"Don't say anything yet—I can feel it." Shirakawa Natsu leaned in, his lips brushing against hers.
Yazuki grimaced, her expression tinged with distaste, but she didn't pull away. Her mouth parted slightly, and her hands kept moving.
Shirakawa's tongue carefully avoided her sharp canines, lightly grazing the tip of hers, the tiny ridges pressing together as they met. Their breaths mingled and collided, making the air between them thrum with heat.
He tried to press deeper, but Yazuki suddenly pulled back, slipping her hand out from beneath the blanket.
The tangle of their bodies unraveled at once.
Shirakawa felt a sudden emptiness. He looked at her, puzzled.
She was tugging at her clothes, slipping a hand beneath her T-shirt to adjust her bra. "You're fine. You just… need a little more time to get going."
"That's good, then." Shirakawa nodded, but his voice faltered, edged with frustration.
"Are you still set on chasing after that doctor?" Yazuki smoothed her shirt and raised her gaze. "Kimura Hama doesn't strike me as the type who's just playing around. Honestly, I think he's the better match.
If it's only romance you're after, I'd suggest finding someone more suitable. Love doesn't only bring sweetness—it often puts you face to face with people you're not truly compatible with."
"Of course I won't give up," Shirakawa replied with a shrug. "It's not as though modern people lack opportunities for love.
I can't agree with Kimura Hama's kind of cold rationality. We're human beings—calculated affection can't ease the loneliness that gnaws at our hearts.
It's rare to meet someone you feel you could love for a lifetime."
He stretched out his hand as if to seize that conviction. "From here on, I won't make a single mistake. I'll steadily raise her affection for me."
Yazuki pressed a palm to her forehead and smirked in scorn. "Most trouble comes from reaching beyond your own ability."
She rose from the nursing chair and picked up the manuscript. "I'm heading out."
"Leaving already?" Shirakawa glanced at the clock. "Shouldn't we at least eat together? No one from the editorial office comes around at noon. Otherwise I'll be stuck with boiled cabbage from the hospital again."
"No." Yazuki turned, lifting the curtain by his hospital bed. "I just got a hunch—I'll head outside campus to look around."
The corner of Shirakawa's mouth twitched. He raised his middle finger at her back. "Petty woman."
She exited with elegance, not sparing him a backward glance.
Shirakawa could only sigh. Lunch would be nothing but boiled cabbage. His next priority was to draw up a plan—he had to pursue Hashimoto Arina carefully.
With rivals like Kimura Hama, every encounter mattered. Above all, he must avoid doing anything that would lower Arina's impression of him.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside the ward. Yazuki reappeared, this time holding a cloth bag.
Shirakawa frowned. Had she gone out only to return, deciding it was too much trouble to eat alone?
"This is for you." Yazuki set the bag on his bedside table. "I picked it up by the door. No one else is in this ward—it must be meant for you."
His heart clenched.
He recalled his morning phone call with Hashimoto Arina, when he'd complained about the hospital's miserable food.
Opening the bag, he found a familiar bento box. He lifted the lid—the presentation wasn't exactly refined, but compared to the bland meals he'd endured these past two days, this was a feast. The dishes were clearly prepared with care.
Shirakawa covered his face with his hands. He had just vowed not to make mistakes, and already he was blindsided.
Worst of all, he had no idea when Arina had come—or what she might have overheard outside his curtain.
"I'm leaving." Yazuki turned on her heel and slipped out of the ward.
Shirakawa said nothing. He closed his eyes and tried to piece together the situation.
Yazuki walked down the hall and stopped at the corner.
There, standing with her head bowed, was Hashimoto Arina. She clutched her bag tightly against her chest. When she noticed Yazuki, she quickly lifted her gaze, forcing a strained smile. "Thank you for giving him the bento."
She bowed slightly. "I have something to take care of at home, so I'll be going."
Expressionless, Yazuki asked, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Arina turned, hesitated, and finally murmured, "Who… took the initiative?"
"Hmph." Yazuki snorted. "I did."
She stepped forward, towering over the smaller woman—her 1.79-meter frame casting a long shadow. Hands stuffed in her pockets, she stared down at Arina.
"And from what position do you ask that? As his attending physician?"
