Sᴘʟᴀsʜᴇs & Sᴛʀɪᴋᴇs | Nagi Seishiro √

07: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐯𝐬. 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

Nagi's eyes were suddenly blinded by a burst of light. As he focused, he realized a truck was careening out of control. In an attempt to avoid collision, Kaiser abruptly swerved the steering wheel to the left, hoping to evade disaster. Yet, their attempt to dodge the truck's path ended in a violent crash against a colossal tree. Shattered glass scattered in all directions, with Nagi instinctively shielding Rea Mikage, who sat in the middle seat, from the potentially dangerous shards.

As Nagi lifted his head, he was met with the sight of Kaiser's head resting on the steering wheel, blood seeping from an injury. Chigiri, seemingly unconscious, remained silent. Reo slumped against the back of the driver's seat. Nagi's concern shifted to Rea, whose eyes fluttered open.

"Are you alright?" Nagi asked, his hands retreating from around the girl's waist as he moved back. Rea nodded, but an uneasy silence hung in the air. She glanced down at her stomach, prompting Nagi to follow her gaze. His heart raced as he noticed crimson stains spreading across her once-white dress. "Oh no."

"Guys?" Chigiri's voice broke the tense atmosphere as he struggled to release himself from the seatbelt.

"Are you alright?" Nagi inquired, while Chigiri grunted in an effort to unfasten his restraint. "We need to call an ambulance immediately. Now!"

"I know, I know." Chigiri managed to free himself and hurriedly opened the door on Nagi's side. His eyes widened at the sight of blood on Nagi's hand and tears streaming down the girl's face. "Damn! Could you help her out?"

Chigiri dialed for an ambulance while Nagi swiftly exited the vehicle. "Can you move?"

"I'll try." Rea attempted to shift, but the movement caused a piece of glass to pierce her skin, sending a sharp, unbearable pain through her body. She looked at Nagi, shaking her head. "It hurts..."

A sheen of sweat formed on the white-haired boy's brow as he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling helpless in the face of the situation. Reo appeared uninjured, Kaiser was unconscious with a head wound, and Rea Mikage was critically hurt.

"They're on their way, Nagi," Chigiri informed him. "The truck?"

Both their gazes fell upon the truck, which had collided with another tree in the opposite direction. Chigiri hurried to the driver's seat to inspect, finding the driver unconscious with minor injuries.

"It'll be a few more minutes until the ambulance arrives, Nagi," Chigiri reported. "We need to stop her bleeding. We have to get her out."

"She can't move, she's already in pain," Nagi observed, noticing Rea's slowing breaths. Time was of the essence. "Lend me a hand. We need to act before she loses consciousness."

Kneeling on the seat, Nagi carefully removed Chigiri's coat that had been draped over Rea. Meanwhile, Chigiri accessed the trunk and attempted to lay the seat flat. "Mikage-san, don't worry. Help is on its way."

Assuring the nearly unconscious girl, they carefully extricated her from the car, using the coat to stem the bleeding. Moments later, the blaring sirens of two ambulances reached their ears, bringing a wave of relief.

The paramedics swiftly arrived, and a few rushed towards Rea Mikage, checking her pulse. "This is an emergency. Take her quickly!" One of the medics commanded, as others wheeled a stretcher over to Rea. "You two need medical attention too, get into the ambulance with the girl."

Nodding in compliance, Nagi and Chigiri followed the paramedics' instructions. Kaiser and Reo were loaded into the other ambulance.

Efficiently, the medical team administered treatment. Saline dripped into the veins of the purple-haired girl, while a nebulizer assisted her breathing. Nagi had minor injuries and some scratches, while Chigiri had a wound on his forehead that was promptly tended to inside the ambulance.