It was hot. And frantic.

I ran for the first time in a long time toward the university gate. On the other side of the gate, the road heated by the sun was shimmering with a shimmering flame. I knew that running in such temperatures would make me sweat and look sloppy, but I didn't care.
I run to the far stop instead of the usual stop in front of the university. I couldn't wait thirty minutes. It would be much faster to run to the other stop.

I boarded the bus, and while I was waiting for the bus to arrive at the station, I was replaying my memory.
The day I met him.
The day I went to the tennis court with him.
The day I brought flowers to the rose garden.
The day I modeled for the art club.
The day I told him I had a double identity.
The day I visited the student council.
The day I went around the festival with him.
The day I took him to my house.
The day I went to the aquarium with him.
The day Shirana confessed her feelings to him.
The day we had a year-end party together.
The day I went to his house for New Year's.
The day my father died.
The day I remembered everything.
The day I lost him.
The day I fell in love with him again.
The day I smiled at the gymnastics festival with him.
The day I lost him again.
The day I saw him not moving a muscle.

Ever since then you've been stuck in me.
In the rocking bus, in the rocking train, I replayed the memory of him over and over again.
You have always been a light to me. You never disliked me for my problems, you always made me feel warm and fuzzy with your funny jokes. I forgot all those days once, but I will never forget you again.
I'll never forget you again.
So-- so wherever you are, don't forget me. I won't forget you.





As I pass through the ticket gate, I see a big hospital.
For the first time in my life, I ran a red light. I couldn't wait and no cars were coming, so I did it.
I have been to the hospital so many times that the receptionist is now an acquaintance. So as soon as I passed through the automatic door, the receptionist rushed to me. Forgetting the coolness of the air-conditioning, I opened my mouth as if to twist it, my breath still ragged.

Excuse me, I need a visitor's pass...''
'Mr. Nichiwa, it's all right. The receptionist is already here.
''What?''
Mr. Ugin took care of it for me. Please put it around your neck.

Maybe I can't represent you. You need to show your ID and get prior approval from a relative.
So I realized this was a special case. Ugin and the nurse.

Thank you very much.

I left the word and headed for the elevator.
Without hesitation, I pressed the button for the 8th floor, and gravity suddenly took hold of my legs. The force of the slow ascent was felt by me. The numbers were shifting, lighting up one by one to the right.
2,3,4,5,6.......
A woman announces the eighth floor, and the door opens.
I step out into the white corridor, turn right, and walk straight ahead.
812,813,814.......
The numbers of the rooms are flowing. As I approached room 820, my heartbeat grew painfully strong. As I walked, I tried to control my breathing and fix my messy hair with my hand, taking care of my appearance.

Room 820.

I finally arrived at the hospital room I had visited so many times.
I exhaled heavily and knocked on the door. Please come in," I heard Ugin-chan's voice sounding cloudy.
I sanitized my hands and put my hand on the door. It slid slowly open, and I peeked inside with trepidation.
I see his father, his mother, and his sister. And the bed.

'Oh, it's been a long time. Is the earth alright?

Oh, it's comet ....... It's the comet I know.
I held my mouth and burst into unbelievably big tears. My distorted face was so terrible that it was not an expression I could ever show to others. So I covered my face with my hands and cowered there. The sound was so full of my sobs that I couldn't hear anything, but I could feel that he was near me.
My hands were wet with tears, like on a rainy day. My sleeves and thighs were wet, and I felt really shabby. But at this time, I couldn't keep being me. Because you know what? I was reunited with the love of my life. No one can hold themselves together. I couldn't.
And so his story and mine began again.





A few days later.
I was given the chance to see him again after his physical exam and brain scan.
It was his day to go to college, but it didn't matter. I didn't care about anything else as long as I could talk to him. Yeah, I'm going to sound crazy.
He was practicing walking in the rehab room. I was sorry to see him struggling to walk, holding on to a stick with both hands while being assisted, but it was funny. I watched him from afar and waited quietly for him to finish.



'He seems to be all right.
'Yes. That's good.

We sat next to each other in the break room in front of the vending machine. It was hard for me to look at his skinny arms. Perhaps realizing this, he started talking in a cheerful voice.



'Apparently there hasn't been a world war yet.'
'Idiot.'

Oh, I can't find the words. I don't know what to say.

'...... three years. It's really been three years. When I woke up, there was a nurse. She looked at me with her eyes wide open like a chihuahua and screamed in surprise, and I screamed too. Crikey! And gah! And then... After that, I was bombarded with questions about who I was and where I lived. Well, the one that surprised me the most was Ugin. I was scared because that high school girl who was still a freshman turned into a college girl in an instant, and she called me "big brother. You're going to be called 'bro' by someone older than you!
'You're an adult now.'
That scared me, too. I was ready to drink after a night's sleep. I don't know what's going on anymore. ......'

He gently patted the watch I had given him,

'......Thank you, Alina. I heard you came to visit me?
'Yes. I know I'm not as good as your family, but I've come to see you many times.''
'Really? You haven't changed since high school, have you? You're still pretty seductive.
'It's for your own good.'
'Excuse me?'
'You won't know who I am, will you? I wanted to be me when you went to sleep so that you could wake up whenever you wanted. That's why you're so guilty. You took a girl's freedom.
'Sorry ......'
'Okay. I forgive you.'

He's next to me. That's all I need.
That's all I need.


Three years was a blink of an eye.
I think the last thing I remember before I woke up was going home to drink tomato juice and reaching for the refrigerator. My memory of that day is a little hazy, to be honest.
The doctor told me that I had suffered brain damage from ischemia and had been in a coma for three years. The cause of my coma was unknown, but if I had to guess, I would say that I drank too much tomato juice. I hate to admit it. It might have been my constitution, or it might have been caused by a coincidence, but the truth remains a mystery.
The more I learned about the situation, the more worried I became. I didn't graduate from high school, I just grew up as a kid. I sat alone in the darkened hospital room and thought about the future.
I was really inconvenienced, especially by my family. I have put them through a lot of worry, not to mention the hospital expenses.
It was Alina who gave me light in such anxious days.
I was shocked and sorry that she had waited for me for three years. She was eager to accompany me to rehab and tell me what had changed in three years and how her friends were doing.
As I did so, I felt a strange tugging at my heart.

'Did you remember everything ......?
'Yes. I remember all the times I abused you, and all the confessions I made to you. But I only remembered it last year. It's taken you and me a long time.
'I see. ......'
'Are you happy? Glad you remembered?
'Hey, your face is so close, so close. Your personality has changed.
'It's okay to be a little bit.'
'Let's not do it on a park bench.'
'Well, where would you like to go?'

What has the world taught her in three years? Who would have wanted Alina Nippa to be this aggressive? Me. Or rather, the whole world. There's so much demand. Please give us more of this super pretty girl stuff.

I'm going to celebrate your release from the hospital.
'That would be great.
'I'll call my high school classmates. There are a lot of people who would love to meet you.'
'High school days... ...... I see, everyone has already graduated. I feel like I'm being left behind.
'Stop worrying about it. They want to hear your crazy jokes, okay? If you're reluctant, you'll ruin it.'
'You're talking nonsense. Now that you've regained your memory of the time of the poisonous rose, why don't you show us your tongue, too? People will miss it.
'Shut up, you piece of trash. All you have to do is look at me.
'Yandere!