This was the fifth time this week I've been in the hospital. They said I needed constant check ups because of my disease.
"Alright, the blood pressure's checked. Looks like you're all good to go."
The doctor said as he detaches the cuff from around my arm.
"Same time tomorrow, alright?"
"Alright…"
I nod, already wanting out.
My hand twisted the door handle and I pushed it open.
My legs moved fast as I stepped out into the hallway.
Then—
Thunk.
My head hits something solid.
"Ouch… what did I hit?"
I stumbled back, blinking.
On the ground in front of me was a girl that looked around my age, holding her head.
Black pixie cut. Black and white striped shirt. Black skirt. Completely black colour palette.
She looked up at me, also dazed.
"Ah… sorry, are you okay?"
I reached out my hand instinctively.
She rubbed her head with one hand, then grabbed mine with the other and stood up.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I wasn't looking either. Sorry about that."
She gave a small awkward laugh.
"Thanks for helping me up."
"No problem. Take care."
She smiled in a way that feels a little too casual for someone who just got knocked over, then walks toward the exit like nothing happened.
I watched her leave for a second.
"Huh… she felt a bit familiar for some reason."
I shook it off.
"Probably just been reading too much manga."
Then I headed home.
The next morning at school.
I was talking with my friends before class.
"So you really can't come to the arcade after school?"
One of them leaned back in his chair, annoyed.
"I told you already. I have hospital checkups every day."
I tried to sound normal, like it's nothing.
"How do you keep forgetting that?"
"Right, right… you're always stuck with those appointments."
My other friend shrugged.
I forced a small laugh.
"Sorry. Maybe another time."
They didn't push further and for a moment, the conversation just sits there.
I didn't tell them the real reason.
It's easier that way.
Instead, I lied.
"I've just been feeling fatigued recently. The Doctor wants to keep checking in with me."
They nod, accepting it without thinking too much.
Class bell ringed.
The day moved on.
At the hospital entrance later that day.
"Hah… alright. Let's get this over with."
I gripped my fist slightly and walk inside.
The waiting room was quieter than usual.
I glanced at the clock.
I'm early.
"That's new."
I sat down.
And without really thinking, I ended up next to someone familiar.
She turned her head first.
"Oh… it's you."
The girl from yesterday.
She blinks.
"Your head okay?"
I blinked back.
"You're the one who fell. I should be asking you that."
She laughed softly.
"Yeah, fair. I'm fine now though."
A short pause.
Then she tilts her head.
"I don't think I've seen you here before properly."
"I usually come late or right on time. Less waiting that way."
She lets out a small laugh.
"Same. I hate how long they keep us here."
That gets a real reaction out of me.
"Right? They do way too many checkups. It's exhausting."
She nodded quickly.
"Exactly. I feel like I'm about to go crazy here every day."
For a second, it felt normal.
Then she said something that changed the air.
"They say it's some rare condition. They just monitor it constantly."
I paused.
"Same… they told me that too."
Silence lingered for a moment longer than it should.
Then I asked, talking slower than before.
"What condition… is yours called?"
She hesitated.
"They say it's a rare disease and it doesn't have a name yet."
My chest tightened slightly.
"…yeah."
Another silence.
Longer this time.
Neither of us said it out loud, but the thought is already there.
We might be the same.
The disease I had was also rare and didn't have a name.
Then the silence was broken.
A nurse called her name.
"Please come to the doctor's office."
She looked at me.
Not smiling now.
Instead, a frown dominated her face.
"Let's talk after. I'll wait here."
Then she gets up and walks into the room beside mine.
That detail hit me a little too hard.
I sat there alone.
Waiting.
A while later, my name was called.
I stood up and walked in.
Same routine. Same room. Same chair.
But this time, something felt wrong before anything was even said.
There's a pause from the doctor.
Too long.
Then I hear it.
A faint sound from the room next door.
Someone crying.
I already know who it was.
The doctor exhaled.
"Your rare condition… has progressed more than we had expected."
I stood still.
He continued, slower now.
"I'm afraid… you likely have around a year left."
The words didn't hit all at once.
They settled in slowly.
Like weight.
I didn't respond.
Not because I didn't want to.
Because I couldn't.
After the checkups, I left the room quietly.
My vision felt quite dull.
When I stepped back into the waiting area, she was there waiting for me..
Same seat.
But now she's not looking up.
Her hands covered her face.
I could see it.
She heard it too.
I walked over without thinking.
"I knew it…"
My voice was quieter than I had expected.
She flinched slightly but refrained from looking up.
Then, for some reason I can't explain, I sat next to her.
And hugged her.
Not strongly.
Just enough to show I'm there for her.
"It's the same for you too, isn't it?"
Those words escaped my mouth.
She doesn't answer right away.
Then she leaned into me.
And started crying harder.
Not loudly.
Just the kind of crying that feels like it's been held in for too long.
After a while, she finally spoke.
"It's… a bit late to say this… but my name is Tsukishiro Hana."
Tsukishiro wiped her tear-ridden face quickly.
"I guess… nice to meet you."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"My name is Kurosawa Ren."
Then, more quietly.
"Let's get along from now on."
After a brief moment, Tsukishiro nodded.
Still shaking a little.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"Then Kurosawa, are you free tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Then… do you wanna meet tomorrow at the coffee shop here at lunchtime?."
"Alright."
A pause.
Then Tsukishiro gave a small, tired smile.
"See you tomorrow Kurosawa."
I replied back a moment later.
"See you Tsukishiro."
And she was gone.
I stayed seated for a while.
Just thinking.
Neither of us had said anything about hope.
We didn't try to fix or do anything about it.
We just… acknowledged and accepted it.
There wasn't anything else we could do.
At home.
The moment I closed my bedroom door, it hit me.
Everything I held in breaks out at once.
I sank down against the door, onto the floor.
Then for a second, I couldn't breathe properly.
"It's not fair…"
My voice cracked.
I pressed my hands into my face.
"I didn't even do anything…"
The more I thought, the worse it got.
Not just fear.
Anger too.
At the timing. At the randomness. At everything.
And I hate that I still have tomorrow planned
Also the fact that someone else shared my disease and is suffering with me.
I ended up crying for a long time.
Not neatly.
Not quietly.
I had let it all out.
Morning comes.
My room was a mess, but I barely noticed.
That was how my last year left to live started.
And also how my first and last romance began.