I Risked My Life To Save The Cheeky Girl, And As A Result, I Lost My Right Arm. - Chapter 5.1: Classmate (Part 1)

Classmate (Part 1)

The next morning, at 8 a.m., I was heading to school with Hasegawa.

After a 20-minute bus ride and a short 5-minute walk from the bus stop, we arrived at our school.

Looking up at the sky, it was astonishingly clear, with a few scattered clouds drifting leisurely in the gentle breeze.

“Whew, just walking to school is enough to wear me out,” I muttered, exhaling deeply. My prolonged hospital stay must have taken a toll on my stamina. Even the shoulder bag I used to carry effortlessly now felt unbearably heavy.

“I-I’m sorry, senpai! I didn’t notice. I can carry your bag for you!”

“Ah, no, no, sorry. That’s not what I meant,” I quickly clarified.

“But…”

“Look, if I rely on you too much, it’ll be harder for me to regain my strength, right? Carrying this is a form of training for me. So, would you let me handle it?”

“…Understood. If you say so, senpai.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Phew, glad she understood. Man, I’ll have to watch what I say even when muttering to myself… Hasegawa is always so considerate, often more than necessary.

She’s already carrying enough guilt as it is. The last thing I want is to add to it or make her feel like I’m blaming her indirectly.

“Oh, look! The school’s finally in sight. It’s been ages,” I said as we stepped through the front gate together and entered the school premises.

We made our way to the lockers, swapped out our shoes for indoor ones, crossed the hallway, and climbed the stairs.

When we reached the second floor, we stopped briefly. My classroom, 2-A, was on this floor, while Hasegawa’s class, 1-D, was another floor up on the third.

“Well then, senpai, I’ll come by during lunch break,” she said.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Sorry, senpai. I wish I could stay with you longer.”

“What are you talking about? It’s not your fault our classrooms are on different floors. Don’t worry about me. I can manage on my own,” I reassured her.

“…But…”

Hasegawa frowned slightly and glanced at my feet. Curious, I followed her gaze.

To my embarrassment, I realized I was wearing my indoor shoes on the wrong feet.

“Oh no! Seriously? That’s so embarrassing! I was wondering why something felt off!”

Hurriedly, I bent down to fix them, swapping the shoes and trying to put them back on properly.

“Whoa!”

But just then, I lost my balance and fell hard onto the floor, landing squarely on my backside with a loud thud.

“Senpai! Are you okay?” Hasegawa immediately crouched down beside me, her face filled with concern.

“Ow, ow, ow… Man, I’m such a klutz!” I laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off.

“………………”

“Yeah, with stunts like this, telling you not to worry about me has zero credibility, huh? Haha!”

I forced a smile and turned to Hasegawa, determined to break the heavy atmosphere somehow.

But she was staring downward, her face on the verge of tears. She bit her lip and blinked repeatedly, as though trying to hold them back.

…If this had been the old Hasegawa, she would’ve said something like, “Seriously! You’re the world’s clumsiest senpai!” with a teasing grin.

Well, I guess it was naive of me to think she could laugh in a moment like this.

With a small grunt, I got back on my feet, brushing the dust off my pants.

“Alright, time to get going. Don’t want to be late,” I said, trying to shift the mood.

“………”

“Well then… I’ll see you at lunch, Hasegawa.”

“…Okay.”

With that, we parted ways. She headed up the stairs to her classroom, while I made my way to mine on the second floor.

I watched her ascend before turning toward my own classroom. The hallway buzzed with energy as my classmates filled it with chatter and laughter, their voices echoing from every direction.

***

“Ah, crap! I totally forgot my math homework!”

“Hey, is today P.E.? Are we playing soccer?”

“Mika! You’ve got bed head sticking up, girl!”

It had been a while since I’d walked through a lively crowd like this, and the experience left me oddly tense.

(So… this is my classroom. It’s been a while.)

I stopped in front of the door, taking a moment to collect myself.

During my hospital stay, I’d mostly avoided meeting anyone other than my family and Hasegawa. My mental state was fragile, and I wasn’t in a position to deal with people. My emotions were too tangled up, and the idea of facing crowds was overwhelming.

I had even asked the teachers to tell my classmates not to visit me. Through them, I explained the situation—why I’d lost my arm—and asked everyone to respect my space.

“…Alright,” I murmured, bracing myself.

