Nejima Seikyou's POV
Since then, I'm always visiting Chitose to the hospital, whether I'm sick or not. After school, I'm going to the hospital to accompany her giving some cookies or playing with her.
It's been 3 years since we met and I'm already the first-year high school student. But I still don't know why she's hospitalized and how worse her condition is for her to be in this hospital for 3 years. I didn't ask her about that until now because I think It's an invasion of privacy.
But tonight, I decided to ask her this question of mine. I told her what I'm asking myself the whole time.
"Neji... I'm going to be discharged soon."
"Hey, that's good news! We can go to different places together! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"
I really want to take her to the places that I've been to before. She just smiled at me and gave me her reply.
"You know, I've been hospitalized here ever since I reached Middle School. The made some tests and confined me for a year. After that, It was confirmed. I have a really dangerous disease. I only have... a year to live."
A year? You only have a year to live? You must be joking, right? I mean, that's too cruel! What kind of disease is it?
"Wait, what kind of disease is it!? If money is the problem then I could..."
"You can't do anything about it, Neji! My disease is confidential, I can't tell it to you."
You must be joking, right? I immediately stood up and left her room! I want to know the truth! I don't want to believe it! I don't want to! I've run towards the doctor's office to fetch her records. Although I can't really read it, I'm sure someone would read it for me! If they won't let me see those, I'm just going to ask the doctor!
After some running, I finally reached the doctor's office. I asked him and he gave the same answer as Chitose. I left the doctor's office with an empty head. I don't know what to do anymore. The doctor said that we can't do anything about it.
Chitose doesn't have any parents, she was raised by an orphanage. But at her start of middle school, she started to feel ill. The doctor said that It's a new disease and no one actually knows how to cure it. It's a new disease, the hospital tried to cure it.
The bigger hospitals in America are now researching a new cure. If 3 years had passed and a cure hasn't made then... Chitose will surely die.
For some reason, she refuses to be transferred to a hospital in America. She'll have a higher chance of being cured there, but she doesn't want to go.
Even if she transferred there, there's only a low percent chance that she'll be cured anyway so she doesn't want to bother everyone. The doctors and nurses all tried to convince her but she's still refusing to do so. This is the whole story that the doctor told me.
I just took a seat at the nearby bench and stared at the floor, not doing anything but to say curse words in my head. It's always the good ones who are dying. Isn't it unfair?
I want to shout! I want to shout so loud! Before I knew it, tears are already dropping from my eyes. I don't know what to do anymore. This is the first time in my life that I felt that money is so useless. It's useless as fuck!
"So you're here, huh?"
Someone talked to me while I'm bawling my eyes out. I raised my head and saw a girl with short hair, It's length is only up to her neck. She has brown hair too, and It's beautiful. It's none other than Chitose.
"Here, do you want a cookie?"
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I ate the cookie she gave me and Its taste is still the same as before.
"You don't have to worry about it, really. Just think of it as another soul coming back to where It came from, the heavens."
What are you saying? Even that one soul is important to me! Maybe the 3 years we've spent together are fun for you, but for me... I cherish them! Call me a maiden or whatever you want, but I cherished every moment of it!
"The doctors are going to discharge me since I only have a year to live. They want me to spend the last year of my life outside."
I know, I know about that! It's just too cruel for you to die at a young age, is too cruel! If I can, I want to punch the Gods for doing this!
"You know, I have a dream. I want to be an Idol."
An Idol? Isn't that the teenage girls that are dancing on the floor and singing?
"I want to make people happy, and tell them that no matter how hard it is, keep going! Just keep going! I want to encourage them by my voice and I want to hear them say "Thank you for your song, Chitose."
I see, even your dream... involves other people. You don't think about yourself at all, you only think about other people! You're just a selfless idiot!
"So... you want to perform as an Idol?"
"Mmm? Yup! Well, It might be impossible now so please forget about it."
"I'll find a way!"
"Huh?"
I'll find a way! I'll get the best stadium I can find, and you're going to perform at that stage! Where endless people will gather and they'll hear your voice! I'll do everything to do it!
"Just wait, Chitose! I'm going to convince my father to let you perform at the Tokyo Dome!"
"Tokyo Dome!?"
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"I can't let you do that!"
"Why?! With our funds, I'm sure we can rent the Tokyo Dome even for just a day!"
I asked my father to let Chitose perform at the Tokyo Dome. I want to fulfill her dream!
"Look, son, I can't do that. Because the Tokyo Dome is too large! Renting it for just a day will make our funds suffer a huge loss."
"Is there no other way?!"
My father walked around for a sec and showed me a flyer...
"The Grand Cultural Festival. There's a gambling event going to happen and if you win at that event, you'll get to perform at the Tokyo Dome."
I see! If I win this event, Chitose could perform at the Tokyo Dome! Wait, gambling? Seriously?
"If you're going to participate, I'm not going to give you any war funds. You know that I hate gambling, right?"
With no war funds and companions, I, Nejima Seikyou, will try to conquer the whole gambling event! Just wait, Chitose! I'm going to fulfill your dream!
END OF CHAPTER 45