Chapter 3: Daily Life – Toki

Today, my friend in the neighbouring hospital room passed away. We were the same age and had the same disease. The only difference was that he had parents who loved him properly at his side.

On the days he was in good condition we would go over to each other’s rooms to engage in idle chatter and study together.

My tears flowed as I looked over at the vacant bed, was it from thinking of him or because I was envious. Because he was released. From this pain. From this fear. I wished to live, this desire…

“Will it be me tomorrow?”

Tomorrow is the day of my surgery. But, there will be no one by my side. I understood that there were reasons. But it was still lonely. I was the one who wished to live this way.

I slowly turned the wheelchair towards my room. Sitting on the white bed, I hugged the notebook that was under my pillow. It was the diary of dreams that I wrote in ever since that day.

“Three Forests” was written in Japanese on the cover of the notebook. Three Forests is how they would express the date over in the other world. Although the characters were in Japanese, when I figured out their system for counting dates, I thought they were perfect.

Over there, one day is a leaf, one week is a branch, one month is a tree, and one year is a forest. My listening comprehension was now perfect. Although I wasn’t very skilled in speaking.

My tears dripped down on to the cover. How many days will I still be able to see him? I couldn’t help being truly afraid.

『Help me, Assam.』

Even though I knew it wouldn’t be transmitted, the words that leaked out of me, they were in the foreign language of his world.

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