A lot of films, novels, and reports have described what it feels like to suffer from a terminal illness. Most of the time, those works do well—some even become classics.
People like watching them. In fact, you could say they prefer them: the male or female lead being tormented by illness, still forcing out that radiant smile in front of the camera even as their life approaches its end.
For a city like New Eridu—where people have long been familiar with hardship—hope is always more "beautiful" than despair. Even if flowers of evil bloom in the shadows, ordinary people still prefer the world under sunlight.
They love stories like the one in One Hundred Thousand Heartbeats: a child with a congenital heart condition falls into a Hollow, and the brave mother—relying on simulated heartbeats, one after another—stubbornly searches for her child's location.
Who wouldn't love that scene?
An ordinary mother, supported by extraordinary maternal love, forcing herself forward into a peril she's never faced, entering an impossible abyss to save her child—struggling against death itself, fighting a Hollow with nothing but a human body…
Yet very few works "deliberately" highlight the real endings:
That girl who smiled like a flower under the sun while playing violin—behind the smile, behind the lies—dies, leaving only a sorrowful April… leaving only a boy waiting for spring wind beneath snow-covered plum branches.
That mother who entered the Hollow? She might well search in vain and, in her struggle and unwillingness, become a new Ethereal—wandering Hollow soil without fear of corrosion, but forgetting why she searched at all—eventually reduced to a cautionary "negative example" for Public Security and HIA propaganda.
It's too sad. Too painful. Too regretful.
For most people, life is bitter enough already. Just staying alive takes effort. So why add another emotional gut-punch—why cry until your eyes burn and your face is soaked?
So directors, screenwriters, actors… they join hands and work hard to write hopeful endings.
That untrained mother somehow survives every crisis, finds her child, and when she's surrounded by Ethereals, HIA and Public Security descend like divine reinforcements to rescue her.
And in the finale, there must be a doctor—bursting into the ward with excitement—telling the mother on the hospital bed:
"Your child has found a compatible heart donor!"
Then the music swells—gentle, beautiful, full of hope. The camera pulls away from the small hospital room, drifts outside the window, and takes in the street shops, the traffic, the rushing pedestrians…
Until finally, the vast city of New Eridu fills your eyes.
That's the ending everyone wants.
Fame. Honor. Dennies. Everything pours in with the audience's tears—"everyone" gets happiness…
"Except real terminal patients. Because after their brief moment in the spotlight, there's no sequel. Sunlight enters their room and makes them struggle to the window—just to feel a flicker of warmth at the tip of their nose—then the sun disappears."
Lumina Square, "Gravity" Cinema.
After weaving through crowds, even the city wind carried heat. It lifted Asaba Yuma's yellow headband, and the edges of his ears flushed faintly red.
Yuma didn't care. He was staring intently at a battered old promotional poster—its surface worn down by years of wind, sand, and rain.
"Night-Walking Syndrome"
"A man who turns into an Ethereal at midnight, huh… sounds strangely familiar," he murmured. "But compared to the box-office monsters, this kind of film will probably get crushed. Audience issue…"
His pale fingertips touched the unsteady poster.
Crack.
Like a snapping branch.
The poster slid helplessly down the wall right in front of him. Its lower half stuck out on the ground, upper half leaning against the wall—paired with its ash-black palette…
It looked like a bloated middle-aged drunk: wife gone, family shattered, drowning in debt, crushed by life—collapsed on the ground with a bottle in hand.
After a brief silence, Yuma laughed soundlessly, bent down, picked it up, and carefully brushed off the dust.
"Man, I'm thinking too much. Even a poster can make me this depressed~~" he told himself. "Yuma, Yuma… have you been living too comfortably lately? Time to build some desensitization."
"Still, this movie does sound interesting. I'll ask Miss Tsukishiro for another sick leave later and find a place that's showing it. Can't treat myself poorly—"
Thud!
"…Huh? What was that sound?"
His internal alarm went off instantly, but his face stayed lazy and calm. He'd only just managed to shake off the swarm of female fans and… male fans…
Honestly, that one muscle-bound bro who bulldozed through the girls, rushed up with teeth marks and a wig—like a bull in heat—gasping as he yanked open his shirt to reveal a "pain shirt" printed with Yuma's face…
That guy had to be lurking somewhere nearby!
