AN: Hello, my dear readers! A bit of a delay on this chapter, since the last days of school kept me more occupied than I would have wanted, but now summer vacation has arrived! And since I don't have any unpaid work this summer, I have loads of free time to use as I wish – mostly on Anime and writing, as usual.

Without any further delay, let's get this chapter underway!

Chapter 11 – Visitors

"Rise and shine, Otonashi-kun! You're not so injured that you need to lay down in bed all day!" A voice pulled me out of my peaceful slumber, and I could hear the curtains in front of the window being moved. Who… Is here this early… I stirred in my bed and slowly opened eyes, but the sudden burst of light from the window forced me to close my eyes again with a groan. "Oh, he's awake." A sudden shadow blocked the sunlight, and I opened one of my eyes again to meet a girl's face extremely close to mine. "Yo! Sleep well?" The girl asked, and after a few seconds of waking up, I realized who my human alarm clock was.

"Iwasawa-san..? What are you doing here?" I asked, and the girl pulled herself back away from me, so I sat up on my bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. What… time is it?

"Did Yuri not tell you that I was going to visit? Well, if she didn't, it's a bit late for that now. But, I didn't get here to wake you up on my own." Iwasawa replied and gestured to the other side of the room, where I could see Doctor Mikado leaning against a wall with a coffee cup in her hands.

"Good morning, Otonashi-kun. Usually, visitors aren't allowed in this early, but I made a little exception with Iwasawa-san here, since she seemed to be quite eager to meet you." Mikado said, then took a sip from her coffee. And as usual, she was dressed quite provocatively for a doctor, her labcoat only covering so much of her cleavage. "As the doctor assigned to you, I'll just be doing a quick check-up, then I'll leave you two alone." She then continued as she made her way over to me, placing the coffee cup on the table next to my bed. Iwasawa sat down in the chair as Mikado took out a small flashlight and leaned closer to me, causing me to blush slightly as her cleavage was made even more prominent with the position she was currently in. "I know you've literally just woken up, but try to keep your eyes open." I nodded to Mikado and stifled the blush on my cheeks as she cupped the side of my head with her left hand, and pointed the flashlight towards my right eye with the other. The light made me want to close my eyes, but I tried my damnest to keep them open, tears threatening to spill from them any second as Mikado examined both of my eyes in turn. "Everything seems to be okay. I want you to stand up and walk around a little for me." I nodded to Mikado as she pocketed the flashlight and moved back to allow me to get up from bed.

"Hah! Look at you, Otonashi-kun, being ordered around by an older woman! Although, I guess you're at least somewhat used to following the orders of a woman." Iwasawa said and giggled as she watched me get up, then proceed to strafe back and forth in front of Mikado. I… guess she's referring to the time I spent in the Afterlife, as Yuri was supposedly the leader of the SSS, which I was a part of… Though I can't remember any of that, now.

"Hmm… At least you don't seem to wobble like a drunkard while walking. Feeling dizzy at all? Hazy vision?" Mikado asked as she wrote down the results check-up, then continued with a smirk on her face. "And I do believe that young Otonashi-kun here enjoys being told what to do by a woman." I let out a small sigh as the two of them giggled together.

"You two…" I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. What is it with the women I know wanting to tease me? Well, at least I can count on Kanade not doing it, for the world would probably end the day I saw Kanade doing something like that. "Anyway, no, I don't feel dizzy at all, and my eyesight's fine." I said to Mikado, then sat back down on the bed.

"That's good to hear. Given your condition, I'd say you won't stay here for much longer, Otonashi-kun. I'd be willing to bet that you'll be able to go home in a day or two." Mikado said to me with a smile. "Now, before I go… Nakamura-san mentioned her yesterday, so I've been wondering... Is Iwasawa-san one of those friends of yours? Because if so..." Mikado said and glanced towards Iwasawa, who raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ah, I get what you mean. Yes, she is. Iwasawa-san is one the three people we know who remembers everything about their past life, as well as the Afterlife." Iwasawa's eyes widened as her gaze shifted between Mikado and I.

"Wait, Otonashi-kun? You've… told Mikado-sensei about that?" Iwasawa asked, and the two of us nodded to her.

"He has, just yesterday, actually. While I was a little sceptical at first, some old medical files 'proved' his story to some extent, so I'm willing to believe it." Mikado said to Iwasawa and flipped over to a different page on the clipboard she was holding. "Now, since you apparently remember everything from this 'Afterlife'… I'd like you to tell me a little about it."

"Huh?" Iwasawa seemed shocked by Mikado's words, and turned to me.

"I've told her about our special Déjà-vu, and the things I knew about the Afterlife, based on what you and Hinata told us. And, she managed to find some evidence about my previous life. Yuri also told us how she regained her memories as well, but as neither of us remember anything – or in Yuri's case, barely anything – about the Afterlife, we couldn't really 'sate her curiosity' on that matter." I explained to Iwasawa.

"That's right. I decided that I'd take it upon myself to investigate this matter, since it does intrigue me, which is why I'd like to hear your story as well, Iwasawa-san, given that you do retain the knowledge about the Afterlife." Mikado said to Iwasawa with a smile.

