178 – The Approaching Terror

RAW

Haruto rushed over to Kiyoko in a panic, dropping to his knees and peering into her face.

“Grandma!!”

“Ugh…”

“Is it your chest? Does it hurt!?”

“Ugh…”

In response to Haruto’s desperate questioning, Kiyoko could only groan faintly.

The pain must have been severe—sweat was glistening on her forehead.

Seeing her collapse, Shuichi quickly came running as well.

“Ikue! Call an ambulance!”

“Right!”

“Kiyoko-san! Can you hear me!?”

When Shuichi called out, Kiyoko gave a slight nod.

“Can you breathe? Is there anywhere that hurts?”

“Ugh… my… chest…”

She responded in broken words through painful groans.

Ikue, who was calling for the ambulance, relayed the situation to the operator while keeping an eye on Kiyoko.

“She says her chest hurts… yes, that’s right. Yes, she suddenly collapsed… yes, she’s conscious, but the pain seems intense, and she’s struggling to speak. Okay… understood.”

Ikue pulled the phone from her ear and turned to Shuichi.

“The ambulance is on its way. They’ll be here within 10 minutes.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

Hearing that, Haruto was consumed by a wave of fear and anxiety.

The fear that they might lose his grandmother.

The anxiety of needing to get her to a hospital immediately.

An enormous, terrifying emotion threatened to swallow Haruto whole.

He fought it back with all his might, desperately calling out to Kiyoko.

“Grandma! The ambulance is on its way! Just hang on a little longer!”

Haruto shouted frantically.

Shuichi placed a hand on his back and spoke in a calm voice.

“Haruto-kun, do you know where Kiyoko-san’s health insurance card is?”

“Her insurance card… I think it’s in the small bag in her room.”

“Is her medication notebook in there too?”

“Yes.”

Because of her age, Kiyoko had kept all her important items together in one bag so they could be easily accessed in an emergency.

After hearing this, Shuichi turned to Ayaka, who was still frozen in shock.

“Ayaka, can you go to Kiyoko-san’s room and bring that bag Haruto-kun mentioned?”

“Y-Yeah!”

Ayaka snapped out of her daze and quickly left the living room.

The atmosphere in the Tōjō family’s home, once filled with laughter and warmth, had shifted into a tense, chaotic urgency.

Ryota stood frozen, gripping the sleeve of his shirt tightly.

Ikue approached him, and he asked her in a trembling voice:

“Mom… what’s wrong with Grandma? Is she sick?”

“She’s going to be fine. The ambulance is coming, so she’ll be okay. She’ll be okay.”

Ikue repeated the words “She’ll be okay” again and again.

Just then, Ayaka returned to the living room with a small bag in hand.

“I brought it! This is the one, right!?”

She handed the bag to Haruto, who checked its contents with trembling hands to confirm everything was inside.

“Yeah, thank you.”

Seeing his pale face, Ayaka sat down right next to him, staying close.

Her warmth helped Haruto endure the terrifying uncertainty that felt like it might sweep him away.

Haruto had always known, deep down, that his grandmother’s time would come someday.

But no matter how prepared you think you are, when it happens so suddenly, the heart can’t take it.

Thanks to the support of the Tōjō family, Haruto barely managed to hold himself together, continuing to call out to Kiyoko over and over.

“Grandma! It’s going to be okay! The ambulance is almost here! We’ll go to the hospital and you’ll get better!”

His desperate cries echoed through the living room.

And mixed in with those cries came the faint sound of a siren.

“The ambulance is here!! It’s here!!”

As the siren grew louder, Shuichi’s previously stern expression began to ease, if only slightly.

When the siren arrived right outside, Ikue rushed to the entrance and flung open the door. Several paramedics entered the living room immediately.

Haruto and the others, who had been crouched near Kiyoko, stepped back to make space.

“Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!”

“…gh…”

Kiyoko gave a faint response to the paramedic’s voice. But it was noticeably weaker than before.

