[Winter was approaching.]
[Yet your condition showed no improvement at all.]
[That description was not entirely accurate.]
[You had recently stopped receiving intravenous medication, but your body was still far from being well enough to return to school.]
[At times, you would think that rather than clinging to life like this, it might be better to go to the other world sooner.]
[But whenever such thoughts arose, the faces of your parents would appear in your mind, along with the words of Kita and the joy you felt when spending time with Toru.]
[Time slipped away without you noticing.]
[The days grew colder, and in the hospital's central courtyard, the ginkgo trees had long since shed all their leaves.]
[It was almost Christmas.]
[Your body finally recovered a little, and the attending physician approved your discharge.]
[You took part in the final exams. Because you had been self-studying in private, your grades were not bad, even ranking near the top of your year.]
[Of course, first place at Shuka High School had always been monopolized by Toru. It had not changed once in the past two years.]
Come to think of it, Kitahara-kun's grades are surprisingly good.
He clearly spends every day fooling around with girls.
[Kessoku Band released their first album some time ago. Sales were good, and they had recently shown signs of taking off, with more and more work coming in.]
[Correspondingly, their grades dropped badly.]
[When Toru helped them with tutoring, he would always sigh, feeling as if he had aged more than ten years overnight.]
[He once said that if everyone were as smart as you, tutoring would not be nearly so exhausting.]
[On Christmas Eve, you helped celebrate the birthday of Ijichi Nijika's older sister.]
[The scene of everyone gathered together, filled with laughter and joy, felt like something you would never forget in your lifetime... even though you only had two short years left to live.]
[But an ordinary person's life was at most seventy years, only three times longer than yours. Thinking about it that way, having a heart condition did not feel quite so unbearable.]
[When the party came to an end.]
[A small incident occurred.]
A small incident?
[Kita came to find you and asked about your thoughts regarding Toru.]
[You answered:]
[1. "Kitahara-kun is my best friend."]
[2. "I kind of dislike him. He's always sexually harassing me."]
[3. "Kita-chan, do you like him? Don't worry, I won't compete with you."]
[4. Simulate personally]
Why would Kita-san take the initiative to talk to me and ask something like this?
Is she jealous?
In the simulation, I really am quite close to Kitahara-kun...
Thinking this over.
Tachibana Kanade chose 1.
She gave Toru a good-guy card, hoping to soothe Kita's emotions.
Unfortunately, Tachibana Kanade did not know that Kita never failed to exceed expectations.
["So Kanade-chan only wants to be friends with him? If you keep your feelings buried in your heart forever, you'll definitely regret it."]
[You did not understand what she meant.]
Not just the Kanade in the simulation.
Even the real Kanade was stunned.
It felt like she was meeting this red-haired girl for the first time.
["Kita-chan, you, you don't like him?"]
[You voiced the doubt in your heart.]
[All this time, Kita and Toru were always together. You even thought they were secretly dating.]
["I do like him, but Kanade-chan likes him too, right?"]
[As if afraid you might misunderstand, Kita continued, "This isn't pity. I just don't like being a girlfriend. Roles like ordinary friends, or lovers, make me feel more relaxed."]
[This woman must have suffered emotional hurt in the past.]
[You made that judgment.]
["Can I like him?"]
["Of course. No matter who it is, everyone has the right to like someone."]
[When Kita said this, her tone was especially firm. You suspected this was not the first time she had 'stepped aside for another.']
["But my illness..."]
[If something went wrong after getting together, and you collapsed like you did at the cultural festival.]
[Recalling that scene, gloom once again shrouded your heart.]
["Life is short. If you don't experience it even once, how will you know whether you'll regret it?"]
[Seeing that you still seemed hesitant, Kita continued.]
["Besides, whether he'll accept your confession is another matter. Kitahara-kun knows about your condition. If he really accepts, he'll definitely prepare himself mentally."]
[After Kita finished breaking down the issue, you found yourself unable to argue back.]
[That's right. If you fail, there's no loss.]
[If you succeed, there's no loss either.]
[What do you have to be afraid of?]
[As the saying goes, life is short, so fall in love, girl.]
[In your youth, it seemed you could begin your final sprint.]
[However, there was still something you were curious about.]
[What about the other members of the band? They should like Toru too, just like you, right?]
[As if seeing through your thoughts, Kita smiled. "Don't worry. Everyone agreed. Right now, we think our careers and dreams are more important."]
[Love had been placed second by them.]
[Perhaps it was precisely because they saw that you did not have long to live that they agreed?]
[Anyway, in a few years, you would leave this world, and the girls would still have their chances.]
[With that, you no longer had any worries.]
[On Christmas Day itself, the very next day.]
[You asked Toru out on a date.]
[You made up your mind that this time, you would confess your feelings to him.]
[You secretly set a one-day date plan, preparing to capture Toru completely.]
[The streets were filled with Christmas-themed items everywhere. Toru treated this date as nothing more than a normal outing, completely failing to see your intentions.]
[To be honest, even you yourself did not know whether the current situation was mutual affection, or merely your own one-sided crush.]
So.
Why did the story develop like this?
Tachibana Kanade truly had no intention of betraying her close friends. Who could have expected that this very friend would actively urge her to make a move?
[In the morning, you went to the arcade. At noon, you went to a popular couples' restaurant you had reserved, and in the afternoon, you watched the latest romantic movie.]
[All of the above was what you believed to be the date itinerary that best expressed your feelings.]
[Setbacks came quickly.]
[Throughout the process, you did not notice any sign of Toru responding to you. He chatted and laughed as usual, just like always, with no difference at all.]
[In the evening, the mall was holding a Christmas couples' competition.]
[The event was a princess carry.]
[After thinking for a moment, you came up with a good idea.]
[A few minutes later.]
[Faced with your request to participate in the competition, Toru did not object and readily agreed.]
[This made you feel that the success rate of your confession had increased quite a bit.]
[The process was uneventful, and Toru smoothly helped you win the prize.]
[On the way home, you looked at his somewhat otherworldly side profile as he gazed ahead.]
[In your heart, you made your final decision.]