"Oh, alright. I didn't expect that you'd go and tell others about this, Otonashi-kun, so I was a little surprised. But I'm more surprised that you believe this, Mikado-sensei..." Iwasawa scratched her cheek a little awkwardly, then cleared her throat. "So, you said that it intrigues you? What do you want to hear?" Iwasawa said to Mikado with her previous, more cheerful attitude, as her confusion was cleared.

"Preferably, everything, but that might take too much time, so… If you could tell me about this Afterlife in general. What was it like? What was there? That kind of stuff." Mikado replied, and I nodded along with her, as I was also curious, given my lack of memories. Hinata had already told us some things, but I wanted to hear what Iwasawa had to tell us about the matter.

After a brief moment of consideration, Iwasawa began her – supposedly – brief, but informative explanation. She told us how the Afterlife was an enigma to pretty much everyone within it, and we knew very little about it. Based on the fact that everyone there had lived short, despair-filled lives, it was concluded that the Afterlife was a place for teenagers to live the youth they didn't get to experience, so they can move on without any regrets and be reincarnated. No-one knew how large the Afterlife was, but it consisted of a High School surrounded by seemingly endless forests and mountains. Apart from those sent there, it was inhabited by some animals – such as fish – as well as beings that resembled humans, but didn't possess a soul, dubbed "NPCs".

Then Iwasawa recounted some of the "rules" of the Afterlife, though no-one knew why or how these "rules" existed, or were governed. No-one could die in the Afterlife, but would experience the pain of doing so, if something life-threatening were to happen. After someone "died", they would simply wake up some time later, as if they had been simply unconscious. No-one could also age, including the NPCs, and time itself didn't seem to matter, or exist in the Afterlife, though days and weeks seemingly passed as normal. Perhaps the most interesting thing – at least according to Mikado – was that anyone could create anything, out of anything, within the Afterlife, as long as one had knowledge of what they were creating.

Mikado was constantly taking notes of everything the red-haired girl said, and asked her about many things, which – even though I had already heard most of the things Iwasawa mentioned from Hinata – lead into a discussion that even I was able to enjoy listening to, as the information about the Afterlife was welcome, and some of the things Iwasawa mentioned did make me feel a sense of familiarity. While at first this was supposed to be a "quick check-up" for Mikado, she got completely engrossed in Iwasawa's explanation, and by the time she noticed what time it was, it had already been well over fifteen minutes.

"...I see, so that's how… Oh! Look at the time!" Mikado happened to glance at her watch as she was writing down something. "Well, this has been very insightful, Iwasawa-san, and I wish I could stay and listen for longer, but unfortunately, Otonashi-kun isn't my only patient." Mikado said as she organized the notes she had taken and got ready to leave.

"Oh, I've been talking for a while, haven't I?" Iwasawa said as she noticed how long she had conversed with Mikado for. "But, it was nice talking about this stuff with you. It makes me happy to know that there's someone willing to believe our unbelievable – but true – stories." She then continued with a smile, which Mikado returned to her, then turned to me.

"I'll probably come around later today, Otonashi-kun, and Doctor Akagi will most likely come see you as well." Mikado said to me, and I gave her a brief nod as a reply. "And I get the feeling that Iwasawa-san here won't be your only visitor today. Get ready for a busy day. I'll see you around!" As she finished, Mikado gave me a little wave, before turning around to leave.

"Yeah, see you, Mikado-sensei!" I replied with a wave of my own, though with her back turned to me, she couldn't see it. After Mikado closed the door behind her, I turned to look at Iwasawa again. "So… Any reason you came to visit me?" I asked from her.

"Hm? What, am I not allowed to visit a friend in the hospital out of the goodness of my heart?" Iwasawa said with a slightly teasing tone as she crossed her arms under her chest. I almost expected her to poke me then, or something… I've probably spent too much time with Yuri…

"Well… I guess you're right. Sorry, it's just that… I haven't known you for that long. Although, I haven't really known Yuri, or Tachibana-san for that much longer either, but… I've… interacted with them more, I guess?" I replied as I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh, I get you. But, in my point of view… I've known you for a long time, Otonashi-kun. Well, not as long as say, Hinata has, given that dis… reincarnated before all of you did, but still, much longer than the… what, two weeks? That we've known each other for in this life?" Iwasawa brought a finger to her chin, and I found myself thinking back on the day I first met Iwasawa. It was the day I went shopping with Hatsune, a few days after my first encounter with Yuri… I think it was exactly two weeks ago, now. Not that long, in the grand scheme of things. "Something like that, anyway." Iwasawa continued after a couple of seconds of silence. "But, yeah. To me, it feels like we've been friends for longer than that." The red-haired girl paused for a brief moment, and a slight smirk appeared on her face. "And hey, if you count the time we shared an indirect kiss, I'd say we're pretty close." I felt my cheeks heating up slightly at Iwasawa's words, and briefly, my eyes shot towards Iwasawa's lips as they curved into a larger smirk upon seeing my reaction.

"W-what do you mean by that, Iwasawa-san?" I asked, trying to keep my composure, as the mere mention of a kiss – indirect or not – made me flustered, and brought me back memories of the time Yuri and I nearly kissed while we were alone in mine and Hatsune's apartment.

