Chapter 4 Himekawa Yoshino
A person’s personality is not only innate, but also formed by their environment.
I was a little happy when I first heard this.
Because if that is true, I am the way I am now thanks to Shidou-san and the others.
Everyone has taught me so much, given me so many memories.
Things about the town, school, and society.
The importance of the connections between people
And also--someone,
To love.
Surely the accumulation of each day has made me who I am. When I think back to this, I feel proud. I am still a half-baked and immature person, but I can feel unashamed of those parts of being a human because of everyone.
--Even though Mio’s Sephira Crystal disappeared, I did not disappear. Kotori-san said it was because I had a human body.
However, I have no memories of the time I was a human.
Apart from that, it’s not like I am discontent.
However, there are moments where I am suddenly worried.
--Who, am I?
And if I remember,
Can I stay being me?
--It was about a month ago that Yoshino was called by the airship <Fraxinus> floating above Tenguu City.
<Fraxinus> became less talked about with the powers of the Spirits gone and Spacequakes no longer occurring, but the location of the lounge and facilities on the bridge were still engraved with strong memories. With familiar steps, she walked to the designated meeting room.
“But……why called out so suddenly, Kotori-san.”
Along the way, Yoshino softly muttered.
There was no person walking alongside her. However, it would be wrong to say that she was alone.
Because in response to those words, the rabbit puppet Yoshinon attached to Yoshino’s left hand opened her mouth with comical movements.
“Who knows? What will happen? Haah……is it a confession of love……!? For Kotori-chan, the airship’s briefing room is synonymous with the back of the gymnasium……!?”
While talking, Yoshinon passionately contorted her body. Yoshino faintly smiled.
“Ahaha……I don’t think so.”
While chatting, they arrived at their destination. Yoshino entered the room after some simple authentication at the door.
Then, Yoshino widened her eyes.
The reason was simple. They were already other guests who had arrived first here.
“Ah--Natsumi-san. And also Kaguya-san and Yuzuru-san.”
Yes, there were already three girls in the briefing room.
Incidentally, Natsumi was sitting by the table and fiddling with her smart phone. For some reason, the Yamai sisters Kaguya and Yuzuru had both of their legs constantly shaking as they were sitting on an air chair against the wall.
“Fu……kuku, gradually……isn’t it getting harder, Yuzuru? A-About time to give up……how about it?”
“Indifferent. Yuzuru is still fine. Isn’t Kaguya the one closer to her limit? Please don’t force yourself.”
And so, the two of them continued their banter while trying to provoke each other. It seemed like they were competing in who could maintain the air chair the longest.
Twin sisters with identical faces. Although they were completely indistinguishable except for difference in hairstyle and body shape, right now there was an easy to understand contrast.
Kaguya was heavily sweating and gritting her teeth, while Yuzuru kept a calm poker face despite having the same trembling legs.
“Ah, Yoshino was also called in by Kotori……?”
Soon after recognizing Yoshino, Natsumi put on her smartphone on the table and turned around.
Yoshino nodded in response.
“Yes. Is it also the same for Natsumi-san?”
“……Hm. To be honest, I thought this was a notification stopping <Ratatoskr>’s assistance and a warning to move out of the apartment. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with Yoshino here……”
Natsumi said while sighing in a relieved manner. Yoshino gave a weak smile at her negative condition as usual.
But, after hearing what Natsumi had said, Kaguya pouted in dissatisfaction.
“H-Hey, Natsumi, what do you mean by that. It sounds like we might actually be in that situation……!”
Hearing her response, Yuzuru gave a small chuckle.
“Convinced. Kaguya has a lot of noise complaints, so it might be a recommendation to leave.”
“H-Haah!? Then shouldn’t Yuzuru be the same!? Where are those noise complaints even coming from!?”
“Referral. We can’t sleep because of Kaguya’s snoring. Please manage this somehow. -- Y”
“That’s obviously a complaint coming from the same room! That abbreviation doesn’t hide anything at all!”
“……What are you guys doing?”
An authoritative voice interrupted the Yamai sisters’ skirmish.
Looking up, despite not knowing how long she’s been here, Kotori was in her military uniform with her eyes half-closed and holding a large envelop to the side.
“Kotori-san.”
