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Chapter 91: The Universal Cure
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 01:05:13 +0000 UTCMinami had actually anticipated the possibility of his voice being recognized.
After all, in the simulation, Chisato Nishikigi had already demonstrated her keen perception.
He had deliberately altered his tone to avoid detection.
Yet even so, his little tricks were still no match for the sharp intuition of Miss Nishikigi.
"It's me, Miss Nishikigi."
Since he had already been exposed, there was no need to keep up the act.
Hiding and pretending would only arouse more suspicion, and besides, Minami was never fond of concealing his identity.
"I knew it!"
On the other end of the phone, Chisato Nishikigi sounded unusually excited.
"I knew it! Your voice really does sound just like his!"
She wanted to keep talking,
But Minami smiled and interrupted her—
"Let's put that aside for now. Listen to me, Chisato-san."
Chisato immediately quieted down,
Tilting her head attentively—
Looking a little adorable.
"I wasn't joking about treating your heart condition—"
"I actually have a way."
Minami spoke calmly.
Redeeming the universal cure wasn't an issue—
900 affection points were valuable,
But they weren't worth more than a human life.
However, before he went through with it—
He had to confirm one thing.
Would Chisato actually believe him?
If he exchanged the universal cure,
Only for her to doubt it,
And throw it away without using it—
That would be a complete waste of his 900 affection points.
But from Chisato's perspective,
She had already been given a death sentence by her doctors.
She had been told her congenital heart disease was untreatable.
Asking her to believe that there was some miraculous cure...
Wouldn't that be even harder?
So, before anything else—
Minami knew he had to ask.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke—
"Do you trust me, Chisato-san?"
"Mhm! Of course I do!"
"…Huh?!"
Hearing her immediate response,
Without even a second of hesitation,
Minami was genuinely taken aback.
Her answer was so quick—
That all the carefully prepared arguments Minami had come up with...
Were completely useless.
He had at least 500-600 words ready to convince her—
But now none of them were needed.
"Are you serious, Chisato-san?"
Just to be sure, Minami asked again.
"Of course I'm serious! I don't get why you'd think I was joking, Minami!"
Minami fell silent.
He shook his head, then spoke again—
"That's not what I meant. But you do realize—"
"You'd have to take some suspicious-looking, unbranded pill right in front of me, right?"
"You'd really be okay with that?"
"Of course!"
Chisato didn't hesitate at all.
Her voice was still cheerful—
Like she had completely ignored the red flags in his words.
"Even if it's some shady black-market pill, I'd still take it."
"…Is that so?"
Her decisiveness made Minami pause.
"You're not even a little suspicious?"
"Any normal person would be extremely wary after hearing what I just said."
"Why should I doubt you, Minami?"
Chisato smiled softly,
Turned off speakerphone,
And held the phone directly to her ear.
Then, in a voice so soft it felt like a whisper,
She gently spoke into Minami's ear—
"I've never liked doubting people's kindness."
"I think… instead of assuming the worst—"
"It's better to be grateful first."
"So—"
"Rather than doubting, I'd rather thank you, Minami."
"Chisato."
Takina Inoue couldn't help speaking up.
But Chisato just smiled and shook her head.
"I know, Takina. But really—"
"Things can't get any worse, right?"
"Even if I'm destined to die in a hospital bed—"
"I'd rather struggle while I can still move."
She turned to Takina,
Her bright eyes filled with warmth.
"I don't know why Minami is willing to help me so much—"
"But I trust him completely."
"To put it simply—"
Chisato took a deep breath,
Looked up at the ceiling,
And spoke in a tone that was both a whisper and a declaration—
"I don't want to die."
The room fell silent.
Because they all understood.
Their words were just opinions.
But Chisato's life—
Should be her choice.
Would she let herself wither away?
Or would she struggle until the very end?
That was her decision.
And they had to respect it.
So—
"I'm counting on you, Minami!"
Chisato cheerfully stated her resolve.
Then, as if realizing something—
Her voice suddenly became hesitant.
"Have we met before?"
"Huh?"
"Outside of that open-air performance, I mean. I feel like we must have, but I just forgot."
Chisato Nishikigi—always the type to blurt out whatever was on her mind—
Asked without a hint of hesitation.
"I don't know how you learned about my condition, Minami-kun, or why you chose to help me…"
"But I get the feeling that… it must have been really hard for you."