"I…" Arina faltered under the weight of her presence, instinctively stepping back half a pace. But she quickly lifted her chin, her voice sharp with defiance. "I'm… I'm his—"
The words caught in her throat. She bit them back, shaking her head. "You wouldn't understand. Sorry. I've made a fool of myself."
She turned away.
"Stop deluding yourself." Yazuki's voice was ice. "Your behavior is disgusting."
Arina whirled around, her composure crumbling. Her eyes brimmed with tears. "What do you know! Natsu, he—he…"
She choked on the words, unable to finish.
"His body is failing," Yazuki said flatly. "He doesn't have more than a few months left."
Arina froze, shock flooding her face. "You… how do you know that?"
"I grew up with him. No one understands his condition better than I do."
Arina steadied herself, her voice low but firm. "If you know, then why deny me?"
"So you believe your actions are out of kindness." Yazuki stepped closer.
This time Arina held her ground, her eyes resolute. "Yes. I'm a doctor. It's my duty to let my patients spend their final days with the least pain possible."
"Doctor? Patient?" Yazuki's stare bored into her. "That's why you coddle him with lies like he's a child?"
"I haven't lied." Arina shook her head firmly. "Everything I've done has come from my heart."
"No." Yazuki's eyes narrowed. "It's like telling a child that if he just tries hard enough, he can surpass anyone and make his dreams come true. Isn't that laughable?"
"He isn't a child. On the contrary—he's a genius, far beyond ordinary people."
"Your so-called kindness is a third-rate performance, transparent and pitiful."
"All you're doing is indulging your own vanity with some childish fantasy of noble sacrifice."
Arina's fragile courage crumbled under the barrage of words. She staggered back a step, whispering, "No…"
"Put away your self-satisfaction. Stop using kindness as your excuse." Yazuki stepped forward, pressing a finger against Arina's chest.
"If you like him, then tell him. Stay with him through the end.
If you don't, then be honest—whether as doctor, patient, or just as a friend.
He needs respect, not deceit."
"I…" Arina lowered her head, unable to meet Yazuki's eyes. After a long silence, a blush crept across her cheeks.
"Sorry. Could you… move your hand?"
Yazuki hadn't realized, but in her intensity, her finger had sunk against the softness of Arina's chest. The moment shattered the charged atmosphere.
The next morning, Shirakawa called Arina. She said she was still at home, taking leave.
He wanted to test her mood after yesterday, but she cut him off, chiding him instead to eat properly before hurriedly ending the call.
Only Yazuki came as usual to collect his manuscript. She ignored yesterday's events, leafing through his pages instead. "Are you even human? A normal artist barely manages one chapter a week. You churn out two or three a night."
"It's just drawing from memory." Shirakawa shrugged. "Besides, the backgrounds in Reaper are simple. That makes it faster."
She didn't press further. Slipping the manuscript into an envelope, she looked at him. "The series is a hit. The editorial office called last night. This might break records since the magazine's founding. If you finish the first volume, they're considering an anime adaptation."
"Mm. I'll think about it." Shirakawa nodded. The editors knew his condition. Were it not for the risk of sudden collapse or his illness forcing hiatus, the anime would already be in production.
Now that the manga was outperforming expectations, profit dictated they push for animation. But Shirakawa couldn't commit—he had more immediate concerns, like survival.
"And," Yazuki continued, "the hot spring trip they mentioned before—they want to confirm today whether to book your tickets."
"Hot springs…" Shirakawa rubbed his temples. He had originally planned to invite Arina. But with her now avoiding him, he hesitated.
"This weekend," Yazuki reminded him. "They'll need an answer today."
"Alright." He nodded. He couldn't back down. Staying cooped up in this hospital, he had no chance to deepen things with Arina. In an unfamiliar setting, perhaps he would.
After Yazuki left, Shirakawa took a deep breath and dialed Arina's number. The phone rang endlessly. He almost gave up before she finally picked up.
Her voice was nervous. "Natsu…? Is something wrong?"
"I want to see you today," Shirakawa said. "Is that okay, Arina-san?"
"This…" She hesitated, then after a pause, answered softly. "I'm sorry, Natsu. Give me a few days, alright?"
"But the editorial department has an important event this weekend," he pressed. "It would mean a lot if you came with me."
She faltered again. She'd already turned him down once and didn't want to refuse twice. As his physician, it was reasonable for her to accompany him out.
Finally she said, "…Alright."