"It was back in the Afterlife. You came to visit me and my band as we were practising, and I ended up telling about my past when we had a break. Before I returned to my bandmates, I gave you my water bottle – which I had already drank from. But, you won't remember any of that, of course." I lightly pinched the bridge of my nose and inwardly let out a sigh of relief as Iwasawa finished. The way she worded it initially made it seem like it was something more than just sharing a water bottle… Heh, look at me, getting flustered over the thought of an indirect kiss like a high school girl. Though I guess it doesn't help that my experience with these kinds of things is that of a high school girl's… And the feelings I now have towards Yuri and Kanade certainly aren't making things easier… I lightly shook my head and cleared my throat as I looked back at Iwasawa, meeting her gaze with mine.

"You are correct, I don't remember anything like that. So, to me, as long as I can't remember it, it didn't happen. And, how can you be sure that I actually drank from the bottle? You said that you left after you gave your bottle to me, right?" I replied to Iwasawa and crossed my arms, somewhat proud with my little 'comeback'. This banter… It kinda feels like I'm with Yuri, but without the awkwardness that I now get whenever I'm around her… Although, while this is somewhat nice, I feel like it's… missing something. Something that… only Yuri and I have together…

"Well… You might be correct. Another reason to get all of your memories back soon, eh?" Iwasawa said and smiled at me, staying silent for a few moments. "You know, I can see why Yuri enjoys your company, Otonashi-kun. And I now know why she likes teasing you so much." The smile twisted into a smirk as I let out a little awkward laugh. "Speaking of her, and given our current topic of indirect kisses… How far have you actually gone with a girl, Otonashi-kun? I'm curious." I flinched a little and then froze in place at Iwasawa's question. What kind of question is that?! And what does Yuri have to do with it? Does Iwasawa-san think I have that kind of relationship with Yuri? Or does she know that I… have feelings towards her? I mentally panicked for a moment, but came to my senses quickly enough. No, there's no reason as to why she would think that. Nor is there any way that she'd know about my feelings. But it's still an embarrassing question!

"I… Well..." I managed to get out of my mouth after multiple seconds of silence, but couldn't find the words to follow up with. Should I… just be honest? I guess it won't hurt… "My… experience with with women is… Not a lot." I admitted to Iwasawa, feeling the heat returning to my cheeks.

"What, really? Noooo, you must be joking. Not even first base?" Iwasawa seemed genuinely shocked, which was only amplified when I shook my head as a reply.

"I've… never even had a girlfriend, so… Not even first base..." I felt my embarrassment growing with each moment as I confessed the depth – or lack thereof – about my relationships with the opposite gender. Yuri is the girl I've gotten closest to during my life… If we don't count Hatsune, of course.

"Unbelievable. Though, I guess that means that someone could swoop in and take your first kiss, eh?" Iwasawa said as she leaned closer to me, and I found myself recoiling back, eliciting a giggle from the girl. "I jest, of course. But I am seriously surprised that you've never had a girlfriend. You are good-looking, you know? And you're really easy to talk with, and your personality is quite charming as well. So… How come you've never been in a relationship?" The compliments that Iwasawa gave me felt genuine, and I averted my gaze from her as my cheeks flushed again.

"Well… It probably has to do with the fact that I was never really that… popular. Back in middle school, everyone made fun of me, or thought I was crazy, when I spoke about my Déjà-vu. And then in High School… I was a bit of loner back then. Not many chances to… hook up." I explained to Iwasawa, and she gave me an understanding nod as a reply. "What about you then? Do you have any experience, Iwasawa-san?"

"Eh? M-me?" Iwasawa flinched back in her seat and raised her hands defensively, my question catching her off-guard. Oh? Could it be… That Iwasawa-san is as inexperienced as I am? I wonder… Does Yuri have any experience? She hasn't told me about any possible boyfriends, and I was the first guy she was able to properly get close to..."I… Ahem. Of course, I've had… you know… boyfriends." Iwasawa said, her gaze flickering to meet mine every now and then, though she kept it averted from me as much as possible.

"Oh, is that so? How far have you gone with them, then?" I pressed on with my attack, determined to get back at Iwasawa for my earlier embarrassment. My daily interactions with Yuri have made me a veteran on the battlefield of banter and teasing, and while I let my guard down around Iwasawa-san, I'm now ready for a counterattack! Come to think of it… She's been on my mind a lot, hasn't she? Even when I'm with Iwasawa-san like this…

"I… Um… S-second base..." Iwasawa replied a little awkwardly after a few seconds, and I unconsciously found my gaze shifting from Iwasawa's eyes down to her chest, which I now noted to be slightly bigger in size than Yuri's. So someone has gotten to… No, I need to get rid of that train of thought immediately! "A-anyway, what I was going for with this, was that I think it's time for you to get it on with somebody. You're in the prime of your youth, Otonashi-kun, and you're only going to get older from here!" Iwasawa then said and pointed towards me with her index finger, her expression turning from awkward to excited in a split second.

