[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."
This intimate teasing was like a soft, white feather that should have brushed against Reina's side or the soles of her feet, making her feel ticklish and shy with sweet embarrassment.
But this time, the feather brushed against the wound in her heart, its tiny barbs scraping the flesh inside her chest and drawing out blood.
Tears began to slide down her cheek as the long-suppressed sadness from her childhood surged forth.
The ice cream rolled from her hand and fell onto the concrete ground beneath the swing.
She covered her face with her hands, her tears flowing into her sleeves, spreading a cold dampness.
"What a crying princess you are," the boy's voice reached her ears.
The cheerfulness in his tone contrasted sharply with her inner sadness, and her tears flowed even faster.
At that moment, she felt a strong hand grasping her wrist. The hand forcefully pulled apart her own, revealing her tear-streaked face.
Through her tear-filled eyes, she saw the boy's face, and the next moment, the smile from his slightly flushed lips was pressed against hers.
Her tears fell onto Yuuki's face, the wet, cold droplets causing him to tremble inside.
He couldn't dispel the shadow that hung over her; he could only cover her tear-filled eyes, preventing her from seeing the sorrowful future.
As their lips parted, they had unknowingly switched positions. Yuuki was now sitting on the swing, with Nakajima Reina sitting sideways on his lap.
Lost in the world of the kiss, Nakajima Reina, after a brief moment of daze, realized her situation. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to push Minami Yuuki's chest, wanting to escape from his embrace.
Yuuki held her tightly around the waist, not letting her leave his arms, and pressed his lips against hers again.
Reina closed her eyes, bracing herself for a passionate kiss, but Yuuki only gave a light, fleeting touch before lifting his head.
She lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes fluttering, feeling a sense of disappointment.
She stopped struggling and remained sitting on Yuuki's lap.
Yuuki freed one hand to grasp the swing's chain, pushing off with his toes to make them sway gently.
Reina, afraid of falling, wrapped her arms around his neck.
The waning moon was obscured by thin clouds, and the park's lights were dim. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, dead silent except for the soft creaking of the swing.
"I have a heart condition," Reina's voice, hoarse from crying, mixed with the swing's creaking. Her cheek rested against Yuuki's chest.
"Hmm."
Yuuki gently inhaled the scent of her hair.
"There's almost no chance of recovery. The best outcome is to live a few more years after surgery."
"Hmm."
The boy's unhesitant response made Reina wonder if he was truly listening, if he was sincerely responding to her.
"I'm sorry," she said, feeling guilty for hiding her illness and wasting his feelings.
"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.