“Yes, sorry to make you all come all the way here. Yoshino, please sit down first.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yoshino obediently nodded her head as she sat down on the seat adjacent to Natsumi. Natsumi’s shoulders trembled as she tried to find some distance, but she eventually stayed put after taking a deep breath.
“Hey, that means you as well.”
Kotori spoke while gently pricking Kaguya and Yuzuru’s legs.
“Fuha……!”
“Collapse. Ku……”
It seemed both of them were already close to their limits. Both of them fell onto the floor at exactly the same time.
“Fu, fu……I won with 0.1 time difference. At least that’s what I want to say.”
“Denial. Kaguya’s legs are shorter so Kaguya’s butt touched the floor first.”
“Aren’t the length of our legs to our hips the same!?”
“Hurry up and sit down already.”
Kotori helplessly shrugged her shoulders while sighing. Kaguya and Yuzuru expressed their understanding as they raised their hands to stand up--or that’s what they originally intended.
They seemed unable to convince their legs to get back up, so they crawled their way up to the table.
After confirming that all four of them were seated, Kotori placed the envelope in her arms on top of the table.
“--Now, there’s a reason why I had everyone gather here today. There’s a certain matter to notify everyone here.”
“Certain matter……notify?”
“Eh, what is it? Are you going to say that Yoshinon is not a normal rabbit……?”
“……Don’t interrupt with a strange coming out story.”
After hearing Yoshinon’s joke, Kotori rolled her eyes. Yoshino let out a small noise while lightly nudging Yoshinon’s cheek.
“Returning back to topic, in a sense this is a very serious matter. Well--that attentive child may have already become consciously aware with just this crowd present.”
Kotori said that while looking around the table.
However, Yoshino had no idea what Kotori was saying as she slanted her head. The Yamai sisters also had a similar expression on their faces.
But among the crowd, only Natsumi had a complicated expression while looking away.
“……Everyone here has no memories of the past……right?”
“Ah--”
After hearing what Natsumi had said, Yoshino widened her eyes.
That’s certainly true when asked. When Mio’s Sephira Crystal disappeared, the people here were not pure Spirits like Tohka.
However, unlike Kotori, Origami, Miku, and Mukuro, they don’t remember being given a Sephira Crystal by Mio, nor did they restore their memories through their Angels like Nia or Kurumi.
“Good answer.”
Kotori gave a heavy nod.
“--And so, as a result of <Ratatoskr>’s investigation, we’ve obtained the information of when you were all humans.”
Kotori took out three smaller files out from the huge envelope.
Seeing this, Kaguya and Yuzuru broadened their eyes.
“Eh……are you serious?”
“Astonishment. Information of when Yuzuru was human……then?”
“Yes. --Well, to be more precise, the information was acquired a long time ago. But it’s definitely not all pleasant information, so it was debated if we should disclose this to you all.”
Kotori continued while brushing the three files.
“But after evaluating your lifestyle and mental stability, we finally got permission during the previous meeting. The bottom line is that your independence has been recognized. I suppose that’s a good thing in of itself.”
“…Isn’t it because with the power of the Spirits gone, even if our mental state is unstable, there will be no backflow of Reiryoku?”
As Natsumi asked that, Kotori responded with a shrug.
“Well, I won’t deny that played a major role factoring in……”
Anyway, as Kotori spoke, she placed the files in front of Yoshino and the others one by one.
“You all have a choice. One is to accept this file or not. If you chose to receive it, you can also decide if you want to even open it or not. And even if you open it, you don’t have to read all of the information. As I said just now, not all of the information here is pleasant. In other words, there may even be information that you’ll be better off not knowing. It also takes courage to choose to not know. There is no right answer for this. If you can’t make a decision right away, feel free to consult us in a few more days. --Everything will be left to you.”
With that in mind, Kotori lowered her eyes as if to show Yoshino and the others that they wouldn’t be giving up no matter what option was taken.
“…………”
Yoshino fell silent for a while before gulping.
Her identity was contained in an envelope right in front of her. When thinking about this, she could feel her heartbeat grow faster and faster.
At the moment, there was a ‘bang!’ sound of something striking the table.
Looking over there, she saw that Kaguya and Yuzuru had their hands on the envelope in front of them.
“Kuku--how interesting. Just by looking into this, we can confirm that Kaguya is the superior older sister!”
“Smile. Beginning from today, Kaguya will have to call Yuzuru big sis.”
