Chapter 111: Quick, Hide in the Wardrobe.

Looking at the simulation text, Minami Yuuki pinched the bridge of his nose.

Why did the key character appear with Chitose Kazumi?

This is troublesome—asking the girl for help feels too awkward, but not asking for her help is a waste.

What would the simulated version of myself choose?

[You know Chitose Kazumi's feelings for you and cannot bear to put her through this torment. You are usually not averse to using others' affections for you, but that is limited to those with whom you have only a shallow relationship. Although you and Chitose Kazumi have only just met, she is already a close friend in your heart.]

[You brush off Chitose Kazumi's inquiries.]

[You also asked Asano Nao and Ibuki Yuko, but did not gain anything.]

[The convalescent ward at Chikusa University Hospital is small, and there are not many patients, most of whom are elderly and difficult to contact. Your plan is at an impasse.]

[Ibuki Yuko frequently pesters you, and Asano Nao always waits at home for you. Ignoring them, you continue your search for the patient. You considered asking Ichinose Shiori for help, but your relationship with her is not yet close enough for such a favor.]

[As summer vacation approaches, Chitose Kazumi learns from Asano Nao that you have been searching for the convalescent ward patients. She is puzzled why you are still searching when she had already told you that her cousin was in the ward. She quickly figures out the reason.]

[During the summer vacation, she contacts you and takes you to meet her cousin. She does not ask about your intentions but simply brings you to her cousin's room and then leaves under the pretext of something else.]

[You are moved by Chitose Kazumi's kindness.]

Indeed, it's you, Kazumi!

Minami Yuuki feels deeply touched.

[Chitose Kazumi's cousin is in the hospital due to a lung surgery. She has been there for half a year and will recover and be discharged in about a month.]

[Because of her status, you cannot have a deep relationship with her, so you engage in a purely transactional arrangement, exchanging money for her help in faking information.]

[You plan to sell some songs to raise money, write a few pieces, and send them to popular singers. Before you receive the funds for the songs, you borrow some money from Asano Nao to pay Chitose Kazumi's cousin.]

[You told the cousin and the nurse that you are her brother and will visit her often. The nurse registered your name, granting you access to the convalescent ward, though this privilege is only valid for a month.]

[After a few days of observation, you have basically figured out when Nakajima Yohei arrives at the convalescent ward. The man visits his daughter's room every day after dinner and stays until visiting hours end.]

[You schedule your approach to Nakajima Reina during the day to avoid Nakajima Yohei.]

[The first attempt takes place in the morning when there are many visitors. After registering at the front desk, you head to room 303.]

[After knocking on the door, you hear Nakajima Reina's voice inviting you in.]

[You open the door and see Nakajima Reina lying under a clean white blanket, with only her arms in light blue sleeves visible, and a slightly surprised expression on her face.]

[Facing her puzzled look, you choose…]

[1. "Don't move, you've been kidnapped!"]

[2. "Are you Nakajima-sensei's daughter?"]

[3. "Do you know that cherry blossoms fall at a speed of 5 centimeters per second?"]

[4. Free choice]

Option two!

Minami Yuuki smiles.

Having options means the romance is progressing. Indeed, the decision to follow Asano Nao's advice's opposite was correct!

After the excitement, he looks at the simulation interface options.

Aside from option two, both one and three seem quite inappropriate.

What does "kidnapped" mean?

And why discuss the falling speed of cherry blossoms?

The answer is obvious without much thought.

Minami Yuuki selects option three, the topic of cherry blossoms.

Option two must be the wrong choice. "Are you Nakajima-sensei's daughter?" seems like the best way to explain your identity and start a conversation, but it mentions "Nakajima Yohei."

After successfully avoiding Nakajima Yohei in the previous choice and meeting Nakajima Reina, choosing this option would reintroduce Nakajima Yohei into the situation.

So, the previous effort to avoid him would be meaningless. Therefore, this option is not viable.

Among the remaining options, the kidnapping joke is too extreme. Discussing cherry blossoms, though somewhat abrupt, is relatively normal.

