"…The doctor said that my mom's surgery has only a thirty percent success rate."
"I used to be really angry that she left me alone in this country, blaming her for focusing only on her worldwide performances and neglecting my existence."
"But I was never really worried because I knew that no matter where she went, she would always come back to me in the end."
"But now… I don't know if I'll ever see her again."
"If possible, I'd rather she stayed just like before—running around the world freely. Even if she never comes back, that's fine, as long as I know she's truly happy…"
Kazusa began speaking softly.
As she talked, she gazed far into the distance at the sky.
Rather than speaking to Chisato, it felt more like she was talking to herself, whispering words meant only for her own ears.
So, Chisato remained silent. He simply held her hand tightly and looked into her eyes.
Before she knew it, Kazusa had leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder.
Worry and exhaustion weighed heavily on her. Slowly, she closed her eyes.
Even in sleep, she didn't seem completely freed from the cruel reality. Her eyelids fluttered occasionally, and her lips moved faintly, mumbling something incomprehensible.
Chisato, feeling a pang of heartache, gently kissed the corner of her eye and carefully pulled her into his embrace, allowing her to rest more comfortably against him.
He glanced toward the direction of Youko's hospital room, lost in thought for a moment before refocusing.
Before him, something appeared—an interface that only he could see: the "Pure Love System" panel.
With a single thought, a small pill materialized in the palm of his hand.
This was the [Panacea], something he had worked hard to obtain.
The detailed description of this Pure Love System item read:
[As long as there's still a breath left in you, even late-stage cancer can be cured! What's a medical miracle?! (tactical back lean.JPG)]
He had acquired this just in case of emergencies, and now, it seemed the time had come to use it.
The sooner Aunt Youko took it, the sooner she would recover, and the sooner Kazusa would be freed from this pain.
…
By around 6 PM, Chisato was pacing back and forth in the hospital corridor.
He kept glancing at Youko's hospital room, feeling increasingly frustrated as nurses went in and out to take care of her.
Kazusa, too, had been glued to her mother's side ever since waking from her short nap that afternoon.
She only left briefly when she needed to use the restroom.
With things like this, there was no way he could get the Panacea into Youko's mouth.
Explaining the situation directly was out of the question.
Matters involving the system were something he had no intention of telling anyone—he planned to take that secret to his grave.
Chisato was growing anxious, but there wasn't much he could do. All he could do was silently wait for the right opportunity.
The chance came after 10 PM.
It was getting late, and Miyoko took the initiative to say her goodbyes.
She was indeed worried about Youko's condition, but someone had to handle the piled-up work at the office.
After she left, there was one less person in the room.
Now, the only ones staying with Youko were him and Kazusa.
A nurse came in once to take her temperature and record her condition.
Based on Chisato's observations, the next visit wouldn't be for another hour.
Aunt Youko was already fast asleep after taking her prescribed medicine.
That meant that if he could find a way to get Kazusa to step out or fall asleep, he'd be able to slip the Panacea into Aunt Youko's mouth.
With that in mind, Chisato walked up to Kazusa and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Kazusa, you've been watching over Aunt Youko all day. Why don't you lie down on the small bed over there and rest for a while? I'll stay with her for a bit."
Kazusa turned to look at her boyfriend and forced a smile. After her short nap in the afternoon, she was feeling a little better.
"It's okay, Chisato. You should sleep first. I just want to stay with my mom a little longer… After all, chances like this… might not come again."
It's exactly because you've been staying here all day that the thing you fear might really happen!
Chisato was helpless, but he couldn't say that out loud.
If Kazusa wasn't willing to sleep, he had to come up with another way.
So, he subtly began persuading her to drink more water.
It was a simple, even stupid method—but it worked.
Forty minutes later, Kazusa got up and walked to the bathroom inside the room.
Chisato glanced at the time. The nurse wouldn't be back for another ten minutes—this was the perfect chance!
As soon as Kazusa shut the bathroom door, he swiftly approached Youko's hospital bed, pulled the small Panacea pill from his pocket, and moved close to her lips.
He thought feeding her the pill would be an easy task, but in reality, it turned out to be far more difficult than he expected.
Youko, perhaps due to her illness, had tightly pursed her lips and clenched her teeth in her sleep.
Her mouth was shut so firmly that he couldn't get the pill inside at all.
There was no other choice.
Hygiene be damned—Chisato carefully used his fingers to pry open her lips while watching her expression intently.
If she showed any signs of waking up, he would immediately stop.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. No unexpected interruptions.
Slowly, Chisato managed to part her lips. He wasted no time and quickly tossed the Panacea into her mouth.
As expected of an item from the system—the moment it came into contact with saliva, it instantly dissolved.
This should be fine now. He just had to wait for the medicine to take effect.
Chisato quickly took a step back before Kazusa could come out of the bathroom.
However, as his gaze lingered on Youko's slightly open mouth, he hesitated for a moment.
Thinking it might be suspicious, he returned to the bedside and carefully closed her lips.
And at that moment—
Youko's eyes snapped open.
Her sharp, clear gaze was nothing like that of a sick person—it locked directly onto Chisato's flustered eyes.
Their current posture… made it look as if Chisato was about to kiss her.
Youko looked at the boy before her, feeling the warmth and touch of his fingers on her lips. She let out a slow, knowing smile and teased,
"Well, this is unexpected, Suzumiya-kun. So, you're interested in me rather than my daughter?"
Chisato swiftly pulled his hand away, his face turning red. He stood by the bedside, struggling to find words.
After a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out—
"N-no, Aunt Youko… You were sleeping with your mouth open… and snoring."
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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