I found myself.
In the hospital.
One I don't remember.
Maybe I don't remember anything.
Anything around me right now.
Someone greeted me at my awakening.
"You're finally awake."
There was a girl. Around my age. White hair, blue and violet eyes.
She had heterochromia.
She reminded me of someone.
Right.
My best friend, Miyuki.
From what I remember, I was hit by a car.
Then... Blood?
My hands were quite red when I touched my head.
Then I lost consciousness.
I took my time recalling the last events I remember.
Eventually looking back at the girl.
She was someone I do not know of.
I thought to myself.
'I wonder why she's here? Or, who she is?'
"I'm Kimizuka Ciest. I walked here because you seemed to be suffering for decades in your loneliness."
She suddenly stated.
Standing up, looking at me.
"Suffering... for decades..?"
I blurt out.
'Decades? How... How long have I been asleep? Unconscious?'
"Honestly, nobody thought there would be a day you wake up."
My eyes, they slowly look back up to meet her gaze.
"You're Toshino Akane, right?"
She asked.
"Yes."
I reply.
She looked down and sighed. She looked back up to me. "This year...
Is 2125.
The doctors said that you wouldn't be able to wake up for the rest of your life."
"2125.."
Hundreds of problems go back to me.
What happened to my family?
My dog?
My stuff?
My home?
My time?
My...
... Oh.
It's already been a hundred years.
I guess... She's gone.
They're all gone.
My life, my school, my dog, my...
Miyuki.
I was staring at the blanket that lay before my eyes. I was spacing out. Then... It all reacts.
Physically.
"There's no one...
Who knows me...
How am I even alive?
Why am I still alive?
This is a dream, right?
When I go back to sleep, my life will go back to normal.
I'm not in the future.
I'm just dreaming some story Miyuki wrote. A story she wrote for me.
This isn't reality.
I don't even know this girl in front of me. Please, please, please,
just get away from me.
I don't want to stay here...
I'll go to sleep and all of this will be over.
All of this...
Is just a dream.
A lucid dream."
I covered my ears. As I mutter those words.
"Akane, this is reality."
The only thing that scared me at the moment.
The girl by my side right now is someone I do not know of.
She said something.
Something I don't want to hear.
"You really... "
She's been sighing a lot since I woke up.
She looks at me again.
"I'm the one who woke you up. I made it possible for you to live normally again."
"I... I'm sorry."
The girl before me apologized.
Then she sat on the chair.
Next to my bed.
"You know... I know a lot after your accident."
She began telling me the stories that happened while I was unconscious.
"Your best friend, Miyuki, was the one who took you to the hospital."
"She reached out for your parents once. But they didn't want to pay for the hospital charges that kept you alive."
Her voice was like music to my ears even though the words that came out were unpleasant.
At first.
"The doctor mentioned to Miyuki that you...
You'll be bedridden until your last breath."
"Miyuki took care of your dog. Even though it bit her a few times. She would pay for your hospital charges too. And go to your hospital room every day at the afternoon."
"Miyuki would tell you stories about what's going on outside. Like how successful she has been after taking your advice."
My eyes widen. 'Advice..?'
"What advice was it..?"
The girl answered.
"You told her: 'Pursue your dreams.' "
She continued.
"She would tell you about the daily problems she has and solutions for them."
"On your birthday, she would bring you your favorite flowers. Purple tulips, red roses, sometimes even put orchids."
"There were times when she cried beside you as you were unconscious. The day your dog died, she told that. And apologized. That was ten years after your accident."
"And one time, when she wrote letters beside your silent body. You were breathing, nothing more."
"The letters were packed up in this drawer. There were only three."
She pulled out the drawer and there were a few old envelops in it.
"One day, she couldn't go to you anymore. After her success as a writer, writing a lot of novels, she began playing a game. It's similar to a game from an anime."
"She didn't know that she had left her world. She just knew that she couldn't come back."
Oh.
I guess... She...
I cried. What did I expect?
Of course she's gone.
I shouldn't have thought twice after hearing a hundred years.
She's been... Leaving flowers for me...
Wait.
"Here. A banquet of flowers. "
The girl gave me a banquet of flowers. Those of what she had mentioned.
"I'm giving these to you. In her stead."
Purple tulips... Red roses... Orchids.
I still remembered those days.
We found a flower book at the bookstore and decided to buy it together. We payed half the price each.
So the book was our property together.
Miyuki...
My best friend.
I took the banquet of flowers. They smelled nice.
I guess...
I'm alone in this world now.
"Thank you."
I thanked the girl. Ciest.
For telling me everything that happened while I was bedridden, unconscious.
She just walked out of the hospital room.
"Suzuki hopes you live the rest of your life in happiness. Akane-san."
And shut the door.
I didn't have the chance to ask her why she knows about all of this. Or who Suzuki is.
I was simply happy about the fact that Miyuki still stayed by my side whenever she had time.
The truth is...
I...
I wanted to tell her one day.
She was someone who was always there for me.
No, the only person who was always there for me. Whether I needed her or not.
I enjoyed her company.
That I thought it was alright that I just stayed by her side, that I'm going to be fine.
But...
I slowly realized that...
