his soul.
Tossing and turning, mulling it over, Hakuto drifted to sleep while tracing this odd sensation.
To his shock, his consciousness remained clear even after falling asleep!
Guided by a mysterious force, Hakuto's perspective rapidly ascended.
The hospital, Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Earth…
His view kept expanding.
Earth, the Earth-Moon system, the Solar System, the Local Interstellar Cloud, the Local Bubble, the Gould Belt…
Across distances humans couldn't fathom, Hakuto's consciousness, shielded by that mysterious force, remained lucid.
The Orion Arm, the Milky Way, the Local Group, the Local Sheet, the Virgo Supercluster, the Laniakea Supercluster…
Beyond the 93 billion light-year observable universe, past singular universes, through the multiverse, breaking the multiversal barrier…
Until he reached a temporal dimension utterly beyond human comprehension!
Shock and awe flooded Hakuto's mind.
What was happening?
What was happening?
What was happening?