“Hey, shouldn’t I be the older sister!?”
“Explanation. Kaguya may not understand. Generally speaking, the bigger party is the older sister.”
“What are you talking about!?”
And so Kaguya and Yuzuru started arguing again. It seems the reason why they decided so early was because they didn’t want the other person to take the file first.
On the other hand, Natsumi approached this cautiously. After folding her arms with a difficult look on her face, she groaned as she raised her hand.
“…I’ll put it on hold for the time being. Anything written must be something bad……”
“…………”
Seeing responses from both sides of the spectrum, Yoshino turn to her left hand--looking on at Yoshinon.
“Yoshinon……”
“--Yup. Yoshino should do as she likes.”
As Yoshino called out her name, Yoshinon didn’t seem to be joking around as she said that while looking back into Yoshino’s eyes.
“……Um. That’s right.”
Yoshino nodded as she turned forward again with a determined look.
“--Um.”
“Hm?”
One afternoon, as Shidou was folding laundry in the living room of the Itsuka residence, he suddenly heard a voice coming from behind.
Turning around, he found that Yoshino was standing there. No, not just that. Upon a closer look, he could also see Natsumi trying to hide behind her.
“Oh, what’s wrong? Ah, do you want something to eat? There are cookies on the shelf and if you’re willing to wait a while I can make pancakes.”
As Shidou said that, Yoshino’s expression brightened in an instant. However, she immediately shook her head as if remembering something.
“No, um, I would also like snacks, but that’s……”
Yoshino said that with a nervous look with her back hunched down as she began walking towards the side opposite of Shidou for some reason. It felt like she was imitating Natsumi.
“If you have time……there’s something that I would like to see together.”
“See together……?”
Shidou felt confused by Yoshino’s serious expression.
Then, Yoshino gulped as she put down the large portfolio in her hands on top of the table.
“This is?”
“……That’s--”
As Shidou asked, Yoshino began to meekly explain.
Upon hearing her explanation, Shidou couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.
“Information of when Yoshino was human……?”
“Yes……it should be that.”
As Yoshino nodded, Shidou’s eyes turned to the envelope on the table.
It made sense if he thought about it. Yoshino, Natsumi, and the Yamai sisters were different from the others because they had no memories of being turned into a Spirit. But since they continued to exist after the disappearance of Mio’s Sephira Crystal, they must have been human at one point. In that case, it was only natural that this experience will be recorded somewhere.
“That means……what about you Natsumi?”
“……I also seem to have it, but……let her go first. Today I am only accompanying. Because Yoshino would feel uneasy being alone.
Natsumi said with an embarrassed look as she tried to drift the conversation away from herself.
Her expression looked as if she was blaming herself over being indecisive about receiving the portfolio or not. Of course, Shidou didn’t intend to blame her.
“So like this. My past……I am worried about it.”
Shidou stopped folding his clothes as he turned towards Yoshino.
Although the circumstances were completely different from Yoshino, Shidou had also once lost his memories of the past. He painfully understood what that feeling was like.
Of course, the parents of the Itsuka household were very good to Shidou and he was in no way dissatisfied with his life. But while he didn’t know when this began, there were moments he felt uneasy. --Where did he come from? What was he doing? Not knowing about the roots of his existence produced great stress.
That was the case for Shidou who lost all memories of his childhood. So it was natural for Yoshino, who had lost all memories after becoming a Spirit, to want to know the same.
“But, Yoshino hasn’t confirmed it herself yet? Do you really want to watch it together?
Um……maybe there will be something that you don’t want others to see……”
“……!”
As Shidou said that, Yoshino’s face instantly turned red as she lowered her face. Seeing Yoshino like this, it was Natsumi who struck the table.
“W-What are you even thinking!? Are you suggesting that Yoshino did something strange!?”
“Eh!? N-No, I didn’t mean it like that……!”
As Shidou hurried to his own defense, the Yoshinon puppet on Yoshino’s left hand shrugged with a dexterous gesture.
“Really, Shidou-kun is too clumsy with his words. Rather, Yoshino is asking you to see it.”
“Eh?”
As Shidou widened his eyes to Yoshinon’s words, Yoshino slowly raised her lowered head.
“……Um, I also want to know what sort of person I was. How did I live and grow up. And also--why I became a Spirit.”
