Love Story in College

Chapter 21

It was there, wasn't it a flash of stars?

Without thinking, he knew it wasn't, but even so, a small twinkling light there in the darkness, to Banri's eyes, of course, looked like stars.

But the star should not be so close to the ground, in such a low place. Even in his current state, he understood that. So he felt it must be man-made.

Whatisit? Some kind of lighting, like miniature light bulbs?

In any case, it seems whether intentionally or unintentionally, that little light has been set there. . . . Or could it be a firefly light? There are no fireflies in Shizuoka in May. Ordinarily.

Dark night sky, and dark mountain edge.

Flashing was among what could be seen during the day as a densely growing tree on the other side of the hospital courtyard. Walkways used for rehabilitation run under trees and continue to walk far up sloping slopes.

From among the trees and bushes, it was clearly as if it had a will of its own, a faint bluish glow even now flickering and turning around.

At that moment, with a soft voice, as if someone had plucked a bowstring, the short hands and the length of the clock on the wall overlapped. The clock was large compared to the size of the room, and Banri thought it must be in order to call out, "Hey, man!" "Your hour of death .. will be in X minutes .." (fold your hand as if you were praying).

Date changed.

His flesh was still lying on the bed that until now had sustained many people at the time of their death, Banri opened his eyes. For the time being, his body felt no more connection to it. After feeling the signs of death one by one, he did not want to stay in the hospital.

A strange heavy mattress irritates his skin, his weak legs throw loose sheets, he remains unable to sleep as the night deepens. Head's clear.

Flashing on the other side of the hospital room window, he could still see a mysterious point of light.

Banri thought, really, what the hell is that? While he was guessing this and that, no matter how he directed his eyes towards the distant darkness, he naturally could not see what it really was.

The first time he noticed it was three nights before.

That's after most things are turned off. As usual unable to sleep, she had just rolled over when on the other side of the window she saw a light, flashing gently. While she looked at him, thinking it was a miracle, it finally disappeared, and she could not see it anymore. The whole incident lasted for two hours.

Morning came, and Banri tried to ask a young nurse about the strange light. But he immediately replied, "Yes, I wonder what it is?" and then he said there were more important things.

Why do you wake up at such an hour? Can't you sleep? Did you tell that psychiatrist the last time you spoke to him? Did you tell him all about it, obviously? Don't you want to be better? . . . No matter what, he could not avoid the usual chatter, with the attitude of 'medicine officer. Banri, hiding his expression with an ambiguous smile, said, "It's enough," with his mouth closed, his tongue firmly stuck to his upper palate.

During his daytime rehabilitation, he casually left the walking route, thinking he was going to check the area where he saw the light. But as soon as he stepped half a step, a physical therapist behind him would call him to be on alert.

As he squirmed and tried to give a terrible excuse, 'Just I want to see among the trees the signs of next summer. . . ', the physical therapist suddenly pulled the wildflower from the ground with his foot and placed it in Banri's hand. Eh. .he flinched at the wildness. By the way, he was quickly pulled back to the route he had followed until then.

White, with cute little petals, the leaves and stems have a simple straight shape. Flowers that people call 'Chives China' — that's what it seems.

He could not ignore the thing that had broken from its roots and was completely pulled out of the ground by his own mistake, so by putting water into the cup he tried to put it on his bed, to see if "Mother" will say to her, “Oh, it's chocio.” flowers Right now, behind the house, it seemed like many of them were blooming on their own.

Now that he thought about it, there was no need to even think about whether the beautiful creature could become a Chive. It must be a chive. It just smelled of Chives' strange aura.

And then the mysterious light appeared that night as well.

Around eleven that night, Banri noticed the appearance of light. It's out again! He watched it for quite a while, and after a few hours it suddenly disappeared.

Finally, towards morning, the rain began to fall gently.

Things were arranged so that he could perform his daily rehabilitation even inside the hospital, so thanks to the rain, Banri all day could not go outside. And of course, he couldn't go where the chiveted flowers grew.

No one can blame Banri for wandering around, even with his private luxurious hospital room, what with coming and going to the bathroom on the third floor, a medical examination (of course), he said, always going to see a physical therapist and a nurse for rehabilitation, between "I don't have that "or" I want this ", and" Mother "her always hangs around, taking care of her daily needs.

Everyone is very nice.

But he was not allowed "freedom", even as the days passed.

Clearly, he was treated as some kind of monster, kept in a cell, for now not to provoke him, as if they decided to keep him alive and calm. It felt like everyone was to some extent keeping their distance and observing his every action. He must be a very horrible man. He received help, and received such good treatment, yet he seemed to be very ungrateful for it.

Even so, that was how he felt. Passing through the days as an inpatient in a hospital was very, very suffocating.

In the absence of a persecution complex or something like that, observation .. or frankly, surveillance, it seems to actually happen.

Banri, lying on a cold white sheet, gazes at the mysterious light that appears again tonight, but cannot be sure what it is, looking back at what happened to him.

All one month ago, there was a day in March. It looks like he was taken to this hospital by ambulance. By the time he woke up, a few days had passed.

When he regained consciousness, he pulsed from some broken bones, and his head split open. He panted through the oxygen mask placed on it, his naked body completely toppled impolitely.

The first thing he saw when his eyes opened was darkness. In the still dark darkness, a hazy smoke-like shadow wriggled in the air, his first thought being "I see darkness." Finally, the fog turned into a spiral, as if it were white paint threads dripping and starting to mix. The rotation of the marble pattern gradually became more complex, but in the end it stopped. On the white ceiling, rectangular lighting fixtures stand out sharply.

