Darkness engulfed my vision, and my hearing was suddenly muddled. I could faintly make out the sound of a terrified girl screaming, but her voice faded quickly, leaving me isolated in a world of complete silence. My thoughts became jumbled and disoriented as I slipped further into unconsciousness.

Where am I?

I can't see anything. The last thing I remember is... Well, there are a lot of things I could tell.

Firstly, the sensation of Yukinoshita's delicate fingers touching the fabric of my shirt. Her eyes, a deep shade of blue, had been focused on the stain and the area just beneath my throat. I don't know if she was doing it on purpose or if she was even aware of her own actions.

Her cheeks were flushed with a deep blush that made her look even more attractive, and the weight of her gaze on me was almost intoxicating. Her breath was slightly labored, and I couldn't help but be drawn in by the rise and fall of her chest.

She was close, too close.

At this moment, I was trying desperately to tell her the truth.I remembered the voice echoing in my head, warning me to tell her the truth before it was too late. I tried to reach out to her, but my body prevented me.

I wanted to tell her that what she was doing was dangerous, and I didn't care if that meant revealing everything about my fragile health.

My heart thumped painfully fast within my chest, but at the same time, I couldn't hide the fact that a deep sense of enjoyment washed over me as we shared such an intimate moment. The way her fingers lingered upon my skin, the intensity in her gaze, it all made my heart race with a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and... desire.

That was until it ruined everything.

"Be careful out there. If anything happens, call me immediately. Got it, Hachiman?" The last sentence I had heard from my mother resurfaced.

I'm sorry, mom. I couldn't call you.

"Also, go buy me some rice for dinner on your way!" That was the last thing I heard from Komachi.

Sorry, Komachi. I couldn't buy rice for you tonight.

"the day will come when you reach a point of no return... And you'll have hurt the people who cared about you..." Hiratsuka-sensei's words came to me.

Did I reach this point of no return?

No, I don't think so. I am still conscious. Though, it's all dark. Maybe, that's what happens when we're dead.

Am I?

No, this wouldn't be enough to get me, right?

Though, we never know.

What had happened that day was unexpected, and my state got so much worse after that. I knew it was a stupid idea to overwork my body just to keep up with Hayama's speed and get information from him for a simple request.

That was really foolish of me.

But what was even more unexpected was her.

"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun."

"Will you participate in Isshiki-san's request?"

"You scared me..."

"I apologize too."

"You're doing very well, yet."

"Please stay a little longer..."

"See you around, Hikigaya-kun..."

My mind kept replaying the sound of her soft, melodious voice again and again, like a broken record.

I yearned to hear her speak again, to have her gentle voice reach my ears once more, craving the soothing sound of her words like a starved man craves food. A strange, empty feeling settled in my chest, an inexplicable void that could only be filled by her presence and her voice.

But here, I could not find that.

How long has it been since I'm in this empty world? Hours? Days? Maybe even more.

I just hope it isn't too long.

Did I already miss the climax of Isshiki's request? Will her grandfather return to spend his last days with his granddaughter as she wished?

Is Isshiki's request a success or a failure? Whether she succeeded or not, I will not know until I wake up from this unconscious state.

Bip

Uh? What was that? A sound?

It wasn't from me. Was it from the exterior?

Most likely.

So, if that sound I just heard is from the real world, then that means I'm gonna wake up very soon.

bip

bip

bip

The background noise intensified, and the steady cadence of the 'bip' sound was joined by other sounds. I became aware of the soft touch of a blanket enveloping my body, the coolness of the air in the room flowing in and out of my nostrils. Then, I finally felt able to open my eyes.

With a sense of effort, I managed to slowly open my eyes, adjusting to the light that now assaulted my vision.

I found myself lying on a hospital bed. The room seemed strangely deserted, with only basic medical equipment occupying the space.

I turned my gaze towards the window and observed that it was daytime. The sun's gentle light filtered through the curtains framing the window, the faint sound of the outside world's hustle and bustle a constant, albeit faint, presence in the background.

But there was no way to determine the exact time.

"I'm awake," I muttered.

It seemed my body was functional, so I sat up in the bed and glanced down at myself, noticing that I was dressed in the typical hospital patient attire. I tested my legs and found that I could move them. Carefully, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and placed my feet on the cold and sterile floor.

One of the first sensation I felt when I woke up, was hunger. I needed to eat something, it could be anything. But I would prefer eating something cooked by Komachi.

Right now, if I wanted to eat, I would need to go look for the food by myself.

I stood up and walked-

Paf!

I ridiculously fell onto the ground after the first step I tried to take. Sure, I shouldn't have thought I would be able to walk normally a few seconds after my awakening.