However, Yoshino continued.
“I’m a little……nervous. If I remember the past, I feel something within me will change. I like my current life. Being with everyone and Shidou-san right now, where every day is enjoyable and fun. So--”
Yoshino stopped speaking for a moment as she reached out to Shidou.
“……Please hold my hand. I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to always be me.”
“Yoshino……”
Shidou muttered out Yoshino’s name. Leaning on both hands to get his knees up, he sat down right next to Yoshino.
Then, he firmly held Yoshino’s right hand.
“Ah, leave it to me. No matter what happens, Yoshino will always be Yoshino.”
“……! Yes, Shidou-san.”
Yoshino joyfully smiled as she nodded and tightly gripped Shidou’s hand. Shidou also returned the same gesture.
“After all, I’m the sempai here. After regaining Shinji’s memories, have I changed at all?”
“No, Shidou-san has always been Shidou-san.”
“Right? So don’t worry.”
As Shidou winked at her, Yoshino replied “yes!” as she nodded with a smile.”
At that moment, Yoshinon reached out as if noticing something.
“Hold on Natsumi-chan, where are you going?”
“Huh?”
Reminding by those words, Shidou and Yoshino saw Natsumi sitting on Yoshino’s left side, struggling to try and leave this room. But well, since the hem of her skirt was caught by Yoshinon, her escape attempt was unsuccessful.
After having her attempt foiled, Natsumi awkwardly return to her original posture and moved her mouth as she was diverting her gaze.
“……Ah, how to phrase it, I just felt the murderous aura of a love comedy……like this wouldn’t it be better if I’m not here? Something like that……”
“………………!”
Hearing what Natsumi had said, Yoshino felt her face flush red again. But even then, she didn’t let go of his hand.
Yoshinon shook her head while having her arms dexterously crossed.
“Hmm, it’s good that your sensitivity sensor is high, but that’s no good Natsumi-chan. Natsumi-chan also has a big role in holding Yoshinon’s hand.”
“Y-Yoshinon……”
“That’s right. If remembering the past, Yoshinon may no longer be Yoshinon. Yes, if I remember the days I was called the rabbit that would devour the world--h-how can this be……everyone, run away……if not, I’ll devour everyone……”
“……Y-Yes. That would be terrible……”
Natsumi’s face was sweating nervously as she held onto Yoshinon’s paw.
Shidou stared at them with a smile, taking a deep breath to regain his focus and look at the portfolio again.
“Okay……let’s open it. Yoshino--I’ll use my hand. Is it okay for me to open it?”
“Yes……please.”
As Yoshino nervously spoke, Shidou reached out to open the portfolio with a single hand, taking out the contents and placing them on the table.
--Inside, there were several documents and an old photo held together by a paper clip.
Everyone looking at the photo widened their eyes.
“Is that……Yoshino?”
“Un……yeah……wow, so cute……”
While the person in the photo looked a little younger, it was without a doubt Yoshino.
Yoshino was sitting in bed and wearing cute pajamas. While she was smiling shyly, there was a sense of melancholy felt that didn’t match her age.
“Hmm……?”
Shidou slightly raised his brows. For some reason, there was the feeling of something being off.
The reason was immediately discovered. Natsumi, who was also staring at the photo, suddenly let out a cry.
“Aah……what about Yoshinon?”
That’s right. That was the source of the uncomfortable feeling. Yoshinon wasn’t being worn on Yoshino’s left hand in this photo.
“Was this photo before getting Yoshinon……?”
“What? So Yoshinon has yet to spring out yet?”
“Y-Yoshinon is something that sprung out……?”
Hearing Yoshinon’s joke, Natsumi felt sweat oozing from her face.
“----”
But Yoshino, who would usually deal with this exchange with a smile, said nothing as her eyes focused on the top of the document--her eyes stared wide open at the simple name written at the introduction.
“--Himekawa, Yoshino……”
Yoshino said to herself in a low voice.
It was as if letting the name echo within herself.
Yes, what was recorded above was Yoshino’s full name, which had been a mystery up until now.
“Himekawa Yoshino--huh. It’s a good name.”
“Yeah……how to say it……there’s a noble feeling. Just like a Goddess……”
As Shidou quietly spoke and Natsumi earnestly gave her admiration, Yoshino smiled while feeling a little embarrassed.
