Chapter 177:
The woman claimed that the man speaking was himself.
What kind of absurd nonsense is this?
Tadano looked at the woman with a bewildered expression, as if he didn't understand Japanese. Wiping the tears flowing down her cheeks, the woman spoke to Tadano.
——
"But still, I consider it fortunate that you understand why I'm so sad. And…"
"…"
"I was worried that I might be mistaken, but you are a good person. Despite appearing rough and unapproachable on the surface, you can tell after a little conversation. Whether before losing your memory or now, you are still yourself."
——
Tadano didn't want to interrupt her because the woman seemed to be speaking earnestly. However, just listening was frustrating. He continued to insist that he wasn't the ‘bad guy,' yet he couldn't remember anything at all.
But the woman didn't seem like she was lying.
Taking a deep breath, Tadano sighed.
——
"Am I unable to remember?"
——
There was no way. He knew who he was—the youngest person to pass the judicial exam, the top student at Donggyeong University, a prestigious school that attracted gifted students from across the nation. There was no way he could forget such an important part of his life.
But as he thought earlier, the woman didn't seem like she was lying.
——
"Really, can I not remember?"
——
Once again, Tadano thought, ‘There's no way.' Yet, looking at the woman's sorrowful expression made him consider, ‘Perhaps…'
The two conflicting thoughts tormented Tadano.
At that moment, someone pushed open the door of the ramen shop and entered. The man looked around, and then, upon seeing Tadano, rushed over.
——
"Tadano-kun! Are you okay?"
——
Tadano, engrossed in the woman, hadn't noticed the man approaching. He was taken aback by the sudden call.
——
"Headmaster? How did you…?"
"How, you ask? Haruna Yomi contacted me. She said she found my business card that you dropped."
"Haruna Yomi? Headmaster, do you also know this woman?"
——
When Tadano pointed at the woman and asked, the headmaster greeted Yomi.
——
"Are you Haruna Yomi?"
"Yes…"
"I see. I'm Headmaster Inagama Kenta from Donggyeong University, the one you spoke to this morning. Thank you for contacting me."
"Not at all. Well then, I'll be going. It's about time for me to start working."
——
After Yomi spoke to the headmaster, she promptly stood up. She didn't even spare a glance at Tadano. Perhaps she couldn't or simply chose not to.
Just as Yomi was about to leave with her bag, she looked at Tadano for a moment, as if there was something else to say.
——
"About what I said earlier… Can you remember anything at all?"
"…"
"Nothing, I guess. I see…"
——
Yomi sighed deeply. The sigh, reaching the depths of her belly, vividly portrayed how frustrated she was.
Before tears could well up in her eyes again, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Then, with a brighter smile, she spoke to Tadano.
——
"So, what if. What if…"
"…"
"If that man we talked about today is you… would you have become friends with me?"
——
Though her expression was bright and her voice lively, Yomi's eyes were filled with sadness. With those sad eyes, she gazed at Tadano earnestly.
Perhaps this question was the real question Yomi wanted to ask Tadano today.
Tadano didn't avoid the woman's gaze, nodding his head.
——
"I don't like ‘what ifs,' but if that ‘bad guy' you mentioned is me…"
"…"
"I would have gladly become friends with you."
——
Tadano's words were sincere. However, even as he spoke, his emotions remained unmoved, not a hint of sentimentality or wavering.
——
"Haha…"
——
Nevertheless, Tadano's words seemed to hold significant meaning for Yomi. Her eyes quickly reddened, and tears streamed down her face.
Wiping away the tears in haste, the woman spoke.
——
"Hehe… Tears keep coming. I wanted to leave with a smiling face."
"…"
"Thank you for saying that. Well then, I'll be going. If we meet again later… I'll make sure not to cry."
——
With those words, Yomi left the ramen shop. Tadano sighed silently while watching her receding figure.
Whew…
——
‘I have no idea what's going on.'
——
Tadano shook his head. As he did so, the headmaster helped him up, saying,
——
"Well… Tadano-kun, shall we get up now?"