Otherwise how could Yuma explain the sudden burning stare he felt?
Yeah—must be another muscle bro in the shadows.
It couldn't possibly be his Captain, Miss Tsukishiro, and little Soukaku…
Right?
Switching into "serious mode," Yuma scanned the area. When he didn't spot those familiar figures, he finally relaxed a fraction.
No matter what, he couldn't show unease here—he'd cause panic.
Still… that sound bothered him. Like a retractable holster hitting the ground…
Maybe he should message the capta—
…Hm?
In the distance, outside the entrance of the Lumina Branch of New Eridu Public Security, a familiar white-haired "cat-person" came into view.
"Mm. To prepare for upcoming overtime, I should hurry to Store 141 and stock up on energy jelly… weird. Recently the number of criminal cases has dropped. It's like some new—"
"A new organization is establishing order, right?"
"Who—?!" The muttering Seth Lowell startled hard, whipped his head toward the lazy voice—
—and saw a figure he hadn't seen in a long time.
Yuma raised a hand casually. "Yo. Long time no see, junior Seth."
"Asaba… senpai," Seth said stiffly. "Why are you here?"
"You know," Yuma shrugged. "Doctors always say this patient needs more sunlight, so… here I am."
"…But I heard—"
"Cough cough!"
Yuma cut him off, then his expression hardened.
"Seth Lowell. This isn't a place to talk. I have something to tell you."
The unserious senpai Seth remembered was suddenly wearing a genuinely serious face. Seth's ears snapped upright—his usually goofy self instinctively caught the unusual atmosphere.
"Then come in with me. We'll talk inside the Public Security office."
Not far away, Section 6—fully disguised—watched Yuma and Seth walk in together, apparently chatting and laughing, and fell into thought.
"Yanagi, what do you think?" Hoshimi Miyabi tugged at her disguise: a melon-shaped mascot suit. Sweat rolled down her forehead and practically everywhere else.
Yanagi—also sealed inside a melon suit—fell silent for a beat.
"…Captain? Why aren't you speaking?"
"Captain," Yanagi said in a deadpan tone, "I can understand your love of melons. But the three melon suits you bought just now are obviously over budget. And for you and me, fine—but the fact they even had one sized for Soukaku… is honestly suspicious."
Yanagi tried to rub her forehead, but all she got was a dull thump—the plush arm colliding with the oversized headpiece.
Miyabi responded not with words, but by tilting her mascot head and gently bonking Yanagi's mascot head—an adorable protest.
Yanagi felt the impact and immediately had a new, deeper respect for her captain's physical strength.
Even through a mascot suit… and even with those ears propping up most of the headpiece… she can still hit this hard?
Before Yanagi could say more, the tiny mascot suit beside them hooked her finger.
"Yanagi-jie… Boss… Soukaku hungry…"
"Hold on, Soukaku. Just hold on a little longer."
"Uu…"
Yanagi wanted to hold Soukaku's hand the way she usually did, but with the thick plush sleeves, she could only pat Soukaku's head with a fat, fluffy arm.
Right then—
"Yanagi. Yuma's coming out. And that cat-person officer too."
Miyabi tiptoed. Her ears curled because they'd hit the headpiece's ceiling limit, but her eyes were sharp.
Yanagi steadied the woozy Soukaku and said softly, "Captain… maybe wait a little. Soukaku's about to hit her limit."
"…Alright," Miyabi decided. "Yanagi, we'll go inside Public Security first."
"Huh?"
"I have a friend here. We can leave the costumes with her."
"And we can ask her for help."
"Yes, Captain." Yanagi had already pocketed her glasses early to prevent fogging, but without them her high myopia meant she saw less than Miyabi—who was literally tiptoeing inside a mascot suit.
Seeing her captain's feet wobble forward, Yanagi gritted her teeth, dragged Soukaku along, and followed.
"Captain…"
"What is it?"
"…This wobble-wobble across the crosswalk—this is your 'training,' too?"