“Thank you everyone. I feel a little shy, but……I also feel happy.”
After saying that, she repeated muttered “Himekawa Yoshino……Himekawa Yoshino……”
several times before letting out a long sigh.
“…………”
Seeing this, Natsumi gave a somewhat complicated look.
“What about you Natsumi? Do you also want to learn your last name?”
As Shidou asked, Natsumi vigorously shook both her shoulders and head.
“……! N-No!? My last name must be something like Nekuragawa or Inkiyada.”
“Does such a surname actually exist……?”
Shidou smiled bitterly as he continued to read the information on the document to Yoshino.
--Himekawa Yoshino. Suddenly disappeared 26 years ago. Perhaps that was around the time she became a Spirit.
Her age around that time was 13 years old. It seemed that she was a sickly child that had been hospitalized for a long time. The previous photo was likely taken around that time.
With the father already passed away at that time, her mother worked alone to cover the hospital fees. The mother’s name was Himekawa Nagisa. She was 34 years old at the time. If still alive, she would be over 60 years old now.
The second page’s document contained information about the time period and address of the hospital.
“…………”
With a serious look, Yoshino went through the documents.
After she finished reading, Shidou called out to her.
“How is it Yoshino? Do you remember anything?”
“…………Nothing.”
After hearing what Shidou had asked, Yoshino shook her head in a slightly disappointed manner.
“I know I’m the person in the picture……but what’s written here doesn’t feel real to me……it’s like reading a stranger’s experiences.”
“Is that so……”
Shidou let out a complicated sigh.
However, this was probably normal. Of course, lost memories may be restored during a chance opportunity, but that opportunity varies from person to person. When reading a past that couldn’t be remembered, it wasn’t unreasonable to have this impression.
“…………”
At that moment, Shidou noticed.
Yoshino looked intimated when looking at the address on the second document.
“……Would you like to go see there? Tomorrow is a day off from school.”
“Haah!?”
After hearing what Shidou had proposed, Yoshino felt her shoulders suddenly tremble.
“W-Why……”
She opened her eyes and turned her attention to Shidou. It seemed rather than “why?” or “why check it out?” it was rather “why could you tell what I was thinking?”
“Of course, after all, you looked like you wanted to go.”
As Shidou said with a grin, Yoshino shrank back in embarrassment.
“Well, there’s no more need for words between you two!”
“Y-Yoshinon……!”
Yoshino moved to cover Yoshinon’s mouth. Shidou laughed as he continued speaking while stroking Yoshino’s head.
“Then, it’s decided. Tomorrow morning, when you’re ready, we’ll meet up by your doorstep.
Yoshino, Yoshinon, Natsumi.”
“……Hey!?”
Hearing this, Natsumi let out a cry as if having been deliberately provoked.
“I-I’m going too!?”
“What are you talking about? Of course. Or do you have something else you need to do?”
“T-That’s not the case, but if I go that’ll prevent you two……”
As Natsumi was babbling on, Yoshino turned to her with slightly moist eyes.
“Is it……no good?”
“Uh……”
Natsumi let out a groan before raising her hands up in the air to surrender.
“……I understand. I’ll also go.”
“……!”
Yoshino’s sad expression instantly brightened. Seeing this, Natsumi let out a sigh of relief.
“……But, we don’t even know if Yoshino’s mother still lives there? Should we have <Ratatoskr> investigate first?”
“No, we shouldn’t bother them too much. Moreover……even if she’s no longer there, I think I should remember something if I see the street where she used to live.”
After hearing what Natsumi had said, Yoshino replied with a smile.
Although it couldn’t be helped, it wasn’t as if she didn’t understand Shidou and Natsumi’s intentions. Indeed, it wasn’t pointless to act after obtaining a more detailed report from
<Ratatoskr>--but for this matter it would best to keep some level of ambiguity.
Although unlikely, she may remember her memories.
She may meet her mother.
This ambiguous expectation was just right.
If it was already certain, she definitely wouldn’t be able to make a firm resolution because of her fears.
“But……if I can meet mom, I’ve already decided the first thing to do.”
“……What’s that?”
As Natsumi asked, Yoshino replied with a bright smile.
“I will introduce her to my most important friends.”
Hearing what Yoshino had said, Natsumi looked away as her face flushed in a red hue.
