A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 43.2

Yanagihara entered the room, her eyebrows furrowed. Behind her were Naito-san, Fujiyama-san, and Nagasaki-san.

“Kana-san… how are you feeling?”

“I’m sorry I came empty-handed…”

“Saito’s been gone for less than ten years. Come on, please… hang in there a little longer.”

“…Hehe. Thank you, everyone.”

My sister smiled brightly, her joy evident as she looked at their faces.

“…Huh?”

Two more women, around the same age as the others, cautiously entered. I vaguely recognized them. They seemed to be friends my sister often used to hang out with.

“…Mayu, Arisa.”

My sister’s eyes widened as she called their names. That’s right—it was Mayu-san and Arisa-san. I remembered now.

“Kana-san… There was a reunion today, and they happened to come.”

Yanagihara-san explained, and my sister raised an eyebrow.

“…Didn’t we just have a reunion recently?”

“What are you talking about? The last one was years ago.”

“………”

Mayu-san and Arisa-san stood by my sister’s bed, their expressions tinged with sadness.

“…It’s been such a long time, Mayu.”

“…Kana, you’ve changed a lot.”

“Hehe, that goes for both of us, doesn’t it?”

“………”

“Arisa, it’s been a while for you too. How have you been?”

“…Fine, thanks to you.”

“Ah, that’s good. Really good.”

My sister took their hands, gripping them weakly but tightly.

“I’m so glad I could see you both at the end…”

“………”

“Stay well, both of you…”

“You idiot! Don’t say things like that, Kana. Get out of here, and let’s meet again.”

“That’s right, Kana. I…”

“We moved back nearby recently, Kana. Let’s eat burgers again. Drink milk tea and chat about silly things. I’ve got plenty of stories about my husband’s dumb antics. Let me tell you all of them…”

“…Thank you, both of you. We had our disagreements, but I’ll never forget the taste of the milk tea we drank together.”

“………”

Tears welled up in their eyes as they fell silent.

“Ugh…!”

My sister coughed up blood again, more than before.

“Kana!”

“Kana-san!”

“Mom!”

“Mother-in-law!”

“Mom!”

“Kana-oneechan!”

Their voices overlapped in panic. My sister, blood dripping from her lips, whispered with a satisfied look.

“…Everyone, everyone… thank you. I’ve loved you all so much…”

“Idiot! Don’t die yet! Hang in there!”

“Kana-oneechan! Stay with us!”

“Mom! Don’t leave! Please!”

“Mommy! No! Don’t go!”

As everyone frantically called out to her, Junji-kun looked at his father, Ryunosuke-san, with a puzzled expression.

“Daddy, why is Mommy crying?”

“…Junji, just… let her cry for now.”

Ryunosuke-san stroked Junji-kun’s head and closed his eyes tightly.

“It’s almost time for the train… Kenji must be waiting there for her…”

Hearing my sister’s faint murmur, I finally realized what the train symbolized.

“………”

I didn’t know what to do.

Inside me wasn’t just sadness—it was confusion.

Was my sister really going to die?

(…Sister.)

I had certainly resented her. I had been jealous of her relationship with Kenji-san.

But at the same time, I admired her.

“Call him over and over again! Let’s call out Kenji’s name together! Don’t worry—Kenji will wake up!”

She always gave her all for Kenji-san. Even when he was in a coma, she believed in his recovery and stayed devoted.

I couldn’t do the same. Her resolve amazed me.

Yes, I admired her.

That admiration left me unsure of how to interact with her.

Whenever I faced her, my emotions would swirl, leaving me shaken. So, I distanced myself from her.

I stopped calling her”Sis” and started calling her”Sister.” It was a subtle change, but enough for me to shift my mindset.

Still, I couldn’t shake the guilt for putting Kenji-san in danger. That’s why, when Kaoru-chan and Masaru were little, I often looked after them in my sister’s stead.

When they grew up, I used it as an opportunity to distance myself even further.

“Miyuki! It’s been so long!”

“……………”

But whenever I had trouble, I would always end up turning to my sister for advice.

It was my sister who encouraged me to go out with Ninomiya-san.

I thought if it were her, she’d surely give me the push I needed.

Even though I wanted to distance myself, I kept moving closer to her.

“Tell your feelings to the ones you care about the most.”

“……………”

“Kana! Kana! Answer me, Kana!”

“Kana-oneechan! Can you hear me?!”

“Mom! Mom!”

“Mommy! Please, no, Mommy!”

My sister’s eyes began to slowly close.

My sister was dying.

She was going to die.

Even at that very moment, her consciousness was fading.

Ah.

No.

Wait.

No, no.

It’s lonely.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait!

Wait!!

“Wait!! Onee-chan!”

I leapt out of my chair and shouted loudly.

“……………”

My sister turned her face slightly toward me and looked at me.

There were so many things I wanted to say.

The hatred, the admiration, the jealousy, the envy, the annoyance, the reliance…

But there wasn’t enough time to express it all.

So I gathered all those feelings into a single word. A word I had never spoken to her in all the years we had lived together.

“Onee-chan…”

“I love you, Onee-chan.”

“……………”

My sister looked utterly surprised.

She stared straight at me, her eyes wide open.

“……………”

Then, after a moment, she smiled with such tenderness that it was overwhelming.

It was a dazzlingly beautiful smile, beyond anything words could describe.

And with that smile still lingering on her lips, she slowly closed her eyes. After that, my sister never moved again.

The hospital room was filled with sobs and cries of grief.

Everyone there called out her name, and everyone there shed endless tears.

“Hey, Papa, what happened to Grandma?”

Only little Junji seemed unaware of the situation and asked Ryunosuke curiously.

Ryunosuke, unsure how to answer, hesitated and said, “Well… you see…”

“Junji-kun, ” I said as I crouched down to his level.

Looking him in the eyes, I explained gently.

“Grandma got on a train.”

“A train? What’s that?”

“It’s something you ride on. It can take you far, far away.”

“Grandma got on it?”

“That’s right.”

“Where did she go?”

“Well, I don’t know. Not even Aunt Miyuki knows that.”

“So, is it bye-bye with Grandma now?”

“No, that’s not it. You’ll see her again someday. Junji-kun, one day, you’ll go to where Grandma is, too.”

“Oh, okay! Then it’s not lonely!”

“……………”

I couldn’t say anything else. I just hugged Junji tightly.

I couldn’t stop trembling. The emotions swirling in my chest grew stronger and stronger, and I couldn’t hold them back.

Ah.

Please, please be happy with Kenji-san.

May you journey forever among the beautiful stars.

Goodbye, Onee-chan.

Please, take care of yourself.