That's right.
She had no idea what methods Minami had used.
But to remember the habits and preferences of everyone at Riko-Riko—
That wasn't something a person could just pick up overnight.
And for some reason—
Whenever she spoke to Minami,
She had this strange but undeniable feeling—
Like she had known him for a very, very long time.
They had met, spent time together…
But at some point, she had left him behind,
To suffer alone.
It was probably just an illusion.
But Chisato, always confident in her intuition,
Decided to trust it anyway.
On the other end of the line,
Minami's grip on his phone tightened slightly.
He thought of the two times he had failed to save her.
That golden-haired girl who had crashed into his life during an open-air performance—
Only to vanish from it just as suddenly.
That same golden-haired girl,
Who worked tirelessly at Riko-Riko for the orphanage,
Fell sick—
And fought desperately to stay alive.
The girl who had loved him the most.
Twice.
He had two chances.
And twice, he had failed.
All he could do was watch helplessly—
As the light of her life faded away.
Even if it was only a simulation—
The regret and anguish he had felt were real.
And now, hearing this version of Chisato—
Still alive, still vibrant—
Ask him such a casual yet hauntingly familiar question…
Minami felt something stir inside him.
But he shook it off and smiled.
"No, outside of that open-air performance, I don't think we've met before, Chisato-san."
He could've told her everything.
He could've spun a tale—
One that would instantly deepen her trust in him.
But that would have been a lie.
[You have acquired the "Sincerity" trait. Your current Sincerity level: LV1.]
"Huh?"
Minami froze.
For the first time,
He seriously wondered if this dating sim system was broken.
How exactly was "Sincerity" supposed to coexist with his "Deception" trait?!
He had no words for this absurdity.
"I see…"
On the other end,
Chisato listened to his answer without pressing further—
But that doubt never left her mind.
She felt he was hiding something.
But she didn't push.
"Then let's meet tomorrow, around 9 AM, at Riko-Riko. Sound good?"
"Sounds great! I'm free 24/7, you know~!"
"Glad to hear you're still full of energy. See you tomorrow, then, Chisato-san."
Minami chuckled at her ever-cheerful response.
"Ehhh? That's disappointing~! You can just call me Chisato, you know. I was hoping we could get a little closer!"
"How about I call you 'Minami-kun' instead?"
"I'm hanging up now. We'll talk tomorrow."
"Ah, got it, got it! Bye-bye~ See you tomorrow, Minami-kun! I'm counting on you!"
Chisato dragged out her farewell in an adorable sing-song tone—
But Minami had already ended the call.
He glanced at the time.
10 PM.
A bit too late to study now.
As for simulating…
Until he secured a solution for Chisato's heart,
Every future simulation would only end in regret.
In other words—
"Might as well just sleep."
He had an early morning jog to get to.
Might as well rest up now.
With that,
Minami switched off the lights,
Plugged in his phone,
And curled up under his blanket.
His sleep quality was excellent—
He had no trouble falling asleep.
Before long,
His soft, even breathing filled the quiet room.
Compared to Minami's peaceful night,
The atmosphere at Riko-Riko Café was anything but.
Everyone had agreed to respect Chisato's choice.
But that didn't mean they weren't worried.
Minami's appearance brought a sliver of hope—
One so faint, it was almost invisible.
But if it all ended in failure…
That crushing disappointment—
That hope-turned-despair—
Would be something only Chisato herself could bear.
That fear kept everyone awake.
That night,
No one at Riko-Riko slept.
The Next Morning—
As usual,
Minami woke up early for his morning jog.
[Your Physical Ability has slightly increased. Your Exercise Value has risen. Current Exercise Value: 7.]
There was no change in his Exercise Value.
But this daily improvement—
This steady progress—
Was still a great feeling.
After returning home,
He washed up, threw on a random outfit,
And headed straight out toward Riko-Riko.
The café was exactly as he had left it yesterday.
Few customers.
The place was empty.
And yet—
"This is…"
Minami glanced inside the café.
Apart from Mika, the manager, who seemed busy with something—
Everyone from Riko-Riko was already there.
Chisato Nishikigi, as carefree as ever,
Was the only one without a trace of anxiety on her face.
The others, however—
Looked incredibly tense.
"Ah! Minami-kun! You're here!"
