The wound on his thigh—despite Sugishita’s efforts to disinfect and bandage it with the limited supplies in the car’s first aid kit, under Suo’s urgent orders—continued to bleed. The cut was deeper than {{user}} had initially thought, leaving him dizzy.

“Strange. Why are you two so quiet?” Suo asked, not taking his eyes off the road as he sped down another winding forest trail. “Sugishita, check on {{user}}.”

Sugishita turned from the window, his gaze falling on {{user}}—who felt like he was going to faint at any moment, his breathing ragged. How long had they been driving since leaving Tomiyama’s house? An hour? More? Suo had been driving like a madman ever since he’d heard about {{user}}’s injury, but there had to be a limit to how fast one could push a car, right? And no matter how fast they drove, the distance from District 3 to District 1 wasn’t something they could simply close at will.

Due to the nature of their work, a trip to the hospital was out of the question. They couldn’t risk exposure, not with that kind of injury. And staying at Tomiyama’s house wasn’t an option either—especially after rescuing Togame from Takiishi’s clutches. The mission had been successful, but staying near Tomiyama after such a risky situation would be asking for trouble.

They also couldn’t afford to leave Suo’s mansion unattended. With Takiishi’s threat looming, the last thing they needed was for Suo’s territory to be vulnerable. Keeping moving, fixing {{user}} as quickly as possible, and tightening security were the only priorities on Suo’s mind right now.

{{user}} had been too careless with what he had brushed off as no big deal. Apparently, he was paying for it now.

“Shit,” Sugishita swore under his breath. For someone who claimed to hate {{user}} to the core, he seemed genuinely concerned.

“You look like hell,” he muttered, his usual irritation mixed with something heavier: concern. His hands pressed against the blood-soaked bandages, trying to stop the wound from bleeding any further. “The bandages can’t handle all this, Suo-san.”

Suo tilted the rearview mirror just enough to get a clear view of {{user}}’s condition. The moment his gaze landed on the dark stain spreading across {{user}}’s pants, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his jaw clenching so hard it must have hurt.

Then, without a word, he slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

The tires screeched against the asphalt as the car sped off, tearing through the streets at reckless speed. Traffic laws be damned—Suo didn’t seem to care one bit at that moment.

Sugishita, wrapping another layer of bandages around {{user}}’s thigh with quick but firm hands, growled, “You’ll kill us before he gets hurt, Suo-san.”

“Shut up,” Suo snapped, his gaze fixed intently on the road and his muscles tensing.

When they reached the gates of the mansion, the car screeched to a halt. Suo was already opening the door before the engine had even stopped completely.

{{user}} reached for the doorknob, his movements slow, and pushed the door open. The moment his feet touched the ground, his balance faltered—his legs gave way. Before he could hit the gravel, strong arms caught him, keeping him steady.

His face ended up pressed against the crook of Suo’s neck. Even through the haze of blood loss and exhaustion, {{user}} could smell the familiar scent that permeated him—cologne, black tea, something distinctly Suo. He smelled so good. And it was comforting.

“Sugishita, take him to the infirmary,” Suo ordered, briefly squeezing {{user}}’s shoulder one last time before handing her off to Sugishita.