[Under Hiroi Kikuri's persistent nagging.]
[You and Toru exchanged contact information. Through his social account, you learned some things about him…]
[Hiroi Kikuri hoped that Toru could become your friend.]
[Of course, this was only her wishful thinking.]
[There was no overlap between Toru's daily life and yours. You did not attend the same school, and you shared no common hobbies… Piano might count as one? But overall, your points of contact were still far too few.]
[Because death did not feel far away, you did not really dare to make friends.]
[Rather than letting them feel sadness in the future, it was better to cut off such possibilities at the root.]
[So...]
[You only added each other on LINE, and the conversation stopped at the initial greetings.]
[Seeing that you did not seem interested in making friends, Toru gave up the thought of bothering you further.]
[Life in the hospital was very boring.]
[Scrolling through Toru's social feed became one of your few pastimes.]
[He seemed to have the habit of writing a diary there, recording interesting things he encountered each day.]
[Many people replied to him. Among the faces that appeared most often were four girls who had formed a band.]
[Gotoh Hitori, Yamada Ryo, Ijichi Nijika, Kita Ikuyo…]
[You memorized all of their names.]
[April.]
[The cherry blossoms outside the window were in full bloom. You spent longer each day watching them. Whenever a breeze passed, petals would fall onto the green lawn.]
[That area seemed to be a small park. On weekends, families would camp on the grass to enjoy the blossoms.]
[Toward the end of the month, you learned some good news. Your condition had stabilized a little.]
[If nothing unexpected happened, in the coming months you would be able to live an ordinary high school life.]
[Because of your frail health, you had changed hospitals frequently and transferred schools many times.]
[This time, you decided to go to—]
[1. Shimokitazawa High School. A college preparatory school with a strict, somewhat old fashioned academic atmosphere.]
[2. Shuka High School. An ordinary public high school, with no particular flaws. Of course, it also had very few strengths.]
[3. Leave the choice to your family.]
"If the me in another world dies, can I still keep observing Kitahara?" Kanade asked.
[Yes.]
Mm…
I kind of want to get closer to him.
I choose 2.
[Your remaining time is not much. Within the limited length of your life, you want to live a little more happily.]
[Perhaps, you should abandon your original plan of walking slowly…]
[And start running during the final stretch?]
[In any case, you transferred into Shuka High School. One of the girls in your class is a familiar face… Her name seems to be Kita Ikuyo?]
[Careful as you are, you notice that when you step onto the podium for your self introduction, Kita Ikuyo looks at you a few extra times.]
[You know.]
[Kita Ikuyo is a very typical popular high school girl. She likes making friends, the type you are not good at dealing with.]
[It is not that you do not want to approach her, but that you do not dare to.]
[The doctor told you that if a suitable heart is not found, you have at most three years left to live…]
[Too short.]
[Summer fireworks, spring cherry blossoms, weeds growing in flower pots… You think there is no essential difference between yourself and them.]
[Thinking of this, you feel a sense of emptiness inside…]
[Come to think of it, you have hardly ever seen fireworks in person. Just how lively is a summer festival, really?]
["Tachibana-san, why did you transfer here? Can you tell me?"]
[The passionate Kita seems to really like you.]
[She takes the initiative to talk to you during the very first break.]
["My health is not very good, so I transfer schools every year because I have to change hospitals."]
[You deliberately make your voice sound a little cold, giving off an unapproachable air.]
["I'm sorry." A trace of guilt appears on Kita Ikuyo's face, but she quickly returns to her bright and cute expression.]
[Just when you think she will give up talking to you, you hear Kita Ikuyo continue—]
["Tachibana-san, please be friends with me."]
["..." You fall silent.]
[Clearly, your attitude just now was quite cold, without the slightest hint of goodwill.]
["Why?"]
["Because I want to be friends with you."]
[Her answer leaves you confused.]
[Kita Ikuyo continues. "A cute girl like Tachibana-san being all alone is just too pitiful."]
[For some reason.]
[The conversation gradually slips into her rhythm.]
["I know a girl who's kind of like you, Tachibana-san. You might become good friends…"]
…
[After this day.]
[You gain a friend your own age.]
[Later on, through Kita Ikuyo's introduction, you meet Gotoh Hitori.]
[She is a girl with extremely severe social anxiety. Perhaps because of the mutual attraction between introverts, you get along quite well.]
[You pass the following days peacefully.]
[Life at Shuka High School turns out to be better than you imagined—]
[The mapo tofu in the cafeteria suits your taste.]
[Aside from that, the school atmosphere is nice.]
[You do not see any bullying.]
[One day after school.]
[You hear beautiful piano music near the music classroom.]
[Drawn in by the sound, you unconsciously approach the classroom door.]
[You decide…]
[1. Push open the door and explore the mystery inside.]
[2. Listen quietly until it ends.]
[3. Simulate it yourself.]
What should I choose?
Should I push the door open…
Kanade thinks for a few seconds.
Eavesdropping is not good.
If I want to listen, I can just go in.
Choose 1.
[You push open the door and discover a familiar figure…]
[A wild Toru appears.]
Kitahara… So he is a Pokémon after all.
[He does not seem to have expected your sudden appearance. The music pauses for a brief second, then quickly resumes.]
[This is a piece you have never heard before.]
[An improvised performance?]
[He is really amazing.]
["Tachibana-san…"]
[After finishing the piece, Toru gives you a small smile and says, "This should be our second time meeting, right?"]
["Yes."]
["How is your health?"]
["Not bad."]
["Did you need something from me?"]
["No."]
["Then why…?"]
[A hint of helplessness appears on Toru's face.]
[He has interacted with girls who are bad at talking before, but he has never encountered a natural airhead like you.]
[To be honest, Toru has no idea how to keep the conversation going.]
Natural airhead?
Kanade tilts her head slightly, not quite understanding.
[After that.]
[Like robots, you talk for a full thirty minutes using a rigid question and answer format.]
[After this incident.]
[You become friends.]
[Your relationship with Kitahara Toru deepens.]
————