By the time he breathed in, it all started.

What is. . . Where am I . . . It hurts . . . Suffering. . . What happened to me. . . Not even wanting to know the situation, he could not even move. And somehow between his legs hurt like crazy. He couldn't even cry, but if he complained someone jumped into his field of view. Catheters and breathing tubes were inserted into her, she could not even whisper, and her confusion grew.

This is a hospital, an emergency intensive care unit, and he just came. Even when they explained it to him, he did not know what they were saying. Maybe he was too close to the problem to understand. . . . He doesn't even know who he is.

And this time, they thought it was a case of attempted suicide.

"So, you have no memory, and you've forgotten everything about yourself?" the healer present declared boldly to Banri, not convoluted or intent on relaxing. She seemed to come to ask him, "Are you sure you're not pretending so you can sweep away the fact that you really failed to want to take your own life?"

The doctor was wrong. He really can't remember anything. Whether it was a simple fall, or a suicide attempt, even he did not know. There's no way to verify that. Because the person himself had completely forgotten. Being unable to do anything but repeat that explanation, how much they believed it was still a mystery to him.

Still, Banri is not a troubled child. Although they have confirmed that he is the one who failed the college entrance exam, yet still has hope of going to Tokyo to attend classes in preparation to take back the same test, and so it wasn't a suicide attempt, it was a completely lost memory, completely and without a doubt, as his family claimed. Officially, this issue has become an "unintentional fallout."

But, the real crux of the matter, of course, no one knew. So, they're watching him.

In this way, everyone surrounded from a distance, as if he was locked up in a prison cell, a mysterious "something" that only had the appearance of "Tada Banri."

He had no idea how long he would continue to live like this. Although the necessities of life were guaranteed, that was all: the inside of the prison cell. Banri wondered when the day would come that he could leave this place.

Moreover, before long the wounds on this body would be fully healed, and with his need to be in the operating ward gone, he wondered where in the world he would be sent. He didn't want to think that thinking would scare him, but of course, not being able to sleep at night, he thought about everything to the maximum.

Walking around in the ordinary sun, reaching out to ordinary people, he wondered if he could lead a normal life?

Even without his memory, he more or less understood what was normal. Such a concept that never disappeared from him. He even thought, "I want to go back" to that place, strangely enough.

One day all of a sudden, huh !? What did I do before !? When he remembers everything, it might be a lot of fun. In the end, it would be a very happy ending, with smiles, cheers and flower petals dancing in the air. The doctors and nurses will send him clapping. He himself would turn around and wave his hands widely to them, and then run back to the circle of family and friends. So, like waking up from a nightmare.

Nightmare . . . . Nightmare, eh?

Unwittingly, Banri takes a short, low breath in the darkness. Whether it was a nightmare or something else, he could not help but live through it, alone in the middle of the night.

Placing one elbow on a pillow covered in a towel, posing like a reclining Buddha, he raised his head. Kicking the futon even further with her bare toes, she suddenly pushed one hand into her pajamas pants and underwear. . . . He was not worried about what he might touch. For some reason, simply stuffing her hand into her warm groin calmed her mind. The rain, which had fallen a little earlier, finally stopped.

In the darkness behind the glass, the light was also shining now.

(Really, what the fuck is ..)

The day before yesterday, yesterday, and now tonight. This results in three days. How long will he keep looking out like this, of course he doesn't know. Since it would be brighter, he didn't think he would be able to check it out during his rehabilitation. It is impossible to get rid of the physical therapist who follows him just in case something happens to him along the way. . . . Would they rather go with him? Is that impossible? He didn't think of anything like "We're in rehab, but would you like to help me find that mysterious light that I'm confused about?" Would allowed. He might try his hardest to be silly.

When he turned his head slightly, trying to raise his face, the chive flowers on the table had withered. Seeming sad to have been picked, the white flower drooped to the side.

She looks like a girl, standing alone and sad. Of course, it's a poor little thing.

Muttering apologetically inwardly, he looked back outside, staring once more at the unfamiliar light.

(Even if it .. turn on something .. it's weird. In such a place, so small as that, it was impossible to be meaningless.)

For starters, he was the only man who stared out through the window of the hospital ward and could see the light. Most patients in the hospital, because getting up early is their habit, may already be sound asleep.

He was an inpatient with a tendency toward insomnia, but with his sanity questioned, so he did not want to ask for a cure. A very small object. . seems to be visible only to Banri. . irradiated to him, what the hell is that? With what intentions, by whom?

(. Maybe, it's some kind of sign. Like the ...) signal

Huh! As if Banri's heart was jolted by his own thoughts, he reflexively pulled one of his hands from his pants. He touched his mouth with that hand. He was not worried about what he might touch.

(A signal? What'd he want to say? … Yeah, but it is. Yes .. but ..)

After it flashed through his mind, it seemed that a twinkling light, as if jumping, wanted to be seen by him.

Holding his breath, Banri focused his eyes more and more.

The light said, "Hey!"

Here here! Can you see me!? Did you notice me? . . !? . . . It was as if shouting like that while blinking.

Whether he likes it or not, of course not. Certainly not . He'll look like a fool. If he was known as a person who would think of such things, he would be considered a truly dangerous fool. No, no, I can't. I am an honest man. Because if it wasn't for the trauma he'd received from the accident, he'd usually be honest.

He was somewhat at odds with his own thinking, and Banri inevitably sat on the bed.