Given the weakness I felt in my body, it likely means one of two things: either It was a result of being unconscious for an extended period, or it signified a decline in my overall health. With some effort, I braced myself against the side of the bed, attempting to support my weakened body and stand upright.

Every step forward costs me a lot of energy. My body is incredibly weak right now. Even after I regain all my abilities, I'm sure I'll still be weaker than before.

I finally reached the door and opened it.

These corridors look very familiar to me, I could recognize where I was located.

I made the decision to head to the left. Relying on the wall for support, I took a small step forward as I started making my way down the corridor. The hallway was buzzing with activity, filled with patients receiving treatment, doctors rushing about, and individuals I presumed to be the patients' relatives.

My immediate need was to locate sustenance, either food or water, as my empty stomach protested with a pang of hunger.

"Senpai..?"

The sound of a voice that struck me as familiar cut through the din of the hospital corridor, capturing my attention. I recognized that voice instantly and couldn't ignore it.

I turned around and found her standing there, her eyes wide open in shock as her jaw dropped in surprise at the unexpected encounter.

"You... You're awake!" She approached me and pulled me into her embrace.

Actually, it's the first time I feel the softness of a girl's arms around me. Not in a situation I would expect, though. For a second, I believed I'd have fallen to the ground once more, but I didn't.

"You scared us so bad!" She buried her head into my chest.

"How... How long has it been since I was absent?" I asked.

The question that consumed my thoughts and demanded an answer was how much time had passed since I had been unconscious. Considering the state of my body, it could have been days.

Isshiki let go of me and looked up to meet my gaze.

"More than a whole day."

So, today must be... Saturday.

I did miss Hanoru's birthday.

"I see... How has gone the request?"

Her lips parted slightly, as if trying to say something, but she held back and shook her head.

"That's not the main matter right now. Why were you even walking alone here?"

"I was hungry."

"Alright, go back into your room. I'll get you something to eat, so wait me there, okay? I'll be back in a moment," Isshiki ended, quickly walking away.

The door of my room was only a few meters away from me, so it shouldn't be too hard for me to get in my room.

I entered my room and sat down on my hospital bed, returning to the same position as earlier.

When I asked Isshiki about the request, she avoided answering me. Is it a bad sign? I don't hope so. I couldn't help very much, though, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were with her. I should be telling myself that they probably managed to make it.

Speaking of them... I wonder how are they doing right now. The fact I just fainted in front of Yukinoshita must have been terrifying enough for her. She probably has contacted my family about it.

I must have made both of them worried sick about me. That wasn't my intention. I didn't want it to happen. All of this because of a goddamn chocolate stain.

Yet, I can't tell how they're feeling. I'll have to wait to see them if I can today.

Isshiki should arrive very soon, I'll talk to her.

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe... They already all know now.

The door opened with a gentle click, and Isshiki entered the room carrying a plate. Despite not being Komachi's homemade cooking, at least I had something to eat.

"Here you go," she said, setting the plate on my lap. She then took a seat nearby.

"Thanks." I looked down at the meal

The meal consisted of a modest serving of steamed white rice, a grilled salmon fillet, a small side of miso soup, and a few pickled vegetables.

"I've also got a bottle of water if you want," she added.

"That's nice," I replied, starting to eat the meal.

A minute of silence settled between us as I continued to eat. It wasn't particularly awkward or anything, I was just thinking of a way to ask the questions that were torturing my mind.

I turned my gaze from my meal to Isshiki, and spoke up.

"So... I wanted to know, what happened yesterday while I was unconscious?"

"A lot. A lot happened yesterday... I don't even know where to start..." she said, looking down at her fingers fidgeting on her lap.

"I see... Begin with, how did you learn about me passing out?"

She looked back at me and nodded.

"I was with Yui-senpai at this moment, she had invited me to come into her house after we'd left you and Yukino-senpai..."

...

Flashback : Thursday - 8:34pm

...

"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave them alone there?"

"I think it'll be beneficial for both of them to have this moment for themselves. You know how they are... We have to push things a little bit sometimes," Yui-senpai explained, fixing her hairstyle in front of her mirror.

I sat perched on the edge of her bed, my legs swinging back and forth in a steady rhythm.

"We never know, though. And that's especially because I know how they are that I can't predict how things will turn out between them tonight," I retorted, looking at her reflection on the mirror.

When two such troublesome people are left alone in an apartment, the way that events will unfold only becomes almost unpredictable. I'm not saying that everything will necessarily go bad, but I think we took some risks here.

"You say that but you were surprisingly gladly willing to follow my plan, Iroha-chan," she said, turning towards me.

"W-Well, that's because you got me curious. And things would have never gotten this interesting if you hadn't brought up that excuse to get Senpai to stay with Yukino-senpai." I looked away.

I-I won't deny that I was a bit taken in the moment. But now I am able to think more rationally

Yui-senpai chuckled and sat down next to me on the bed.

