" A hospital?" Mariel said. She didn't expect that Senior Ken would bring her to this place. At first, she was worried that he would take her somewhere else but when they came here, it was a big surprise for her.
"Senior Ken." Mariel turned to ask but was immediately silenced because in front of her, Senior Ken had tears streaming down both cheeks, both hands shaking uncontrollably, and an expression that showed a sadness that was hard to describe his feelings inside.
"Mariel. Can I ask you one more thing?" Senior Ken turned to look at Mariel pleadingly and asked.
"Yes, you can." Mariel replied.
"Today, would you please be my girlfriend during this time?" Senior Ken asked and immediately knelt in front of Mariel.
Mariel was extremely embarrassed to suddenly be asked to be his girlfriend at this moment.
"Please, at least just for her peace of mind for the last time." Senior Ken said.
(Senior Ken must have been suffering, otherwise he wouldn't have asked me like this. It would be fine if it was for his mother.) (Chai thinking)
"Ok, I will be your girlfriend but only for this time." Mariel accepted his request.
"Thank you very much, Mariel." Senior Ken smiled through tears of hope. Then he extended a large hand in front of Mariel. She understood the situation well and slowly reached out her hand to hold Senior Ken's hand. Then they walked into the hospital together.
"I'm so jealous. He holds my lovely Mariel's hand too!" Senior Jack shouted.
"Her soft hand belongs only to me." Jerrick said.
Seniors Ken and Mariel walked into the main hall inside, where people were crowded waiting for the nurse to call them for a check-up.
"We come to see Mrs. Virona in room 708. Is she ok now?" Senior Ken came to inquire at the information desk.
"Mrs. Virona's condition is not good. You can go up and see your mother now. It's time to visit patient." the nurse said.
"Thank you very much." Senior Ken replied, then they walked to the front of the elevator and pressed the button for the 7th floor along with Mariel. Before they were in the elevator with other people, no one knew that Jerrick had secretly followed them while they were in front of the information desk and had slipped a small listening device onto Mariel's shoulder bag from a corner behind a chair. Then he hurriedly came out of the building and joined others outside the hospital again.
Knock! Knock! the sound of the door to room 708 knocking.
"You can come in." the nurse said from inside the room.
Senior Ken took Mariel by the hand and walked to the side of the bed where there was a woman lying on bed. Her age was probably around 40, but her body was very thin. Her skin was pale, as if suffering from a strange disease that could not be explained. Her dry lips slowly opened.
"Hi, my son. Ken." Virona said with a smile.
"Mom, I've come to see you." Senior Ken said, immediately hugging his mother tightly.
Mariel slowly followed and sat on the side of the bed beside Senior Ken.
"And who is she? Ken." Virona asked, turning to look at Mariel with doubt.
"Her name is Mariel De stella, Mom. She is my girlfriend." Senior Ken said with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Oh dear. Finally, you have a girlfriend.
Can you come closer?
Please let me look at you clearly, Mariel." Virona said, slowly opening both her arms.
"Yes, Mother Virona." Mariel responded and slowly moved closer to Virona, with Senior Ken sitting behind Mariel.
Virona used her gaunt hands to caress Mariel's soft face slowly and lovingly. Her tears slowly flowed from her eyes with joy.
"I have always been afraid that my son would not be able to have a girlfriend because his appearance may not look as good as other men. His tall and strong body was feared by other women. But today, I'm no longer worried because my son has a girlfriend who is also beautiful and cute." Virona complimented Mariel.
"Thank you very much, Mother Virona. Senior Ken is a lovely person and he take good care of me in school too." Mariel said, holding Senior Ken's hand tighter than before.
"Doctor, how is my mother's condition?" Senior Ken turned to ask a male doctor who had just walked into the room.
The male doctor shook his head with a clearly sad expression on his face.
"Mrs. Virona may only live a few more moments. This dark magic destroys her inside mostly to the point where there is almost no cure. We'd like to express our condolences." the male doctor said, his voice trembling.
