[Kitahara Toru once told you.]
[He has a dream.]
[In the future, he wants to conquer every mountain, ocean, and forest, set foot in places rarely touched by human traces, and explore the mysteries of the world.]
[You believe he was not lying.]
[In private, you have seen him flipping through many related books, checking foreign language materials that you cannot understand at all.]
[Although you excel academically, you are not at a level where you can afford to spend ti learning foreign languages.]
[Just English alone is troubleso enough.]
[Speaking of which, Yamada Ryo and Ijichi Nijika graduated from high school a month ago. You attended their graduation ceremony at Shimokitazawa High School.]
[Because Kessoku Band has been busy with work recently, the two of them only applied to an ordinary university that was not very good, missing out on prestigious schools.]
[Yamada Ryo has a talent for quickly mastering anything she studies, but unfortunately, she forgets one thing as soon as she learns another. A single thread genius, a multi thread failure.]
[April.]
[You beca a third year high school student.]
[At the beginning of the new term, your horoom teacher stopped you and asked about your plans for higher education.]
[Last year's career survey form was left blank because you were hospitalized.]
[This question stumped you imdiately, because you had never thought about the future or dreams.]
[For a girl whose life is on a countdown, is talking about sothing as distant as dreams not a bit too cruel?]
[Holding the career survey form, you found your boyfriend after school and asked for his opinion.]
["For sothing like this, it is better to discuss it with your parents," Toru replied.]
[You nodded.]
[But deep down, you felt that it did not really matter how you filled it out.]
[After discussing it briefly with your parents at ho, you filled in a few schools that matched your academic level and hastily brought the matter to an end.]
[Over the following months, Toru made ti to accompany you all around Japan.]
[During this period, your kissing skills beca more practiced.]
[However, because of your physical condition, Toru would always restrain himself at the final mont. He said that kind of thing might be better done after marriage.]
[Next year, you will turn 18.]
[A year is not a short ti. Can you, who has long suffered from heart disease, really hold on until then?]
[Unfortunately, your boyfriend is even more stubborn than you imagined. You even start to doubt your own physical charm.]
[He praises you every day for being cute and beautiful. Is it a kind lie, or a sincere truth from his heart?]
[In sumr, you watched fireworks together once again.]
[In autumn, you went to Higashiyama in Kyoto to admire the maple leaves.]
[Winter…]
[You fell ill once again.]
[This ti the condition was more severe than ever, and you remained unconscious for a long ti…]
[When you woke up again, the scenery outside the window was still the sa unchanging view.]
[It felt as though you had fallen into a terrifying ti loop.]
[No matter how long or how many tis Toru helped you escape this cage, you would always be dragged back in again.]
[Late at night, you stared at the ceiling of the hospital room, tears gradually soaking the pillow.]
[This was the first ti you cried because of your illness.]
[You are very strong. You could have stayed strong all the way until the end, until you t Toru, put down the burden in your heart in front of him, shed the hard hedgehog shell you wore, and finally revealed your softest part to him…]
[At the very end of your life, you t the person you wanted to accompany for a lifeti.]
[Perhaps this is the real reason your tears will not stop.]
[The next day.]
[You accidentally overheard a conversation between your mother and the doctor.]
[The doctor said that a suitable heart still had not been found for you, and that you did not have much ti left.]
[For the rest of your life, you may no longer be able to leave the hospital.]
[Correspondingly, you are destined to miss the entrance examinations at the end of winter.]
[Just as you expected, the choices on the career survey form never mattered, because you would not live to graduate from high school in the first place.]
[From this day on.]
[You begin to look forward to every sunrise.]
[You hate sunsets.]
[Before sleeping, you always feel anxious.]
[These days continue for several days.]
[Until your boyfriend arrives.]
[As soon as Toru cos, he gets into an argunt with your mother.]
[The topic is still about him taking you all over the place.]
[Life is not just about getting by, there is also poetry and distant horizons.]
[You do not regret it. That period was the happiest ti of your life, without question.]
[Toru does not comfort you. He simply chats with you about interesting things that have happened recently.]
[You do not know whether he is forcing a smile…]
[When you think about how, before long, you will leave his sight, his side, and eventually even fade from his mory with ti, a wave of aching pain rises in your chest.]
["What kind of wedding should we choose? What does Kanade like? Japanese style, Western style…"]
[The more relaxed your boyfriend's tone sounds, the more painful it feels to you.]
[You cannot imagine the future he speaks of.]
["Sorry, it seems a bit early to talk about this now. Exams are more important," Toru says with a smile.]
[You nod, showing a strained expression.]
Seeing this, Tachibana Kanade closes the simulation interface.
Putting herself into the perspective of another version of herself, this situation is truly despairing.
After calming herself for a few minutes,
she finally dares to continue.
[So ti ago, you just celebrated your 18th birthday.]
[In fact, you could get married, but rather than marrying him and bringing him pain, it would be better to leave him like this.]
[One month later.]
[Your condition has not improved.]
[Toru cos to visit you again today. He brings a strange gift of a drink, and after entering the hospital room, he even deliberately locks the door.]
["What is this?"]
["A beverage made from rice…"]
So this is alcohol, you mutter to yourself.
People under 20 are not allowed to drink or buy alcohol. That is a national regulation. You really do not know where he got it from.
["I heard that in Tianchao, when people get married, they drink cross cup wine. Want to try it?"]
[Toru takes out two small cups and pours so golden colored liquid into them.]
[Poisoned wine?]
[A lovers' suicide?]
[Before you can react.]
[Toru drinks a cup by himself.]
["The taste is pretty good."]
[Only then do you feel relieved. You take the cup he hands you. Standing close together, your arms intertwine, hands crossing as you drink the cup of wine.]
[There is no bitterness. It is even slightly sweet.]
[After finishing the cross cup wine, Toru puts the bottle of golden liquid away.]
["The next ti we drink, it will have to wait until the san san kudo ceremony."]
["A Japanese style wedding?" you ask back.]
[San san kudo, also called the three offerings ritual, is part of a Japanese style wedding.]
["Mm…"]
[Toru nods. "When the ti cos, let see what Kanade looks like in a white shiromuku."]
[At this mont, you cannot help but imagine the scene of the wedding, a faint smile spreading across your lips.]
[It seems that everything is moving toward a good direction.]
Could it be…
Will the ending of this story turn around?
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