Falling towards the dream, my consciousness blurred, but still pondering ceaselessly.
SHIKI, who is no longer here. Me, who is now alone.
What did he exchange and disappear for? Did he disappear to protect something?
Tracing back the memories of the two Shikis, I finally understand.
Perhaps... SHIKI disappeared to protect his dream, the dream of living happily.
Was it that classmate? Or was it the boy whom he saw as someone he wanted to become?
That is something I can no longer know.
SHIKI disappeared for the sake of both him and the two Shikis to coexist.
He left me with such profound loneliness.
...
(Note: This new Shiki is the Third personality.)
The morning sunlight seeped through the curtains, illuminating the hospital room. Shiki, whose vision had been restored, opened her eyes from that warm slumber.
Beneath her was a pristine hospital bed. It seems that the magus named Touko has taken care of last night's affairs. No, those were trivial matters. Compared to that, right now, all she wants to do is think about her situation.
Shiki maintained a side-lying position, her head still, feeling the morning air.
Waking up because of the light, it's been so long since she experienced such a thing. The faint desires, all they needed was the fresh sunlight to illuminate the darkness in her heart.
Now, what I possess is a temporary life... Another me, who can no longer return, has disappeared like melting in the light. The existence of the two Shikis, along with what he dreamed of, has vanished.
If she could cry, Shiki would want to shed tears as well. But her eyes remained dry. There's only one chance to cry... it would be wrong to shed tears for this. Even though she can no longer return, she won't regret it a second time.
Just like the fading shadows under the morning sun. Simply disappearing cleanly, that's what he must have expected as well.
"Good morning, Shiki," a voice came from beside her.
Shiki turned her head to the side, and there stood a friend she had known for a long time.
Black-framed glasses, unadorned black hair. He hadn't changed at all.
"Do you still remember me...?" Mikiya's voice trembled slightly.
Ah, she remembers. How could she forget? Mikiya had been waiting for Shiki all this time.
Only him, always protecting her.
"Mikiya Kokutou, it sounds like the name of a French poet."
Upon hearing Shiki's words, Mikiya smiled. It was a smile that seemed as if they had met at school just the day before, a familiar smile.
How much effort was hidden within it, nobody knows. But he... he still remembers that promise.
"It's such a beautiful day today. I'll take you back," Mikiya said, his eyes brimming with tears, trying to sound as natural as possible.
For the empty Shiki, that warmth meant more than anything else.
Meeting this friend who appreciates her smile more than tear-filled eyes.
SHIKI, who approves of her loneliness rather than isolating her.
—Even though I, Shiki, have yet to choose which path to take.
"Ah, there are things that will never disappear."
Shiki gazed blankly at his smile, a gentle warmth like sunlight until she had seen enough.
Although it didn't help fill the void in her heart, right now she didn't want to do anything else.
His gentle smile, because it was the same as the presence in her memories.
Just like that afternoon years ago, when he, her classmate, persistently approached her with an enduring smile.
Mikiya was the same, quietly and absentmindedly gazing at Shiki.
Observing her eyes after two years of slumber, allowing his own time to flow again, and finally relieving his longing for the vacant girl.
The first meeting on a snowy night, the reunion at the beginning of the school year, the conversations after class, the casual chats at noon, the dates on holidays, the passionate confessions, the unwavering commitment—everything felt like yesterday, vividly remembered.
All the waiting was not in vain, and all the efforts were rewarded in this moment.
To see her wake up, to be able to look at her as before, to hear her voice again, he felt that everything was enough.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
This continued as if it would last until the end of time—
—If no one disturbed them.
First, there was a creaking sound, as if some material had reached its limit and couldn't bear the weight anymore.
Immediately after came a loud crashing sound, accompanied by exclamations like "Oh!" and "Be careful!"—some voices belonged to males, others to females.
The long-awaited reunion filled them with emotions, and the two-year world of just the two of them was abruptly shattered.
Shiki frowned disapprovingly, turning her head towards the source of the noise—the entrance of the hospital room.
The wooden door painted white, lay collapsed on the ground, with a group of culprits sprawled on top of it.
There were children around ten years old and teenage girls of fifteen or sixteen.
Outside the door, there was a frail girl in a wheelchair and a foreign woman a few years older than the girl pushing the wheelchair.
Finally, their gazes settled on the woman in the corridor, smoking by the window.
"Miss Touko—" Shiki was about to speak, but Mikiya beat her to it. "And Shinji, Sakura, Miss Fujino, and the two we're meeting for the first time, what are you all..."
"Um..." Sakura lowered her head, feeling embarrassed.
"Well..." Fujino blushed.
"It's nothing, really, nothing at all. You guys continue, don't mind us."
Shinji, shameless as ever, stood up as if nothing had happened, dusted himself off, and pulled Sakura and Fujino, who had been peeping with him, to leave.
"We've set up a bounded field at the doorway, so no matter what happens, we won't be detected. Good luck, Mikiya."
"..."
Shinji's shamelessness even overwhelmed Mikiya, who was known for his mature demeanor. He could only look embarrassed, unable to respond.
The straightforward and natural Shiki, who had no reservations, asked her only friend in the same tone as when they were in school.
"Are they all your friends?"
"Yeah, they're all a group of interesting people. They must have come to help."
Upon hearing Shiki's voice, Mikiya's inexplicable mood calmed down. Yes, as long as she was there, nothing else mattered.
"Shinji, stop hiding outside and come in, and everyone else too."
As soon as Shinji heard that, he immediately poked his head out and saw Mikiya waving at him, followed by a group of people walking in grandly.
"Shiki, you've met Miss Touko, but you haven't met the others. This is Shinji Matou, my friend; this is Shijni's sister, Sakura; this is Asakami Fujino, Miss Touko's disciple... And this one should be Miss Kirie Fujou, whom Shinji mentioned earlier. She also lives in this ward and is being discharged today. Lastly, this is Miss Justeaze, Miss Kirie's attending physician and a close friend of Miss Touko."
Mikiya introduced everyone one by one, even guessing the identities of the two people they hadn't met before.
The people who were called nodded in turn and greeted Shiki on the hospital bed.
Perhaps due to a change in her mindset after experiencing death and rebirth, or perhaps due to Mikiya's influence, Shiki didn't treat everyone with indifference as she used to. Instead, she sat up and, imitating the mannerisms of the deceased SHIKI, greeted them in a very ordinary way.
"Hello, I'm Shiki Ryougi."
PS: Black-framed glasses, unadorned black hair, high-waisted trousers—giving off an elderly aura.
PS2: This is about the extent of Shiki and Mikiya's sweet interaction. There might be a sentence or two in the future, but there won't be any more extensive sweetness.