Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139843121925685/episodes/822139844149471856
“Huh…? What… did you just say?”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Because… Karen shouldn’t know anything about gal games…?!
I should be the only one who knows about that…
“Huh? Didn’t you hear me? I said ‘All Heroines Death Ending’. Senpai, do you know anything about that term?”
“…”
I hadn’t misheard.
I clearly heard ‘All Heroines Death Ending’. I heard it.
Why… does Karen know that term?
A flood of questions surged through my mind.
But right now, I had to answer Karen’s question…!
“Heroine All-Death Ending? What’s that? Some kind of game term or something?”
I decided to genuinely play dumb.
“…Hmm, I see… So you don’t know this term, Senpai…”
Karen rested her chin in her hand, thinking for a moment—
“I see… Thank you! Then please forget what I just said! Ehehe, I asked something weird…”
“Oh… right…”
“So, I guess I’ll be off now? I remembered something I need to do…!”
After saying only that, Karen dashed off somewhere.
…What the hell is going on?
I don’t get it.
I haven’t told anyone about the galge.
Yet, the fact she knows that word means—
—There are other reincarnated people besides me?
――◇――◇――◇――
After that, Karen’s visits to the hospital dropped off significantly.
When I asked the other two, they said Karen hadn’t been coming to school and was almost impossible to reach.
Because of that, they didn’t know either what Karen was doing now or how she was doing.
“――Achoo!”
I sneezed forcefully.
Then, Tsukino, who was beside me, looked at me with a worried expression.
“Yu-san, are you okay?”
“Hmm… I might have caught a cold…”
Was it because I wore light clothes when heading to Tsukino’s house?
Wearing light clothes in December’s cold is bound to make you catch a cold…
“A cold… Yu-san, excuse me for a moment.”
Tsukino reached out and gently touched my forehead for a few seconds.
“…Hmm. You feel a bit warm… I’ll ask the nurse to get me a thermometer.”
After that, when she measured my temperature with the thermometer… it showed 37.5 degrees Celsius.
“This feels like a cold… But why?”
Tsukino thought for a moment… then suddenly covered her mouth as if realizing something.
“C-could it be… when you came to my house… I mean, Yuu-san, you walked here for two hours in the cold wearing light clothes… Ah…”
“Ah, ahh…”
It seemed Tsukino had completely figured it out.
Her expression darkened with despair, and she murmured in a voice that seemed about to vanish, “I’m sorry.”
“Because of me… I made Yuu-san push himself…”
“N-no! It’s fine! That was something I did on my own, okay? So, Tsukino, you don’t need to feel bad about it?!”
“…Even so, it’s definitely my fault… I really… I keep causing trouble for Yuu-san… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Tsukino muttered under her breath, her eyes dark.
Ugh… Seeing her so sad makes my stomach hurt…
W-Well, I guess I have no choice.
I don’t really feel like it, but I’ll bring up that promise from before.
“Tsukino? What happened to trying not to look so gloomy?”
“Ah… But this time, it really is my fault… If I tried to look cheerful at a time like this, I’d be a psychopath…”
“That might be true… But then! If you’re feeling guilty, how about nursing me? Actually, I’m feeling a bit cold…”
“Take care of you… Oh, right, that makes sense.”
Tsukino took a deep breath and returned to her usual expression.
Good.
After that incident, Tsukino had become somewhat better at controlling her emotions.
“So… since you’re cold, that means I should warm you up, right?”
“Huh…? W-well, yeah. But maybe just bring me a blanket or something—”
“…Then… here.”
Before I could finish my sentence, Tsukino moved behind me and—hugged me.
Her arms held me tight, enveloping me in her warmth from all sides.
And… from behind, I could even feel that marshmallow-like softness and fluffiness.
“Um… Tsukino-san? It’s not like that…”
“It’s not? Karen-chan told me you like being hugged and you like breasts… so I tried to let you feel both…”
K-Karen…!?
What the hell did she tell Tsukino…!?
“I, I do like it… but not right now… you know? Just covering me with a blanket would’ve been fine.”
“I, I see… I’m sorry, I misunderstood.”
Tsukino looked down sadly and moved away from me.
Ugh… my conscience hurts.
Yeah, right… Tsukino was doing this out of kindness…
“N-no… Actually, I like this better! Yeah!”
“—Huh?”
“This feels warmer and more reassuring. Actually, I want you to do it more… Okay?”
“…! Yes!”
Tsukino moved behind me again and hugged me even tighter.
Yeah, this really does warm me up.
My body… and my heart.
Ever since hearing Karen’s words… all sorts of possibilities had been running through my mind, and lately I’d been feeling a bit tense.
There were just too many strange things about Karen too.
Honestly… I couldn’t read her thoughts at all.
That’s precisely why… Tsukino, who simply thought of me and devoted herself to me, was my healing.
“Yu-san, your eyelids are drooping.”