"G-get it on? I-I don't… But… Aren't you in a similar situation?" I asked, and Iwasawa lowered her hand, but her expression remained unchanged. She's starting to sound like Hatsune…

"At least I have experience, unlike you, Otonashi-kun. Besides, I'm older than you, so you have to listen to me – especially when it comes to relationship advice." Iwasawa crossed her arms under her chest again, and I let out a sigh of defeat. Yep, she's as relentless with this as Hatsune is… I never took Iwasawa-san for someone who would care so much about something like this, though… "So, I know that you know a bunch of pretty girls, I mean, I am one of them, after all. Any of them your type? There has to be someone you fancy out of all them, right?"

"I..." I averted my gaze from Iwasawa again as I thought about her words. Certainly, I do fancy someone… Two people, in fact. I've fallen for both Yuri and Kanade, but I don't really know why, or how that happened… It has to have something to do with my Déjà-vu, that's the only thing sure about it. "Why… do I have to tell you something like that? I mean… Yes, all the girls I know are… pretty, but I don't know about a type..." I replied after a few seconds of consideration as I looked back at Iwasawa.

"I'm just trying to help you, Otonashi-kun. Look, it's just too pathetic for a guy of your caliber, and… age to be a virgin with no romantic experience!" You… said that you've only gone as far as second base yourself, though… "Why not try your luck with one of the girls you know? You got the best chances with them, after all, and I don't think you should waste those chances."

"I… won't say that you're wrong, but… This is a bit sudden, and I don't think..." I rubbed the back of my neck again, and Iwasawa interrupted me with a heavy sigh.

"That attitude won't get you a girl, Otonashi-kun. Okay, how about this: Yuri. What do you think of her? Don't you think you could hit it off with her? And you knew her in the Afterlife, so you two have some history together – even if you don't remember it any more. Even Hinata and Yui are together because of that, you know?" I felt a blush rising to my cheeks at the mention of Yuri, and for a brief moment, I swear I saw Iwasawa's eyes sparkling.

"You're right, but… I also have history with Tachibana-san. I was her donor, and according to Hinata, I was really close with her in the Afterlife..."

"O-oh… Well… T-that just means that you have chances with the both of them, right? But… What do you mean by donor?" Iwasawa raised an eyebrow in question. Oh, right, she wouldn't know about that, would she?

"In my previous life, I had given my consent for my organs to be donated, and Tachibana-san was the recipient for my heart. I only found out about yesterday, when Mikado-sensei found some old medical records, but according to Yuri… Tachibana-san already knew of it. Apparently, she regained some of her memories from the Afterlife on Thursday – all the memories about me, including the fact that I was her donor." I explained to Iwasawa, who adopted a thoughtful look onto her face for a few moments before responding.

"They… visited me on Friday, but didn't tell me anything like that… Yuri only told me how you recovered your memories about your past life, but nothing about Tachibana-san… But why would they leave out such a significant detail, especially since they came to me for help in regaining their own memories? Do you… know what caused Tachibana-san's memories to return?" Iwasawa's question made me recall Thursday's events, when I suddenly awakened feelings towards both Yuri and Kanade.

"I… believe I do. I won't go into too much detail, but… The combination of anaemia from Tachibana-san, and just plain old tiredness from me resulted in the two of us… napping together. It was totally on accident, of course, but because of it, Tachibana-san was able to feel my heartbeat, which… triggered her memories returning. I can understand why it happened, but it is still curious that she only remembers the things about me, and nothing else – if Yuri is to be believed, that is." I explained to Iwasawa, whose brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of everything.

"Very interesting… But it still doesn't explain why they didn't tell me about it, given that it sounds like it wasn't that big of a deal… Unless… Unless it is a bigger deal than Yuri let on."

"What… do you mean by that?" I tilted my head in confusion at Iwasawa's words as her face became more serious.

"You said that you… napped together with Tachibana-san. What… happened after that? Did she say anything to you?" I went over Thursday's's events again. Oh, she definitely said something.

"She… acted a little… odd afterwards, and she said some… interesting things. But… I… I don't really want to talk about it, and also… I left before she had a chance to say anything coherent to me." Could the things she said explain it, though? She asked me if I regained any memories… Not really, apart from the dream I had back then… "...I don't think any of it explains why Yuri and Tachibana-san wouldn't tell you about Tachibana-san regaining a portion of her memories."

"Hmm… It is very curious… But, our best bet is to ask Tachibana-san herself. If she's willing to talk about it, that its." Iwasawa looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head a little and looked back at me, her previous excited smile having returned to her face. "Anyway, back on topic – your love life!" I facepalmed and let out a small groan. I had hope that we were done with that topic already…

Despite my best efforts, Iwasawa was very adamant about "helping" me with love life (or rather, doing something about the lack thereof), and we ended up talking about the subject for an extended period of time. The most bizarre thing was, though, that it was Iwasawa who was giving me relationship advice. If it was Hatsune, I wouldn't give it a second thought since that's the way she was, but with Iwasawa… I would never have expected that she would the kind to do something like this, and while we conversed, I almost got the feeling that she was trying to hook me up with someone, more precisely…

Hook me up with Yuri.

I had managed to keep my feelings in check, so there was no way Iwasawa knew of my affection towards Yuri and Kanade, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something more to her words than just "relationship advice". And the fact that she seemed to constantly divert the conversation towards Yuri… It definitely felt like she was trying to set something up.

