Chapter 22: “A Splint for a Broken Heart (Sprint)”
“…C-cold…”
A cold sensation brushed across my cheek‚ dragging my consciousness back.When I opened my eyes‚ it wasn’t an unfamiliar ceiling… rather‚it was the ceiling of an office‚ half-collapsed.
I could hear the rain falling close by.And—my wet clothes clung to my skin‚ icy cold.It felt like my body heat was being slowly sucked away.
Rin-chan’s gruff voice saying “Careful” or “Calm down”was nowhere to be heard.
“…Ah‚ right. I was swept away‚ wasn’t I?”
The moment I tried to sit up‚a lightning-like pain shot through my right leg.
“Owwww!? What is this!? A sashimi course!?”
My pants were dyed red.Apparently‚ when I got caught in the collapse‚ a jagged piece of debris had torn a gash spectacularly.
(My life’s HP is at a record low…the red gauge is flashing… I think…)
With trembling hands‚ I searched my back.
“…It’s gone. After all‚ it’s gone.”
The straps of my backpack were ripped off‚and all the “treasures” inside—my sketchbook‚ the recorder that held Rin-chan’s voice—everything had been swallowed by the torrent.
I stared at my hands.These hands‚ dirtied with mud and blood‚had swept away all the proof of our journey.
“…I’m sorry‚ Rin-chan. I’m the worst…”
The moment I spoke‚ a sharp ache pierced deep in my chest.It hurt more than my leg.I wondered why.
Only the sound of the rain continued‚as if mocking my apology.
I wanted to stay down forever.If I could just melt into the mud and sink along with the sketchbook and recorder‚ how easy it would be.
But my body completely ignored my weakness‚and my heart pounded wildly‚ screaming‚“Get up and live‚ dammit!!”Beyond trembling‚ the core of my body was burning.Adrenaline raged like a campfire inside me‚ leaving no room to feel the cold.
“Okay‚ okay…so it’s not over yet‚ huh?”
I began rummaging through the scattered junk on the office floor.Crying could wait.First‚ I had to forcibly end this “bleeding event.”
“Umm‚ this… ah‚ usable!”
I found an old laptop AC adapter.Its black cord seemed pretty strong.
Next to it‚ a glint of something caught my eye.
“Hm?… A mirror‚ maybe?”
Picking it up‚ it was a fragment of a broken mirror.Reflecting the dim rainy light‚ it looked a little like a heroic item.These “randomly picked-up things” often end up saving your life later… like in games.I shoved the mirror shard into my pocket.
At my feet‚ a plastic pen lay on the ground.
(Stationery… has it always been this reliable?Right now‚ it looks like a hero’s sword to me…)
Secured the pen.
“Nagisa-style Hemostasis Survival Kit‚ commencing construction!”
I tore a piece of my shirt to make a cloth for the wound.Then‚ I wrapped the AC adapter cord tightly around it.
“…Ugh…!”
The feeling of constricting my own flesh nearly brought tears.But—since my feet were numb from the cold‚ the pain was oddly muted‚ which was a relief.Was this the service of an ice spirit?
Using the pen as a stick‚ I tightened the cord even more.
(Oww‚ oww‚ oww…!But pain means… I’m still alive… right…?No‚ I don’t need this kind of optimism…)
I felt like the spreading red stain had slowed down‚ even just a little.
“…Phew. Can’t really take a break‚ huh?”
I looked out the window.
This building was stranded like a lone island.Surrounded by deep water‚ there was no escape.
But—
(My “adventurer sensor”… just beeped‚ I think)
If I could get to the rooftop‚maybe I could see something.
I patched my broken heartwith a splint called “ingenuity.”
“If one leg’s broken‚ just go on three legs.Three-point support‚ that’s adventure basics!”
I gathered the leg of a broken office chairand an aluminum wiring cover that had fallen from the wall.
And—
“Oh‚ the backrest support is still intact!”
I pulled out the backrest of the half-collapsed chair‚switching to a plan to “combine” the three scraps into one.
The wet clothes were painfully cold‚ stabbing me every time I moved.But my hands wouldn’t stop.
(Even though I’m freezing… why are my hands still energetic…?Adrenaline is amazing…)
“Okay‚ use this as the base‚ this as the pillar…Ah‚ this duct tape still sticks!Japanese office supplies‚ even in the apocalypse‚ you can rely on them!”
Every time I pulled the tape‚a satisfying “rip” echoed.Mixed with the rain‚ it felt like a work BGM.