"Is there no way to help her? Doctor. No matter how much it cost, I will work and pay for it." Senior Ken begged on his knees with tears in his eyes.
"We tried our best as we can, but this kind of dark magic was very serious. There was no medicine that can cure it until now." The male doctor replied with a pained expression.
"My son, come here." Virona said.
"Mom! Don't worry. You will get better soon, I promised." Senior Ken came to hold Mrs. Virona's hands on both sides with tears flowing down both cheeks without stopping.
"I know that I probably won't survive. My body is no longer in pain, and it feels like there's nothing left inside my body now." Virona said.
"Mom, please stay with me. Please!" Senior Ken begged through tears. Mariel knew what was about to happen in front of her, it caused her to shed tears as well.
"Think about the time when Ken was a little boy. You were scrawny and were often bullied by the neighborhood kids until I had to come in and stop them almost every time." Virona said and reminisced about the past.
"Mother." Senior Ken looked up at Virona and began to recall scenes from their past life together.
"Then...I taught you to be stronger until my son tried to overcome his various fears and grew up to be Ken who was stronger today." Virona said with pride in his son.
Senior Ken's tears flowed without stopping. He knew that this was the end of his mother's life. Before passing away, everyone always remembers their happiness in the past together. Even though they didn't want it to happen, no miracle could hold her life back again.
"Until one day, demons invaded the village. Many people died. Ken who fearlessly fought against demons to protect your mother, but it was me who was injured in the attack of a high-ranking dark mage that time." Virona said.
"If I were stronger, I would probably be able to protect you in time." Senior Ken said with a trembling voice and disappointment in himself.
"No. Don't blame yourself, Ken. You are the one thing that I am most proud of in my life." Virona said, gently caressing her son's face. Then she turned and looked at Mariel with sad eyes.
"Mariel, can you promise me one thing?" Virona begged.
"Anything, Mother Virona." Mariel promised.
"Please take care of my son and live together for a long life. I have no other relatives. There was only my son left in our family." Virona said.
"Yes, mother Virona. I will take care of Senior Ken as best I can." Mariel promised through tears.
"Ken. You must be strong. When I am gone, you have been able to live your own life. And you must take care of Mariel as best you can too. Can you promise it to me?" Virona said.
"Mom, I promise that I have to be strong, love and take care of Mariel for the rest of my life." Senior Ken promised.
"Then I'm not worried anymore. I'm glad I've been able to take care of you until this day." Virona said.
"I am proud to be born as your son too, mom." Senior Ken said with a smile through tears.
"Can I give you one last hug to say goodbye to Ken and Mariel?" Virona begged in a voice so hoarse they could hardly hear it.
They both hugged Virona tightly. Tears flowed down both cheeks, and the atmosphere in the room was filled with sadness. Even the doctors and nurses had to stand and cry with regret for not being able to save Virona's life.
"I love you, Ken. I always love you." Virona said, giving her son the most beautiful smile.
"I also love you the most in the world, mom." Senior Ken replied with tears in his eyes.
"Please take care of my son. Mariel." Virona said with a smile to Mariel.
"Yes, mother Virona." Mariel answered with a face covered in tears.
The smile slowly disappeared from Virona's face. The two arms that were hugging Ken and Mariel slowly moved down until both arms fell to her sides. There was complete silence in the room. Virona passed away peacefully with the last happy moments of her life spent together with Ken and Mariel.
"Mom....Mom...." Senior Ken shouted out with tears and hugged his mother tightly as a final farewell. As for Mariel, she sat and cried by his side.
(Losing someone we love is the most painful moment in our life. Even though I am in the body of a woman, I can't live together as a wife with another man because I have to success my goal of being a female swordswoman to exterminate all demons. But I made a promise to Mother Virona that I will take care of Senior Ken the best I can as well. When he needs help or encouragement, I will always be there for him. I promise.) (Chai thinking)
The doctors and nurses then made a case for keeping Virona's body one night. Senior Ken will have to come and take his mother's body back for a proper burial ceremony tomorrow.
