[Chikusa University Hospital is located on the outskirts of the city, near a shopping district and a pedestrian street, both of which are quite deserted, especially at night.]
[You are pushing Nakajima Reina’s wheelchair along the side of the road. There are no other pedestrians or vehicles, and the night sky is vast. The streetlights cast a stark, lonely white light.]
[The sound of the wheelchair wheels scraping the ground reverberates within the circle of light from the streetlamps, while Nakajima Reina looks down at the shadow on the ground, silent.]
A memory scene appears.
On a cool autumn night, with a gentle breeze, Minami Yuuki is walking along the road, feeling the temperature is just right. He wonders if the same is true for Nakajima Reina in her wheelchair.
“Hand,” Yuuki says, placing the back of his hand on the girl’s shoulder.
Reina looks at him in confusion and obediently places her hand in his palm. Her slender hand lacks warmth.
After letting go of her hand, Yuuki stops the wheelchair at a corner, takes a black cloak from his backpack, and drapes it around the girl’s shoulders.
Reina puts on the sleeves, pulling the hem of the cloak down to her calves, and her slightly cold body quickly warms up.
“The hat is a bit odd,” she says, feeling the extra bit of fabric on the top of the hat with curiosity.
“That’s because it’s a cat-ear sleeping robe,” Yuuki explains as he stands before her.
The black Egyptian cat-style robe wraps around the pale, classical-looking girl, blending a touch of exotic charm with her elegant appearance.
“Cat ears...” Reina’s cheeks flush slightly.
“And there are cat-ear slippers, too.” Yuuki takes out black cotton slippers from his backpack and lifts her foot.
“Wait a minute!”
Her protest is ineffective, and Yuuki removes her sandals, holding her soft foot to put on the cotton slippers.
He puts the sandals back into the backpack and stands up.
“Alright, let’s continue,” he says, returning to the back of Reina’s wheelchair and pushing it forward.
Reina lowers her head, looking at the black cotton slippers on her feet and the hem of the cloak at her knees.
The night was a world she had never visited before, and the streets were a rare sight for her, yet she had no mood to appreciate them.
Minami Yuuki took her to a convenience store to let her choose some snacks. The bright lights inside the store starkly contrasted with the deep darkness outside. The array of products on the shelves overwhelmed her, but it lifted her spirits a little.
After much hesitation, she chose only an ice cream.
Sitting on a swing in a nearby park, she opened the ice cream cup and took a small wooden spoon. The cold, sweet flavor spread across her tongue.
“What does strawberry ice cream taste like?” Yuuki asked as he squatted in front of her, looking at the ice cream in her hand.
His hint was obvious.
Nakajima Reina scooped out a bite and held it to his mouth.
The boy held the spoon in his mouth for a while before pulling it away and revealing a teasing smile. “Besides the taste of strawberries, there’s also Reina-san’s taste.”
“I know everything,” Yuuki said.
Reina looked up in surprise at the boy before her.
“From the moment I entered Reina-san’s hospital room, I’ve known it all,” Yuuki said, looking into her eyes.
“If you knew, then why... I only have three years left!” Reina clenched her fists.
“Only three years?”
“Only three years!”
“Then we’d better hurry. Embraces, kisses, dates, weddings, love... We need to experience a lifetime of romance in these three years.”
The boy’s gentle words made Nakajima Reina’s eyes well up with tears once more.
She wiped her tears and said, “Because of my poor health, I can’t have children.”
“Then we can adopt one.”
“I can’t even do that.”
“That’s alright. Princess Reina is so cute. As long as I can look at you, I can manage on my own.”
Reina turned her flushed face away, stammering, “I-It’s not that I can’t help you.”
“How would you help?” Yuuki asked, biting gently on the girl’s flushed ear and smiling.
Reina took his words as a hint, her cheeks reddening even more. “But you haven’t confessed yet.”
“I love you.”
The boy’s lips were close to her ear, and his gentle voice penetrated her mind.
Reina felt that all the happiness in the universe surged into her body at that moment, flooding her heart. She fought to suppress her shyness and turned to look at his face.
“I also love...”
A sharp pain struck her.
Her frail heart couldn’t hold such immense happiness, and fate once again warned her not to be complacent.
The pain was more persistent and intense than before.
She clutched her chest, cold sweat forming on her forehead, her cheeks losing color, and her consciousness becoming hazy.
She heard Yuuki’s urgent cries and the hurried, brief exchanges of nurses and doctors.
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