The light twinkled as it swayed from side to side, and then, as if it saw Banri paying attention, it suddenly became faster.

"Whoa !?"

A surprised cry came out from him.

Just as Banri saw it in front of him, that little gleam suddenly seemed to split in two. Then, as if they were dancing, they hopped together, synchronizing. Shimmering, they disappear. When he finally saw her reappear, there was only one.

"Eh, uh, uh …!? Eeeehh …!?"

If he could see himself, he would probably see a face that looked extremely stupid. But he could no longer control the dumbfounded expression on his face. Combined with an expression of astonishment, his eyes were so wide open that the corners were injured. But can't such a thing exist? Really, the more he doesn't understand.

The mysterious light, as a sign to her, said something to her. It was flashing desperately, trying to make its existence known. He wondered if something like that was even possible.

Finally, Banri got out of bed.

He tried to be quiet, not to wear shoes so as not to make a fuss, but even so, he did,

"Iu …!"

He went and did it.

The cup with the locio flower on his pillow has fallen off. Fortunately, the plastic cup did not make much noise, and although it did not break, the water spilled. In a hurry, he picked up the wet flowers from the floor, held them gently in one hand, tidied everything up for now.

The withered and withered white flower still clasped in his hand, he stepped into the window, gathering his strength and pulling the rigid window frame.

The scent of green herbs in early summer made Banri cough up back then, pushing his body back into the room a little. Before long, it enveloped him completely. The thick green aroma, the fishy smell left behind by the rain. The clear smell of the night is refreshing. Twice, three times, each time he took a breath, even Banri's breath fused in silence with a hint of damp stone.

The wet wind was still blowing in, clearing the air in the room at once. The thick beige curtains flapped slowly, the ends swinging back and forth.

The light was flickering.

It was as if it was calling out 'Heey!' for Banri. Like yelling, "I'm here!"

I'm here! I'm flickering here! . . . That gave him a sign.

But what's the sign? What did he tell you to do?

He still did not understand, but Banri felt his heart start to beat. Unable to move his legs, they started shaking with him. Breathing deeper, he began to dizzy. Her hair follicles started to tickle.

In one hand was a small white flower. Layu, after losing the water that kept him alive, was already on the verge of death. The sad plant is just waiting to wither. But the half-torn root was still full of life, and he felt that if he rushed over and planted it, it could be saved.

"…"

Again, he saw the light. It shines as usual.

Still flickering.

"… Did you call? For me?"

Blink,

"… For something like me? For something like this? Nameless, or whatever, empty, disappointing everyone, disgusting and scary, is this me? Did you really call me?"

The mark flickered in the darkness like a pulse. Yes, true . . . Yes, true . . . Yes, true . . .

But, there was nothing more he could do. . . Thinking like that, he looked at the flower in his hand. With his own mistakes, his future was cut short for no reason.

He thought if he did something now, he might do it in time, leaving behind all "I can't do it", "They won't let me" and "They'll laugh at me" which keeps him sitting in this prison cell. If he could get out of here, he might be able to help this little man.

That can be said. . .he wants out.

He thought, "Let's run, now! I want to get out of here. I want to get out. I want to find that light. I want to take a deep breath and run with all my might." Without being questioned by anyone, without anyone watching him, without being judged at all, just him, running away on his own. And then he was convinced that in the light, he would have freedom.

There, living in freedom, he will be himself.

It was very absurd, without basis, but a sinister and sudden premonition, made Banri's chest become hot in one breath.

Can I try and believe in that light as a sign, in the voice that calls me? I want to try and believe. I want to believe .

As if to sum it up, he took a breath, his body shaking from his thumping pulse. As if forced to exist, the phrase "Should we go?" appeared, piercing into the core of his body. With that a suitable impulse appeared in his mind.

. . . Can we go?

Like everything itself. Passing the eye watching. Relying on that sign. According thinking. Using this body. The white flower in his hand, swaying around with his head bowed, looked entirely like he was nodding in agreement. Yes yes! Le's go! Let's go out! And then you can help me! It's kind of like that.

According to her the situation was so cute, a small laugh involuntarily slipped from her. Then with the joy of a sleepy night,

( . . . Alright come!)

He decided .

He peeked out the window. The ground was far away, three floors made him dizzy. While holding onto that frame, he subconsciously retreated, his feet frozen in place. But, he was determined.

Shaking his head from side to side, he took a breath, bent his knees as hard as he could and crouched down. Jumping forcefully, Banri pulled back from the window.

Calmly, he closed the window sash. He pulled the curtain too. Her slippers crammed the inside of her pajamas in Hideyoshi style, flowers still clasped in one hand, she walked briskly barefoot. Grabbing the doorknob firmly, he turned it carefully so as not to make a sound. He pushed it open. Poking his head into the dark passage at once, he looked left and right to make sure no one was there. Breathing deeply, bringing energy into his lungs, seemingly without a sound, his pounding heart overwhelmed him.

That way, Banri took one step from his hospital room.

Still making demands of her heart, she kept moving her legs. He walked alone in the quiet and deadly corridor, only illuminated by green emergency lights. Floating lightly on the floor, his shadow fell slanted onto the wall. Walking with his toes, he continued forward.

Gasping with tension, desperately clutching his chest, he carefully descended the stairs as well. If by chance they saw him crawling through the nurse room, with the lights on, he planned to say the flowers needed water.

He passed under the overhanging counter, clinging to the wall while praying that no one would come out, he slowly passed his biggest obstacle. Nervous enough to die, and almost bursting into laughter from nervousness, Banri desperately shut his mouth. From his nose, his breath sizzled "hmph ... hmph ..." The voice almost made him laugh again.

