From all the years of his experience in sports, he has already had his fair share of struggles with his mental health, so he definitely understands this kind of reaction from her. But he will never be able to help her if she's not the one to accept it.

He will never give up persuading her to seek the help that she needs.

"I'll get to the bottom of this. Okay?" he coos, tightening his embrace around her.

Her shoulder feels thinner in his arms, and her scent smells sweeter to him, making him want to cage her in a tight embrace to protect her and never let go.

"Right now, we need to tend to your injuries. Does it still hurt? Let me see." he cups her face for a better look at her nostrils, with cotton inserted in to stop the blood from flowing out.

"Hidoi," he muttered.

"I know, it's ugly, okay?" she cries. He touches her nose making her jerk out of the pain. "Aw! That's enough!" one of the cottons flew from her nostrils like a bullet, hitting Ojiro's face.

"Ow!" he eclaims.

"That's what you get." She muttered in her thick accented voice.

Nissho opens the curtain in haste, just to find the two on the bed cuddling and giggling like teenagers.

"Get another room somewhere later, lovebirds. someone is coming!" he barks at them, panicking.

Ojiro immediately gets off of the bed, straightening his fitted cold gear, while Louise goes back to her Oscar-winning acting.

"Ow! It hurts! I'll fucking kill him!"

Ojiro comes out of the curtain to see Austin Brown at the door talking to some fan girls.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine, Austin-kun?" one asked.

"Don't worry, it's just a small bruise. See? All good." He flexes his muscles for them.

"Kyaaaaaa! You're such a tease!"

When the girls left, the tall blonde guy enters the room, and as soon as he closes the door behind him, he spats on the floor and muttered, "What a bunch of dumb sluts."

The guy pauses, realizing that someone heard him. He glances at Ojiro.

"Oh, you," he smirks, recognizing him. Not even trying to hide his real face now. "The ever-famous Ojiro Korishima and you..." he turns to Nissho, who is already standing in a fighting stance. "Oh, nothing.... just a loser."

"Hey! Watch your mouth, gaijin!" Nissho spat back.

"What brings you here? Brown-senshu?" Ojiro asks in his calm, cold voice.

Austin shrugs. "Just looking for any antiseptic for this." he lifts his arm, showing a bruised elbow.

"Got unlucky today just because a stupid, dumb bitch gets in my way while doing my routine. What are those children doing anyway in that rink? What are the staff thinking allowing a class of stupid skating amateurs during rehearsal? Can't believe this country... just a bunch of money-sucking demons."

The two are quite taken aback, witnessing the gaijin's true color behind closed doors with no cameras around.

Nissho can definitely see a few of Ojiro's visible veins in his neck and arms bulging in anger.

"There's no antiseptic here. You can leave now." Ojiro responds.

"I don't understand. This is an infirmary, right? I heard that girl got admitted here," he says, looking around the place. "Or don't tell me... are you hiding something, Ojiro Korishima?" he teases.

"You can just leave or take back what you said to that girl at the rink and to your fans earlier. Take it back. And I want you to apologize to them. Right now," Ojiro commands.

For a moment, Austin is quite surprised, but he recovers easily, letting out a mocking chortle. "Or what?" he barks, straightening his posture as he walks closer to him, towering over Ojiro with his height.

"Always playing the good guy, always playing the 'hero'. I'm so sick of all your shits."

Ojiro glares at him, clenching his jaw.

"Keep yourself together. This is just a bait!" Nissho desperately reminds Ojiro. Without his coach and manager, his best friend was always the first one to calm him down in a situation like this.

They perfectly know what would happen the moment Ojiro raises a hand to anyone or even talk back to the gaijin's provocative words.

With Austin's evil nature, he has all the power to create some twisted lies in the media that would harm Ojiro's career.

"This monkey devil is just provoking you. Let me fight him instead! I don't have anything to lose!" Nissho mutters to Ojiro's right shoulder.

"Just hit him," Louise chimes in, peeking over his left shoulder just like his evil subconscious that creates bad decisions in his life.

The three skaters' glance in Louise's direction, who looks like someone who mysteriously came out of nowhere, standing with hands on her hips and a ball of cotton peeking from her nostril.

"You alright now, Miss Diaz? You can go back to your class. Nissho will go with you," Ojiro says, switching to his smiley professor self.

Nissho hesitates for a moment, but Ojiro nods to him, motioning to move. He halfheartedly ushers Louise outside, leaving Ojiro and Austin alone.

When they're gone, the two skaters stand, facing each other in a menacing aura.

"I'll make sure you're going to pay for what you did," Ojiro murmurs coldly.

"Are you sure about that?" Austin cracks his knuckles as he walks closer to him.

Compared to Ojiro, Austin Brown has the height advantage with the strong build of a Caucasian athlete. From all the competing disciplines, he has one of the most powerful jumps and endurance in his sport, making him Ojiro's most renowned rival after dethroning him in the 4CC.

In fighting, Ojiro perfectly knows he's always the disadvantage given how he looks so weak in his slim body compared to any regular guy.

He's always been trained to hold back emotions, but after what the gaijin had done, he knew that it was his perfect chance to teach him a lesson.

"I've always been waiting for this moment, Ojiro Korishima," Austin growls. "I've always wanted to fucking kill you."

Ojiro holds his breath as he looks up, glaring back at him.

The gaijin's intent to kill can be seen in his sharp-looking eyes, sending shivers down the back of his neck.

The guy is definitely serious about hurting him, and for once, Ojiro has never been scared again since the last time a group of his senior skaters beat him up at the back of the rink during his last year as a junior skater.

That fear that he felt at that time is the same at the very moment, as he stands in front of the threatening face of Austin Brown.

But Ojiro clenched his fist and jaw, standing up as the new man that he is in the present. He is not the same boy from the back of the rink anymore.

He has a bigger fist and stronger muscles now. Thinking back to what Austin said and done to Louise only made him collect all his raging emotions, turning them into the strength of his clenching hand

"You are so DEAD. Ojiro Korishima." Austin raises his fist, and Ojiro is ready to fight back when suddenly, Austin gets hit by something, so hard and strong that it throws him to the side of the room, sprawling face first into a garbage can at the corner.

Ojiro's jaw fell in shock, not knowing what he had just witnessed.

"Whoa, so this is not a useless tool after all!" Louise stands in front of him, holding her skating boot with an edge cover.

"L-Louise?" is the only word that he can mutter.

"Are you alright? Damn, this gabacho, foreigner almost killed you if I didn't come back to save your ass. Good thing I have this most advanced weapon that I discovered." She waves the boot in his face.

Ojiro was still in shock for a moment...

...and then burst out laughing.

Louise throws him a weird look.

"What now?"

But he just keeps on laughing and laughing, making so hard for him to respond, holding his stomach.

"Crazy japon." Louise muttered, shaking her head.

They hear Austin whimpering on the floor, trying to get up.

"Let's go!" Ojiro grabs Louise's hand and flees the room.