By the time the morning round of checkups was over, the girls were completely exhausted.
The service had been excellent no waiting lines at all but even that couldn't stop the toll of the relentless medical procedures.
And this was with Kyousuke having rescheduled the heavier tests for Sunday.
Now seated in the hospital's cafeteria, each of them had a full plate of food in front of them.
All the tests that required fasting had been completed in the morning, and they were all famished and drained.
"How about we postpone the rest of the checkups until next week?" Kyousuke suggested, half-laughing, half-concerned.
As he looked at the three girls slumped over the table like wilted sunflowers.
"No way!" ×3
At his words, the three girls instantly sat up straight and responded in unison.
"I've been dreaming about that victory feast! You want me to wait a whole week for the results?"
"I can still hang in there. If we delay, I won't get to go out with Kyousuke-kun next weekend!"
"Stuff like this is better dealt with quickly. I need to get back to my part-time job next week, I'm saving up to buy Kyousuke a gift!"
One by one, they gave their reasons, then immediately dug into their food with renewed determination, as if proving their stamina through their chopstick speed.
Fortunately, the hospital gave them a generous lunch break perhaps assuming patients would be tired after intensive procedures.
After lunch, the four of them headed up to the fourth-floor lounge to rest a bit.
It was a shame they weren't at the hospital's main building; otherwise, they could've relaxed in the garden.
The lounge was decorated with a few leafy green plants and some surprisingly classy sofas.
It lacked the usual hospital crowd and at that moment, they were the only ones there.
"Do you guys want to close your eyes and rest for a bit?" Kyousuke asked, clearly wishing for a nap himself.
"Nope! This is the perfect time for me to catch up on your manga!" Sakura perked up immediately, her expression gleaming with amusement.
"I want to see how the handless demon lord conquers the other world!" she said, bumping her shoulder playfully against Kyousuke's.
"Sakura, it's not conquering, t's protecting!" Shouko chimed in, pulling out her own copy of the manga from her paper bag and shaking her head seriously.
"Isn't it more like… smashing the other world with one punch?" Sakura teased, giggling as she leaned toward Shouko, clearly enjoying her reaction.
Naoka, sitting off to the side, silently opened her manga.
She glanced up at Kyousuke, only to find him already leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, peacefully asleep.
'So you were the one who wanted a nap most of all,' she thought with a small smile.
Her mind wandered back to their elementary school days when, during lunch breaks, the other kids would be playing or chatting, and Kyousuke would be off in a quiet corner, napping like it was his job.
She found herself quietly watching his sleeping face.
In her purple-blue eyes, something warm and complex flickered like a memory returning gently with the afternoon sun.
It felt like she was back in elementary school.
Back when there was no Sakura, no Shouko.
Just Kyousuke, taking a nap like he belonged only to her.
"Shhh~"
Naoka nudged Shouko's leg gently and brought her finger to her lips in a shhh gesture, motioning toward Kyousuke.
Sakura, still grinning and half-teasing Shouko, paused and looked over.
'Ah,' she thought. 'This guy… I bet he was more nervous than I was today. She chuckled to herself. Idiot. If you'd just told me earlier, I could've helped share the burden.'
Even as she thought that, Sakura had no intention of ever confronting Kyousuke directly about the truth.
He'd never admit it, and if he realized she had figured it out on her own, he'd probably drown in guilt.
Then he'd go full melodrama on her.
'Sakura… I'm so sorry. Is there anything you want to do with the time you have left?'
'I'll help you, no matter what, even if it costs me my life!'
'Forget school, let's just live the rest of these years to the fullest…!'
Yeah… it'd totally go like that.
Sakura stifled a laugh at her own mental reenactment, covering her mouth as a small pfft escaped.
Shouko, thinking Sakura was reacting to something funny in the manga, leaned over curiously only to see the scene where Vaccine Man got obliterated in one punch.
Honestly, reading a manga about defeating Vaccine Man in a hospital was kind of fitting.
Convinced she'd found the joke, Shouko started laughing too.
Watching Shouko giggle like that made it even harder for Sakura to hold back her laughter.
'Really, what's so bad about things staying this way?' she thought.
'Just like how I'm still healthy, I want people to treat me like I'm normal. This gentle, overprotective side of Kyousuke is just perfect.'
In fact, Sakura had already made up her mind, she wasn't going to let Kyousuke see her medical results.
If the tests did show something serious like cancer, she didn't want that news to crush the joy he felt from his recent success.
Worse, he might stop drawing manga altogether.
And that would be a real crime.
Her favorite manga vanishing from the world because of her? No way.
Still cuddling the soft and squishy Shouko beside her, Sakura closed her book and leaned in to read from Shouko's copy instead.
———————————————————————
"Kyousuke-kun, it's time for the afternoon tests."
Shouko gently stepped in front of Kyousuke and bent down slightly, her voice soft and sweet as she called to him.
Naoka and Sakura had already gone on ahead with the nurse.
Shouko had managed to wrestle the coveted job of "waking Kyousuke up" from the clutches of the mighty Sakura with her unbeatable cuteness.
"Huh…?"
Kyousuke stirred from his nap, eyes fluttering open and found himself face to face with Shouko's blushing cheeks, barely ten centimeters away.
He could see his own reflection in her brown eyes… and the shy, glowing look in hers.
"Am I… dreaming?"
He hardly dreamed anymore these days.
But if this wasn't a dream, why else would a beautiful girl be waking him up so gently?
'She's so cute.'
Seeing Kyousuke still groggy and wide-eyed, Shouko's heart screamed like a runaway steam train.
Her eyes were filled with affection, but she said nothing just continued gazing at him tenderly, her knees slightly bent.
Maybe it was the gentleness of her voice, or maybe just her presence, but Kyousuke's usual cranky "morning mood" failed to kick in.
Still dazed, he slowly lifted his hand… and lightly touched her cheek.
Soft. Warm. Definitely the real Shouko.
Reassured that this wasn't a dream, Kyousuke's hand instinctively pressed in just a little savoring the softness of her face.
"Good afternoon, Shouko."
Hearing his sincere, happy voice made Shouko's heart flutter.
She didn't look away for even a second, staring directly into his handsome face.
Her fingers curled against her knees, the only outward sign of her nervous joy.
'Kyousuke-kun… I'm so happy too. Just being able to see you wake up like this…'
"Good afternoon, Kyousuke-kun."
Her voice, soft and sweet like cotton candy, floated through the air between them.