After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

In that extremely short reaction time, Kagura Hikaru believed he had done his best.

He might break a few bones after the collision, but he was certain not to lose consciousness and the ability to move, nor to injure any vital parts.

But sometimes, luck is a hard thing to pin down.

The place where he was hit was not his back or limbs, but his head.

That happened after he was sent flying and fell to the ground, his occiput colliding with the corner of a roadside wall, bleeding soon ensued.

After that, it was difficult for Kagura Hikaru to maintain consciousness, as if an old witch was stirring his brain like a cauldron with a large spoon, and the world before his eyes started to blur and spin, stained with blood and snowflakes.

In such a state, he was unable to sustain thought, his mind seemingly disconnected from his body, with only vague sensations of pain coming through.

What followed was the legendary life flashing before one's eyes.

Starting from his past life to everything he had experienced after being reborn, it all unfolded before him with startling clarity. Like watching a movie, Kagura Hikaru had no chance to intervene, only to silently watch it play out swiftly.

No matter how quickly the scenes flashed by, he could see them clearly, and whenever he recognized a scene, the corresponding memory would flicker back in his mind.

Bickering parents, Kohinata Motoyo under the cherry trees, Kiryu Hina in her middle school uniform, Komori Ai deep in the mountains, Ai Cheng Hua Lian on the train, the school courtyard, the old school building's rooftop... and, Ayakoji Chiyoko. Read chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Looking back on these two lifetimes, there were many regrets, but if he had to say who he owed the most to, apart from his parents who raised him, it would only be Ayakoji Chiyoko.

Everything stemmed from his evasion and self-abandonment.

He heard screams as if they came from a distant valley.

Someone was approaching, afraid to touch him, they could only anxiously circle around him.

Kagura Hikaru struggled to concentrate and could finally see that the person before him was Ayakoji Chiyoko.

Right, he had yet to properly apologize.

If he didn't speak now, he might never get the chance again.

"Ayakoji... Chiyoko..."

Kagura Hikaru struggled to utter her name.

It was the first time he realized how difficult it was to speak, as if something was stuck in his throat.

Using all his strength, he could only manage to lift one hand.

The palm was quickly grasped, Ayakoji Chiyoko enveloped it with her two warm hands, and it seemed as though raindrops fell upon the back of his hand.@@novelbin@@

Was it raining?

No, those were tears.

In Kagura Hikaru's memory, Ayakoji Chiyoko was someone whose smile was hard to come by, yet she had shed tears in front of him twice, both times because of him.

He felt his consciousness beginning to slip away, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

He closed his eyes and whispered an apology.

Whether Ayakoji Chiyoko heard it clearly or not, Kagura Hikaru no longer had the strength to say it again.

If there's still a chance, if there's still a chance...

After that, there was only darkness.

Consciousness plunged into chaos, and he felt nothing.

................

"...."

"Doctor, when will he wake up?"

"He could wake up at any time."

"Will there be any complications?"

"Since he suffered a traumatic brain injury, a concussion, there will be some sequelae, more or less."

"It's not permanent, right?"

"In most cases, it will improve with treatment, but we need to wait until the patient wakes up to make a more specific analysis."

"Ah! Doctor, I saw his fingers move!"

So noisy.

A group of people were talking around his bed with different voices, surrounding him as he slept.

Who in the world could that be, disturbing a good dream so early in the morning? Don't they have any public spirit?

Could they be having a party in his room?! If that's the case, it's even more outrageous – starting a party without waiting for him to get out of bed.

Thinking this, Kagura Hikaru opened his eyes groggily.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled by a bunch of heads crowding around the bed, which snapped him out of his daze considerably.

"What are you doing?!"

He sat up and looked around, it was an unfamiliar room, but the familiar layout and setting he had seen countless times in movies and TV shows allowed him to recognize it immediately.

"Is this... the hospital?"

Before he could fully grasp the situation, a crowd of women swarmed him chattering.