“Oh… really…?”
Before I knew it, drowsiness had overtaken me, my eyelids repeatedly threatening to close.
It felt like… being submerged in a warm, deep sea.
“It’s okay if you fall asleep. You’ve… worked hard enough, Yu-san.”
“…Yeah.”
Before I knew it, warm drowsiness filled my entire body…
My consciousness sank into a hazy slumber.
“Yu-san, are you okay?”
“Ah, ah… I… I was asleep?”
When I woke up… there was Tsukino, looking at me with concern.
“About an hour? You looked so peaceful.”
“Oh… right… That’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Hehe, Yuu-san, you looked incredibly cute sleeping. If it were allowed, I’d have wanted to take a picture.”
“No, no way?!”
Please, spare me…
Then, I noticed Tsukino was holding something like a tray.
Several plates rested on the tray, one of them steaming.
“Um… Tsukino? What’s that…?”
“Hm? …Oh, this? This is rice porridge.”
Saying that, Tsukino placed the tray on the table beside the bed.
“I told the nurse that Yuu-san seemed to have a cold, and she prepared this for me.”
“Huh…! That’s really nice of them.”
I was actually feeling a bit hungry.
Just as I reached for the plate… for some reason, Tsukino lifted it up.
Then, she scooped up some porridge with a spoon—
“Yu-san… here. Open wide.”
She brought the spoon right up to my mouth.
“…Huh?”
“Hmm? Is something wrong? …Oh, right… I forgot.”
Tsukino made a face like she’d realized something, then brought the spoon to her own mouth—
“Hoo, hoo… Here, please.”
She blew on the porridge to cool it, then brought the spoon back to my mouth.
“Here, open wide… Huh? Aren’t you going to eat?”
“N-no, it’s not that I won’t eat… I can feed myself just fine…?!?”
“…? I’m trying to feed you to save you as much trouble as possible… Is that not okay?”
Tsukino tilted her head slightly.
It seemed she was doing this out of pure goodwill.
“N-no… b-but…”
I looked back and forth between the offered rice porridge and Tsukino’s face.
If I refuse here, Tsukino will be sad, right…?
Plus, it would be taking away her chance to make amends… and it wouldn’t be surprising if her expression clouded over again…
“…Alright. Thanks, Tsukino. I’ll take you up on that and eat.”
“…! Really?! I’m so glad!”
I steeled myself and put the rice porridge in my mouth.
Then, along with the smooth texture of the porridge, a faint taste of broth came through.
“It’s delicious…”
“Really…? I’m so glad to hear it! Here then… Hoo, hoo.”
Tsukino offered me another spoonful of porridge.
I just kept eating it mindlessly.
“Phew… That was delicious, Tsukino.”
“Hehe, I’m so happy you said that…! Actually, I made this porridge myself. I borrowed the hospital kitchen to do it.”
“R-Really!?”
“Yes! So I’m incredibly happy you enjoyed it.”
Tsukino blushed, looking genuinely delighted.
“I see… Thanks for making it. It’s been a long time since I ate someone’s home cooking outside of restaurants… It was good.”
Since my rebirth, I hadn’t had a single chance to eat someone’s home cooking.
“Is that so? Then, when was the last time you had it…?”
“Hmm… The last homemade meal I had… was the breakfast my mother made me the day I died in my previous life.”
“Huh…”
Come to think of it, mother…
Hearing that reminded me. I wonder if she’s doing okay.
I hope she’s recovered from my death… I’d be glad if she had.
I pictured my mother’s cheerful face in my mind.
—No, I tried to.
“…Ah, I see.”
The strength slowly drained from my hands.
Only now did I finally realize.
I—
“…Can’t even remember my parents’ faces or names…”
My memories were slowly returning.
Precisely because of that… I was beginning to understand… what memories I had lost.
I… had lost most of my memories concerning my parents.
“Ah… ahh… ah…”
At that moment, sobs reached me from beside me.
Shifting my gaze—there was Tsukino, her expression so pained it seemed she might vanish, digging her nails fiercely into her palm.
“I’m sorry… Because of me… Because you saved us… Yu-san… lost his memories… I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Truly… I’m sorry.”
Tsukino’s tears flowed freely.
At the same time, blood poured from the hand she’d cut with her nails.
I’ve done it.
Just when Tsukino was finally getting better… This means we’re back to square one…!
“Tsukino, it’s okay. This isn’t your fault… No matter what happened, I’m the one who made the choice.”
I desperately tried to calm Tsukino down… and somehow managed to get her to stop crying.
The next day.
A visitor came to the hospital room.
“――Senpai! Long time no see!”
It was Karen, who had been out of contact for so long.
“I thought I’d tell you today, Senpai…!”
“…? Tell me… what?”
Karen flashed a bright, cheerful smile—
“Well, obviously—it’s about why I know about the ‘All Heroines Die Ending’.”
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