A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 30

…I, Mayu Yanagihara, was utterly stunned.

A scene beyond belief was unfolding before my eyes.

A woman I had never seen before was strangling Saito-kun. The sheer intensity of her expression left no doubt in my mind—she truly intended to kill him.

And then, we were told that this woman was Saito-kun’s mother. The moment that piece of information was revealed, every single one of us in the room was left speechless.

Of course, Tashiro-san, as well as Naito-chan, Nagasaki-kun, Fujiyama-kun, and I, were completely frozen in shock.

“What are you saying…!? You…!”

Tashiro-san, her voice trembling, confronted Saito-kun’s mother.

“If you’re Kenji’s mom, then all the more reason… Why!? I don’t understand. Are you crazy or something!?”

“…………….”

“Kenji… He cared so much about you! Even when we were out on dates, he’d say he had to get home early for your sake and always made sure to be back before sunset!”

“…………….”

“…Hey, say something! Answer me!!”

Tashiro-san’s anger, which had temporarily subsided, was visibly bubbling to the surface again.

Her eyes shone with a piercing intensity I had never seen before. The light in them was as sharp as a blade.

“What’s going on here?! Saito-san!”

At that moment, a nurse, Asahi-san, entered the room, sensing something was terribly wrong.

“Asahi-san!” Tashiro-san called out to her immediately, without missing a beat.

“Take this woman somewhere! She tried to kill Kenji!”

“K-Kill!?”

“She was strangling him! With incredible force! We all saw it happen!!”

“…………….”

The nurse seemed completely caught off guard by this unexpected situation. Her eyes widened as she looked at Saito-kun’s mother.

“You all…” Saito-kun’s mother muttered through clenched teeth, her voice filled with sorrow.

“You all have no idea… no idea what Kenji is going through…!!”

“…………….”

“Kenji… Kenji might never wake up again! The doctors just told me there’s a 90% chance he won’t! And even if he does wake up, he could be left with severe aftereffects! He might not be able to walk, use his hands, or worse—he could suffer brain damage and not even recognize who he is anymore!”

“…………….”

“That kind of life… that kind of cruel existence… I can’t let Kenji endure that! I can’t! Because I know better than anyone how unbearable it is to live without being able to care for yourself!!”

Tears streamed down her face as she bit her lip.

“I don’t want him to live a miserable life like mine! That’s why—why I thought it’d be better if it ended here and now!!”

“Saito-san, please calm down.” The nurse tried to soothe her as she became increasingly distraught.

“Let go!! Let me kill him! Let me end it for Kenji! And then I’ll die too!!”

Though her body was frail, it took both Fujiyama-kun and Nagasaki-kun to restrain her as she struggled violently.

“Hey, lady! We don’t know everything about what you and Saito have been through,” Fujiyama-kun said, holding her from behind.

“But no matter the reason, killing someone is wrong! Saito survived, and that’s already a miracle! Don’t ruin it by doing something crazy!”

“Shut up! What do kids like you understand!?” Saito-kun’s mother snapped back, rejecting his words entirely.

“What could you possibly know about what my son and I are going through!?”

“Enough, you hag!!!”

…Saito-kun’s mother’s furious cries were drowned out by Tashiro-san’s even louder roar.

Her body trembled with rage as she pointed a shaking finger at the older woman.

“Don’t you dare underestimate Kenji’s life!!”

Tears streamed down Tashiro-san’s face, and I could hear the sound of her teeth grinding in anger.

“Have you ever held Kenji’s hand?! Have you ever listened to his heartbeat?!”

With that, she grabbed Saito-kun’s hand.

“Look! It’s so warm! Can you even feel this warmth!?”

“W-What are you saying!?”

“You’re the one spouting nonsense about Kenji’s life being pitiful or whatever! Whether his life is pitiful or not is for Kenji to decide, not you!!”

“D-Do you think I’m a stranger!? I’m his mother! A mother isn’t a stranger!!”

“Idiot! Even a mother is just another person! Kenji’s life belongs to Kenji! Stop trying to control it!!”

“What are you…!”

“If, and only if, Kenji ever truly wants to die, then maybe we could talk about it…!! But Kenji hasn’t even woken up yet! We haven’t heard him say anything about wanting to die!!”

Tashiro-san held Saito-kun’s hand even tighter.

“Right now, Kenji is fighting to live! His heartbeat might be weak, but it’s there! His body is burning with the will to survive!!”

“…………….!”