The next morning, after gathering in front of the Itsuka residence, they headed to Tenguu station and took a train to arrive at a certain town in the Kanagawa Prefecture.
Yesterday, they’ve already planned on the trip from the address on the document. Twenty minutes after taking the bus from the nearest station, Shidou and the others arrived at a quiet residential area overlooking the sea from the distance.
“Un--the wind feels comfortable. The view is also great. This is a good place.”
“Yeah, the place where Yoshino lived……I see, so this is the holy land……”
As Shidou stretched his back, Natsumi trailed behind afterwards as she muttered to herself while stroking her chin.
“…………”
In contrast, Yoshino didn’t say anything as she looked around with eyes wide open.
“What’s wrong, Yoshino?”
As Shidou asked, Yoshino shook her head after looking deep in thought briefly.
“I don’t……remember anything at all.”
“I see. Well, let’s go to your former home first and take a look.”
“--Yes.”
Yoshino displayed a tense look on her face while nodding.
But that wasn’t unreasonable at all. After all, they were heading to the home she lived over 26
years ago.
And perhaps they’ll get to meet her mother who she hasn’t seen at all during this long period of time. Although they didn’t know if she would accept how Yoshino still looked the same, Yoshino was still her daughter. Even if they only get to look for afar, it was still bound to be a special experience. It was impossible to not be nervous.
Shidou brought up the map on his smartphone and led Yoshino and Natsumi walking down the street.
But--”
“……Huh?”
Suddenly, Shidou’s feet came to a stop. As a result, there was a domino collision of Yoshino bumping into his back and Natsumi hitting Yoshino’s back.
“Kya……!”
“Wow! W-What happened suddenly……”
A small scream and dissatisfied complaint came from behind. After apologizing, Shidou turned to the front.
“According to the map, it seems that this was Yoshino’s house……”
“Huh……?”
Hearing what Shidou had said, Yoshino looked surprised.
But that was to be expected. After all, it wasn’t a house or apartment in front of them, but rather a convenience store that could also often be found in Tenguu City.
“Here……?”
“Hyah, Yoshino really lived in a funky place.”
“Ah……well, 26 years have already passed……”
Natsumi whispered while scratching her face. ……Well, it was a situation that could have been foreseen. In fact, Natsumi proposed to have <Ratatoskr> confirm beforehand in anticipation of this scenario.
However, while it wasn’t known if she was already mentally prepared for this situation, Yoshino didn’t look too regretful. Well of course, it may also be because that she still doesn’t have any real memories about her past.
As a precautionary measure, they spoke to the nearby residents but still couldn’t get any useful information. What they discovered was that even people living here for over 20 years didn’t know about a person named Himekawa living here.
“Maybe you moved around a lot……?”
“Hmm……”
As Shidou scratched his head, Natsumi exchanged glances with him and groaned with a distressed look. It seemed there was something that she didn’t want Yoshino to hear. Shidou turned his face to Natsumi while hiding his voice.
“……What is it Natsumi?”
Then, Natsumi also replied back in a low voice so Yoshino couldn’t overhear.
“……I wanted to say, didn’t her daughter disappear 26 years ago? Would she really move so soon? Although some people would want to leave a place with sad memories, shouldn’t parental love mean guarding the home where her daughter might return…..? But I also don’t have kids, so I wouldn’t know……”
“Mu……”
Certainly, what Natsumi said did make sense. Shidou let out a small groan while caressing his chin.
“So why aren’t there even traces of once having lived here?”
“That’s……”
Natsumi awkwardly kept her mouth silent. ……But it was easy to see from her expression what possibilities she was thinking about. Indeed, it was something they certainly didn’t wish to tell Yoshino.
“--Shidou-san. Natsumi-san.”
“Oh!?”
“Hya!?”
As Yoshino suddenly spoke, both Shidou and Natsumi felt their bodies tremble from surprise.
“Hmm? What? A secret story shared only between two people? What bad things are you planning?”
Yoshinon brought her folded arms closer to her face. Shidou and Natsumi tried to dodge the issue with a vague smile.
“I-It’s nothing. Compared to that, is there anything wrong Yoshino?”
“Ah, yes.”
As Shidou asked, Yoshino raised her face and pointed towards a long hill extending out from the residential area.
“Next I want to……look over there.”
“Huh?”