In the end, I was saved by Doctor Akagi, who came to do some more in-depth tests on me in place of Mikado. She was surprised that Iwasawa was there to visit me, since – as Mikado had said earlier – visitors aren't allowed to come in so early, but once she learned that Mikado was the one who let her in, she shrugged the whole thing off with a "I see..." and a heavy sigh, then went on to say that Mikado is sometimes too carefree for a doctor – which I wholly agree with, if her choice of attire is anything to go by. In any case, Iwasawa took her leave after Doctor Akagi's arrival, telling me to "put some though into what we talked about" before she closed the door behind her. Akagi questioned me about Iwasawa's words, but I shrugged it off as being nothing important, and she began her thorough examination of both my physical and psychological condition.

...Should I do it? Just one press of a button…

My finger hovered over the "call" button on my cellphone, with the name "Otonashi Yuzuru" displayed on screen. I had stayed in this position for a while now as I contemplated whether or not to call Yuzuru. Realistically, I should just do it, right? I want to talk with him, after all. But… Something like this… Might be better to say face-to-face… I brought my finger down, just brushing past the call button as I scrolled upwards on the contact list, my eyes meeting the name of another person close to me. We both said that we didn't want to lose to the other, and then agreed that we'd focus on recovering our memories first, but… I can't go on like this. Besides… I found my grip on my phone tightening as I stared at the girl's name displayed on the screen.

If it's a way for me to regain all of my memories… I should be allowed to do it, even if… even if it's not fair for her, right?

"Haaaaah… That was more exhausting than I expected..." I said to myself as I laid down on the hospital bed and stared up at the ceiling. I feel like taking a nap… I thought and closed my eyes.

Doctor Akagi's examinations and tests had taken a bigger toll on me than I had expected, and right afterwards, Takiya came to visit me as well. While Takiya could be a good friend sometimes, interacting with him could be a pain, and I was left mentally taxed after speaking with him right after Akagi's examinations. A little nap won't hurt. I turned to my side and briefly opened my eyes, readying myself for a nice nap, when I noticed my phone on the table next to my bed. Oh, right, I got a message from someone while Akagi-sensei was examining me, and I never looked at who sent it to me. I reluctantly sat up on my bed and reached out for my phone.Let's see, then… Oh, it's from Yui-san.

"Yuzuru-kun.

I know I said to you yesterday that I would call you, but I ended up being busier than I thought, so I sent you this message instead. Anyway, this was just to let you know that I'll be coming there to visit you, alright? You better be ready!

Kotegawa Yui"

I found myself smiling at the text message, clearly seeing Yui's handiwork in it. It was sent 16 minutes ago… I don't know where Yui-san lives, but I'll just have a quick nap before she gets here. I placed my phone back on the table and lied down on the bed again, closing my eyes as I did to settle in for a nice nap. After a few minutes of lying down, I was on the verge of falling asleep, when I was shaken back awake by a knock on my door. I lazily opened one of my eyes and glanced towards the door, but decided that my nap was more important than whoever was behind the door. If it's Mikado-sensei or Akagi-sensei, they'll either come in or call out to me from inside… If Takiya-kun came back, I'd rather sleep than talk with him more… And it can't be Yui-san, not this early. I turned to my side and settled back into trying to fall asleep.

"Yuzuru-kun?" I heard a faint, female voice coming from outside the door, though with it being slightly muffled, I couldn't quite tell who it was in my half-asleep state. "I'm coming in, Yuzuru-kun." I stirred slightly in my bed as the door to my room was opened. They're.. coming in? Who could it be, then? "Yuzuru-kun..? Oh! You're asleep? S-sorry..." I heard the voice say, much more clearly now, and I shifted so I was lying on my back again. Guess I have to postpone my nap, then…

"...Not any more." I said quietly as I opened my eyes, and was about to lift my head when I saw someone leaning over me, their hand a few centimetres away from my head, and their face not too far behind. Both of us froze in place for multiple seconds, which was enough time for my groggy brain to shake itself awake properly. "Yui...san?" At the mention of her name, the raven-haired girl twitched, then quickly pulled her hand away and moved her head back, her face overcome with a bright blush.

"A-ah, s-sorry. I-I was just… going to s-see if you were awake or n-not. Yes, t-that's it." Yui said and paused for a bit, clearing her throat before continuing. "Did… you not get my message? Where I said I was going to come see you?" She then asked as I sat up in the bed, stretching a little.

"Oh, I did. I just didn't think you'd get here in a quarter hour. Sorry."

"Y-you don't have to be. I… sent that message after I had already left, since… Um… A-anyway, d-did you not get enough sleep last night?" Yui asked as she sat down next to the bed, gently placing her bag on the floor.

"I did, but Doctor Akagi's thorough examination, combined with having to deal with Takiya-kun drained me. I was hoping I could have a quick nap before you arrived, but that idea is out of the window, now. I am glad that you were able to visit me, though." I said to Yui with a smile, and a slight blush returned to her cheeks. "So, you got over your sickness, then?" My question seemed to surprise Yui, as she flinched back a little.

"Y-yes, I did. It wasn't… anything too serious. And… I… ran into Takiya-kun on the way here, actually. His visit was a quick one, but… Do you… not like him?" Yui asked, steering the conversation away from herself.