(Just a little further ..!)

Resisting the urge to run with everything he had, making all his muscles tremble with an attempt to be still, as if he was practicing Tai Chi in a dark corridor, he headed for the night exit.

Holding his breath, he disappeared into the darkness like a ninja. If she was found, she would for no reason, her pyjamas form clearly marked her as a patient. Banri (however) came forward, praying as he walked. Stretching her neck like a turtle, she checked the state of the reception desk. Lucky, "Customer, please call." There's no one there.

Somehow, it was not found. . somehow, no one appeared. . so that the door is not locked. . .

Finally, reaching the heavy glass door and pushing it away, the door clicked and opened without any special difficulty. Without thinking, a soft "heave ho" voice came out from his lips.

He pushed it open far enough for his body, back then. Suddenly, he felt the air moving around him. It was as if it was pulling him out, one step, two steps. The darkness of the night enveloped him, and it felt as if it was pushing lightly all over his body. It seemed like gravity suddenly lightened.

The gentle warm breeze caressed Banri's cheeks gently, and the clear in front of his open eyes was night.

A deep and dark night.

Under the roof, the fluorescent light flashes, it becomes a soft tile slope. Taking the slippers from their place, warmed up on his chest, he impatiently placed them on his feet. Under the lights, he did not enjoy the exaggerated feelings like Nobunaga, although then it was a dream.

While looking back at the quiet hospital ward several times to make sure no one noticed, Banri ran over.

At first he faltered, his legs staggered like a hatching bird. Body heavy. His legs seemed to have forgotten the rhythm of running, and his limbs felt uncoordinated. He doesn't know where to put his weight. He had lost control of his entire body, and experienced things over and over again. He seemed to flinch with every step; even his teeth were chattering. Staying in the hospital made all his muscles wither. His arms would not swing, nor would his thighs rise. He started panting, and he hit with embarrassment, but, but, but,

. . . Ahh! But!

"… Yeah,"

Facing forward. Close your eyes, then open them. The sky above, the night sky after the rain. The stars, as if falling. Shock your heels against hard ground. The sound of the wind, the distant view, the darkness of the night, the puddles. It's mine, everything. Me, it's me, right now, feeling it all!

His steps were indeed stiff, but before long he remembered the trick of loosening his lower extremities. As if oil had been applied to his joints, his knees and ankles finally started moving as he wished.

"Yahooooooooooooooo!"

Excitedly, yet cautiously, shouting from within his lungs, Banri opened his hand as if receiving the wind.

Facing the night sky, he could see the black shadow of the mountains. He could see the lights of the city stretching at the foot of the mountains. The wind is soft. He was panting as if in pain, yet fascinated, he ignored his screaming heart and lost himself in it, he pushed the ground with all he had. He ran with all his strength.

. . . He really has come out!

. . . He really has come out!

Now that you've gone and done it, Tada Banri! You are the guilty one! Am I that kind of guy !?

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

He laughed like a fool because he was getting shapeless. In order for him to check the light marks, he immediately entered the forest along the rehabilitation route.

Hanged thickly by the branches from the trees on both sides, the path was dark. But the trees did not fall on the sidewalk. Finding a place where the chives had grown en masse, Banri gasped for air when his feet stopped. Gasping, his shoulders heaving like wild beasts, he stepped into the bush without hesitation. On his knees, he dug up the wet ground with his hands. Inserting the roots of the clasped locio plant in his hands into the ground, he gently covered it with soil. With a feeling as if he was praying, he gently pressed the delicate ground with his palm, then,

" . . . Alright!"

He stands. Sweat was flowing down his forehead.

Clapping his dirty hands in pajamas, making him unnecessarily dirty, he walked deeper and deeper into the brush. Pushing through the grass as high as his chest, he headed into the forest.

That light, must be flashing around here.

Resisting his will, he nervously descended the trail of a completely dark beast, which began to descend. Disappearing into the trees like him, he could not see the light coming from here.

But he couldn't have gone the wrong way. Planting his sandy feet, Banri once again asked for a shining light for him. Show me the sign. Call me. Blink for me like you did a moment ago. If you do that, I'll be able to find you soon.

But along the way, the bushes got darker and darker, the more trees stretched around it.

Two, one worry fell on his chest. . . . He wondered, what if today's mark was over? Even though he ended up acting, making a desperate attempt, he still could not check on her. Is that some kind of sign or not, did he (of course) mess up and fool himself? If he had come this far, it would have no problem. Anything was fine, so he would rather have an answer in any case. He wanted there to be meaning in him that exploded like he had. With that sole purpose, Banri continued to move forward.

As he muttered as if groaning "let it go", at that moment he swept away some dry branches hanging before his eyes.

As he muttered as if groaning "let it go", at that moment he swept away some dry branches hanging before his eyes.

"… Uwa …"

Her sandal slips.

Turning around, trying to restore her frantic body, she was too balanced.

Although he was weak since the accident, suddenly his abused muscles lost all of their strength, and could no longer support his weight. Banri fell backwards as if he was planted on his tail. Doing that, he screamed. Screaming "Wah, wah, waaaah !?" he turned towards the steep slope and rolled awkwardly.

Not stopping, not being able to stop, he fell down the grassy slope. When he fell, he joked aimlessly to himself, "Doesn't this look like a manga !?"

Finally, like a can coming out of a very hard vending machine ("Kerchunk!"), Banri was spat out of the field onto the asphalt surface.