As soon as Chisato spotted Minami,
She skipped over to him, humming a little tune.
"Hehe, welcome to Riko-Riko~!"
"Yeah. I'm here, Chisato-san."
"Geez... I told you just to call me Chisato—"
"Let's put that aside for now. We have more important things to discuss."
Minami ignored her obvious attempt at getting closer to him.
"Eh...? Minami-kun, you're so cold..."
Chisato pouted adorably, full of energy as usual,
But Minami had already moved on.
With a calm, decisive motion,
He reached into his pocket.
At the same time,
He opened the shop interface.
[Would you like to exchange for "Universal Healing Pill"?]
[Yes!]
[Remaining Affection Points: 330]
As soon as he felt the small, solid object in his hand—
Minami pulled it out.
Under the café's warm lighting,
Everyone finally saw it clearly.
In Minami's palm lay a single capsule,
Sealed inside a blister pack,
Filled with tiny blue granules.
"That's it?"
Everyone—except for Chisato—
Felt an overwhelming wave of disappointment.
They had expected something more.
Maybe a specialized liquid formula.
Maybe some kind of certification from a prestigious medical school.
But this?
He just took out a sketchy-looking pill—
Like it was the miracle cure from some video game or fantasy novel?
A single pill?
To cure a congenital heart condition Chisato had been suffering from for 17 years?
Even fiction wasn't this ridiculous.
"Excuse me... How many doses does she need to take?"
Mizuki Nakahara—the first one Minami had convinced to trust him—
Raised her hand hesitantly.
She still wanted to believe.
She wanted to hope.
Maybe it was a multi-dose treatment?
Maybe several courses would gradually improve Chisato's condition?
But—
Minami's next words
Shattered what little hope she had left.
Minami shook his head.
With a calm, steady voice,
He answered.
"There is no multi-dose treatment."
"Just this one pill."
"You've got to be kidding me—"
This time,
No one could hold back their reactions.
Everyone froze,
Staring at Minami in disbelief.
Even those who wanted to trust him,
Felt their hearts sink.
Every capsule-based treatment required at least a few doses.
But one single pill?
Was he seriously treating this like a video game health potion?
Or some magical elixir that fully restores HP in one go?
"Minami-san..."
A voice, quiet but trembling,
Finally broke the silence.
Inoue Takina.
Of all the people in the room,
She was the closest to Chisato.
She took a deep breath,
Then spoke.
"I respect you. I admire your music."
"But—"
She wasn't accusing him.
She wasn't angry.
But her voice shook—
With emotion barely held together.
"Do you understand how much courage it took for Chisato to stand here today?"
"She placed absolute trust in you."
"And yet—"
"You expect us to believe that one pill can cure a disease that has tormented her for 17 years?"
"This... This is just too..."
Her voice broke.
She couldn't finish.
That feeling—
The feeling of hoping too much,
Only to have that hope crushed—
Was something no words could describe.
Would you trust him?
Would you place everything—
Your entire life—
On a single, mysterious capsule?
"Just One Pill?"
Only those who have personally experienced it—
Could truly understand.
But at that moment, Minami ignored Takina Inoue's trembling voice.
He only looked seriously at Chisato Nishikigi—
And asked:
"Chisato-san, will you take it?"
"Or not?"
Yes.
Would she take it?
Or not?
She had to give an answer.
And just as Minami voiced the question—
Chisato moved.
She walked up to Minami,
Then spoke.
"Minami-kun, I told you yesterday, didn't I?"
"I'm entrusting this to you."
Unlike everyone else, whose faces were filled with doubt and anxiety—
Chisato looked up at Minami with a bright, determined expression.
"I meant every word."
She took the capsule from Minami's hand
Without a second of hesitation.
Then—
She swiftly unwrapped it from its blister pack—
And swallowed it.
Without water.
Without hesitation.
As if—
She had never doubted Minami for even a second.
Just as Minami had walked into this café,
Facing skeptical stares from everyone—
Chisato believed in the feeling inside her heart.
She believed.
That Minami wasn't the type of person—
Who would joke about her life-threatening illness.
He had laid out his sincerity.
And she, in turn—
Would respond with trust.
Gulp.
Her throat moved.
The capsule was gone.
By the time everyone reacted—
Chisato had already swallowed it.
She had chosen to believe in him.
