During my inner struggle, we arrived in front of the door for room 509. Before I was able to open my mouth and say anything, the door slid open from the inside and a woman rushed out to greet us.

“Rin, didn’t I tell you not to hurry?” she rebuked Kurosawa-san the moment she laid her eyes on him.

Instead of giving a proper reply, and before my very eyes, Kurosawa-san sprang forward and hugged the woman in a bearlike embrace. Both the woman and myself were rendered completely speechless by this unexpected behavior. 

Even though I had somewhat of an experience from the incident in the elevator, seeing Kurosawa-san hugging people left and right didn’t sit so well with me. I was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable, so I decided to wait for a chance to take my leave from these two.

After a couple of seconds, Kurosawa-san was finally satisfied, and decided to release Amami-chan.

“Honestly, Rin, you haven’t changed at all. You’re still a worrywart.” Amami-chan said, shaking her head. Even if the words sounded rebuking, her tone dripped with familiarity and warmth.

Seeing her expression softening and watching her pat Kurosawa-san’s head tenderly, made me feel a sudden twinge of sadness. My chest felt stifled and my throat went dry. What was this strange feeling of uneasiness? It kept happening more and more often and every time it did, it had something to do with Kurosawa-san.

“Amami-chan, why are you at the hospital?” Kurosawa-san’s voice suddenly reverberated in the hallway, bringing me back to my senses.

“Yumi-chan sprained her wrist at school today during P.E. Her teacher called and told me I should bring her to the hospital for a checkup just to be sure there is nothing serious.”

Then, I saw the woman called Amami-chan stepping away from the door and revealing a bed inside the room. On the bed laid a young girl, probably around 7 or 8 years old. She was still dressed in her school uniform, holding her bandaged hand on a pillow. Judging from the closed eyes and steady breathing it appeared she was asleep.

“So, it’s just that.” Kurosawa-san let out a drawn-out sigh. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

“I tried, but you started yelling your lungs out, and then hung up before I could explain the situation to you.” Amami-chan snapped, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You’re always such a hothead.”

“Well… I heard you mention the hospital and I… I just… panicked I guess.” he replied, looking quite bashful. “So, is Yumi-chan alright?”

“Yes, she’s fine. It’s just a light sprain and it should heal in a couple of weeks. But since she’s hurt her right hand, it will be a bit difficult at school. The teacher allowed her a leave of absence during this time, but she refused, saying she wants to go to school.” 

Amami-chan stopped for a moment. “More importantly, there is something else I need to talk to you about, Rin.” She grabbed Kurosawa-san’s hands and squeezed them tightly.

Ah, there it was again, that stifling feeling inside my chest. 

Not wanting to stay there any longer, I mustered my courage and took a step forward.

“Uhm, excuse me.” I said, letting out a low cough. “Kurosawa-san, since you still have business to attend here, I’ll be going now.”

Suddenly hearing my voice made the both of them jump up in surprise. It was as if they didn’t even know I was there. 

I ignored the bitter emotion that rose in my mouth, and took a deep breath. But before I was able to continue, Amami-chan released Kurosawa-san’s hands and grabbed mine instead. 

I looked stupidly at her slender fingers curling around my hands. I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going on?

But before I could figure anything out, a blasting voice rang inside my head.

‘Aaaaaah, such a good-looking person!’

“Aah! Could it be that you are Masato-sensei?” Amami-chan cried out in excitement, her eyes suddenly sparkling.

I blinked a couple of times, trying to distinguish between Amami-chan’s real voice and her inner thoughts.

“Uhm… Yes. I am Masato Keita.” I uttered in astonishment. 

Why was this woman so happy to see me, enough to make her squeal like a fangirl inside her head? Her stare was so fixated on my face that I was beginning to feel under an X-RAY machine. 

In the meantime, her inner voice was blasting my brains off.

‘My gosh, he is so dreamy! Look at his silky hair and those beautiful eyes! He looks just like a model. No wonder Rin can’t stop talking about him.’

Eh?! Excuse me?! Who cannot stop talking about me?

Meanwhile, Amami-chan continued with her rant.

“I thought so! Rin has told me so much about you. I am so happy to finally be able to see you in person.” She spoke jovially. “Ah, excuse my rudeness. I forgot to present myself and I am sure this blockhead didn’t say a thing about me either, since all he thinks is about himself.”

Amami-chan stopped to shoot Kurosawa-san a teasing look, before turning towards me again.

“My name is Tsubaki Amami and I am this stupid radish’s older sister.”

‘Of course, he wouldn’t say anything about me, not even allowing me to meet you once. If it wasn’t for this urgent situation, who knows how long it would have taken me to see the famed Masato-sensei.’

What and what?! Since when have I become such a person of interest for Amami-chan? And what’s that about a radish? No, wait, more importantly… sister? So Amami-chan is Kurosawa-san’s older sister? 

This was truly some astonishing information, since Kurosawa-san has never mentioned anything about his family before. Even during our casual chats, he never once mentioned any family member. 

Well, I didn’t ask either, nor did I mention mine, so I guess it’s fine.

I glanced at Kurosawa-san from the corner of my eye and was quite surprised to notice him going slightly stiff. Only then did I realize that the moment Amami-chan began to speak to me, his body had become tense and his expression turned rigid. 

So, there was someone who could make the overflowing with vigor Kurosawa-san intimidated. I began liking Amami-chan instantly. 

If only she would stop looking at me like I was some sort of miraculous discovery.