Another paramedic began checking with Haruto and Shuichi.

“The patient is Kiyoko Otsuki, 78 years old, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“No underlying conditions?”

“No.”

“No major illnesses or surgeries in the past?”

“No.”

“She doesn’t take any regular medication?”

“No.”

“And she suddenly collapsed, complaining of chest pain?”

“That’s right.”

The paramedic confirmed the information Ikue had relayed earlier.

Meanwhile, other medics quickly began attending to Kiyoko.

“Bring the stretcher.”

“Got it!”

“Vitals check.”

“Understood.”

“Kiyoko-san, I’m going to check your pulse now.”

As the medic gently held Kiyoko’s wrists, his expression suddenly darkened.

“There’s a difference in pulse strength between left and right… Contact a high-acuity hospital immediately! Hurry!”

“On it!”

The tension in the medics’ voices grew.

Haruto’s unease deepened.

“Um… is my grandmother going to be okay?”

He forced down the rising panic and asked.

The medic answered clearly, in a composed voice.

“We’ll do everything we can to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible. Do you have her insurance card and medication notebook?”

“Y-Yes, we do.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Even as they spoke, Kiyoko was swiftly placed on a stretcher and taken to the ambulance.

“A family member, please ride with us.”

“Haruto-kun.”

At the medic’s words, Shuichi gently placed a hand on Haruto’s back. Then he turned to Ayaka.

“Ayaka, stay with Haruto.”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Ikue, I’ll follow the ambulance in the car. Take care of Ryota.”

“Got it.”

Haruto boarded the ambulance with his grandmother on the stretcher. Ayaka followed closely beside him.

The ambulance started moving at once.

The siren echoed in Haruto’s ears, along with the voices of the medics coordinating with the hospital.

To endure the fear welling up inside, Haruto tightly grasped his grandmother’s hand with both of his.

“Grandma… Grandma…”

A wave of fear and anxiety washed over him.

Memories of losing his grandfather surfaced in Haruto’s mind.

Once again… I might lose someone I love.

The crushing weight of loneliness threatened to overwhelm him.

Seeing his grandmother in pain made his chest ache.

His emotions swirled to the point it was hard to breathe.

Ayaka quietly placed her hand over his.

“She’s going to be okay. Kiyoko-san will be fine.”

“Yeah… yeah…”

Supported by Ayaka, Haruto continued to hold his grandmother’s hand.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, it pulled up to the emergency entrance.

Kiyoko was rushed into a room filled with medical equipment, where doctors were already waiting.

Soon after, a nurse approached Haruto.

“Excuse me. Would you mind waiting over here?”

“O-Okay…”

Guided by the nurse, Haruto and Ayaka were taken to a small waiting room.

In the center was a table with chairs around it.

But Haruto couldn’t sit still. He paced the room over and over.

Footsteps rushed past on the other side of the door, feeding his anxiety.

After some time, a knock came at the waiting room door.

Haruto felt his heart leap unnaturally as he responded, “Yes?”

Shuichi, led in by a nurse, appeared.

“How is Kiyoko-san?”

“She’s still being examined, I think.”

“I see…”

Shuichi nodded solemnly and looked at Haruto’s pale face.

He stepped forward, placed both hands on Haruto’s shoulders, and gave a firm grip.

“Haruto-kun, Kiyoko-san is going to be okay. Stay strong.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Haruto nodded repeatedly, barely holding himself together.

Just then, another knock came. This time, a doctor entered, followed by a nurse.

“You’re Kiyoko Otsuki’s family, correct? Please, have a seat.”

Haruto and the others sat down as instructed.

The doctor took a seat across from them, and Haruto, voice trembling, asked:

“Um… how is my grandma?”

“The situation is extremely urgent. To save her life, we’ll need to perform emergency surgery immediately.”

Those words struck Haruto like a bolt of lightning, plunging his world into darkness.