[You enter the hospital room and sit on the chair by Nakajima Reina's bed, starting a conversation about the speed at which cherry blossoms fall.]

[It's already midsummer, well past the cherry blossom season, so your topic is out of place. She has never met you before, and you don't introduce yourself, leaving her puzzled by your presence.]

[You are a small anomaly intruding into Princess Reina's domain. She looks at you with mild interest and engages in conversation. She expects you to leave your information, but she is mistaken. Half an hour later, you bid her farewell. Your departure is as unremarkable as your arrival; your voice lingers in Nakajima Reina's mind as a few threads of confusion.]

[The next morning, you knock on Nakajima Reina's door again and sit beside her.]

[You complain to her about the heat outside and the crowded subway, never mentioning your identity as if you and she are already beyond formalities. After more than half an hour, you turn and leave.]

[For a week, you appear in Nakajima Reina's room every morning, sometimes chatting with her, sometimes looking out at the garden together. Your conversations mostly involve you talking, and you both fall into silence when gazing at the garden.]

[Initially, Nakajima Reina viewed you as an unexpected intruder into her realm. However, with your frequent visits and overly familiar demeanor, she gradually comes to see you as a regular guest. The daily morning meetings become a tacit routine between you.]

[You are like the morning breeze, blowing in through the open door, gently brushing past the furniture, stirring a few strands of her hair, and then blowing out through the open window. Besides a refreshing coolness, you leave nothing behind.]

[One day, after a week, while looking out the window together, you suddenly ask her which flower she likes best in the garden.]

[She chooses the blue hydrangea.]

[The next morning, you enter the room with one hand behind your back. At her surprised gaze, you approach the bed and present her with a freshly picked blue hydrangea. The flower rests on the pure white blanket, like a small patch of blue sky amidst the white clouds. She runs her delicate fingers over the flower petals and smiles.]

[You take a paper cup from the bedside, fill it with water, and let her place the hydrangea in it.]

A memory scene appears.

The hospital room's window is large, covering a significant portion of the wall, and the azure sky spreads across it, reflecting off the light blue hydrangea in the girl's hand.

The hydrangea's stem is short, fully submerged in the paper cup, while the flower ball floats above it, its petals trembling slightly.

The girl gazes at the hydrangea in her hand, somewhat entranced, with blue reflections appearing in her dark eyes.

"Does Reina-san like other flowers too?" Minami Yuuki asks.

Nakajima Reina shakes her head. "If the nurse finds out, I'll get scolded."

"True. While I'm confident I could pick all the flowers in the garden without being caught, it's not something Reina-san could hide here."

Nakajima Reina laughs at the boy's comment. She says, "If all the flowers in the garden were gone, I'd be troubled when looking outside. Let them quietly grow in the ground."

"Why did you choose hydrangeas? They look nice, but they don't smell good at all, do they?"

"Well... because while I sit here, I can only see those flowers and can't smell them."

"Exactly, since you can't smell them, there's no need to worry about their scent, just their appearance."

Minami Yuuki pauses, his gaze shifting from the hydrangea in the girl's hand to the view outside the window. He stands up, taking in the entire garden.

"Would you like to…" he starts to say, but before he can finish, a knock on the door interrupts.

The knock is clear and unmistakably coming from outside Nakajima Reina's room.

Nakajima Reina looks towards the door, thinking it might be her father arriving.

She then glances at the boy, who has yet to introduce himself, preparing to explain and introduce her father to him.

However, the boy is startled by the knock. He hurriedly gets up from the chair and opens the wardrobe door.

The wardrobe door closes, and the boy hides inside.

Huh? Why is he hiding?

Nakajima Reina is a bit confused.

"Reina?" Nakajima Yohei, having not heard his daughter's voice for a while, calls out softly from outside the door.

"Mm, Dad, you can come in," Nakajima Reina quickly replies.

Nakajima Yohei opens the door and sits in the chair by the bed.