“So don’t you dare force his life to end! Don’t let your selfishness and possessiveness ruin Kenji’s life!!”

“You idiot!!!”

…Tashiro-san’s bellows reverberated throughout the hospital room.

She was breathing heavily, her breath uneven, and I could hear her sniffle from time to time.

“Kana-chan, calm down…” The nurse approached her and gently rubbed her back.

“Haa… haa…”

“Let’s take a moment to calm down, okay?”

“…………….”

With pursed lips, Tashiro-san began to steady her breathing. Once the nurse confirmed she had calmed down, she turned to Saito-kun’s mother.

“Saito-san, please calm down as well.”

“I… I…”

“I’ll hear everything you have to say. But for now, let’s step out of the room.”

The nurse exchanged glances with Fujiyama-kun and Nagasaki-kun, silently signaling them to release their grip on her.

“…………….”

Fujiyama-kun and Nagasaki-kun looked at each other hesitantly before cautiously letting go of Saito-kun’s mother.

“Now, Saito-san…”

Then, his mother left the room, escorted by the nurse.

The room fell silent, as though a storm had just passed. Breaking the tense air, Nagasaki, always the jokester, chuckled nervously, his voice trembling.

“Wow, that was intense!” he said. “Seriously, wasn’t that like something straight out of a drama? Haha!”

“Hey, Nagasaki… not the time for that,” Fujiyama, standing beside him, chided softly.

“…Kana, are you okay?” I asked gently.

Kana turned to glance at me briefly before lowering her gaze.

“…Sorry, everyone,” she muttered.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry for losing it like that. It must’ve been a lot to deal with.”

“No, not at all. If someone you love is being attacked, anyone would—”

“……”

Kana turned her back to us and gazed at Kenji. She raised the hand she’d been holding and pressed it softly to her cheek.

“…Kenji.”

“……”

The four of us exchanged looks, then silently watched Kana’s back.

We couldn’t see her face, but her emotions were unmistakable.

Her quivering voice, labored breaths, the sound of her sniffles, her hunched back—and the way she kept rubbing Kenji’s hand against her cheek over and over. Everything about her actions spoke volumes about her feelings without needing to see her expression.

“…I,” Kana began.

“Huh?”

“I always thought love was… light and fluffy.”

“……”

“Sweet and soft, maybe a little bittersweet too…”

“……”

“But real love… isn’t like that.”

“Kana…”

“……”

She turned to face us. Her expression wasn’t what any of us had expected.

Tears shimmered in her eyes, and her cheeks bore streaks of those she’d already shed. Her breathing was still uneven.

But her eyes—her eyes shone with a dazzling light.

If I had to describe them, I’d call them “eyes filled with resolve”.

It was the look of someone who had made a life-changing decision. Just meeting her gaze was enough to overwhelm me.

“…I’ve decided.”

Kana declared the words clearly.

“What… what did you decide?” I asked cautiously.

“……”

Without hesitation, she answered.

“I’m going to stay by Kenji’s side. Forever.”

“…Huh?”

“No matter what happens from now on, I’ll never leave his side. Never.”

“……”

“I made that decision right here, right now.”

“……”

Her firm and resolute words left me swallowing hard, unable to respond.

It was Naito who finally spoke up, her tone hesitant but gentle.

“But Kana… Kenji might never wake up.”

“……”

“And even if he does, he could be left with severe aftereffects. I’m not taking his mother’s side, but staying with him could be incredibly difficult. Are you sure about this?”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m staying with him. No question.”

“But… why are you willing to go that far for Kenji?”

“Because… I just want to talk to him again.”

“……”

“Sure, Kenji might never wake up. And if he does, his life might be unimaginably hard. But that’s exactly why I want to stay. Knowing someone important to me might suffer and doing nothing about it—how could I live with myself?”

“……”

“Kenji has always cared about me. He’s always been so kind to me. That’s why, even if I have to stake my life on it, I’m staying with him.”

“…Kana.”

She turned back to Kenji, her gaze softening. She leaned closer to him.

I thought for a moment she might kiss him, and my heart skipped a beat. But that wasn’t it.

Instead, Kana gently pressed her forehead to Kenji’s. She closed her eyes in silence.

That act, to me, felt even more profound than a kiss. It was the ultimate expression of her boundless love for him.

“And…”

Kana’s small whisper filled the quiet room.

“And I want to tell Kenji, just once more… from the bottom of my heart…”

—

I love you.