Hanabi had been undergoing treatment for about three days now and would receive her operation in a few days. During this time, she had been visited by her family and Mitsuri, who had brought her clothes and drawing pad as promised. Hanabi had shown her the large picture that she wanted to give to Wakatoshi.
She had therefore missed the graduation of the third graders. Many people had already asked about her, but Mitsuri had always been able to hold out and assure them that everything was fine. Well, if it wasn't for Wakatoshi, who had been sneaking after her without Mitsuri's knowledge and had seen her at the hospital again and again.
When he had approached Mitsuri about it with Tendou, the black-haired girl had had no other choice and had told them the truth during the gift-giving ceremony. At that moment, the two boys were in a stupor, with Tendou not even wanting to open the present.
Time literally stood still for Wakatoshi before he managed to break free from his stupor and ran out of the school without saying anything. His heart raced as his legs kept running. He simply had to get to her. He had to make sure that she could really make it. How stupid was he really?! He should have realized why she was no longer at school.
Breathing heavily, he walked towards the reception desk. "Where can I find Hanabi Miya?" Wakatoshi asked immediately and received a brief questioning look. "In room 212, but..." the nurse couldn't say any more, as Wakatoshi had already started running. The stairs didn't stop him from running, even if it wasn't allowed.
When he could see her room door, he raced towards it with quick steps and opened it without thinking twice. At that very moment, he knew what the nurse wanted to tell him. Hanabi was being treated, lying alone and tired in her bed.
"W..Waka..toshi...?" came exhaustedly from Hanabi, who had barely opened her eyes. The sight hurt the boy, who carefully stepped inside and simply took her hand and sat down on the chair. She looked simply awful. Dark, sallow and pale skin. Circles under her eyes that were even worse than Tendou's when he hadn't slept. And then her cold hand, which he had taken in his large hands and tried to warm.
"What... are you doing here?" Hanabi wanted to know and didn't really want him to see her like this. "I followed Mitsuri and spoke to her today. She told Tendou and me that you were in the hospital."
"I see..." Hanabi whispered and tried to smile, which Wakatoshi immediately stopped. "Stop smiling as if everything is fine!"
"But to me..." "Hanabi, I've known for a long time." Wakatoshi said sternly and was looked at with wide eyes. "What...?"
"Do you remember when I asked for the notebook?" "Yes, that was after the art exhibition...but what about it?" she asked immediately. "Your results were in it. At first I thought there was something you hadn't written in it yet and I read it. From then on, I knew you had cancer."
Tears came out of her eyes when she found out. "W..why...didn't you say anything?" she wanted to know. "Because I wanted you to tell me yourself when we spent time together. You always behaved differently and tried to keep your distance. That's why the art exhibition. I wanted to know what was going on with you."
"Wakatoshi...I..." "Besides, you smelled different. Like medicine, but also like you..." the boy mumbled. "You have the same sick smell on you that my mother had when she got sick and died."
Hanabi looked at the boy, slightly surprised and sad, before she began to cry. So Wakatoshi had been with her the whole time because he was worried? "I'm...sorry..." the girl cried and felt her hand being squeezed a little tighter.