It wasn't platonic.
I really, truly.
Love her.
And...
It seems like...
I won't be fine anymore.
She's gone. And I'm still alive.
I'm not okay.
I want to see her.
I want to tell her that I love her.
'Miyuki... I love you...'
I want to be with her forever.
But.
I know.
She's not here anymore.
We won't meet again.
...
My tears.
Oh.
They won't stop falling.
They won't stay.
I'm scared.
Because I'm in the 'future'.
I'm in a time where I don't know anyone.
Don't know where I am.
I'm somewhere she isn't.
I'm going to have to look like I'm still the same middle schooler that had a best friend while I continue living in a world where I will be forever alone.
I will move forward and forget about my last memories from over a hundred years ago.
'It's a miracle.'
People will think that and find it amazing that I went back to normal after over a hundred years of coma.
But to me, it's just a curse.
I...
I'm starting to forget about her.
Her voice, her face,
...
I took the three letters with me.
I was discharged from the hospital.
The nurses and doctors congratulated me.
I just went to sit somewhere. At the bench.
I only had a T-shirt, a jacket, some pants.
At a cold day.
The letters had dates.
07/29/2031
02/14/2026
12/24/2038
---
02/14/2026
Happy Valentine's Day!
Hey, just so you know, I greeted you today because I know nobody ever gives you some chocolate. Here. I drew you some chocolate. Happy now?
That's a joke. I just want to let you know that I'm taking your advice seriously. My first ever novel got released last week and the copies sold are still few. But I found some people that started posting by the tag #PERSONALITY.
They seemed to really like the story.
I'm really happy right now so I'm sharing it to you.
I hope one day, you read this.
Your best friend, Kagamihara Miyuki.
---
07/29/2031
This time, I wrote a letter for you to greet you a happy birthday!
Happy Birthday, Akane!
You just turned twenty-two!!!
Time does run fast, huh?
Oh, I made a franchise of my novel. People are now making a huge deal about my novels!
Can you believe it? Your favorite Miyuki is finally living a successful life!
Honestly, I'm relieved today.
I was scared for a moment when I had a thought that by the time I came here today, I would see through the monitor that your heart beat will be flat out.
I'm happy you still reached to this day. I wish that a miracle will happen and you wake up one day so that we can be together again!
I brought you a banquet of flowers! Purple tulips and Red roses! Our favorite!
Did you think why I know of this?
Well, well, it's because I always see your wallpaper at the phone. And you bookmarked them at our book, remember?
I brought them instead because I know as of the moment, you can't eat cake.
If you're worried about me, I have reached the height of 178 cm!! You're proud of me, right? Right?
I've been learning how to cook too. Maybe one day, we can play like kids doing a family game! I'll make you a bento once you wake up. Because I believe in you.
Also, I hope that one day, you get to read this.
Your favorite, Kagamihara Miyuki.
---
I wasn't ready for the one she wrote for Christmas. This letter... It's got a few marks. Like droplets.
But I worked up the courage to open it.
---
12/24/2038
Merry Christmas. Akane.
It's been fifteen years after the accident. You look the same as ever. While I'm...
I'm already twenty-nine.
It's the fifteenth Christmas I've spent without you.
You know, I've been growing old.
My novels, they are already known world-wide. They're even getting animes now.
When I look back and try to remember the times we spent when you were living healthy, I feel loneliness. Of course, I do remember those.
I remember everything.
The book of flowers, that one time we went to the fireworks festival, that day you forgot my birthday. I really sulked that day.
Akane, I want to tell you.
I've been hoping that you wake up, every day.
Wishing for it every occasion.
My only wish was that I get to see you alive and good.
But, I guess wishes aren't enough.
I'm about to tell you the truth.
I,
I miss you.
Whenever I go home these days after a visit for you, I just go straight to bed and cry.
I have family, coworkers, supporters,
everything, everyone around me.
But in the end, you're still the one I'm waiting for.
I really hope that you'll wake up and I can still meet you. Because you're my precious person.
Akane, there were times I even wished I was the one who got hit instead of you.
I wish you could continue life without worrying about me.
Akane.
I'm sorry.
I'm truly sorry.
Because we're supposed to be best friends.
I...
I left you a banquet of flowers. It has Purple tulips, Red roses, and I added another.
Red Orchids.
I don't know if you like it or not but I hope you don't hate it.
Merry Christmas, Akane.
I'm sorry if I don't mean it as friends.
Because,
I miss you.
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you.
One single thing.
I love you. Akane.
Your beloved best friend, Kagamihara Miyuki.
---
The end.
I cried.
On the bench.
I'm all alone. In this cold place.
After a hundred years, after she's gone, the truth is, I still love her.
"I miss you too... I'm sorry I couldn't..."
The truth is, I regret one thing.
I wish I didn't get hit. So that I could tell her that I love her.
For a moment, I felt a presence beside me. But nobody was there.
...
"I hope... We can be together once I'm gone from this world too."
I tell myself.
If Miyuki is listening, I hope she understands what I'm saying.
Because,
I can't bear the thought of loving you when you've waited so long for me.
I can't bear the thought
Of
Loving you.
When you've left me after staying with me this whole time.
Fin.