Shidou turned to the direction that Yoshino pointed towards with her fingertips.
There was a huge hospital over there.
--She was pointing to the very same place where Yoshino was hospitalized in the past.
While not consciously thinking of it, she seemed strangely worried about that place while walking along the street.
They had originally planned to visit that place after finding her former house. Shidou and the others climbed the long hill and arrived at building composed of huge white walls.
“Wow. It looked close, but it was still quite a bit far away.”
“Hey……climbing……that slope……not easy……”
Natsumi was panting as her breathing turned ragged. Seeing her being this much exhausted, Shidou unintentionally smiled.
“I’m sorry, Shidou-san, Natsumi-san. Making you accompany me all the way out here……”
“……!? N-No!? I’m just lacking in exercise!? Rather shouldn’t I be thanking you!?”
As Yoshino spoke with regret, Natsumi straightened her posture while desperately waving her hands out. Seeing her like this, Shidou couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing such obviously laughter directed towards her, Natsumi stared at Shidou while saying, “W-What?”
“It’s nothing, haha……compared to that, do you remember anything Yoshino?”
“…………”
As Shidou asked, Yoshino looked around the lobby of the hospital first just like what she did before with the town.
“It’s like……I’ve been here before……and also never been here before……”
“Hmm……but somehow the smell of disinfectant seems familiar……gasp, could this be the story of when Yoshino was an unlicensed doctor……?”
As Yoshino pursed her brows in deep thought, Yoshinon spoke as her body was quivering. It seems like she still can’t remember clearly.
“Well……we know the room number of where you were hospitalized in, but I don’t think they’ll let us go that far……”
Then, it happened just at the moment when Shidou was thinking that over,
“--Yoshinon!?”
A voice suddenly came from behind.
“Huh……?”
“W-Who……?”
As both Yoshino and Natsumi let out a startled cry, Shidou turned towards the source of the voice.
It was a nurse standing over there. She was an elegant woman who looked to be in her 50s.
Perhaps she was the head nurse of this hospital. A name tag was worn on her chest.
Such a woman opened her eyes in surprise and shouted loudly. The surrounding nurses and patients also gave surprised looks.
However, the woman didn’t care about that as she squatted down towards Yoshino. Then, she alternated between looking at her face and the Yoshinon puppet in her left hand.
“Impossible, this can’t be……but--”
“Ahha, a really headache. Has Yoshinon’s popularity finally reached a national level?”
As Yoshinon joked around, the woman gently touch Yoshinon just to make sure before returning back to look at Yoshino.
“Perhaps you are……Yoshino-chan’s daughter……?”
She said that while staring at Yoshino’s face. Hearing those words, everyone widened their eyes at the same time.
“Eh……!?”
“Y-You know about Yoshino……!?”
As Shidou asked, the woman slowly nodded.
“Yes……more than 20 years ago……I was in charge of that girl in the past. You look exactly the same as that child. Also, this puppet is Yoshinon, correct?”
“Yup. I am Yoshinon. This one is Yoshino’s child, Yoshie.”
“Eh……? Ah, yes, I am Yoshie.”
Hearing what Yoshinon had said, Yoshino rushed to agree. Well, 26 years have passed since Yoshino disappeared. Rather than saying that Yoshino had reappeared looking exactly the same, it was easier to do this.
Then, the woman looked deeply moved as she tightly hugged Yoshino with moistened eyes.
“Eh……? Um……”
“That’s a relief……Yoshino-chan was safe. Really……it’s a relief to hear.”
Yoshino looked confused at the woman hugging her, but soon she let go after a while.
“Ah, s-sorry for suddenly doing something like that. I never thought that I would be able to meet Yoshino’s daughter……”
“N-No, it’s fine. Compared to this, if it’s fine, um--can you tell me more about my mother?”
As Yoshino asked that, the woman tilted her head strangely.
“I don’t mind……but where is Yoshino-chan now? Didn’t you come together today?”
“Um, that’s……”
Yoshino struggled to answer the woman’s question.
Well, it was a natural question to ask. Given Yoshino’s physique, it would be natural to imagine her being accompanied by her parents. She would probably think that it would be better to ask her mother personally.
That being said, it probably wouldn’t be ideal to tell her that “Yoshino is dead”. Shidou thought about what to say next.
At that moment, Natsumi was thinking one step ahead.
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