The Love of My Childhood Friend, Who Has Overcome a Terminally Ill Diagnosis, Is Overwhelming
Kanade’s mother led me into the living room, and I sat down on the sofa as she motioned for me to.
“Hehe. Just wait here for a moment.”
Saying that, Kanade’s mother left the living room.
A few minutes later, she reappeared holding a sheet of paper.
“Here you go.”
Kanade’s mother placed the sheet of paper she’d brought on the table.
…Wasn’t she supposed to tell me about Kanade’s condition?
With that question in mind, I looked at the paper Kanade’s mother had placed on the table.
What was written on the paper… looked like Kanade’s medical checkup record.
“I’m sorry.”
Kanade’s mother apologized to me.
“The other day… when Kanade had a fever and you came to visit her, I made a rather cryptic remark, didn’t I? I’m sure that must have made you anxious.”
“…Yeah.”
Come to think of it, that did happen.
“So, I wanted to apologize for that first. I’d feel terrible if I’d left you feeling anxious and with a lingering sense of unease.”
“…Okay.”
“So, did you understand what was on that form?”
“I’m sorry. …It was too complicated; I didn’t really get it.”
“Hehe. I suppose so.”
Kanade’s mother smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. Kanade is perfectly healthy right now.”
Hearing Kanade’s mother’s gentle words… I felt incredibly relieved.
“Is that so…”
“Yes. I wanted to put your mind at ease about that incident from the other day as soon as possible. That’s why I asked you to make time for me and take a look at the checkup form.”
“…Thank you.”
I bowed my head.
“But… is it really okay to show this to me without telling Kanade?”
“Hehehehehehe.”
Kanade’s mother flashed a smile that was quite different from the gentle one she’d shown earlier—one that seemed to hide a hint of mischief.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“…Well, if you say so, Auntie.”
“As long as she doesn’t find out, it’s fine.”
…I shouldn’t have let my guard down.
I’ll make sure to apologize properly to Kanade later, just in case.
“Well then, now that we’ve cleared up your worries, Akkun, shall we get down to business?”
Ignoring my feelings of guilt toward Kanade, Kanade’s mother cheerfully said that.
Right now, the only reason I’m here facing Kanade’s mother is to ask about Kanade’s condition.
In other words, I have no reason to keep talking to Kanade’s mother… and besides, what do you mean the main topic isn’t about Kanade’s condition?
“Hehe. Akkun, you’ve fallen right into Auntie’s trap, haven’t you?”
“…W-what are you planning to make me do?”
…Well, since she’d done me a favor by letting me know Kanade was safe, I was willing to listen to her for a bit, but if she started saying anything too strange, I was planning to go back to studying in Kanade’s room.
“Akkun. Do you know this book?”
While I was trying to figure out how to brush off Kanade’s mom, she pulled a book out of nowhere and placed it on top of Kanade’s medical checkup form.
…The book Kanade’s mom placed on the table was…
“……I know it. I know it.”
It looked familiar to me, too.
“I saw it on TV recently—they were introducing it as a bestseller.”
The book Kanade’s mother had placed on the table was a non-fiction novel that had been the talk of the town lately.
…Apparently, it’s a tear-jerking novel that depicts the life story of a daughter who was given a terminal diagnosis, as seen through her mother’s eyes.
“…Huh?”
Wait a minute…
The story of this non-fiction novel… it feels like something I’ve been witnessing up close lately…
“…No way…”
No way…!
“Hehe. That’s right. I’m the one who published this book.”
I was completely taken aback.
“Of course… it’s about Kanade, who was once given a terminal diagnosis.”
…S-so that’s what it was.
“My main source of income right now is giving lectures. And then there are the royalties from this book.”
“Oh, I see…”
“So… actually, the publisher has approached me about writing a sequel to this book.”
“A, a sequel?”
“Yes. You see, with nonfiction books like this that depict the life story of someone who’s been given a terminal diagnosis, ultimately… well, to put it bluntly, the main character ends up passing away, right? But in my case, I’m still living a healthy life. So they figured, ‘If that’s the case, I can write a sequel, right?’ That’s the idea.”
“That’s true, I suppose…”
…I still felt a little uneasy about it.
Even when I heard earlier that Kanade was holding lectures… I didn’t feel very good about the way her life story was being treated as mere entertainment.
However, I did think that if, through Kanade’s life story, people like the Kanade of the past—or people similar to her parents—could find the strength to carry on… then maybe that was okay after all.
But this time, it’s nothing more than flaunting Kanade’s life story to the general public.
At this rate, isn’t Kanade just like an animal in a zoo cage?
“……Hehe. It’s okay—it’s what Kanade wanted.”
Apparently, Kanade’s mother had noticed the complicated look on my face and figured it out.
“……Is that really true?”
“Of course. She wanted lots of people to see it.”
“……”
“The way she lived her life.”
“…………”
“And you—the one who supported her when she was on the brink of death.”
“…………Huh?”
Huh?
“A-Auntie. Does that book… maybe mention me, too?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Oh?”
“In fact, that’s the most moving part of the book.”
“Ooooh?”
“Most of the reviews say they want to be like you—the one who nursed that dying girl back to health and saved her life.”
“Ooooooh?”
“Hehe. So, you’ll help me out this time too, right, Akkun?”
Kanade’s mother gave a faint smile..
Maiasa