"Yes? Oh, yes. But how did you get here, Headmaster? There shouldn't be a train from Tokyo."
"There's a regular train from Tokyo to Sapporo. It's just that there's no return trip. I've booked a nearby accommodation, so take the first train back to Tokyo tomorrow."
——
The scene began to pass by quickly. Tadano, with a slightly uneasy feeling, followed the headmaster towards the lodging. After spending the night there, the next morning, the headmaster and Tadano took the train back to Tokyo.
Inside the train, Tadano gazed out the window absentmindedly.
‘But today, I remember what happened yesterday.'
——
‘Is that woman okay?'
——
Since last night, Tadano had been constantly thinking about Yomi. It wasn't that he had fallen for her or anything like that. It was just that the woman who spoke affectionately and happily to him had left an impression.
Clunk, clunk.
Though the train jolted roughly, Tadano, lost in deep thought, hardly felt it.
Suddenly, Tokyo appeared in the distance. Tadano stood up, preparing to disembark as soon as they arrived.
After a while, the train arrived at the station.
Tadano and the headmaster got off the train. Then, like other passengers, they passed through the platform and headed toward the station exit.
——
"…Ah."
——
The moment Tadano set foot outside Tokyo Station as if a spark had ignited in his mind, memories flooded back. From the first meeting with Yomi to the recent memories of treating her coldly, every moment returned.
Among them, the most vivid memory was the disappointment and sadness on Yomi's face when she realized he didn't recognize himself and was saying hurtful things.
As the image of Yomi's face flashed in his mind, tears rolled down Tadano's cheeks.
——
"…I have to go back."
——
The moment Tadano thought he needed to go back to Yomi.
——
"Ugh…!"
——
As if something was devouring his brain from the inside, a horrifying pain surged. It was so intense that Tadano wanted to smash his head to extract that part.
Tadano suddenly grabbed his head, knelt on the ground, and suffered in agony. Seeing this, the headmaster urgently spoke to Tadano.
——
"T-Tadano-kun! Why are you doing this!"
——
Tadano, with one hand clutching his head and the other holding onto the principal's hand, managed to speak through the pain.
——
"Head-Headmaster. I need to go to Sapporo, right now."
"Oh, no. I'm not a doctor, but it seems like you should go to the hospital instead of Sapporo. Your eyes are extremely bloodshot, and you're sweating a lot… Your condition doesn't look good!"
——
The headmaster's words were accurate. Tadano was indeed sweating, and his eyes were so bloodshot that the whites were hardly visible. Naturally, Tadano himself felt that his physical condition was serious.
However, there was something more urgent and important than his well-being.
——
"No, Headmaster, I can't. I need to go to Sapporo right now. That person, I don't know when she might die. I have to go and apologize quickly."
"Apologize? What are you talking about? More importantly, the one who seems like they might die right now is you! Get a hold of yourself!"
"No, I'm fine. I need to go to Sapporo-!"
——
As Tadano tried to shout again that he needed to go to Sapporo, suddenly, all strength left his body, and his vision darkened. It was as if everything around him had been muted, with no sound and no sight.
He had fainted.
Time passed, though it was hard to gauge how much time had passed. In reality, it wasn't clear how long it had been, but it felt like a considerable amount of time had passed.
Gradually, his darkened vision began to brighten. At the same time, he heard some words in his ears.
——
"Tada… Are you… awake?"
"…"
"Tadano-san. Are you awake?"
——
In response to the voice calling his name, Tadano struggled to open his eyes. As he did, the voice calling him became clearer.
As he regained consciousness, the surroundings began to come into view. Seeing doctors and nurses bustling around a white hospital bed, it seemed he was in a hospital.
The doctor looked down at Tadano and said,
——
"Tadano-san, can you hear me?"
"…Yes."
"Oh, you can speak. That's a relief."
"Being able to speak, what does that mean?"
——
Still unable to fully open his eyes, Tadano asked with a groggy voice.
