My Girlfriend Who Is Older Than Me Teases Me When I’m Working At A Bar, But Maybe Because Of Alcohol

Before Confession.

Obi Orthopedic Surgery and Plastic Surgery Hospital. This is where Toma is hospitalized.

“Well then, I’ll come visit you after school.”

Amidst the orange light seeping through the gap in the curtains, Toma was skimming through the email sent by Mio a few tens of minutes ago.

Toma’s room was a private room.

Fortunately, this room allowed the use of a smartphone. Toma passed the time more quickly than expected by exchanging emails with friends, playing simple games, and reading e-books.

If it had been a room where smartphones were not allowed, he would have strongly felt the agony of boredom.

“…But well, I never expected to be hospitalized…”

While touching the cast that was securing his arm, Toma gazed at the outside scenery through the large window of the hospital room.

Hospitalization was the first in his life. And in a few days, there would be the forearm surgery awaiting him.

Today, he had received explanations about the hospitalization, the necessary items for the surgery, and the current symptoms leading up to the admission.

The surgery would take place in two days.

He was scared. It was only natural to have such feelings, but for now, the joy of being able to meet someone outweighed the fear.

Mio arrived with a basket containing preserved flowers and a slightly larger paper bag.

Preserved flowers are created by immersing fresh flowers and leaves in a special liquid and removing the moisture. They have the same appearance as fresh flowers while being able to maintain their beauty for a long time. They don’t wither and don’t require watering. Yet, they can retain their beauty for an extended period.

Mio placed the preserved flowers on a desk away from direct sunlight and took out cookies and tea from the paper bag.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I did it because I wanted to… Are you okay with snacks and drinks?”

“Yes, not right now.”

“If you feel like eating, just let me know… Today, it’s okay to eat and drink freely, right?”

“Indeed, you’re right, as a nurse.”

“Hehe, I’m not a nurse yet.”

Eating and drinking before surgery is prohibited. During or immediately after general anesthesia, when the body is paralyzed, the contents of the stomach can enter the airways or lungs, leading to severe pneumonia. Mio, who had that knowledge and considered that Toma had just been admitted and still had some time before the surgery, probably brought food and drinks for that reason.

“Understood. Oh, and since we won’t be talking while standing, please use this chair.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Toma pointed to a pipe chair leaning against the wall. Mio unfolded the pipe chair silently and placed it near the bed before sitting down.

“…Many people came to visit you.”

“To be honest, I never imagined that I would receive so many get-well gifts. After the surgery, my university friends will also come to check on me, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Toma’s gaze followed Mio’s, looking up at the shelf. There were about six get-well gifts placed in the paper bag.

“Um… Toma-kun’s mother?”

“She came around noon. You are the only one scheduled for an evening visit.”

“I-I see. In that case, I can stay a little longer… I’ve had a little conversation with Toma-kun before.”

“Yes, of course, it’s fine… But about that?”

Visiting hours are typically around 10 to 15 minutes as a matter of etiquette, but if the person’s condition is good, the visit can be extended. In Toma’s case, he was not hospitalized due to any illness, and he had a private room, so there was no need to be considerate of others.

The sound of silence filled the room, accompanied by the distinct smell that lingers in hospital rooms.

“I’m sorry… Toma-kun.”

Mio lowered her head deeply to the point where her long hair touched the floor.

“I apologize for the harsh words… But how would you feel if Mio-chan felt guilty for ‘causing your injury’? You desperately tried to protect Mio-chan, and yet the person herself feels so down… It’s just too pitiful.”

Even considering the conversation they had with Nanami this morning… it remained the same.

“Hey, please lift your head! There’s no need for Mio-san to apologize.”

“It’s not that simple… so…”

“Huh? W-What do you mean?”

Toma couldn’t possibly understand the meaning behind Mio’s words.

…

…

A heavy atmosphere dominated the space. Mio showed a posture of lifting her face to speak, but it was a different expression from when she entered the room.

With the corners of her eyes lowered, Mio hesitantly opened her mouth.

“First, I’ll talk about the relationship between that culprit… Yuuto-kun and me…”

“Please go ahead.”

Even before coming to visit, Mio had made up her mind to have this conversation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought up this topic so soon.

“First, Yuuto-kun goes to the same university as me…”

And so, Mio began to speak.

