Chapter 9: The Regret
Toma lay still on the hospital bed; her breathing was slow and uneven. Her consciousness started to come slowly. Her fingers moved first, then her eyes fluttered open, struggling against the weight of exhaustion. The ceiling came into view, blurred at the edges and for a moment she didnât understand where she was.
A figure sat beside her.
"..Who?..." She turned her head slightly and saw him. "Aiden....?"
Aiden leaned forward the moment her eyes opened, relief flashing across his face before it tightened into worry. "Youâre awake. Do you have any idea what you put me through? How could you end up in something so dangerous like this, Toma? I was so damn worried."
Toma blinked slowly, her voice weak. "Did you...ouch, my head hurts. Are you the one who saved me?"
Aiden shook his head. "No. I didnât. The hospital called me. I donât even know how they got my number. When I asked, they said they couldnât remember who gave it."
Toma tried to piece her memories together. Her thoughts felt scattered, slipping through her grasp. She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to remember what happened. There had been a car, men with armed weapons and then... a figure. A pink bunny helmet guy?
But after that, everything went dark.
Aidenâs voice pulled her back. "Do you remember anything, Toma?"
She hesitated, then shook her head lightly. "No. Itâs nothing."
Aiden, seeing her face, was not entirely convinced, but he let it go for now. "One thing I canât think of is why would anyone target you like that? These werenât random people. I think this was organised by someone who knew us very well ."
His tone sharpened slightly. "Youâre my childhood friend. Do you understand how serious that is? I even missed an urgent meeting because of this. The moment I got the call, I came straight here."
Toma gave a faint smile. "Iâm okay, Aidi. Itâs not that bad. You donât have to worry so much."
"Thatâs not the point," Aiden replied. "From now on, youâre not going anywhere alone. Iâll assign security for you. Twenty-four hours."
"Thatâs too much, Aidi," she said quickly. "Iâll be fine by myself."
Aiden didnât respond immediately, but his expression made it clear he wasnât backing down.
Toma looked away, her thoughts drifting again. "That biker... who was he?...Why did he feel so familiar?"
........
Far from the hospital,
Mr.Nobody sat alone on the edge of a bridge, legs hanging loosely over the side as he stared down at the water below. The wind moved past him in soft, steady waves, carrying the distant hum of traffic.
"Haaah."He let out a small breath . "Calling Aiden was a good move."
His fingers tapped lightly against the railing. "Still... who wouldâve thought the system could just hand over a main characterâs number like that?"
He tilted his head slightly. "Wait. If thatâs the case... doesnât that mean I could get Tomaâs number like that too?"
"....."
"...No. Thatâs a terrible idea. Sheâd think Iâm a stalker."
"Sigh...."
"Yeah. Definitely a bad idea."
Silence settled again before he spoke, almost casually to us. "Donât you think so, guys?"
He looked slightly at us.
"Yeah, yeah. Long time no see, guys. Howâve you been?"
A faint chuckle escaped him. "You guys think so too, right? Iâm starting to sound weird."
He rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe I always was."
"Anyway, guys... see you."
After a moment, he called out the system window. "Hey, system."
A faint glow appeared in front of his eyes.
"How many main plots are left?"
The screen flickered, then displayed a simple response.
[System window]11 main plots remaining. 6 subplots remaining. (âËâËâ)
"....." Mr.Nobody was dumbfounded."Cough! Cough!"Youâve got to be kidding me." He leaned back slightly. "I thought thereâd be, like... two or three left."
His voice rose in frustration. "Why are there so many plots, dude? I just wanna go home....."
The screen gave no answer.
....
Fourteen days have passed since then.
Toma stepped out of the hospital, the sunlight feeling strangely unfamiliar after so long indoors. She moved carefully, still not fully recovered, but determined to act normally.
"Wow, the weather seems quite nice outside. Way better than the hospital room."
Aiden walked beside her. "Donât push yourself too much, Toma."
"I wonât," she replied.
"Still, you need to be careful," Aiden said to Toma.
For a moment, everything felt calm.
Then it hit her. Her steps slowed.
Her eyes widened slightly. "Mr.Nobody...." The memory came rushing back. The gunshot. The blood. The way he had stood between her and danger without hesitation.
Her breathing grew uneven.
"He got shot..." she whispered.
Fear tightened in her chest. "Why? Why did you get involved?"
Her voice trembled. "It wasnât your fault... it was mine."
Her knees gave out before she realised it.
She dropped to the ground, tears forming in her eyes. "Iâm the one who kept dragging you into this..."
Aiden turned sharply. "Toma....what happened...?"
But she barely heard him.
....
Elsewhere, Mr.Nobody stood alone under the fading light, hands in his pockets, staring ahead with a troubled expression.
"Did she forget about me...?" he muttered.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"Oh. shit....! How could I forget?"
He touched his arm unconsciously. "For her, I got shot in the arms."
He let out a slow breath. "Then how exactly am I supposed to explain this to her?"