As soon as the call connected, Youko was met with her daughter's furious complaint. She hesitated for a moment before responding.
"What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied with the hotel? I've stayed there before—its environment and facilities should be excellent. Or has their service quality declined?"
"Who said anything about that?! What the hell are all these weird things in the room?!"
"Oh, you mean the contraceptives under the pillow? Yes, I had the hotel staff prepare them in advance."
"You and Suzumiya-kun are young men and women sharing a room—it's inevitable that things might get out of hand."
"Since this is your first relationship, I was worried you might lack experience and not be prepared, so I took the liberty of arranging that for you."
"C-contr…contr…contraceptives!"
Just hearing that word made an uncontrollable wave of embarrassment surge through Kazusa.
The heat rushed through her veins straight to her brain, dulling her thoughts and rendering her speechless.
"My, my, judging from your reaction, was I wrong about what upset you?"
"Like hell it was that! I'm talking about the flower petals, candles, and the aromatherapy!"
"Honestly, calling me over something like this—shouldn't you be focusing on making good use of the atmosphere your mother so thoughtfully arranged and strengthening your relationship with Suzumiya-kun?"
"I don't need these unnecessary decorations!"
"Kazusa, I have to remind you—being too tsundere will only hinder your relationship."
"You're complaining to me now, but deep down, you're at least a little hopeful that your relationship with Suzumiya-kun will progress further, aren't you?"
"..."
"Not answering? Looks like I hit the mark."
On the other end of the call, Youko sounded quite pleased with herself. After speaking, she even hummed twice as if congratulating herself for her foresight.
Kazusa sighed in exasperation, completely defeated by her mother.
"Do you even know how long I've been dating Chisato? It's barely been a month."
"Don't put too much weight on the duration of a relationship. Once you've confirmed that the other person is someone you want to spend your life with, there's nothing to hesitate about."
"Coming from someone with such a… colorful romantic history, that's not convincing at all."
"Even so, as someone with extensive experience in these matters, I hope you'll at least consider my advice."
Kazusa let out a deep sigh.
"You just can't wait to push me out the door so you can do whatever you want, huh?"
Youko chuckled.
"That's part of it. But it's not like I don't care about you at all—I'm really looking forward to the day when your kids call me 'Grandma.'"
"…Then you'll be waiting for a long time."
"Don't be so sure. You might end up like me back then—caught up in the moment and unable to resist—"
"Stop! I don't want to hear about your past! Just tell me if you have any other ridiculous arrangements—get it all out now."
"Apart from what you mentioned, there's nothing else. After all, if you aren't interested, no amount of preparation on my part will matter."
"I really wish you had this level of awareness from the start."
"Well, I figured it was worth a shot~"
"…I'm hanging up."
"Okay~ Have fun~"
Gazing at the vast sky, Kazusa took a deep breath.
"…You too. Take care of yourself while you're working."
With that, she ended the call before her mother could say anything else.
Staring at the phone screen displaying "Call Ended," Kazusa's earlier frustration and helplessness faded, replaced by a soft, gentle expression.
Though her mother was as mischievous as ever, this kind of conversation felt nostalgic.
She could clearly feel that their relationship had improved significantly compared to the past two years.
She might never follow in her mother's footsteps to become a world-renowned pianist.
But as her daughter, continuing to get along with her like this was a wonderful choice in its own right.
And the person responsible for this change was undoubtedly Chisato.
She really owed him a lot.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Kazusa chuckled as she pulled open the balcony door.
If you really want to be a grandmother, you better be prepared—I'll make sure to have several kids and leave them all to you. No matter how overwhelmed you get, I won't lift a finger to help.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Leaning against a hospital bed in a plain white patient gown, Youko could finally stop suppressing the discomfort she had been enduring for so long.
Her phone, which she had intended to place on the bedside table, slipped from her unsteady grip and fell to the floor.
Clutching her chest, she let out a fit of violent coughs that echoed through the hospital room.
It took over ten minutes after the coughing subsided for her breathing to stabilize.
She could feel her body growing weaker by the day.
But still…
"…Take care of yourself, huh?"
Youko murmured softly.
She never expected her stubborn daughter to one day say something like that so honestly.
Love had really helped Kazusa grow.
She had to hold on, too. No way was she letting some illness defeat her—not when she still had to live long enough to see that clumsy daughter of hers walk down the aisle.
At that moment, there was a light knock on the hospital room door, and a well-dressed, middle-aged doctor walked in.
His name tag read "Takayanagi Norimasa."
He was the head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Mineoka University and the most authoritative hematology expert in Japan.
Youko had known him for a long time, and they were quite familiar with each other.
"How did you sleep last night?"
He bent down, picked up the fallen phone, and placed it back on the bedside table.
"Not great. The coughing really affects my sleep quality."
"But you look surprisingly well."
"That's all thanks to you, Norimasa-kun."
They exchanged lighthearted banter.
"Has the latest test report come out yet? How's my condition?"
Hearing this, Norimasa sighed. The faint smile on his face gradually faded. He pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, speaking in a much heavier tone.
"I really wish I could tell you there's nothing serious, that you just need to rest more and everything will be fine…"
"But that's not the case, is it?"
Youko still had a composed smile.
"Don't sugarcoat it, Norimasa-kun. I don't need comfort—I just want the truth. I'm not a little girl who'll break down crying from being scared."
Despite discussing a matter of life and death, she showed no signs of fear.
Why did someone as wonderful as her have to suffer from such an illness?
Suppressing his sorrow, Norimasa flipped open the test report.
"Then I won't hide anything. The results show your condition is critical. There's a significant increase in white blood cells, abnormal blood composition, and an enlarged spleen. Additionally, your hemoglobin and monocytes—"
Youko interrupted him.
"Keep it simple. How long do I have?"
Norimasa was momentarily taken aback before smiling bitterly.
"Straight to the point, as always."
"All those medical terms were putting me to sleep."
"Don't worry—I won't let you die. Conventional treatments may not stop the progression, but we still have bone marrow transplantation as an option."
He patted her hand.
"We'll start compatibility testing tomorrow. For now, get some rest tonight."
"Given my current condition, what are the odds of a successful transplant?"
"80%."
"I want the truth." Youko fixed her gaze on him.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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