How Yuuto had invited her to go somewhere alone.

How he had made unwelcome physical contact with her skin.

How he persistently pursued her even when she declined due to other commitments.

Using the excuse of having a “boyfriend,” she unintentionally gave the impression that she was in a relationship.

How she ended up treating him with such a cold attitude that it was considered harsh, using the excuse of having a “boyfriend.”

It was all to make Yuuto give up… However,

“But if I had chosen a different approach, the outcome would have been completely different… Yuuto-kun said he would seek revenge on Toma-kun, right? That’s also because I mistakenly made him believe that Toma-kun was my boyfriend…”

Mio reflected on the past and found the cause of the situation.

“If I hadn’t acted coldly, Toma-kun, you might not have been hurt… No, you wouldn’t have been hurt…”

A sense of responsibility, which is also a necessary skill for someone aspiring to be a nurse. Mio’s sense of responsibility was several times stronger than that of an average person, which led her to blame herself.

“Mio-san, please be a little kinder to yourself. If you continue like this, you’ll become depressed and collapse.”

“…”

“Even if, hypothetically speaking, I were your boyfriend, would that person have a reason to seek revenge?”

While using gentle wording, Toma directed his compassionate gaze towards Mio.

“If the reason the person approached you with hostility was because they misunderstood that you had a boyfriend…”

“Isn’t that just their misplaced anger?”

“But if I hadn’t provoked that anger, such an incident wouldn’t have occurred…”

“If you had prevented their misplaced anger…”

Toma’s expression momentarily turned stern. It was his discomfort with Mio’s statement.

“So, are you saying that, Mio-san, you should have accepted that person’s advances, even if you didn’t want to?”

“Well… Yes. Some things, like your serious injury, couldn’t have been avoided…”

That’s not like Mio at all. It was a way of trying to reason with him, but Toma couldn’t accept it. For him, it was just an opportunity to express his emotions.

“If that’s the case, then I genuinely think it’s good that I got this injury. It’s insensitive to say such things when my part-time job is suspended, but…”

“Th-this kind of injury…”

“It’s an injury that will heal in a few weeks. And if I had to choose between that and Mio-san’s sadness, I would choose the former, without a doubt.”

“…Toma-kun, you don’t have to lie to me. I think the doctor explained it to you, but your fracture…”

With an urge to blurt out the words “Sometimes bones don’t heal,” Mio swallowed them back. It was only natural for her to refrain from saying ominous things to Toma, who was about to undergo surgery and rehabilitation.

“It will fully heal.”

“But it’s not something that can be healed just through positive thinking… You won’t need a doctor anymore…”

“…I’m sorry. There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“Huh?”

Toma slightly opens the white curtains in the hospital room. The evening sunlight naturally shines on his face… for the purpose of concealing the redness on his face.

“…Even if the broken bone didn’t heal, even if the hospital stay became longer, I would still choose the former.”

“You don’t have to make jokes at a time like this…”

“I’m not joking at a time like this… I… was happy. I heard that Mio-san acted coldly towards that person.”

“Huh…”

A look of astonishment appeared on Mio’s face, which was enveloped in guilt.

“If… even if Mio-san reluctantly dated that person, or if they were happily together… I would dislike it many times more than this injury.”

“T-Toma…-kun…”

With just a change in his wording, from “myself” to “I,” the atmosphere instantly shifts. Toma, staring at Mio with a serious gaze, fills her with a strong sense of tension, as if her heart is being tightly squeezed.

She can’t even take a breath, feeling suffocated. For some reason, she wants to escape from this situation. But her body doesn’t listen to her as she wishes.

“I’m saying it seriously… so…”

“Ugh… If you say… something like that…”

Mio clearly shows her agitation, feeling further overwhelmed. Her face turns as red as a ripe strawberry.

With a loud blink, she moves her gaze in all directions, searching for an escape route. Eventually, she lowers her face as if she has nowhere else to go.

Fidgeting, she clasps her hands tightly together, full of tension.

Mio knows this sensation, this atmosphere. She has experienced it many times before. It’s the moment right before a confession…

Normally, she wouldn’t be this flustered.

But the person she’s facing… It’s the man she likes, loves. She didn’t even anticipate it would turn out like this.

Mio had intended to express her feelings first.

“Mio-san, I…”