The Café Between Worlds

The next day, Ren’s recovery began in earnest. His physical therapy started early in the morning, and while his leg was stiff and the pain was ever-present, he pushed through, determined to get better. Every movement felt slow, like he was dragging himself through thick mud, but he didn’t complain. The therapist gave him instructions, guiding him through simple exercises, but his mind was elsewhere.

Kazuha was still in a coma. He couldn’t visit her because she was in the ICU, and each passing day felt like a weight pressing down on him. It was the strangest thing—he had spent what felt like months in the afterlife with her, yet here they were, both in the hospital, alive, but separated by a veil he couldn’t cross.

When therapy ended, Ren left his room and wandered around the hospital corridors. The sterile white walls reminded him of the dream he’d had—the one with the white room and the echoing voices telling him to wake up. He found a small courtyard outside the hospital where he could sit and get some fresh air. As he sat, he stared up at the gray sky, the cool breeze brushing against his face.

He never imagined that he would be alive again. The afterlife he had spent months in with Kazuha felt so real—too real, in fact. Every sensation, every moment had been vivid. But now, it was like he had been ripped away from it, thrust back into a world where things were uncertain and out of his control. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was something he could do to help Kazuha. She had fought so hard to stay alive—was there anything he could do to return the favor?

That night, as Ren lay in bed, still grappling with these thoughts, he overheard voices in the hallway outside his room. He immediately recognized Miss Belle’s soft, trembling voice. She was speaking to one of the doctors, and there was an unmistakable tension in the air.

Ren sat up slightly, careful not to make a sound as he strained to listen.

"She’s... she’s getting worse, isn’t she?" Miss Belle’s voice cracked, filled with emotion.

The doctor’s tone was calm but heavy with the weight of difficult news. "Yes. Kazuha’s condition has deteriorated over the past few days. We’re doing everything we can, but her body isn’t responding as well as we’d hoped."

Miss Belle let out a soft sob, her tears evident even through the door. "But she was so strong. I thought—"

"I know," the doctor interrupted gently. "But her injuries were severe. We have to prepare for all possibilities."

Ren felt his heart drop into his stomach. Kazuha... worsening? He hadn’t realized how dire her situation had become. He clenched the bed sheets, his knuckles turning white as he struggled to hold back tears. The image of Kazuha, always strong and determined, now lying unconscious, her life slipping away, was too much to bear.

Miss Belle’s soft sobs continued, and Ren couldn’t take it anymore. He laid back down, pressing his face into the pillow to muffle the silent tears that fell from his eyes. The pain in his heart was almost unbearable, and he felt so powerless—trapped in this hospital while Kazuha was fighting for her life.

He wished there was something, anything, he could do. Then, a thought crossed his mind—Yusuke. Yusuke had experience with the spirit world, and if anyone could help, it would be him.

Ren didn’t know how, but he would find a way to reach out to Yusuke. He would find a way to help Kazuha. There had to be something more he could do. He couldn’t just sit here and watch her fade away. Not after everything they had been through together.

With that determination, Ren wiped away his tears, vowing to do whatever it took to save Kazuha—even if it meant returning to the afterlife himself.