"Well… It's not that I don't like him, just… I don't know. Takiya-kun is a good friend, and he was genuinely concerned for me when he came to visit me, but… He talks too much, and likes to stick his nose into things that shouldn't concern him. After his initial show of concern… he went on to pestering me about various things that I won't go into. But, he is a good friend – when he's in the mood for such things." I finished with a slight chuckle, and could see a smile on Yui's face as well. Soon, though, the smile was gone, replaced by a grimace instead.

"Have you..." Yui started hesitantly as her gaze flickered to mine and back away from it. "...Recovered from your short-term memory loss yet, Yuzuru-kun?" She's asking about it again…

"No, I have not. I've otherwise pretty much fully recovered, so I'll be able to leave once I've recovered my memories. At least, that's what Akagi-sensei thinks, but it will be up to Mikado-sensei to decided that." Yui gave me a slow nod as an answer, but I could tell there was something troubling her. "Yui-san… You… were with me on Friday, right? Did… something happen between the two of us? Something that… I don't remember?" Yui's eyes widened, and she looked away from me as she bit her lip.

"I… I…" Yui's hands balled into fists, and she began to tremble. Then, she took a deep breath and faced me again. "I'm… sorry. I… don't know what happened to you. I hope that… You're able to recover from your memory loss." Yui said to me with a somewhat forced smile on her face. Your words and actions don't match up… But… Whatever happened, it's troubling Yui-san, and she doesn't want to talk about it. And if she doesn't want to talk about it… I won't pry any further.

"Oh, that's a shame. I guess we won't know exactly what happened to me until my memory comes back." I said and laid back on the bed slightly. "But, no matter. You came here to visit me because I'm injured, and that's all that matters, right?" I then said to Yui with a smile, looking deep into her brown eyes as I did.

"Y-yes, of course. I'm… glad to see that you've recovered." Yui said and smiled back at me, then perked up, as if she had remembered something. "Oh, right! I… visited the convenience store on the way, and..." Yui reached down for her bag and began to open it. "I… felt like b-buying you something, Yuzuru-kun, so if you d-don't mind..." With a slight blush on her face, Yui brought out a can of green tea, – the same brand as the one I often drink at school – a bar of Meiji milk chocolate, a package of strawberry-flavoured Pocky, and finally, a Magazine with an Anime character featured on the front page.

"Newtype? And this tea..." I said as I took the magazine from Yui, who placed the other items on the table next to the bed.

"I-I d-didn't really know what y-you'd like so I j-just kind of… I've heard you t-talk about Anime and s-stuff with some of our classmates, so… A-and I've o-only really seen you d-drink that tea, and coffee occasionally... It's f-fine if you don't l-like it..." As Yui was babbling on and on, I reached out with my free hand and took hers into my own, causing the girl to freeze up immediately.

"Don't worry about it, Yui-san. Isn't it the thought that matters the most when you're giving a gift to someone?" I asked from the surprised girl with a smile. "Arigatou, Yui-san." I gave her hand a light squeeze, which seemed to bring her back from her daze.

"A-ah, right, o-of course..." Yui replied, then looked down at our hands, and a bright blush appeared on her face. Looking at her blushing face also caused my cheeks to heat up, and I quickly pulled my hand back. That was… awkward. I did it to reassure her, but it backfired a little… "Ahem. I'm… glad that you like it, Yuzuru-kun." Yui said to me after a few seconds of silence.

"Of course. I may not be as big of an otaku as some of our classmates, but I do still enjoy my shows." I explained to Yui as I briefly glanced over the cover page of the magazine. 'Anime adaptation of Hashima Itsuki's Mahou Gakuen announced'? Looks like the rumour was true… I wonder when it airs? I moved my gaze from the magazine back to Yui, and saw that she was intently staring at the girl drawn on the cover of the magazine. She had blonde hair, a cliché loli body type, and wore a cheeky smile on her face. Wait… Does Yui-san think… I was looking at her? I fully turned my head back to Yui, and I noticed that she had moved one of her hands over her chest, her gaze still fixated on the magazine. She totally does! I'm not a lolicon, I swear! "Um... so… Yui-san?" I said to bring to girl's attention to myself, which seemingly worked, as the raven-haired girl moved her gaze up from the magazine to meet mine. "Could I..?" I pointed towards the Meiji bar on the table, which Yui's other hand was currently over.

"O-oh! R-right. Sorry." Yui snapped out of her daze and handed me the chocolate, and I used the opportunity to turn the magazine upside down, placing it on my lap as I took the chocolate from Yui. "Would you… have preferred a different brand? F-for… future reference." Yui asked a little sheepishly. 'Future reference'? So she… plans to give me chocolate in the future as well? Or am I just reading too much into it?

"Meiji is fine. It's one of the most popular brands for a reason." I replied as I opened the box and took a piece of chocolate into my mouth. "Mmmm… Really good..." I said as I chewed on the chocolate, then took another piece and offered it to Yui. "Here, you should have some too."

"Eh? M-me? But… I bought them for you..."