Senior Ken and Mariel slowly walked out of the hospital with tears streaming down their cheeks. The atmosphere around them was filled with sadness. Not even Beatrix and others, who were hiding tears streaming down her cheeks in the bushes not too far away.
"I feel sorry for him. It really is too much to bear." Beatrix said.
"He has to be very strong." Mania said.
"Our respected Senior Ken." Senior Jack said with deep respect.
"He is so brave." Jerrick said.
Then Senior Ken and Mariel rode the horse carriage back to the front of the school and stopped in front of the girls' dormitory where was behind the school building.
"Thank you so much for everything today, Senior Ken." Mariel said.
"Thank you, but I am the one who has to thank Mariel very much for helping me to be my girlfriend one day. Even though it can't be true but at least my mother passed away without any worries. Thank you very much again." Senior Ken said, kneeling in front of her and bowing his head again.
Mariel smiled with concern. Then she slowly leaned down and kissed Senior Ken's right cheek once again to encourage him.
"No matter what happens from now on, I will always be there to support and encourage you, just tell me." Mariel said with a smile.
"Thank you very much. If you need anything, you can always call me too." Senior Ken looked extremely excited. Then they waved goodbye and hugged each other again. Senior Ken ran back to the men's dormitory, looking extremely happy.
"I want to be kissed on the cheek like that." Senior Jack said through tears.
"I could pay tens of thousands of gold coins for this moment!" Jerrick said with envy.
Beatrix saw their acting and thought of an idea. Then all four people slowly emerged from the bushes next to the girls' dormitory.
"Eh...when did you guys...come out?" Mariel was shocked when she saw her friends and Senior Jack appear in front of her.
"We have been following you from the beginning." Mania replied.
"Do you guys know everything?" Mariel asked curiously.
"Everything until the kiss on the cheek just a moment ago." Beatrix said.
"No way!!!" Mariel shouted with shyness and quickly ran up to the girls' dormitory.
"Wait for me!" Beatrix said as she ran up to the female student's dormitory with Mania. The others could only stand beside each other with tears flowing for quite some time before walking back to the male student's dormitory.
In the morning, everything returned to normal. After finishing breakfast, Mariel and her friends went to study in the morning. Then in the afternoon, Mariel separated from her two friends and went to the exercise club to continue practicing her muscles and physical energy.
"Hello, Senior Ken." Mariel greeted him with a smile when she saw Senior Ken tutoring the other students in the club.
"Hello, Mariel." Senior Ken turned around and replied with a smile as well.
"What time do I have to go to the hospital?" Mariel asked.
"At 5 p.m. If you don't mind, Mariel. Can you go with me?" Senior Ken asked.
"Sure." Mariel responded immediately.
"If you don't mind. May I have a picture of you to keep as an encouragement for me?" Senior Ken asked. Then the club administrator brings a camera next to him.
"If it's to encourage Senior Ken, I accept this." Mariel immediately answered.
*Shutter sound* The sound of Mariel standing and smiling giving encouragement along with a photo that immediately slides out of the camera.
"I will preserve it with my whole life." Senior Ken said, hugging the photograph tightly. It made the other guys in the club envious. Especially Senior Jack and Jerrick who applied together because they wanted to be close to Mariel.
"I'll write a message on the back of the picture for you." Mariel said, pulling out a black pen. Then she wrote on the back of the photo, "Cheer up! I'm always here for you, Senior Ken." and signed her name as Mariel De Stella.
"It must have been framed nicely." Senior Ken received the picture back with a feeling of gratitude.
"I want some!" Senior Jack clearly expressed his jealousy.
"I will pay tens of thousands of gold coins for that photograph!" Jerick said with a deep craving.
Mariel then changed into her exercise clothes and practiced together with Senior Ken and others with a smile on her face.
"No matter what happens after this, I will always be by Senior Ken's side. I promise Mother Virona with all my heart." Mariel thought in her mind.