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Chapter 81. You begin living together
🕑 Added 2025-02-08 09:32:39 +0000 UTCA week quickly passed.
But she did not die as the doctors had expected. Instead, she fought on, surviving with great difficulty.
Even the doctors at the hospital were amazed — they saw it as a miracle of life.
Her strong will to live made you turn back, unable to bear it.
Because you understood, continuing like this was only torturing this cheerful, passionate girl.
Gradually, she could no longer eat, no longer full of energy like before.
The doctors inserted a catheter into her because she could no longer move, and her once fair and cute hand now had an IV.
You clearly remembered her saying she was afraid of injections, afraid of the feeling of foreign objects entering her body.
Every time the needle had to be changed, hearing her weak cries of 'Minami-kun,' you would always turn your face away.
You felt like your heart was breaking, but at this moment, you had no choice but to keep going.
Inoue Takina couldn't come to the hospital, because every time she visited the room, she would faint from the overwhelming sadness and heartache.
Only you remained, day after day, sticking by her side.
Gradually, she could no longer speak. Her breathing was getting longer each day — the time she inhaled was long, but exhaling was short. Yet, she was still fighting for life.
She had kept the promise she once made to you — even if she ended up lying on a hospital bed, decaying, she would struggle with all her might.
Even the doctors who came daily to check on her were moved by her unyielding will to live.
The nurses, when changing her needle, would secretly wipe away their tears.
They all knew that the treatment had already reached its limit and that they were just prolonging her life in vain.
For anyone, this was no longer treatment; it was simply torment.
The doctor came to you specifically and asked if you were willing to remove her oxygen mask and IV to end her suffering.
You didn't answer, only going to her bedside and asking her softly.
By now, she didn't have the strength to shake her head or nod. She could only open her eyes weakly, her dim red eyes looking at you.
You understood what she was trying to convey in her gaze and kept your voice calm, instructing the doctor to continue the treatment.
That cheerful, optimistic her, right until the last moment of her life, never gave up.
Just like she always said — life was the most important!
But someone as weak as her had no strength to speak, not even the strength to open her eyes.
When you realized that, it was actually the moment her life was nearing its end.
[On the hospital bed, her eyes were tightly closed, unable to speak. Only the long, labored breaths could be heard, with no exhale for a long time.]
[There was no revival, no final farewell words like in the comics.]
[Her struggling life has come to an end.]
[She lies there, no longer able to smile, to cry, to eat, or to speak.]
[Her flower, truly, has withered.]
[You have lost someone who would always love you.]
[You have lost the person you would always love.]
[At the funeral, according to her wishes, you played the last audio recording she made while alive.]
[Her cheerful voice, once again, echoed under the snowflakes in the sky.]
The memory scene in the simulation was of heavy, white snow.
Everything seemed to be submerged in white snow.
The only thing that wasn't covered by the snow was her cheerful, passionate, and happy voice from the audio.
"Hello? Anyone there? Let me out! I'm not dead!"
Bang bang bang (Simulating the sound of knocking from inside the urn.)
"Hey, hurry up and let me out! Minami-kun, can you really bear to put the adorable Chisato-sama into such a small urn? Get me a bigger one! One that can fit both of us together, a luxurious one!"
In the audio, Chisato was making a pitiable 'woo woo' sound.
When his name was called, Minami just gave a helpless smile, as if seeing her in person.
He didn't know what was in the recording, but he didn't expect her to still be so naive and lively at the final farewell, bringing smiles to others.
"Wait! Chisato-sama heard that! Who was that again? Takina! You're crying way too loudly, huh? Really, stop crying—if you keep doing that, I'll punish you! I'll come to your dreams every night! Hehe."
Chisato's voice was filled with disdain.
Inoue Takina, who had been crying, let out a small laugh after hearing her infectiously energetic voice.
"By the way, Mizuki-nee and Mika-chan, you two really are something, staying up late, smoking, and drinking again—it's such an occasion, at least take care of your health. Don't always make Chisato-sama worry, got it?"
The scolding voice came from the audio.
Mika, the manager of Riko-Riko, and Nakahara Mizuki, the server beside her, both subconsciously glanced at each other when they heard this.
They realized that the other seemed to be sleep-deprived as well, both with dark circles under their eyes, and shared a helpless smile.
She guessed it correctly.
"Kurumi, don't you think Chisato-sama didn't mention you? Don't forget, bring any fun games to honor me first, the deceased comes first, understand?"
"....."
Kurumi, the seasoned internet user, said nothing, just staring at the board game Chisato used to love, lost in thought.
Clap clap!
A crisp clapping sound came from the audio.
It drew everyone's attention.
"Alright—don't be sad, Chisato-sama hasn't gone anywhere, she's still with you. You don't really think this little urn can trap Chisato-sama, do you? Hmph."
"Let's go, let's go. Chisato-sama is going to another place to be cute, not caring about you crybabies."
The hurried sound of footsteps.
But soon, the footsteps stopped.
It seemed that Chisato had returned.
"Well... forget it, let me say one last thing to you."
In the audio, her voice was still playful and cheerful.
But—
"I love you all."
"Really!"
"Goodbye—please don't come looking for me too soon!"
The voice trailed off.
And then it disappeared.
Everyone at the scene huddled together.
Some were helpless about how she was still joking at the moment of farewell, while others marveled at her humor and optimism.
At this moment, Minami, holding on, looked up.
The heavy snow continued to fall.
