Chapter 108: Simulation Ended.

"Good afternoon."

Chitose Kazumi and Minami Yuuki greeted the young woman together. Minami Yuuki sat down on the nearby chair, while Chitose Kazumi attempted to place the flower stem into the vase on the bedside table.

Nakajima Reina watched Kazumi's actions with a gentle, serene expression. Kazumi appeared nervous, struggling to untie the string around the flower, so Minami Yuuki stood up and took the flower from her.

Reina's gaze shifted to the young man. Like Kazumi, Minami Yuuki was also struck by the young woman's elegance upon meeting her for the first time.

Her long, jet-black hair falling neatly behind her white neck reminded him of the queens or princesses in historical dramas.

However, unlike the actors in those dramas, who used fake makeup, exaggerated gestures, and extravagant costumes to convey elegance, Reina's grace was inherent. She sat there in plainness, her elegance as naturally present as her flowing hair.

Once the flowers were arranged, Minami Yuuki returned to his seat. Kazumi, still flustered, forgot to introduce herself, so Minami Yuuki took the opportunity to state his name.

"My name is Minami Yuuki. I've received a lot of care from Nakajima-sensei at school." His words were very polite.

"I'm Chitose Kazumi," Kazumi quickly followed up.

Minami Yuuki noticed that Reina displayed a moment of surprise upon hearing their names.

Did she hear about us from Nakajima Yohei? Yuuki wondered if the surprise meant she didn't recognize them at first.

He quickly understood that Reina had probably heard a lot about them from Nakajima Yohei but had never met them in person.

After the introductions, Minami Yuuki started a conversation with the young woman, using Nakajima Yohei as a topic.

The young woman on the bed listened quietly.

[The initial meeting didn't go smoothly. You're unsure about Nakajima Reina's personality, and Chitose Kazumi's presence keeps your conversation cautious. After an hour, you leave the hospital.]

[You understand that despite never having met, Nakajima Reina feels connected to you because Nakajima Yohei has spoken a lot about you to her. However, this understanding hasn't provided you with any guidance.]

[Nakajima Reina is polite and gentle, and the atmosphere of your conversation is pleasant, but "pleasant" is a form of self-comfort. Your conversation hasn't delved deeply into personal matters, remaining on the surface of formalities.]

[You wonder if Reina truly has a one-sided affection for you. From her polite manner, you cannot sense any intense emotions.]

[You recall Ibuki Yuko. Both girls present a calm demeanor.]

[The difference is that the calmness of the doll-like girl feels like resistance, creating a clear sense of dissonance, while the princess-like girl's calmness doesn't seem to be a facade but rather her true nature.]

[Back at the Asano house, you grab your backpack and see Chitose Kazumi off to the subway. Kazumi praises Nakajima Reina's beauty, and you engage in the conversation absentmindedly.]

[The next day, you visit Nakajima Yohei to inquire about his daughter.]

[What you consider an unsatisfactory meeting seems to have received positive feedback from Nakajima Reina. Nakajima Yohei extends an invitation, asking you to visit his daughter more often if you have the time.]

[After school that day, you head back to Chikusa University Hospital.]

[Chitose Kazumi is not a variable; even without her, your relationship with Nakajima Reina hasn't progressed. Your conversations remain superficial, lacking strong ideological clashes or emotional highs and lows.]

[The girl's every frown and smile merely reflect the sunlight on the surface of your soul's waters, with the depths remaining silent.]

[You haven't given up. Every afternoon after school, you and Chitose Kazumi take the subway together; she goes home, and you head to the hospital. As you part ways, Kazumi's glance at you holds a hint of sorrow.]

[You hoped that seeing each other daily would change the situation, but after a semester, your interactions with Nakajima Reina have only become more natural and casual without any substantial progress.]

[Nakajima Yohei and Ibuki Honoka have married. Ibuki Yuko has accepted this new father figure but refused to take the Nakajima surname. At her request, Nakajima Yohei rented a house near the Asano residence.]

[Ibuki Yuko appears in Nakajima Reina's hospital room as a sister. Every time you visit the hospital, she is always sitting by the bedside.]

[Her presence is troubling for you as it prevents you from having private time with Nakajima Reina. You intentionally alter your visiting times, even coming to the hospital at night.]

[But no matter how you try to surprise her, Ibuki Yuko always follows soon after your arrival.]

[You quickly realize that it is Nakajima Reina who is alerting her.]

[Chikusa University Hospital's visiting hours end at 8 p.m. That day, you arrive at the hospital at 7:30 p.m.]

A memory scene appears.

The hospital is silent at night. Although visiting patients is allowed in the evenings, few people come during this time.

Minami Yuuki walks briskly under the fluorescent lights. The hospital is a strange place; the lights are bright yet create a sense of unease, as if walking in darkness.

Perhaps because the hospital is close to death, the light can dispel physical darkness but not the darkness of the human mind.

On the wall next to Room 303, there is a sign with Nakajima Reina's name.

This building is for long-term care, and every patient here will stay for at least a few months.

