I tried to confess my feelings to the girl I like, but I got too excited and ended up proposing. Was her response OK?! ~

Episode 39

I wonder how many hours have passed since then.

Mana just kept looking out the window.

“Mana, I’ll always be by your side.”

To an outsider, it might sound like just cheap words, but it’s all I can say. It’s the maximum assurance I can offer her, and from now on, I can only demonstrate it through actions.

“Excuse me, Tenshin-san.”

It seems a nurse has come for rounds.

“You’ve been like this for a while. Are you alright? It’s getting dark outside.”

It seems she came not for rounds but out of concern for me.

Looking at the clock, it’s already 5 p.m., so it’s understandable to worry.

“I’ll keep an eye on your wife, so why don’t you go grab something to eat, Tenshin-san? You haven’t eaten anything since this morning, have you?”

“No, it’s fine. I promised to stay by Mana’s side. I can’t leave her alone at a time like this.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

“Huh?”

A familiar voice reached my ears.

“Manamin, are you okay?”

“Visitors, I bought some snacks since I knew you’d end up like this.”

Ryota and Shimura-san are standing at the entrance of the room.

“Why do you look like that? You’re so pale, and your eyes look lifeless. If you’re like that, Mana-san won’t recover, right? So, just eat for now.”

Saying that, Ryota hands me a bag containing onigiri, a drink, and an apple.

“Give the apple to Manamin. I bought it for her.”
“I see… Thank you.”

“So. Why did this happen?”

“I’ll stay with Manamin, you two go and talk somewhere else. The nurse there and I’ll watch over in Sora-kun’s place, so it’s okay.”

“But I…”

“It’s fine! If Sora-kun doesn’t get better, Manamin will be the saddest! Come on, hurry up!”

With that, I was dragged out of the room by Ryota and taken to the hospital cafeteria.

“Now, I’ll ask again, why has it come to this?”

I told him everything. About Mana’s parents and how her memories got altered because of them, everything.

“I see. Mana-san had such a past, huh?”

“Maybe Mana’s heart is already broken. If that’s the case, then I…”

“What are you being so negative about? And that pathetic face of yours! Even if you’re like that, it won’t change anything, right? So at least cheer up for yourself! Then, share your energy with Mana-san. It might not be right to say ‘it’s okay’ so easily, but I believe it is. She’ll surely return to her old self. Until then, just keep waiting by Mana-san’s side, okay? I know you’re suffering, so I’ll be by your side too. We’re best friends, after all.”

My heart warmed.

With Ryota’s words, the tension snapped, and I burst into tears.

A crying fit that didn’t seem fitting for a man.

But Ryota just watched over me silently.

I don’t know how much time passed.

It felt incredibly long, but maybe it wasn’t in reality.

“I feel a little better now. Thank you.”

“It’s alright. Shall we go back to the room then?”

When we returned to the room, Mana was being fed apples by Shimura-san.

“Oh, welcome back. Manamin seemed to be a little hungry. When I peeled the apple, she responded and started eating little by little.”

“I see. Thank you. I’m glad you came.”

“Don’t mention it. I came because I wanted to. Sora-kun, it seems like Ryota cheered you up a bit. That’s good.”