Chapter 26: 11

Volume 3, Chapter 11: Knowing What It Meant to Like Someone

 

 

"I'll be back again, Dad."

"Hmm. Take care on your way home."

 

Visiting hours ended and we left the hospital room. After finalizing the process at the reception desk, we headed for the bus stop.

No one was there, and there was still plenty of time before the bus arrived.

 

Reika's eyes were still red as she sat next to me, waiting. According to Rei-san, Reika always seemed to shed tears whenever visiting hours were about to end.

 

"Thanks for today. I'm glad I could introduce you to my Dad."

"Happy to hear that. Let's go again sometime."

"...Yeah. If we get the chance again, I'd be happy to."

 

She smiled, but there was something sad about it. There weren't that many shadows around us, but she had one on her face.

I wondered if this meant she had opened her heart to me a little.

As a result of that, I might have gotten to know the source of Reika's troubles.

Still, I wanted to be someone who she could let it all out to.

 

"Hey, Reika. You don't have to keep up that appearance in front of me."

"...Why all of sudden? What's up?"

"It's okay to cry and say it's difficult. I won't leave, so I'll take it all."

"...Could it be that you know?"

 

Her voice trembled and tears began welling up her eyes. However, she seemed to be holding back, and they didn't flow.

I was thinking she was still as strong as ever, but she was the kind of girl who exploded once she pent up enough.

 

"Today should be fine, right? I'm your boyfriend, and you promised you'd do your best dere mode, didn't you?"

"...Why do you keep saying that...it’s making it impossible for me to hold back..."

 

Finally, she broke down. Large droplets of tears that were never showed even to her own father, came right after the other.

 

"Sorry, just for today...okay?"

"Sure."

 

Wiping it away didn't help. Ultimately, Reika buried her face in my chest and let out her frustrations.

 

 

"―― Hey, why did it have to be my Dad?! Why did he have to get sick?! Why is it incurable?! Why?! Just why?!"

"..."

"I hadn’t done anything wrong! He was fine not so long ago! We were even laughing together as a family!"

"..."

 

Anger, hatred, and sadness that she didn't even know where to direct those to.

Before she knew it, she stopped expressing those and kept it bottled all to herself.

 

"Hey, just why?! What should I do...? What could have I done?! What am I even supposed to do...?"

"..."

"I don't know...I don't like this...please don't go..."

 

Her mother was always busy with work, and she had no siblings. She couldn't even tell her friends, because everyone else was also occupied with their own matters.

She didn't cry to anyone. Of course, she didn't want her father or anyone else to worry.

But she was still but a little girl. If the person she had feelings for gently told her that he accepted her everything, she was going to lose control of her emotions.

 

"Hey, please...someone...I'll do anything..."

 

Once she started, the emotions pouring out didn't stop.

I kept patting her back and head until her cries and tears dried up.

 

――――

――

―

 

A bit after the bus we were supposed to get on left, Reika looked up.

Her makeup was slightly ruined because of the tears, but Reika, with her distinct face, was still as pretty as ever.

 

"―― Thanks, that cleared things up for me."

"I see, good to know."

"Sorry, I got your clothes dirty."

"Well, this could be treated as a form of medal for a guy."

 

What's up with that, Reika laughed and finally let out a bright smile.

Of course, her smile right now was better than the one earlier.

 

"Hey, how's my makeup?"

"It might have been a messed up a bit."

"But am I still pretty?"

"Of course."

"You really think so?"

"I really think so."

 

We had no intention of getting on the bus anymore, so I continued my conversation with Reika, who had lost all her harshness.

The topic was mainly about Reika's father.

 

"I want my Dad to see more of me."

"Ah, you want to show off your cute self?"

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"Yeah. As soon as I was admitted to the hospital, my dad said he wanted to see a bit more of my cute side."

"...Is that so."

 

So, the makeup, clothes, and even the hair dying were all for her father.

Everything was all about making herself pretty. Not for herself, but with the sole purpose of making her father say she was cute.

 

"I remember you complimenting me on these earrings."

"Ah~, that I did. Was that from Rei-san?"

"Yeah, a present from my Dad. But isn't he terrible? He only ever gave me gifts like this, you know?!"

 

Reika's voice rose, but there was no anger in her expression.

While touching those earrings, she happily shared her memories of the time she got them.

 

"But it might have been when I got to high school? My Dad told me something."

"What was it?"

"He said I look pretty when I dress up, but I'll be even prettier if I fall in love."

"Love, huh."

 

Well, that was certainly what we heard all the time.

Women in love looked beautiful. Perhaps not necessarily what was on the outside,..but the inside that made them so.

On the contrary, did men in love look more handsome?

 

"But I don't really understand what it meant to fall in love. Now I do."

"Oh~."

 

Reika looked into my eye and spoke somewhat shyly.

She didn't seem like she had any intention of saying anything beyond that, but I wasn't so dense that I wouldn't know what she meant.

 

"To be honest, I didn't have time for those kinds of things. But I thought if I was beautiful enough, I could maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"In my first year of high school, I decided I wanted to fall in love with the boy sitting next to me."

"Eh...what a unique thought."

 

It was a really peculiar idea. The guy who happened to sitting next to Reika was lucky, but what would he have thought if he knew the truth?

Well, the approach certainly was one of a kind, but if she liked the person as a direct result of that, then why not?

 

"But then, you didn't fall in love."

"He was too pathetic, that guy."

 

No, it might be something a bit different? That guy threw away the opportunity.

A pretty girl who suddenly wanted to like me. That most difficult hurdle, only that guy had ever cleared it.

 

"But I'm glad I didn't fall for him."

"Stop it already, he's too pitiful."

"It’s because...you..."

"Hmm?"

"I-it's nothing! Stop looking this way."

 

This was where that 1 part tsun came out. Now that it came to this, her dere mode must have ended.

The surroundings were gradually getting darker. It was time to get moving.

 

"Reika, do you have plans tomorrow? Like a part-time job."

"Eh...? I'm off tomorrow..."

"Great, let's go then."

"Go, you say...where?"

 

I immediately called Koudzuki-san and asked her to come pick me up.

Next, I contacted my mother and briefly explained the situation. Finally, I contacted Souji-san.

Everything was ready, and I gave gentle smile to Reika, who was looking at me strangely as I did all of this.

 

"There's somewhere I want to take you."

"R-right now?"

"Yeah. You're off tomorrow, and if you don't have anything particularly planned, it's fine to stay late, right?"

"I-it's fine, but...that kind of thing should only happen once we're in a proper relationship..."

 

I didn't know what she misunderstood that got her all red, but I wouldn't never lay my hands on a girl who was in that state just a while ago.

Rather, was she okay? Was dere mode still on?

I should leave the jokes for later. This was something important.

 

"It's about Rei-san's sickness."

"Eh...?"

"I have a few guesses about it."

"W-what do you mean?"

 

After my father died, I started going to the research facility to follow in his footsteps.

There was where I got to know about Rei-san's incurable disease. I heard that my father was working on that before he passed away.

It had been a long time since then. There were many excellent researchers who succeeded my father.

I wondered why. It will work out, things will go smoothly, those were all that came to mind.

 

"Even though it’s impossible now, it might not be in the future."

"..."

"I'll cure that disease. Someday, I promise."

 

As I said that, a familiar car pulled up near us.

The one who got out of the driver's seat and was heading towards where we were was a beautiful, dependable older sister.

We proceeded to Earth Road Pharmaceuticals in the car driven by Koudzuki-san.

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