The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
Led by Kanade, we arrived at a deserted spot: we walked between the schoolyard and the school building, past the trash dump, and deep into the thicket of trees. There stood an incinerator that looked as though it hadnโt been used in quite some time, and next to it was a faded bench.
โThis is the spot.โ
โYou sure know how to find some pretty wild places.โ
As Kanade pushed her way through the dense foliage just before we reached the incinerator, I couldnโt hide my shockโno wayโฆ
The area around the incinerator was wide open, but as we made our way through the trees, we encountered quite a few bugs.
Iโve always hated bugs.
But come to think of it, Kanadeโฆ sheโs always liked bugs. Especially rhinoceros beetlesโI feel like she used to make me go bug-hunting with her every summer vacation.
โBut no one comes here, right?โ
โWell, I guess not.โ
Iโve heard that small incinerators like the ones found in schools operate at low temperatures, and since burning trash releases harmful substances, almost all schools have gotten rid of them by now.
In fact, throughout my entire school careerโelementary and middle schoolโIโd never seen an incinerator at school. I guess theyโd all been removed.
โฆBut perhaps this school was short on funds, so they couldnโt remove the incinerator.
Maybe removing it would have required cutting down those dense trees over there, which would have driven up the costsโฆ?
Well, anyway, itโs not hard to imagine that even the current teachers are probably at a loss as to what to do with this incinerator.
Or maybe the current teachersโฆ just like us students, donโt even remember this incinerator exists.
โโฆAkkun.โ
โWhat?โ
โThis is a pretty deserted spot, isnโt it?โ
Kanadeโs double-check.
โWe can do whatever we want here.โ
โHaha. Youโre right.โ
Of course, I wouldnโt actually do anything.
I felt Kanadeโs intense gaze piercing my cheek as I laughed carefree.
โฆโฆThough I called it an intense gaze, Kanadeโs stare also felt kind of damp.
โShould we eat lunch?โ
โYeah. โฆThough, I usually just eat at the school cafeteria.โ
My parents are workaholicsโthey go to work on weekdaysโฆ not to mention, they often go in even on weekends.
I found making bento boxes a hassle too, so I ate lunch at the school cafeteria.
โI figured as much.โ
โKanade?โ
โYes.โ
Kanade, who had already taken a seat on the bench, handed me a bear-shaped drawstring bag.
โA bento. I made one for you, too, A-kun.โ
โโฆโฆHuh?โ
โA-kun. Will you eat my bento?โ
โโฆโฆโ
โโฆโฆโ
โIs that okay? I feel kind of bad about this.โ
โHehe. Itโs no trouble at all. Itโs for none other than you, Akkun.โ
I sat down next to Kanade and took the lunch box from her.
โThanks.โ
โYouโre welcome.โ
โWell then, letโs eat.โ
โOkay!โ
We untied the drawstring bag, took out the lunch boxes, and opened the lids.
โWowโฆโ
The lunch Kanade had prepared for me contained rice, mapo eggplant, rolled omelet, fried horse mackerel, and spaghetti Napolitan.
โHaha. Itโs like you planned itโnothing but my favorite foods.โ
โReally? Iโm glad.โ
โIโm going to dig in.โ
I began eating the homemade lunch Kanade had made for me.
Every dish in her lunch was incredibly delicious. The seasoning reminded me of my motherโs in some way.
It made me wonder if she had been at home before I woke up this morning, preparing the lunch with my mother.
โโฆโฆA-A-kun.โ
โHuh?โ
โโฆโฆHow is it?โ
When I looked closely, I realized Kanade hadnโt even taken a single bite of her lunch yet.
On the contrary, she looked nervous as she watched me eat.
โฆโฆAh.
Even someone as clueless as me understood Kanadeโs intention.
โKanade, this is really delicious. Thank you.โ
โโฆโฆIโm glad.โ
Kanade let out a sigh of relief.
โItโs delicious. Really. Iโd want to eat this every day.โ
โGot it. From now on, Iโll make it for you every single day for the rest of your life.โ
โHaha. Really? That makes me so happy.โ
โฆHuh?
For the rest of my life?
โAkkun. Akkun.โ
โWhat?โ
โAbout todayโs lunch boxโฆ thereโs actually one part I think I messed up.โ
โHuh? I thought it was perfect.โ
โNope. I feel like the nutritional balance is a bit off.โ
โโฆโฆOh.โ
Itโs trueโbetter late than neverโbut the lunch box Kanade made didnโt have many vegetables in it.
โSorry about that? Iโll be more careful from now on.โ
โItโs okay. Actually, Iโm sorry for making you worry about all this.โ
โNo, itโs fine. โฆBut speaking of whichโฆโ
Kanade took a pill out of the small pouch she was holding and handed it to me.
โโฆWhatโs this?โ
โItโs justโฆ a supplement.โ
โOh, right. Just a supplement, huh?โ
If thatโs the case, why go out of your way to emphasize the โjustโ part?
โSorry. Could you take this supplement todayโฆ to make sure you get the nutrients youโre missing?โ
โโฆโฆโ
โโฆโฆโ
โYeah. Got it.โ
โHehe. Hehehehe.โ
Kanade took out a water bottle and handed it to me.
โHere you go.โ
โKanade really is so thoughtful.โ
Sheโll probably make a great wife someday.
Thinking that, I took the supplement she offered me andโฆ
โโฆFuwaaaโฆโ
A little while after I finished my lunch, I was hit by an overwhelming wave of sleepiness.
โA-kun. Are you sleepy?โ
โโฆYeah.โ
โโฆOh dear. You must have studied too hard.โ
โโฆI guess so?โ
โThatโs right. โฆWhy donโt you take a little nap?โ
Kanade was patting her own lap.
โYou can rest your head on it, okay?โ
โIs that okay?โ
โYeah.โ
โโฆWell then, excuse me.โ
As I rested my head on Kanadeโs lapโฆ the sensation, softer than even a pillow, made my drowsiness deepen instantly.
โโฆโฆZzzโฆโ
Soon, my consciousness began to fade.
Butโฆ was I imagining that cold gaze coming from above?ใ
Maiasa
What a stopping point