Early morning. Yoho Rain Hospital.
"How did the show end up going?"
"Complete chaos — Sis never even made it on stage. But I heard they got things back under control eventually."
"Hahaha — does that mean I pulled off one absolutely massive prank? Did I at least get a laugh out of you?"
"Absolutely not. It was terrible. And stop talking, or you'll start feeling sick again."
The hospital bed was not the least bit soft. Chiose felt like she was lying in a coffin — the open, lid-less kind, cold and draughty.
Taki still had tear tracks on her face, which was adorable. She was clumsily peeling an apple for Chiose.
"I don't want an apple!"
"Too bad. It's healthy, and you are going to eat it!"
"Waaah, little Taki is bullying me, waaah — I'm a patient and you're still bullying me!"
"Honestly, I don't know what to do with you. Let me go get you something else… Pineapple? Or grapes?" Taki set down the apple and tugged the blanket back into place over Chiose, who had kicked it into a mess.
"Pfft. Little small-fry, tiny small-fry Taki… How long has it been since I called you that?"
Chiose caught the hem of Taki's skirt and held on, keeping her from leaving.
This dummy really does care so much about me, she thought. She hadn't even had time to change out of her performance costume.
She must have been keeping watch since last night.
"You were still calling me that right before you went on stage, you dope. Now lie still and rest properly."
"Okay."
"…Okay?" Taki froze. She had never once imagined that Yoshiiro Chiose would be this obedient.
She was actually going to lie down and cooperate?
Was this real?
"It's real. I'm being very cooperative right now… Shiina Taki."
"Huh? Why are you calling me by my full name all of a sudden?"
The smile had already faded from Chiose's face. Through the open window, the scorching summer wind swept in and lifted Yoshiiro Chiose's hair in long, loose strands.
"The medical report came back. Didn't it."
Taki's heart skipped a beat. She felt as though she might stop breathing in this atmosphere.
"Yes."
"What does it say? Just tell me straight… I've had a feeling for a while."
"It's a strange illness — no prior cases on record, so the doctors don't know how to treat it yet. But Chiose, don't worry! I asked around, and it's not a big deal."
"Is that so."
"It… should be."
"You don't even sound sure yourself."
"…"
Laughter and warmth — they were like a dream. And the silence after a dream ends is the only thing that was ever real.
Chiose struggled to sit up in bed. She reached out and took Shiina Taki's pale hand in hers.
"I'd been feeling off for a while, honestly. Just never got around to a full check-up. Cough, cough. But it really isn't a big deal — even though the doctor said he'd never seen this illness before, what he actually meant is that it's just a sequela from some new strain of flu!"
"Taki! Stop overthinking things! We still have that trip to go on, don't we."
Chiose laughed again, her clear, bell-like laughter washing over Shiina Taki.
"That's right. We're going travelling together."
"But don't we have another whole month of school before break starts? What do we do about that?"
Shiina Taki was silent for a moment, gazing out at the lazy clouds drifting across the sky beyond the window.
Then she steeled herself, made up her mind, and said:
"Then forget school!"
Go to school? Forget it — that doesn't matter!
"I cannot wait another second to go travelling with Yoshiiro Chiose. Come on — the moment Chiose is better, we are walking straight out of this hospital!"
Pfft…
"Hahahahaha — Taki, you are — you are so impatient!"
Chiose laughed as loudly as she could manage, hoping it would put Shiina Taki's heart a little more at ease.
"Let's go! I have a feeling we'll be travelling together in just a couple of days!"
Let's have one good, carefree adventure before returning to reality. Thank you, Shiina Taki.
Discharge from the hospital came faster than expected.
What left the deepest impression on Shiina Taki was the golden eyes of the attending physician who signed off on Chiose's discharge.
There was no emotion in them whatsoever. Like an artificial intelligence.
"Whatcha staring at, little small-fry Taki?"
The white-haired, crimson-eyed girl in a swimsuit came bounding out of nowhere and threw her arms around Shiina Taki.
Her voice was soft and coaxing — she was practically purring.
The weather was lovely today, warm enough that the girls felt perfectly comfortable outside.
"I was thinking about that performance. Chiose was so incredible up there — it was love at first sight."
"Oh? You naughty little Shiina Taki — stealing my line! I'm going to get you back for that!"
Chiose grabbed Taki by the hand and dragged her out into the surf.
This stretch of beach had been found by Taki's parents. When faced with their daughter's request for a whole month off school, they had — somewhat remarkably — offered not a word of objection, but enthusiastic support instead.
On an entirely empty beach, there were only two girls, wrapped up in each other and the world around them.
The seawater rose past their calves. Taki had no idea what Chiose was planning, but she went along with it wholeheartedly.
"Ha! Let's see you try to get out of this — I'm going to soak you to the bone!"
Yoshiiro Chiose laughed and made a mess of things, and together she and Taki toppled into the sea.
In the spray of scattered water, Taki felt the gentle sunlight soothing away her restless anxiety.
"Pfhah… cough cough cough."
Taki scooped Chiose up out of the water and waded to shore. The dummy in her arms had actually managed to choke on seawater — honestly, dumb as a little piglet.
"You used to be so sharp, Chiose. How have you been getting more and more hopeless lately?"
"What do you know? I'm not being hopeless, I'm just…" Chiose's voice grew quieter and quieter, until the last trailing syllable was barely louder than the hum of a mosquito.
"What?"
Taki leaned in close to hear.
Chiose, watching the girl's face draw nearer and nearer, didn't hesitate — and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
"I just wanted to get a little closer to Taki… I made your dream come true — you're basically a big star now, aren't you? So can Taki make my dream come true?"
"!!!"
Taki didn't even have time to turn red. She answered in a flustered, stumbling rush:
"I — I will. What is your dream, Chiose?"
"My dream is for Taki to always stay by my side… Can you do that? After my parents passed away, Taki is the only person who's ever watched a movie with me."
"…"
The weather was so beautiful today. So why did the air feel so impossibly heavy?
Taki laid Chiose's head in her lap. She stroked the white-haired girl's hair and spoke as gently as she possibly could.
"Of course. I'll always be with you, Chiose. Tomorrow we need to go back to the hospital to have your dressing changed — the nurse made a special point of reminding us."
"Oh, right," said Chiose, gazing up at the sky, the upper edge of her view half-hidden by Taki's figure above her. She couldn't make out the clouds in full. "But it feels like we just got out… and we have to go back already."
"We do. We'll go back, they'll observe you for a few more days, and then we can carry on with our— Chiose? Are you listening? Hey? Did you fall asleep? Chiose! Chiose!"
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