Ayakoji Chiyoko and Kohinata Motoyo were among them, as well as some other unfamiliar people—were they classmates?

"Finally awake, do you know how long you've been asleep?"

"Kagura, you're still lucid, right? What day is it?"

"Today we came as a group to visit you, and we happened to catch you waking up."

"Mister Hikaru, it's really great that you're okay...."

Some of them were happy, some were excited, and others were wiping away tears.

Kagura Hikaru looked completely bewildered.

"Alright, alright, make way, give the patient some space."

It was the doctor who saved him at the crucial moment, chasing the group of girls to the back and then smiling at him, "Hello, what's your name?"

"Uh, Kagura Hikaru."

"Very good, what is ten times ten?"

"One hundred?"

"How many fingers are these?"

"Two."

The doctor methodically had him do some simple test questions and then move his fingers and such; Kagura Hikaru guessed he was doing a basic check to see if his consciousness was clear.

To tell the truth, he was still in a state of half clarity, half confusion.

He had no idea why he was currently in a hospital.

But from the atmosphere, it seemed like it wasn't a time to chat casually, so he held back from asking.

He must have been in some sort of accident, maybe a car crash, and hit his head, which was why that part of his memory was missing, though he could guess as much from feeling the gauze on his head.

Where exactly the accident happened, that's really unlucky.

Wait, wait, does this mean, for the following period, he'd have to stay in the hospital and wouldn't have to go to school?

This wasn't bad luck; this was fortune smiling upon him!

Even though he knew this thought was inappropriate, the idea still made Kagura Hikaru laugh uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the hospital room fell silent.

Confused, Kagura Hikaru looked at the group of girls, who suddenly stared at him as if seeing a ghost.

"What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

"Kagura... laugh again," said Kohinata Motoyo, still dazed.

"Oh."

The atmosphere felt really bizarre. Kagura Hikaru was bewildered but still obediently showed a smile.

Unexpectedly, just from a single laugh, the group of girls exploded into a frenzy.

"Did you see that? Kagura, he laughed!"

"You've got to be joking, can Mr. Kagura actually smile?"

"This can't just be a coincidence, right...?"

"Another one, Kagura, do it again!"

Urged on by their excited prodding, Kagura Hikaru became frightened, looking at them as if they were oddities, then he turned his inquiring gaze toward Ayakoji Chiyoko and gestured her to come over.

She was the calmest looking among all these people, true to Chiyoko.

Ayakoji Chiyoko moved closer, and Kagura Hikaru whispered to her, "What are they excited about, is my laughter that rare?"

What was a perfectly normal question was met with a puzzled look, "You never used to laugh before."

"Is that so, I didn't know that. Is my memory messed up..."

"Anyway, it's good that you've woken up," Ayakoji Chiyoko sighed in relief and said, "When you were admitted, I thought you were going to die. Who would have thought you'd pull through after just two days. The doctor said it's just a skull fracture and concussion, nothing serious."

"So I'm alright then, you all had me nearly peeing myself with fear."

Kagura Hikaru's heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled, and then with a smile he asked, "Hey, Chiyoko, can you introduce me to them? Apart from Suse, all those faces are unfamiliar, where did you bring them from?"

"...What did you just say?"

"What's the matter? I'm just asking you to introduce them—"

"You aren't joking, are you?"

"?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko turned to look at the others, then faced him again with a serious expression, "Those are Kiryu Hina, Ai Cheng Hua Lian, Saijo Mari, Ruzaki Mami, and your stepmother."

"Stepmother?? When did my dad remarry?" Kagura Hikaru's eyes widened, "Chiyoko, you're the one joking, right? Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean you can scare me like this!"

"Girlfriend?!"

"Aren't you?"

Kagura Hikaru was completely at a loss.

From the chillingly silent atmosphere within the room, he began to sense that something was definitely off.

Could it be, he really did break his brain?