In the end, giving up and rolling the scattered eagle

" . . . Ah . . . "

He finally stopped.

Is this an empty land, he wondered?

Confused, he opened his eyes.

Without the shadow of the dark branches above, the stars far away from the night sky spread out before his eyes.

He tried to turn his face to the side in surprise, and then, he saw.

That pale light. It was different from a twinkling star.

There were two lights, and when he tried to see from a distance of several meters, he saw,

"… S., neaker …?"

The shoes are of high-tech design.

Like a fluorescent light on the toe, there are bright reflective material strips on both shoes, left and right. Flashing nearby, they shone for two meters.

"… Oh …?"

Naturally, if it is a shoe, then it is connected to the human foot.

When he lifted his gaze, still falling from rolling around, he saw a leg wearing thin denim pants, a worn T-shirt on the top of the body, and long hair falling over that chest.

She has long, straight hair that is beautiful and shiny. Cover back behind his head, it was neatly collected and pulled to one side, spilling from his shoulder.

That's a girl.

He had a sharp chin, and a white face. His bangs had a strange tangle, as if out of habit.

He had an incredible expression on his face. An unpleasant expression of shock was still felt on his face. He's shaking. His shoulders squared as if he was a puppet on a rope, he stared at Banri stiffly.

So apparently. Banri has the same opinion.

If a guy suddenly comes out of the field in front of you, even if you're not a girl, you'll also be surprised.

And even worse, everyone wears muddy pajamas. An ordinary, living, fleshy and bloody man, somehow looks like a ghost, however unlikely it may be. Even more than a psychic phenomenon, it is a very real sign of danger. Screaming loudly, running and running away, not even calling the police.

But, if you can, I'd like you to wait a bit.

"… Look, the situation ... can you wait a minute …!?"

He tried to whisper in a soft voice.

His back . . and his hips. Since they seemed to have been injured, he could not get up immediately. He tried to move his shoulders gently, and at least his collarbone, which was broken by accident, seemed to be fine.

"… I'm not something suspicious …!"

Even for himself, he became very suspicious. Even smiling with the best of intentions had made it even worse. The girl's expression grew stiffer and stiffer, and was now really a picture of Umezu's work.

His voice quivered from enduring the pain, a perverted image. . His pajamas were still muddy from rolling on the ground, yet somehow he wanted to look healthy. Lightly, he raised one hand. He tried to wave it. It was important for him to understand, somehow, that it was not a sign of an attack, that he was not a dangerous person, before he went and reported it to the police.

The girl, who was still staring at his face, watched Banri wave, startled. Jolting, his slender body swayed. Both her legs were shaking as if she was Bambi, a baby deer. . . . If he did not understand immediately, he would probably die of fear.

"Umm .. I'm one of the new patients at the hospital there!"

Unable to get up and desperate, Banri pointed to the trees above them, in which direction the hospital should be.

Right at the end of the sports shoes the girl was wearing.

"I can see it from my room! 'What is that?', I said! 'Isn't that really mysterious?', I said! Thinking about it all, therefore, without thinking, I mean, I want to check it out … "

While watching the one lying on the ground, Banri Still tried to explain his carelessness, the girl finally moved, staggered. Like a drunk person, a balancing toy or something, he swayed far to the left and to the right,

"U, waa …"

He screamed strangely.

Pointing at Banri's face, he was sitting on the asphalt with a thud. Whatwhat the fuck? He sat there with his legs wide open.

"… Are you okay !?"

Because he must have said it without thinking,

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you !?"

Suddenly regained consciousness, he remembered the situation. Inpatient patients usually do not come out in the middle of the night like this, so there will be no one to worry about it.

"… Is, is ... is,"

The girl, her voice was still trembling, unable to get up, her legs were spreading indecently. He might try saying, "Is, is, are you okay? I'm fine, so don't get close to me, kyaa!"

But, turning such expectations on their heads,

"Should ... I call someone ... from the hospital …?"

His shoes flickered, the girl worried about Banri. Wow, a good person. . . Banri thought. Worrying about a suspicious character in this kind of ambiguous situation, even with his legs spread like that.

"No, I'm fine! It's okay!"

Banri shook his head from side to side clearly.

"I managed to escape! I won't ask people to call me! I'll be back by myself once I can move .. fu …!"

It's bad, he thought.

I had to hold it, but. . .nfu, nfufu, nfufufufufu. . . Banri was attacked by a sudden laugh. Snot let out his nose and his breath trembled.

But just look at this mess. He, coming out the door, was muddy, sprawled, his legs and arms akimbo, and a girl, worried about him while sitting with his legs wide open.

Image them both. . . if you look from the outside. . . it's worth it. . .

"A, what am I doing? Fu .. nha, hahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahaha, hahahahaha, ahahahahahahaha!"

Still unable to get up, curled up and spread out his entire body like a shrimp, Banri suddenly laughed, unable to stop himself.

"A ～ hahahaha .. it's rich, wahahaha, open, hi ～ aahahahaha!"

Every time he twisted his body, his injured back hurt. But once it started, the attack was hard to stop, and Banri ended up crying as he laughed loosely. Not knowing anymore what was so funny, he kept laughing, silly, unable to stop. His abdominal muscles are cramping, he's going to mess up his pants. The girl with her legs spread out and still could not stand just staring at Banri's humiliating behavior.

Wow, what a lovely evening.

" . . . About that . . . "

While trying to control his laughter, Banri once again pointed at the girl's toes.