"Nonsense. I'm willing to share them with you, it's only fair." A devious thought came into my mind as Yui still hesitated to take the chocolate from me. "Alright, here, say 'aaaah'" I began to slowly move my hand towards Yui, and more specifically, towards her mouth.

"Eh? Eh?! Y-Yuzuru-kun, wa-" As soon as Yui opened her mouth wide enough, I quickly pushed the piece of chocolate into her mouth, causing the girl's eyes to widen on shock, and her cheeks flaring up so much that their colour nearly matched my hair. A second later, Yui stood up and backed away from me while holding her hands over her mouth, her face redder than ever, and I was expecting steam to come out of her ears at any moment. Well… I didn't expect that she'd be that embarrassed by it… Maybe I shouldn't tease her as much as I do Yuri…

"Um… Sorry, Yui-san. Did I… go too far? I'm… kinda used to teasing Yuri all the time, so..." Yui flinched as I spoke, then stayed motionless for a few seconds, before I heard her swallow, and she moved her hands away.

"I-it's fine. I-I just… didn't e-expect that… B-but… You shouldn't just do that kind of thing with a-anyone, you know?" Yui sat back down, and the blush on her face faded a little, though her cheeks still remained tinted red.

"I guess… I'm sorry, Yui-san. But… It was good, was it not?" I asked as I took another piece into my mouth.

"...It was..." Yui mumbled under her breath, and I let out a little chuckle.

After that, the two of us settled into a nice conversation as we worked our way through the Meiji bar. Unlike with Takiya, talking with Yui felt calming, and it was pleasant to just talk about random topics with her. I felt comfortable, similarly to how I felt when being together with Yuri, but in a… different way. While with Yuri, our conversation was mostly banter and teasing, with lots of laughs from both of us, with Yui, it was more… serene, and soothing, but not… "overly polite", or artificial in any way. While I had been friends with Yui for well over a week, now, this was the first time I had the chance to speak with her like this – and I enjoyed it. Before we knew it, we had eaten all of the chocolate, and it was only long after we had finished the box of Pocky that we paid any attention to the time. As it turned out, Yui had stayed with me at the hospital for nearly two hours.

After a hurried farewell, Yui rushed out of the hospital so she could make it home in time, I was left alone once again. Just like when Takiya had left earlier, I felt sleepy, but it was n't in the same way as before. While conversing with Takiya had left me drained and tired, my current sleepiness came from how nice and chill my time with Yui had been. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would one day be able to talk with the Kotegawa Yui like that, and enjoy it, I would never have believed it in a million years. But now… I'm really glad that I was able to become friends with Yui-san. As I let out a loud yawn, I closed my eyes and laid back down on the bed, ready to fall asleep any second. Yui-san, Kanade, Yuri, and even Iwasawa-san…

I'm really glad that I got to meet, and become friends with all of you.

...Here I am again...

I stared at my phone's screen and adjusted my coat with my left hand. I wonder when visiting time ends at the hospital..? I thought as I once again found myself contemplating on whether or not to call Yuzuru. Well, standing here staring at his contact information won't do any good… I took a deep breath and dialled the number, bringing the phone up to my ear as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, my own eyes gazing back at me. I've never gone out of my way to be presentable for anyone… until now. After waiting for a good twenty seconds, the call went into voicemail, so I decided to end the call. Yuzuru isn't answering… Oh well, I'll have to send him a message, then. I began to write a short message to Yuzuru as I made my way outside, sending the message just as I closed my front door behind me. I took a deep breath of the outside air and gazed up at the cloudy sky. I hope it doesn't rain… Though, I do have my umbrella with me, so I should be fine. As I looked back down at my phone, about to put it back into my coat pocket, a particular name in my contacts list caught my eye. I stopped as I stared at the girl's name, not too far above Yuzuru's, and felt a tinge of guilt within me. What I'm about to do… it isn't fair by any means, but… it's necessary. I selected the girl's name, and began to write a message to her as well.

"I'm sorry."

I wanted to write more, I wanted to write about what I had thought about, about my plans, but couldn't find the right words, and only wrote the short, simple message currently displayed on screen. I felt a lump forming in my throat, but swallowed it down as I pressed the "send" button. A necessary evil… After the message had been successfully sent, I shut down my phone and placed it into my pocket, then faced forwards, taking another deep breath before starting to make my way to the hospital. A necessary evil, which cannot be avoided. After all…

Fighting against Fate, or hoping to change it, is a futile effort.

It's… raining. But.. there's warmth, right next to me… It's a girl… Long, black hair… Brown eyes...

"Do you… have anyone you like?"

Did I just say that? I must have done, there's no-one else here...

"Eh?! W-what k-kind of q-question is t-that?"

This voice… The hair and the eyes… Kotegawa Yui?

"I-I was just curious, t-that's all. Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

Is this… It must be… What happened on Friday

"...I do. I… I have someone I like."

Was… this what she didn't want me to remember..?

"It's you, Yuzuru-kun."

My eyes shot open and I nearly jumped up from my bed, being met with a pitch-black room. But what I was seeing was not my biggest concern right now. I… I remember now…

Yui-san's confession.