I immersed myself in DIY so deeply that I almost forgot my injuries.For those moments‚the regret of losing the sketchbookseemed to fade just a little.
(Even though Rin-chan’s voice and those pages…everything’s gone…why do my hands still move so energetically…?Hey‚ don’t leave just my heart behind…)
An awkward‚ soot-stained stick‚ wrapped in duct tape.But to me‚ it was the most reliable ally in the world.
“Watch this‚ Rin-chan.My masterpiece…Nagisa-style Super Express Crutch‚ complete!”
I wedged the crutch under my arm and nervously stood up. 
Every time weight shifted to my right leg‚a pain shot straight to the top of my head.
“Eeeee…! It hurts‚ it hurts…!But… I can stand…!”
In my hands‚ I held a tool I made.Just that alone changed how I saw the world.
“…Haha. That’s strange.”
I muttered to myself.
“…I destroyed our memoriesbecause of me…Why do my legs still try to move?”
Even though my heart was screaming “enough already‚”my hands built tools on their own‚and my legs tried to step forward.
(Humans… are surprisingly resilient…My body is way stronger than my heart…Kinda frustrating…)
But that resilience—is what keeps me alive.
One step.Another step.
I climbed the emergency stairs‚ listening to the sound of my own footsteps. 
The stairwell air was as cold as a fridge.The winter wind stole even more heat from my wet clothes.It felt like my body heat was spilling through the gaps in the stairs.
Normally‚ alongside my steps‚I’d hear Rin-chan’s footsteps: “Walk more carefully” or“Don’t wander behind‚”cold yet somehow reassuring.
Now‚ there was only—the dry “clang‚ clang” of my crutch hitting concrete.
“It hurts… it really hurts…But… I’m not dying yet.I need to apologize to Rin-chan first.”
I braced myself against the wall after each step to catch my breath.
My vision occasionally warped.Probably from losing too much blood.
And—maybe thanks to the tourniquet or the winter air‚my feet felt like ice.It was terrifying‚ like only my legs had become ghosts.
(My life HP… not just flashing…the “screen fade-out” countdown has already started…)
I looked up the dark stairs.
I had always been able to say‚“The world is a playground!”because Rin-chan was by my side.
Alone‚even the sound of rain‚or the creaking building‚sounded like monsters trying to swallow me whole.
(Hey Rin-chan…Was I always this scared…?Without your “noise-like scolding‚”the world is this quiet and scary…?)
Still‚ I wouldn’t let go of the crutch.
This awkward DIY stickwas my stubborn chunk of “I want to live.”
“…Watch me‚ world.My ingenuity won’t lose to a little injury!”
The moment I bragged‚a sharp pain pierced deep in my chest.Not leg pain.Something deeper.
(Truth is… I feel like I might lose.But I don’t want to lose…Not until I can properly say “sorry” to Rin-chan…)
I grabbed the last handrail.
I pushed open the heavy door‚ my body colliding with it.
“…Hah‚ hah… I made it…”
The rooftop air was as cold as a winter blade.Wet clothes whipped in the wind‚ stealing heat rapidly.With every exhale‚ my breath turned white‚ proof that I was alive.
But the view was so breathtaking that I forgot even the cold.
A submerged city.Only the rooftops of buildings remained‚ like tombstones floating on the sea.
I slumped against the crutch‚ exhausted. 
“…Rin…chan…”
I called her name‚ butthe wind carried my voice away‚ reaching nowhere.
(Will I… quietly sink with this awkward stickwithout anyone ever finding me…?)
Just as that despair began to swell in my chest—
—Sshhhhhhh…!!
In the western sky‚a streak of red light shot upward‚ piercing through the gray clouds.
“…Huh?”
It tore through the curtain of rain‚ painting the night vividly.A signal flare.
I knew.Only one person in the world could emit such a beautiful yet aggressive light‚ almost yelling‚“Hurry!!”
“…Rin-chan…”
The emotions I had been holding backburst out of my eyes all at once.
(Rin-chan… you’re alive…You’re looking for me…You’re mad… definitely mad…But that’s okay…It’s so nice to be yelled at like this…)
“Rin-chan‚ you’re there……Get ready to yell at me‚ okay?”
With trembling hands‚ I searched my pocket.A shard of mirror touched my fingertips.
(I have to let her know… I’m alive…)
Beyond the darkness‚our adventurewas about to reconnect once again.
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