Still very wide open, the two girls eyes shone brightly, shining in the darkness. If you look from a distance, over his shoes, his eyes can look glittering all the time.

Moist, clear, perfectly round, as if completely blown away. . definitely, definitely. Suddenly embarrassed, his laughter suddenly subsided.

Somehow taking his eyes off her, which gave her a strong attraction, Banri took a sharp breath. And then some more, in. He calmly calmed his breath.

"… That, that glitters, really, I've seen it a lot .. ah, it hurts, I laugh too much .. So, I've seen it a lot. From my room, it blinked, it looked like a star. "What, what is it?" I thought, wondering. "

"…"

The M-legged girl, who was two meters away from Banri, was still sitting quietly there. But suddenly his body was tense. As far as Banri knew, he held his breath. As you might expect, facing a suspicious-looking man in a funny way, isn't he scared? Wouldn't he be on guard?

"… But I told myself that it was impossible for the star."

In order to seem less frightening than before, he tried hard to calm and calm his voice. Unlike her idiot smile before, she tried to bring a normal smile.

"So, I was wondering if there might be someone trying to give me a sign. I mean ... sign to escape? Somewhat? Like it's calling me 'Here here!' I thought, I felt it kind of guided me, with it, I slipped quietly out of my hospital room, out of the ward. Yes, I am a blooming idiot! "

"So, I was wondering if there might be someone trying to give me a sign. I mean ... sign to escape? Somewhat? Like it's calling me 'Here here!' I thought, I felt it kind of guided me, with it, I slipped quietly out of my hospital room, out of the ward. Yes, I am a blooming idiot! "

Please don't laugh at me when I call myself an idiot, Banri thought.

But it's easier said than done.

" . . . Is that . . . ?"

With a stiff voice, as if it was squeezed from his throat, a few words like that. His white cheeks remained stiff. But before long, his shoulders were seen moving up and down as he took a deep breath. Even though he thought the tension was easing. . Isn't such things just wishful thinking?

Carefully trying to lift his body, Banri groaned. His back, of course, still hurts. Seeing Banri suddenly fall for the second time, the M-legged girl showed a surprised expression. Stretched out a hand at him as if by reflex, trying to help him,

"It's okay, it's okay, don't worry about me."

Hearing Banri's words, his hand stopped. It floated there in the air, doing nothing.

"…"

The M-legged girl was still in that strange pose, her mouth half-open, frowning and staring back at Banri who seemed to be unable to speak at all.

In that expression, emotions swirled as if in confusion: fear, nervousness, surprise. . . Banri doesn't know what to make of them.

Quite understanding, but unable to do anything, he seems to be worried about Banri. He himself, though unable to move from his M-legged sitting state, did not take his eyes off Banri for a moment. He also did not try to escape from here. His hand, which was still floating in the air, was white.

"… Putting that aside, those shoes sparkle."

Rather than saying, "I'm fine, really," Banri made his voice bright and cheerful.

"I wonder if they look like that? From my hospital room I saw them twinkling like stars."

" . . . It may be . . . "

Gently, he dropped the hand that had floated in the air to his side.

Likewise, he slowly got up, shaking slightly as if confirming his footing.

"Wandering around me might be to blame for this."

Still a little shaky, he once again looked at Banri. For a few seconds he did not move, looking into Banri's eyes, his face, his head with his hair cut short, the hospital patient's identification on his wrists, his dirty feet and sandals, Banri's entire body, and Banri himself, who could barely hold his gaze.

Finally, her hair swayed as she did so, she looked to the side.

"Like this . "

While he looked at Banri, he walked back and forth, several steps in each direction. When he did, of course, those lights, despite matching his steps, flickered as if they were jumping up and down.

"Ah, that's it!"

Banri speaks automatically.

Precisely when he changed direction, just as he was banging himself, the gleams of his left and right legs fused for a moment in a neat manner, and then parted again. That which looked like a star, suddenly broke up.

Now I understand! By the time he understood it clearly, it once again gave birth to a mystery.

He wondered why this girl, who he thought was roughly the same age as him, roamed around at such times and in such a place. Day. . . Oh yes . Even for three days.

Behind him, he could see an old scooter with a helmet hanging on the handlebars. Isn't that how he got here?

"… What are you doing, coming to a place like this alone? Isn't that dangerous?"

When he asked without thinking,

"When I went up the mountain from below, I happened to stop here."

As if he answered, as if he didn't.

"You mean ... You didn't come here before three days ago?"

"It's Golden Week, so …"

This is also not the answer. . no, what is Oh yes, the outside world has plunged into a series of consecutive holidays three days ago. Banri recalled that his examination and rehabilitation schedule was chaotic.

But we're entering the holiday period, so he wonders why he's hanging around here. Trying to ask him about it, he stopped, thinking. He wondered if it would ask for too much, and stuffed his nose into the affairs of others. Did he step beyond the limits of the first meeting, especially in an ambiguous meeting like this?

Banri looked up and tried to look at the expression of the standing girl. He thought that if he found a hint of displeasure in his expression, he would try and keep it short. And then he'll say, “It's too late, so let's go back.” So he thought.

But when the girl noticed Banri's gaze, she pulled her bangs with her finger as if out of habit, as if she was trying to hide her eyes from sight. After doing so,

"… From here, I can see the hospital."

Just on his lips, a smile was barely visible.

"A friend was hospitalized there. But I can't go see him .. I can't help but worry. I said to myself, 'Can't I know at least how things are? Let's try and get as close as possible I can . '"

Suddenly, Banri thought.