It seemed to be turning everything white.
In the sky filled with falling snowflakes.
Minami seemed to see it.
That cheerful and sunny girl, her hands behind her back, flashing him a bright smile.
And the snow kept falling.
[In this snow-covered funeral, she peacefully returns to the earth.]
[She will never wake up again.]
[Realizing this, while hosting guests at the funeral, Inoue Takina couldn't stop the tears from the corners of her eyes.]
[At the same time, the black-haired girl also noticed.]
[Your expression remained as calm as ever, even chatting and laughing with the guests.]
[Your indifference, almost to the point of being unconcerned, made her unhappy.]
[You see, the person Chisato loved most in her life was you, and yet you completely failed to meet her expectations.]
[Even though Chisato has passed away, Inoue Takina never saw a single tear fall from you.]
[Inoue Takina didn't understand, she thought your heart was made of steel. For Chisato's death, you seemed completely unaffected.]
[After barely finishing her duties as a host, she quietly followed your figure as you headed to your personal rest room.]
[Reaching the door, she had originally planned to vent her emotions about your lack of feelings for Chisato's death.]
[But the moment her fingers touched the doorknob, she froze.]
[Because she clearly heard, coming from behind the door, your long, continuous sighs.]
[She fell silent.]
[At that moment, she realized that you were the person Chisato loved most, but at the same time, Chisato was the person you loved most.]
[The woman you loved most had passed away; how could you appear so strong on the outside?]
[Not showing any emotional fluctuation in front of others was the dignity you preserved for Chisato.]
[Listening to your sighs, Inoue Takina's earlier feelings of blame disappeared, replaced by deep concern.]
[After hesitating for a long time, she finally pushed open the door to enter and talk with you, comforting each other.]
[Her bond with Chisato was deeper than that of sisters, and as the person Chisato loved most, it was natural for her to take care of you, who were now in a deep state of despair.]
[You did not refuse the kindness of the black-haired, beautiful girl with a graceful demeanor.]
[Because you knew, the more difficult the time, the more you couldn't stay alone. Keeping your emotions bottled up would only lead to overthinking and adding to your sorrow.]
[Inoue Takina, as Chisato's closest sister, was usually very serious, and you worried she might do something foolish where you couldn't see it.]
[The funeral lasted two days, and on the final day, 'Riko-Riko' resumed operations.]
[For this, the manager, Mika, specifically found you to have a conversation.]
[His meaning was actually very simple.]
[Now that Chisato was gone, and you had been working for her, you could now put down 'Riko-Riko' duty and pursue the life you wanted.]
[He didn't want you to stay shackled by Chisato's influence and remain in 'Riko-Riko,' which had no promising future.]
[You took the manager's advice and worries seriously and gave a thoughtful answer.]
[Perhaps at the beginning, you came to 'Riko-Riko' because of Chisato, but now it was completely different.]
[After working here for a long time, you had long since made 'Riko-Riko' your second home.]
[Now, you weren't staying here for Chisato; you chose to stay because of your own will, to continue working here.]
[Your seriousness and responsibility moved Mika, and he bowed to express his gratitude. Without you, the business of 'Riko-Riko' would likely have plummeted.]
[Days continued.]
[While working at 'Riko-Riko,' you noticed that recently, Inoue Takina had been glancing at you more frequently, even bringing you coffee and massaging your shoulders during your breaks.]
[Her proactive contact made you quite concerned. But whenever you tried to ask her directly about it, she would always brush it off with excuses like 'just caring for a colleague.']
[You felt helpless about this, so you decided to help her out when she was busy, and occasionally chat with her during your free time.]
[After all, you had promised Chisato to take good care of Inoue Takina.]
[Your relationship with Inoue Takina deepened.]
"???" Minami.
This is strange.
In this timeline, Chisato had already passed away, but the simulation hadn't ended.
"Does that mean there's more development to come?"
Staring at Inoue Takina's name, Minami muttered to himself.
[Days passed. As you interacted more with her, Inoue Takina gradually got to know you.]
[You were always serious at work, showing no signs of relaxation, treating everyone with brightness and enthusiasm.]
[Slowly, she began to be drawn to you.]
[She also noticed that every time Chisato was mentioned, your usually calm and handsome face would reveal an unmistakable trace of sadness and reminiscence.]
[She knew, perhaps you hadn't fully moved on from the shadow of Chisato's death.]
[Thinking this, she finally asked the manager if she could live with you in the same dormitory and take care of your daily needs temporarily.]
[In fact, this idea matched the manager's thoughts.]
[Your work attitude was impeccable, but if someone always kept themselves tightly wound, they would eventually collapse.]
[They had already considered you family, and having Inoue Takina look after you seemed like a good plan.]
[Facing their well-intentioned arrangement, you didn't refuse, because you had also realized that your condition had been off lately.]
[Maybe letting someone take care of you was indeed a good choice.]
[You moved in with Inoue Takina.]
"Ah???"
No way.
Looking at this line, Minami was stunned for a long while.
Living together?
With Inoue Takina?
Me?
Are you serious?
No wonder the simulation hasn't ended yet.
The subsequent plot must be here.
As for the matter of Inoue Takina willing to live together with him, it didn't actually come as a surprise to Minami.
After all, as mentioned before, everyone at 'Riko-Riko' had already regarded him as an irreplaceable family member.
It was only natural for her to take time to care for this family member.
However... living together...
Minami continued reading.