With my left hand, I pushed open the door.

Slide!

“Yo! Morning!”

I greeted my classmates as I stepped into the room.

All at once, heads turned toward me. The boys who had been laughing loudly with their friends fell silent. The girls animatedly discussing their favorite idols also stopped mid-conversation. Every single face turned in my direction.

At that moment, the classroom fell completely silent.

Every face was tense. The easygoing atmosphere of the morning had vanished, replaced by an almost oppressive tension.

“………”

Of course, I had expected this to some extent. I knew it would turn out like this.

But actually standing here, with every pair of eyes in the room fixed on me, made me feel restless and uneasy.

Doing my best to ignore the stares, I quietly walked into the classroom and headed to my seat.

It was in the row by the window, third from the front.

“Alright,” I muttered, placing my shoulder bag onto the desk.

I unzipped the bag, pulling out my textbooks and notebooks to store them inside the desk.

Doing it with just one hand was more difficult than I had anticipated. Tasks that would’ve been effortless before, like holding multiple books, now required far more effort. The weight of four textbooks made my left arm tremble.

“Ah…”

I pushed myself too hard. The four textbooks slipped from my hand and fell to the floor with a dull thud.

(Damn it. This is such a hassle…)

Grumbling internally, I crouched down to pick up the books.

Before I could grab them, someone else knelt down and began gathering the fallen books for me.

She had striking pink hair that flowed past her shoulders, a small, delicate nose, and charming eyes. Her appearance was so stunning that anyone would undoubtedly label her a beauty.

If someone told me she was the center of an idol group, I wouldn’t even blink. I’d simply nod and say, “Of course.”

Her name was Kurasaki Momoka.

“Thanks, Kurasaki-san. You really saved me,” I said.

“Oh, it’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

With a voice as cute as her looks, she responded and stood up, placing the stack of books neatly onto my desk.

“Nakamura-kun, it must have been really tough… I’m not sure what to say…”

“Ah… well, um, no…”

I mumbled, getting to my feet as well.

“I heard about it from the teacher beforehand, but seeing it in person is just… overwhelming. I don’t know how to put it into words…”

“Sorry, Kurasaki-san. I didn’t mean to make you feel this way.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just… I’m the one who’s at a loss for words.”

“……”

“Your arm… Is it okay now? Does it hurt?”

“My arm? Uh… well…”

To be honest, I still occasionally experienced phantom limb pain, making it a difficult question to answer.

Phantom pain, they said, could persist for years. The idea of burdening Kurasaki-san, who was clearly trying to be considerate, by sharing this didn’t sit right with me.

Noticing my hesitation, she softly said, “I’m sorry,” and apologized.

“Of course, it’s not okay yet. I ended up asking something insensitive, didn’t I?”

“No, no, don’t worry about it, Kurasaki-san.”

“But…”

Seeing her troubled expression, I let a small smile creep onto my lips.

“…Thank you, Kurasaki-san.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you’re being thoughtful, carefully choosing your words for my sake, right? That’s really kind of you.”

“No, not at all… I’m nothing special. Nakamura-kun, you’re way, way kinder than me.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You put yourself in harm’s way to protect your junior, didn’t you? Not everyone can do something like that.”

“………”

“If there’s ever anything troubling you, let me know, okay? I’ll help however I can.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

With that, Kurasaki-san stepped away and returned to her seat.

***

…Returning to school after so long was far more challenging than I had anticipated.

First off, taking notes was a struggle. During my hospital stay, I had practiced writing with my left hand as much as I could. But it was nowhere near as good as my dominant right hand had been.

My notebook filled with wobbly, childlike handwriting. Frustration and a sense of inadequacy crept in as I forced myself to keep writing, pushing past those feelings.

And then came gym class that day. The activity was basketball—obviously a sport I couldn’t play with one arm.

The teacher simply told me to “sit it out,” so I found myself standing at the edge of the gym, watching everyone else have fun.

My classmates, for the most part, avoided mentioning my missing arm. It was probably too sensitive a subject for anyone to bring up casually.

However, there were moments. While changing from my gym clothes back to my uniform, a friend asked, “You doing okay?” During the transition between classes, when I was struggling to carry my books and notes, a girl nearby offered, “Let me hold those for you.”

Small acts of kindness like these kept me going. Thanks to those gestures, I managed to endure the day.