Scene 1: The Truth That Couldn’t Stay Hidden

The day after the festival, I went straight to Hikari’s house. I couldn’t stand another unanswered call, another flimsy excuse.

Her mother opened the door, her expression already apologetic.

“She’s not here right now,” she said softly.

Something inside me twisted. “Then where—”

Her mother hesitated, then placed a hand on my shoulder. “I think… it’s time you knew. Come with me.”

Scene 2: The White Walls

Hospitals have a smell. Sterile, sharp, heavy. The moment I stepped inside, it sank into me like lead.

We walked down long corridors until finally, her mother stopped before a room.

Through the small glass window, I saw her.

Hikari, sitting up in bed, sunlight pooling over her pale skin. A sketchbook balanced on her knees. She was smiling faintly, drawing something only she could see.

It was her. But smaller. Fragile.

The girl who had once run across bridges and rooftops looked like she could break if the wind blew too hard.

Scene 3: The Door Opens

When I stepped inside, she looked up — startled at first, then breaking into her usual grin.

“Haruki! You’re here! I was just sketching the view. Look, from this angle the sky almost looks like it’s falling into the city.”

Her words tumbled out quickly, as if to fill the silence before I could speak.

I tried to smile, but my voice cracked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She blinked, her hand tightening on her pencil. “Tell you… what?”

I gestured weakly around us. “This. All of this.”

Her eyes dropped, her smile faltering for the briefest second before she forced it back. “Because… I didn’t want you to look at me differently.”

Scene 4: The Fragility Behind the Smile

I sat beside her bed. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, then back at her sketch.

Finally, she said quietly, “It’s called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. My lungs… they’re slowly turning stiff. There’s no cure.”

The words hit harder than anything I’d ever heard.

She chuckled faintly, though it was hollow. “Sounds fancy, right? Like a rare treasure or something. But it’s not.”

My throat felt tight. “How long…?”

She didn’t answer immediately. She just kept sketching, her pencil trembling slightly.

“Long enough to make a list. Not long enough to finish it.”

Scene 5: The Window

I turned to the window, the city beyond blurred by the weight in my chest. The world outside looked so ordinary — cars moving, people walking, the sky stretched endless and uncaring.

It was cruel.

She leaned forward, pointing at the sky. “See that? Even from here, the world is still big. Still waiting. That’s why… I can’t stop smiling. If I stop, it’ll feel like I’ve already lost.”

Her voice broke then, just a little, and for the first time she didn’t try to hide it.

So I reached out and took her hand, gripping it tightly.

“Then I’ll smile with you,” I said. “Even if it hurts.”

Her eyes widened, then softened, wet with unshed tears. She squeezed my hand back.

And for the first time, her smile felt real.

[To Be Continued in Chapter 18]