Editing HanTsuki:Volume 1 Epilogue

'''Epilogue: Words Forgotten'''

The one who came to our rescue was Akiko. When Akiko got our destination from Tsukasa and flew to us, Rika was wondering whether to drag me down the mountain. I was immovable like a dead person, and Rika was all bloody. The situation could be said as a complete mess. Even Akiko was floored upon seeing us.

To remain Tsukasa’s reputation, I must add a note here. Under Akiko’s devilish questioning, Tsukasa persisted in not telling our destination for more than two hours. But later when we hadn’t return after some time, he spilled the beans out of worry and care. He wasn’t a guy to be underestimated.

In the end, the freedom Rika and I acquired lasted for a short two hour, although the price of that two hours were a bit too high. I sickness, already worsened before, messed up my liver because of this unruly chaos. I heard my condition had worsened to the state when I first came here, so I would need at least a month to get out. This was a declaration of my stay in the hospital over the year.   

“You really are something, being able to move around in such bad condition,” the main doctor in charge said in surprise. He even laughed due to this shock.

Behind him, Akiko was enraged, her nerves racked up. 

Anyway, I would have to stay on the bed immovable for around a week, my body severely worn out, deprived of even the power to get up. My body temperature lingered around thirty-nine degrees Celsius, receiving various injections throughout the day. The world seemed to twist because of the heat of my body. In this slightly twisted world, it was difficult to differentiate dreams from the reality, and I remembered a lot of things. Then, my thoughts were burned to ashes by the high heat of thirty-nine degrees. Perhaps, I believe, I had talked with my father in one of my dreams. In a slight unhappy tone, my father ordered the young me to buy photographic plates for him. “Listen carefully: buy the TriX four hundred.” Nodding, I held the five hundred yen dollar hardly and dashed out of home like a vigorous little monkey. I smiled under the dazzling sunlight, running and smiling in joy. The scene was wondrous. I should be in great hate of my father at that time.

Sigh. A dream is only a dream, not a representation of reality.

I had also talked with Rika in my dreams. Rika and I rode on a scooter like what we did that night. Rika’s hands clasped over my waist, holding me tightly. We sped forward endlessly and continuously.

“Don’t fell off!” Rika said with a bit of anger. 

I replied in a carefree tone, “I said I know.”

Then, to scare Rika, I would deliberately accelerate suddenly, and Rika would cry out in a rarely adorable voice, then hitting my safety helmet.

“You idiot!”

Though being hit, I smiled in joy. Though a dream, I realised at that time I was in great favour of Rika’s angry voice. I forgot what happened after that. Where had we gone? 

When I was finally able to move around, I immediately sneaked out of the ward without being noticed by Akiko. My body felt heavy and ill; even walking was strenuous.

Although there were a lot of old people in the hospital, they look much livelier than me, walking like tortoises yet passing beside me in great speed. A more frustrating thing was that after three old farts ‘overtook’ me, they turned around to give me a wicked grin. It looked as if Tada wasn’t the only sinister old guy around. Albeit I could almost tear up from my worn out and useless appearance, I knew I deserved for what I had done. I couldn’t blame anyone.

“Fu...”

Spending time minutes, I managed, in any case, to reach Rika’s ward. I knocked on the door. There was no reply.

Rats. Perhaps she went to have a check-up. If that was the case, then I had wasted all this effort. Man, so much for all the painstaking walk.

When this thought was still in my mind, the door was opened with a strong force.

“You big idiot!”

Upon seeing my face, Rika scowled furiously.