——
"Tadano-san, you lost consciousness at Tokyo Station. Do you remember?"
"I lost consciousness?"
"Yes. According to Headmaster Inagama, who was with you, you said you needed to return to Sapporo and then lost your memory."
"Did I go to Sapporo?"
"Yes. Do you not remember at all?"
——
Tadano shook his head as if indicating he didn't understand the doctor.
——
"I have no memory whatsoever."
"Hmm."
——
The doctor sighed with complex emotions. Then, cautiously, he asked Tadano.
——
"Tadano-san, then do you recall the most recent event?"
"The most recent thing I remember… It's my parents' funeral. And I had a meeting scheduled with the headmaster for withdrawal."
"Do you happen to know the date of that day, the day of the meeting with the headmaster?"
——
Tadano responded promptly.
——
"It was October 23rd."
"October 23rd?"
——
Upon Tadano's words, the doctor pointed to the calendar hanging on the wall.
——
"Tadano-san, today is November 4th."
"…November 4th?"
"Yes."
——
The doctor spoke in a solemn voice and then showed Tadano several pictures. They were MRI images of the brain.
——
"This is an MRI image taken when you visited last time. I showed you this to assure you that your condition was significantly serious. Do you remember?"
"I have no memory. I came to this hospital and had an MRI. By myself?"
——
——
"Yes."
"That can't be…"
——
Tadano rubbed his forehead, trying hard to recall the past. However, no matter how much he tried, he had no memory of coming to this hospital.
The doctor waited for Tadano for a moment before continuing.
——
"For now, it would be best for you to stay in the hospital and undergo more detailed tests. Although you've stabilized somewhat now, we can't predict when another seizure might occur."
"A seizure?"
"Yes. When you first arrived in the ambulance, your condition was quite serious."
"…"
"I understand that this must be very confusing for you. Please rest for now. We'll start the tests tomorrow."
——
After a slight bow, the doctor left the room. The doctor's explanation was calm and kind, but Tadano still couldn't grasp what had happened.
——
‘…Did I go to Sapporo? And then, I fainted?'
——
The doctor wouldn't be joking about something like this, so it must be true. And the fact that it was ‘true' made it even more confusing.
Tadano stared blankly at the ceiling. Before long, drowsiness gradually overwhelmed him. Whether it was due to extreme mental fatigue or something injected into his arm through the IV, he felt incredibly sleepy.
He fell asleep.
The next day.
——
"…Ugh."
——
As soon as Tadano woke up, he clutched his head. Today, he felt a headache upon awakening. Perhaps it was due to recent stress, compounded by the passing of his parents and the consecutive difficult events.
——
‘But… where is this?'
——
Upon waking up, it wasn't his home but an unfamiliar hospital room. Sunlight was streaming in warmly through the window.
And the next day.
——
"…Ugh."
——
Once again, Tadano woke up, clutching his head. Today, he had a headache upon awakening. Perhaps it was due to recent stress, compounded by the passing of his parents and the consecutive difficult events.
——
‘But… where is this?'
——
Upon waking up, it wasn't his home but an unfamiliar hospital room. Rain has been pouring outside since the morning.
And so, day after day.
Tadano woke up on the same day, but the weather was different each time.
One day.
On an unusually warm and pleasant morning, Tadano woke up from his sleep. Regardless of the weather, Tadano felt a headache today—no, he thought, it's more accurate to say it's a headache ‘now.'
——
‘But where is this?'
——
Even today, when he struggled to open his eyes, he found himself lying in a hospital bed, not at home. It felt strangely familiar as if it were his house, but it was a hospital he had never seen before.
In a daze, he sat up on the bed. Then, from across the room, a certain woman spoke in a gentle voice.
——
"You woke up early today, Tadano."
"···?"
——
As the unfamiliar woman greeted him warmly, Tadano looked at her with curiosity.
——
‘Who is she to talk to me so amicably?'
——
At that moment, he saw the name of the woman lying in the hospital bed.
——
‘Haruna Yomi?'
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