CHAPTER 97

CHAPTER 97
Leo's POV

He put the porridge bowl in front of me, and I was surprised at how much he cared. But as I reached for the spoon, my hands shook,I had no strength left at all. It was really embarrassing. Even though I was hungry, I couldn’t eat.

"Wait, I’ll feed you," Koba said. There was no reason to deny his help, so I got ready. He picked up the spoon, filled it with porridge, and fed me bite by bite.

As he fed me, I felt my strength returning. The porridge was delicious, and the small chicken pieces were tasty. After that, he handed me a water bottle to drink and wiped my mouth afterward.

"The doctor said you’ll be discharged once they finish checking you. They’ll come any moment," Koba said.

After a while, the doctor arrived and examined me. Their serious expressions made me nervous, like something was wrong, but it was just their natural seriousness.

I was fine, though they replaced my plaster. I thought, Wow, that’s good, but then they applied a new plaster. I’d have to wear it until my leg bone fully healed, one of the bones in my leg had completely cracked. Hearing that worried me; I wondered if I could ever walk again.

That same day, I was discharged. Obviously, I couldn’t walk yet; I just sat there thinking about how I would manage. Should I walk on my other leg, the one that was fine? As I was thinking, Koba came with a wheelchair. Seeing that, I felt a wave of happiness.

"Leo, can you lift your hands? I need to remove your uniform," Koba said.

I nodded and raised my hands as he gently changed my top and pants. He dressed me in shorts so I’d be comfortable.

I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed as he removed my pants, but Koba didn’t even look at me; he was focused entirely on the task. His professionalism made me feel a bit shy.

Once I was dressed, he picked me up in his arms and carefully placed me in the wheelchair. I quickly looked down, my cheeks burning bright red as I avoided his gaze.

"Let’s go then," Koba said as he began pushing the wheelchair, leading me out of the room.

"Where are Sol and Andrew?" I asked.

"They’ve already gone home," Koba replied. "But I informed them, and they’ll come to meet you later. For now, let’s go home."

Hearing that made me a little worried. I didn’t actually have a home of my own, so I wondered where he was taking me. However, I stayed silent; I didn’t want to embarrass myself by questioning him.

We entered the elevator, and I was relieved to find we were the only ones there. The elevator was large enough to easily accommodate the wheelchair.

"Are you okay, Koba?" I asked, looking up at him and extending my hand to hold his. "I mean, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you? Who knows, you might have been injured internally."

Koba smiled. "I’m totally fine, don’t worry about me," he reassured me. "Instead, I should be the one apologizing. Because of me, you got hurt this much. I’m really sorry, Leo. I was the reason you were injured."

I thought Koba was being silly. How could he be the reason? A tree fell because of the tsunami; it wasn’t his fault at all. He was being far too hard on himself.

"Don’t be silly, Koba," I told him. "How can you say I was hurt because of you? Did you forget how much you put your own life in danger for me? What I did was just to save you. I didn’t do it expecting anything from you, so please don’t blame yourself. It makes me sad."

Koba reached out and ruffled my hair. His hands felt incredibly warm, and it made me feel wonderful. I gently rubbed my head against the back of his palm, smiling softly.

We reached the ground-floor parking area, and he pushed me out of the elevator toward his car. When we arrived, he opened the passenger seat door.

He placed one hand behind my neck and the other under my knees, lifting me into his arms once more. I wrapped one arm around his neck as he carefully set me down in the car.

"Sit tight, Leo," he said. "This is going to be a long journey because I moved a little further away from here. There’s a very nice view, though, and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it. There’s a garden and a beautiful building. I even have a pet you’ll definitely like, a little hamster. It’s just as cute as you."

I rolled my eyes, though a grin tugged at my lips. Koba certainly knew how to flatter someone, comparing me to a cute hamster. Still, it felt good to receive a compliment like that.

From there, Koba continued to drive, and I just looked out the window. Since we didn’t have much to talk about, we were silent, and Koba had turned on the music. Everything passed by in a blur as the car moved fast.

I was shocked that Koba was driving. I had only ever imagined him on his bike. He had driven before, but now he was handling a car like he was used to it.

After glancing at him, I looked ahead. There weren’t many vehicles on the road today, as if no one had come out, and we were the only ones traveling. After about an hour and a half, we finally reached the place where Koba lived.

It was a bungalow near the forest. It wasn’t alone, other bungalows were at a distance, meaning people lived nearby. That made it feel safer; if it were only Koba’s bungalow here, it would have been scary.

In front of the forest… I couldn’t guarantee anything. After seeing a tiger there in real life, I doubted I’d ever go into it again.