He wondered if it just so happened that this girl was not there during the day either. After all, the glint from his shoes was not visible during the day.

He was worried about a friend. . . . But even like that.

When he thought about it, his chest suddenly hurt as if it had been twisted into a knot. It can no longer be touched there,

"… He's going to sleep, so you don't have to stay close, right?"

He instinctively turned away from their previous conversation. Yes, just smiling with her lips, she nodded.

"It's Tokyo. I ... I came here from Tokyo. I'm a student."

"Oh, so? … That's it, that's good .. I hope so."

"… If you were? Going to Tokyo?"

Hearing the voice coming out from Banri, he suddenly raised his eyes. Shimmering as if wet, the beautiful couple, turned slightly upwards, focusing directly on Banri.

"Yes. I've missed him. Because, if I stay here, really! It feels like I'm locked up, you know. It felt like I wouldn't be able to leave here forever, and I understood that I was just going to be dark and gloomy. "

"… Hey, even though I'm sorry to hear these kinds of things all of a sudden, .. isn't your body bad like that?"

"Oh. Yeah, right."

In order to avoid depression, Banri intends to answer it lightly. Correct . That's bad .

Her body wounds, like theirs, were separated from her memories. .what would happen to her, no one knew. He's probably been like this his whole life. He might even live his entire life in the hospital. His entire life, perhaps, could not hope for a normal existence.

No one knows.

"… Can't you leave the hospital?"

"I want. I want to."

Trying hard and losing weight from his spine, Banri slowly sat down. From a sitting position, he lightly twisted his lower back. It was painful, but it was nothing more than he could handle.

The girl noticed Banri as a whole as she stretched her body. As if he was nailed to the ground, he once again froze in a place a bit far away from him. Banri looked at his hand, which reached out towards him as if hesitating. That's if it's trying to prop it up.

It's okay, I'm fine. While saying that, Banri slowly and carefully stretched his aching back. The girl lived two meters away.

"Ow ow .. ah, that's good. Tokyo." - Tokyo."

As he let out his breath, he spoke.

"I want to go too. If I can be a student in Tokyo .. I mean, even though I'm crazy, then I can say goodbye to this cage. I think I can escape. With a little work, before too long I might be able to actually escape, two hundred kilometers from here. "

"… Is the hospital a cage? Are you talking about being hospitalized?"

"Yes. That also. For now, it all belongs to the bond and relationship with which I am bound. There were many considerations, and like that, it seemed like I was .. horrible. Ah, I guess it could be better, further away from Tokyo, I guess. Okinawa, Hokkaido, is better than a foreign country. "

"… I think Tokyo is fine. This …"

Suddenly, his words were cut off as if something was clogging his chest. But soon,

"It's fun. If you want, come. Come to my place."

And once it worked, he laughed and smiled for her.

Seeing that smile, thought Banri. . . . I really want to go. One day, I had to go to a university in Tokyo. I had to go to college with a girl who was smiling like this. If she was like that then without a doubt she would be able to live out those amazingly beautiful and dazzling days. A new day of daydreaming.

Then he realized.

He himself, now, for the first time in his life, saw what he wanted to do in the future.

Until now, he could not imagine anything but a bad horror movie going on. But now, he saw a different future. Now, what burned his heart was something called "hope", for sure.

Without thinking, he placed his hands on his heart. It's thumping. Hope lives inside him now. He asked if he could live from now on with this hope.

Without realizing it, his mouth opened and he groaned, "Wow …"

Without thinking, he placed his hands on his heart. It's thumping. Hope lives inside him now. He asked if he could live from now on with this hope.

Without realizing it, his mouth opened and he groaned, "Wow …"

In his heart there was suddenly an incredible light of hope, and Banri had a clear vision of his next move. It was like a fire flowing on the ground.

She thought, “One morning, I want to go to Tokyo.” He wanted to tell his doctor, his mother, even his father that he wanted to make it his goal. That's his mind. Perhaps that was the first time in his life he had experienced this experience: Looking forward to the next morning, even saying such things.

He could not guess what their reaction to him saying such things was all of a sudden, or what he looked like, or whether he would be allowed to or not. But, he wanted to convey his own feelings and intentions clearly. He wanted them to understand that he wanted to leave this place, and how he felt.

And then he realized, as if connecting the dots more and more, how he had avoided it until now. He was worried that wherever he looked, for fear of being shunned as a fraud, he could not speak what was in his heart to anyone.

To the point that he felt it was a prison. Banri himself, locked himself in jail until now.

He wants to stop things like that. He wants to take back his freedom. Like that moment, he had just run, to follow his heart. That way, using his body as hard as he could, the act of moving was just like freedom. Right where his body had nothing to do with it, "freedom" used his heart and body to fill his heart. He felt as if in the middle of the darkness tonight, his eyes were finally open and clear.

" . . . Thank you!"

"Eh?"

Perhaps surprised by Banri's words, the girl looked up, a shocked expression on her face.

"Thank you for giving me a sign. I understand that the sign was not addressed to me, but as far as I know, that, your light, is a sign for me to rush out."

That feeling came from his heart.

Thank you very much Thank you . . . Banri said again. Then,

"I'm glad I rushed to see the sign!"

Fresh, he smiled from within.

The light of the girl flickering in the darkness was a sign given to Banri to get up and leave.

Then, awakening his courage and almost losing himself in running, Banri sees a star. He saw it well. While she lost one part of herself, she felt she had managed to take back another part: life itself.

The girl, with a surprised expression still on her face, noticed the smiling Banri.