Minami Yuuki knocks twice on the door and, without waiting for Nakajima Reina's response, opens it.

As expected, Nakajima Reina is reaching for the phone on the bedside table to message Ibuki Yuko.

"If possible, I'd rather spend time alone with Sister Reina," Minami Yuuki says, pulling up a chair and sitting by the bedside.

Nakajima Reina hesitates for a moment, then withdraws her hand from the phone. She agrees to Minami Yuuki's request.

"It's so late today," Nakajima Reina said, peeling an orange and handing it to Minami Yuuki. "Yuko waited from five until seven and only left a little while ago."

"I only left after Yuko-senpai went home," Minami Yuuki replied, taking the orange. The segments were tender and juicy.

Nakajima Reina smiled, her tone playful yet reproachful. "You'd better not let Yuko hear you say that. She'll be upset for a long time."

"Why do Sister Reina always side with Yuko-senpai?" Minami Yuuki asked directly, his impatience evident.

He wanted to understand Nakajima Reina's true feelings.

"Because it's what my cute little sister asked?" Nakajima Reina replied with a teasing remark. "But Yuuki-kun, you get along so well with Yuko yet keep avoiding her. It's really puzzling."

"That's because I like you, Sister Reina."

"Trying to stir things up? If Yuko hears that, she'll be very upset with me."

"Then marry me, so Yuko-senpai will have no more thoughts about it."

"Yuuki-kun, you really like to joke around."

"I'm not joking!"

"Are you not?" Nakajima Reina looked at Minami Yuuki's face.

"…Alright," Minami Yuuki said, scratching his head.

Despite having a fondness for the princess-like girl after spending so much time with her, he couldn't say he was in love.

Although Nakajima Reina's beauty and grace were exceptional, Minami Yuuki wasn't shallow enough to be swayed only by appearance.

If he were to fall in love, it would be because of a deeper connection, an emotional resonance that would make him linger and delight in her presence.

But neither he nor Nakajima Reina had experienced that yet.

He looked into the girl's eyes and continued, "I haven't fallen for you yet, but that's your fault. If you agree to marry me, I believe I'd fall in love with you soon."

"That sounds like a scam trying to get people to invest," Nakajima Reina teased.

"How can I get Sister Reina to agree to marry me?"

"That's not going to happen," the girl replied.

"Why not?"

"I haven't talked with Yuuki-kun about my condition, have I?" The girl turned her gaze to the dark night outside the window.

The night was moonless, the starlight dim, and the shadows of shrubs and trees in the garden loomed over the earth.

She continued, "Don't be fooled by how well I can sit or lie down, looking healthy. In reality, because of my heart condition, I can't do any strenuous activity. Yuuki-kun is a normal man with desires, right?"

"I don't mind."

"In about three or four years, I'll need to undergo surgery. The success rate is very low; almost everyone who goes under the knife comes out as a corpse."

"I don't mind."

"You're too stubborn."

Nakajima Reina didn't refute the boy but instead said this with a tone of indulgence and tolerance, which left Minami Yuuki feeling frustrated.

"Yuko is a good girl. She really likes Yuuki-kun," Nakajima Reina shifted the topic.

"Actually," Minami Yuuki brought the conversation back, "even if Sister Reina's health wasn't an issue, my proposal would likely still fail, wouldn't it?"

Nakajima Reina was silent for a moment before her gentle voice replied, "After all, a proposal lacking in genuine emotion is difficult for both me and Yuuki-kun to accept."

"That's true," Minami Yuuki sighed.

They looked at each other and shared a smile.

[You and Nakajima Reina had an honest conversation, discussing your relationship as if you were strangers analyzing it. She pointed out that you don't love her, and she hasn't reached the level of infatuation with you. You might be very good friends, but you're not lovers.]

[Is Nakajima Reina's statement true? Is her affection for you merely a longing that hasn't reached the level of love? Is this a facade she has put on because of her illness, or is it her genuine feeling?]

[You think it doesn't really matter. What's important is that you don't love this princess-like girl, and there's no emotional catalyst for your relationship.]

[You reduced the frequency of your hospital visits from once a day to every two or three days. You and Nakajima Reina remained good friends, but there was no romantic atmosphere between you.]

[Your obsession with Nakajima Reina faded, and the figure of Ibuki Yuko, who was always by your side, became increasingly vivid in your mind.]

[In the spring of your second year of high school, Ibuki Yuko confessed her feelings to you while wearing cat ears, a maid outfit, and white stockings. You accepted her.]

[Nakajima Reina offered her blessings for your relationship.]

[Nakajima Yohei sighed with relief. This year, he had been deeply worried about the love triangle involving you and his two daughters. Now, your relationship had finally settled.]

[He felt a slight regret that his biological daughter hadn't received your love. He knew that this was Reina's closest chance at romance, and missing it meant she would have no further opportunities for love.]

[After graduating from high school, you were admitted to the Misaki University School of Medicine. Although you had moved on from Nakajima Reina, you still wanted to contribute in some way.]

[In the second semester of your first year, Nakajima Reina passed away. You were her closest friend.]

[Simulation Ended]