"We'll see tomorrow if there will be changes."

Suddenly, a phone vibrated a couple of time.

"It's you?" I asked.

She grabbed her phone and pulled it out of her pocket. "Yes, it was from my phone. Oh, Yukinon wrote me."

Huh? This soon... Is it good or bad?

Yui-senpai's eyes suddenly widened as she read Yukino-senpai's messages.

"No way..."

"What's going on?" I said, leaning toward her to try to read the messages.

"Hikki... He just passed out!"

"Senpai did what?"

We both were shocked by what Yukino-senpai had told us. How did he even... I mean, among all the possible outcomes of this, this scenario was the one I least expected.

"Yukinon said that the people who came to take Hikki to the hospital told her that he had some kind of heart attack!" Yui-senpai said, in a panicked tone.

"An heart attack?!" I stood up.

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. My mind took a moment to digest the news. Yui-senpai seemed just as stunned as me.

The door of the bedroom opened at the same moment.

"Is something wrong, Yui, Iroha? I've heard you yell, and that worried me." Yui-senpai's mother came.

Yui-senpai stood up and turned to her mother. "Mom... There's something very important we wanna ask you..."

...

End of the flashback.

...

"So that means... You and Yuigahama really left us alone on purpose?"

"Yeah... Listen, I know it was a stupid idea..."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't know," I reassured.

They only meant to do good. It would be wrong to try to scold her. And I could have pushed Yukinoshita away if I wanted to. But the fact is, I didn't.

Why didn't I push her away? Because deep down, a part of me desired for this moment to last. I foolishly acted by following my feelings instead of my reason. Now here I am, on this hospital bed.

So, I wouldn't like Isshiki to feel guilty for it, and even less Yuigahama. Since the idea came from her, she is probably blaming herself for the incident right now. I am the one who deserves all the guilt.

"After that, Yui-senpai asked her mother to drive us to the hospital. Of course, we had to explain everything to her. She wouldn't take us there without any good reason. Oh, by the way, we also asked her to pass by Yukino-senpai's home to take her too. So we are all there together." Isshiki explained, her voice soft and calm.

"How was Yukinoshita when you found her?"

Her light brown eyes met mine, and within them, I saw a combination of sorrow and unease. The weight of her gaze revealed the turmoil of emotions swirling within her.

Her lips parted as she prepared to speak.

"She was in a troubled state. Even though she tried to hide it and keep her cool in front of us, the way her fingers shook relentlessly when she was in the car was revealing."

The last sight of her I remember before I fainted was her expression of disbelief followed by a scream calling out my name. Isshiki said Yukinoshita was troubled; I would say she was terrified.

"There's something I want to ask you, Senpai."

"Yes?"

"How exactly did the heart attack happen? Yukino-senpai's been very vague about it and preferred avoiding going into the details," Isshiki clarified.

I'm not surprised that she didn't tell her. I myself am not interested in sharing the details of what happened. It would be extremely embarrassing. How would she react if I told her that we were just sharing an intimate moment?

You get what I mean?

"That's something we would hardly talk about..." I scratched my hair and glanced up at the ceiling.

"Senpai..." Isshiki's tone became more serious as she called me.

"At this point, there's nothing we're unaware of about you right now, you know."

Her words hung in the air, their significance causing my heart to skip a beat. I could feel my eyes widen slightly as her gaze fixated intently on my own, her expression stern and unwavering. There was a subtle trembling in her pupils, betraying her anxiety and the weight of the situation.

Indirectly, this was a way to tell me that she knows.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"My family came, didn't they?"

"Yukino-senpai wrote to your sister just before Yui-senpai. They did come."

Obviously... So that means what it means.

I can't hide anymore.

"Did they tell you?"

Isshiki nodded, her already somber expression growing increasingly darker as if the memories of the information she had been told were resurfacing in her mind. Her face took on a solemn and contemplative tone, indicating that the gravity of my condition was weighing heavily on her mind.

The atmosphere became increasingly heavy as Isshiki continued to stare at me with a somber expression, her thoughts shrouding in darkness. Her breathing became slightly more rapid, and her body seemed to tense up, as if overwhelmed by the emotional weight of the moment.

"I can recall each word they used, even now," Isshiki said in a voice that trembled and cracked with each word. "It's still so difficult to accept." She continued, her voice quavering.

I could feel the weight of her words, the raw emotion behind them. I held my tongue, allowing her to speak without interruption.

"You never told us... All this time you hid the fact that you are going to..."

And now, she's gonna say it. I always feared the day when someone who isn't a part of my family would talk about it out loud.

My heart slightly quivered within my chest as her words left her lips.

And what made my heart accelerate even more was the last word that would escape her lips.

"to die..."