"I'll do whatever I can to thank you. I gotcha! I'll find your friend in the hospital ward, and if we meet, I'll get your message across."

"… If, you meet …?"

He gave her a big nod 'yes' back. But it seems he is not a little happier with Banri's proposal. Half of his face was still smiling, while the others looked sad.

She wondered if she wanted to convey her feelings directly. . . . You could say maybe so. Rather than entrusting his message to others, he undoubtedly wanted to see it for himself. However, that feeling that even Banri did not understand.

"I promise you. I will deliver your message exactly, the reason you came here. So, you can't go back to a place like that alone anymore."

"… Uh …"

His expression became darker.

"That's dangerous, of course. I don't think you should be alone in the middle of the night like this, in this quiet place, even if you ride on a scooter."

Staring back at Banri's face, his white face stiffened once more, almost crying. As if he was warning her, Banri stared straight at that face.

"Wait, I think it's okay if you wait for your friend to come back. I'll make sure your signal gets to him."

Banri wa sou omou no ni, But her own eyes will not shine with beauty, sparkle like stars, nor do they have light in them when opened wide. . . Although Banri thought so,

"Signal .. I, like …"

He covered his face with both hands and hung his head deeply.

"It's too late for a 'signal'. I didn't come on time .. Signal, everything will be fine. With sound, anything. Anything will be good. I'd better make it on time then. Even for me, there is nothing I can do. There is no ... already, not even power … "

Understanding the muttering voice suddenly mixed with tears, Banri was surprised. As if he was being attacked, he could not say anything more.

"I said to myself 'If these hands are on time .. Hey, if only I was on time, then, then …' I asked myself if he could be saved from such a terrible time of danger, whether he could not live without having to go through it. That's all I ask! Hey …! "

His voice, as it were, slapped, slapped directed at himself.

"And then I will hold tightly to his hand, and will never let go! Never was! No matter how heavy, I'll never let you …"

At that time, Banri could not ignore the uncomfortable feeling.

" . . . 'You me?"

Words flowed out from him like an uncontrollable leak stopped.

"Just now, are you talking about my accident?"

Could it be that the friend he was talking about was none other than Tada Banri? Pulling back, he looked at the woman's face again.

"… Do you, perhaps, have a relationship with me? … Do you know my old self?"

A friend of Tada Banri. . in other words, the person whose current abnormality will be very conspicuous, who will deny his current existence very severely, who will be tortured. . . the last person he wanted to meet right now.

But, uh,

"… No, that's not true, you know."

The voice that returned to him no longer trembled. Tense, as if he had made up his mind,

"I don't know you."

So he moved. Somehow adding "sorry" after that, he suddenly turned around.

His bound hair swayed in the darkness of the night, turning his back on Banri who was still sitting, he walked towards the parked scooter. With a helmet in hand, with an unfamiliar appearance, he sat on the old chair.

Somehow it seemed that with that, he had done what he wanted to do. Although he was not yet fully satisfied, Banri still could not stand up, and waited without speaking, unable to find in him a reason to speak just a little longer, he said,

"Hey! What about the message !?"

Somehow he managed to say that. He put on his helmet, tightened the rope under his chin, and twisted the key. Scooter engine starts. It stuttered, sounding a bit stupid. As if through a crack in that voice,

"Tell him to do his best! … Ah, I shouldn't have said that much."

He was silent for a few seconds, then took a breath once more. Then,

"XXX!"

The sound of the machine distorted his voice into something like a sea animal, and just like that he set off. He has not told her what is important: the message she wants to convey, or the name of her friend. By the time he realized that he could not hear her, and that he could not understand her, the area was once again wrapped up by the silence of the night.

Left alone, Banri, tries to search in front of the trees where the red tail lights are fading.

But he never saw her again, and could not find her.

The events of that night were just like a one-act dream, strangely unreal.

. . . But no doubt, it really happened.

That's how he understands.

Even now, safely out of the hospital, actually going to Tokyo and being a student, Banri did not forget that time.

At some point, the face in her memory and the particular face she saw now on campus were connected without her noticing, and she knew very well that it was Linda's face.

However, after a long time he did not do anything special to verify it. He thinks it's not necessary. He was happy to know that the man was Linda.

She knew that at the time, Linda had reason to lie, saying that she did not know him. The problem is that her mother tells her that she doesn't want her old acquaintance to look like her at all. All of his friends were probably told, by way of speaking, "We don't want you to come." At that time and in that state, Linda was right not to mention her name.

And then, he decided not to look back again, choosing to make the past with them as if it had never happened.

The more, the more to the place there was not even a reason to take her anymore between the two of them.

The man Linda wanted to see back then was a much longer part of this world. The Linda he meets is a girl who comes to his sight, tracing the steps of a man who no longer exists in the world. It was a kind of dream, attributed to a man who was already gone by the time you met that person. Counting it as "something you don't" and "the past you can't look back on" is definitely the right thing to do.

But, no matter what else, there was only one thing that worried him.

He just doesn't remember. He could only put down the words "Do your best!" into his mouth, as it seemed as if those memories had been drowned out by the sound of a machine. He can't remember them. Although he should have heard them back then, he no longer knew, nor did he know when he had forgotten them.

Sometimes, he thought about it, wondering what Linda said. But then he thought, I don't remember.

So he's fine with forgetting. Its alright. The events of that night, as if still in the form of a flowing dream, sometimes caressed her gently inwardly.

And that's enough, now, Banri thought.

And then to Tokyo, Spring came.