"Yes. Exactly so."
"Unn-nn, unn-nn!"
("Are you crossing? There are lots of cars here. You're not very mobile—be careful!")
On the road, two Bangboo officers—An'an and A-Gui—watched the three "melons" with concern.
Across the street, a big white cat officer watched the three melons wobble into Public Security, then sorrowfully covered his eyes with both hands.
"Hold your chest high, Meowji~~ even if you face the risk of being replaced by melons—pff—waaah…"
Inside the Public Security office, a duty officer named Xiao Chen approached.
"Hello, citizens—may I ask what you—wait! You, and you… you are—!"
"Please don't draw attention, Officer," Yanagi said, already removing the headpiece and taking a long breath of relief.
Miyabi pulled hers off too—still on tiptoe—face blank.
"Take me to Zhu Yuan. I have urgent matters that require her help."
"Ah! Yes, yes—please follow me. Officer Zhu Yuan's office just moved recently—I'll take you there."
"Thank you… um—"
"Is there anything else you need?" Xiao Chen stammered.
"Please bring us several dozen boxed meals."
"Several dozen?!! …No problem! I'll contact logistics right away!"
The door opened.
A familiar figure entered Miyabi's view.
She walked forward, holding the melon headpiece, expression serious.
"Zhu Yuan."
"Sorry—give me a moment, I'll finish this—huh?"
"Miyabi? Why are you here?"
"It's… complicated. But Zhu Yuan, I need your help."
"…Explain the reason. And what do you need? The specific task details."
Miyabi frowned, thinking how to describe their purpose.
Yanagi was still wiping her sweat-soaked glasses.
She blew on them, put them back on—and the world snapped back into focus. Yanagi smiled.
At that exact moment, the boxed meals arrived.
"Food! It's the smell of food!"
"Wait, Soukaku—open the lid first!"
That tiny moment of distraction cost Yanagi her last chance to intercept the next disaster: Miyabi's 'carefully considered' explanation.
Compared to Yanagi—who effectively ran Section 6's entire administrative reality—Miyabi, who treated skipping the monthly meeting as "training," was… not exactly eloquent.
So when Yanagi lifted her attention from Soukaku, she heard Miyabi's calm declaration:
"Our mission is to track Asaba Yuma, an executor of Section 6, and determine the cause of his abnormal behavior."
"...Huh?"
That was Zhu Yuan—head of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team of the Janus District Branch—speaking in pure confusion.
"Ah… young people these days…"
That was Qingyi, sipping tea, offering a weary sigh.
"AH?!!"
That was Seth Lowell, returning from Store 141 with a heap of energy jelly, walking in at the worst possible moment.
"Ah… now it's troublesome…"
That was Yanagi—Section 6's vice (true) captain—speaking from deep resignation.
"Mmm! Smells good! So good! Delicious!"
That was Soukaku—Section 6's snack gremlin—speaking in bliss.
TWO HOURS LATER
"Senior Qingyi, let me drive—"
"Don't worry, Zhu Yuan," Qingyi smiled. "Because of Chiya, I met a really interesting person in the Outer Ring. My driving has been personally approved by her."
"…Huh? Chiya?" Zhu Yuan blinked.
As Qingyi once again shoved Zhu Yuan into the passenger seat, she glanced in the rearview mirror at Seth in the back.
"Seth. Can you search Asaba Yuma's data without getting carsick?"
"Leave it to me, Senior Qingyi! I won't drop the ball!"
"Is that so?" Qingyi's smile curled like a cat. "Then… we're departing—"
"Wait, Senior—!"
"W-Whoa! Senior, aren't we speeding?!"
"Aiya—let the traffic division juniors worry about it later! Hold on tight!"
Yes—Asaba Yuma hadn't intended to do anything bad.
But objectively speaking…
He had attracted an impressive crowd.
And all of this—Chiya, strolling with an empty bucket, a fishing rod, and Huxeya—was destined to know absolutely nothing about.
And this day…
Would be carved into his and their memories for the rest of their lives.
If you want, paste Chapter 14 next.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 50)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 50)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 50)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 54)
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