I was breathing heavily, and had a bit of a headache, but I ignored everything as I went over Friday's events in my head over and over again. That's… That's why Yui-san was so focused on my short-term memory loss… She confessed to me, and I… I…

"I've…actually recently… began to… like someone, so… I'm sorry."

I brought my right hand up to my face and let out a sigh. I must have hurt her so much with those words… And yet, even after that… She was willing to come see me in hospital, and act normally, as if nothing had happened… And I was insensitive enough to ask her about it… I need to properly apologize to her, and give her a proper answer… If I can even come up with a proper answer… As I calmed down a little, I began to take notice of my surroundings. As I had already noticed, the room was completely dark, with even the curtains over the windows. How long was I asleep for? As I was about to reach out towards the table to pick up my phone, I suddenly became aware of a weight on my left arm. I looked down towards it, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see a hand placed atop my arm. Wait.. what?

"Yuzuru." I suddenly heard a feminine voice from my left, and looked towards the source to see a figure sat in the chair next to me, though I couldn't quite make out any details yet. "You're awake, good."

"Who… is there?" I couldn't quite place the voice I was hearing, as I must have still been a little groggy from just waking up, despite my brain already having worked on overdrive due to my memories coming back.

Instead of replying to me, the person stood up and walked over to the window, stopping just before it, and I could see that they were quite short. Suddenly, the person opened up the curtains, revealing a sun hanging low in the sky, but still bright enough to blind me for a brief moment. As I slowly regained my sight, the person standing in front of the window fully came to view.

"Tachibana...san?" I said, and the silver-haired girl turned to look at me with a smile on her face.

"Kanade. Please call me Kanade, Yuzuru." She said as she made her way back over to me and stood over my bed.

"Um, okay? So… Kanade, you… came to visit me?" I asked and sat up in my bed, a little weirded out that she had just been sitting there watching me sleep instead of waking me up, but I didn't give it too much thought.

"That I did, Yuzuru." Kanade replied to me and smiled again. I… don't think I've ever seen her smile this much… "However, this visit has… more meaning to it."

"Oh? And… what would that be?" Kanade sat down again, her gaze never leaving mine. Her eyes really are pretty… No, I don't have time for such thoughts. Talking with Iwasawa-san earlier today was enough.

"I… know of a way for me to regain my memories." Kanade said and paused for a moment before continuing. "And for you as well, Yuzuru." Huh? Really?

"Really? You know for sure?" Kanade nodded, then brought a finger to her chin as she looked upwards, averting her gaze from me for the first time in a while.

"Well, I'm not completely sure, but I… believe that it will work." Kanade replied and looked back at me. "We simply have to… follow Fate."

"And… that means..?" To my surprise, a light blush appeared on Kanade's cheeks, something which I thought was impossible for the aloof girl. Is the end of the world really coming?

"I'm… not that great with my words, or these kinds of things, but… It means..." Kanade reached out with her hands and placed them on my shoulders, pulling me closer to her ever so slightly. What… is she planning? This is not good, my heart is beating quicker by the second… "...That we..." Kanade began to close the distance between us. Is… Is she doing what I think she is..? How will this help..? "...Have to be together, like we were fated to be." Her final words caused her breath to tickle my face, and I felt my cheeks heating up as my heartbeat got quicker and quicker, a strong feeling of Déjà-vu assaulting me. Before I could react, though, something else happened.

In a split second, Kanade finished closing the distance between us, and our lips crashed together. Kanade wrapped her arms around my neck as she closed her eyes and kissed me forcefully, showing her inexperience. Not that I was any better, as I was frozen in place by shock. The Déjà-vu I was feeling caused my vision to go hazy, and a throbbing in the back of my head took all my attention away from the feeling of Kanade's soft lips pressed against mine as she kissed me, her tongue touching my lips every now and then. The feeling of Déjà-vu was stronger than ever before, even stronger than when I first saw Hatsune in the hospital bed, or when I first met Yuri. This… What is this... A few moments later, my hazy vision was replaced by something else, as an unfamiliar landscape appeared before my eyes. It was dark, but I could make out a single person standing in front of me, her arm outstretched towards my chest. That's… Kanade.. and she is… I felt a pain in my chest, and as if a warm liquid was running down my body from my chest. Kanade, she is… stabbing me, and this place…

It's the Afterlife.

As Kanade finally separated herself from my lips, the vision faded away, and I was met with the auric eyes of the silver-haired girl in front of me, her lips curved into a smile as a single tear ran down her cheek. But, even though the vision ended, my mind was filled with images, scenes, memories.

Memories from the Afterlife.

"It worked..." I heard Kanade's voice, and soon felt her head pressing against my chest as she embraced me, and I found my hand unconsciously moving to rest on top of her head. My clumsy little angel… I closed my eyes, and saw something that made my blood run cold.

It was the same vision of Kanade stabbing me, but in the distance, barely at the edge of my vision, I saw someone else. A girl with purple hair, sea-green eyes, and a white beret, looking at the scene unfolding before her in horror.

Yuri…

AN: This chapter was supposed to be finished nearly a week ago, as I had planned to finish it within a couple of days from starting. Alas, that did not happen, and this chapter was delayed even further. In any case, this fic is nearing its end, with not too much in the form of story left to go. With all the free time I have now, I will make sure to have the next chapter out sooner!