Chapter Text
"Toyama-san."
Where... am I?
"Your condition seems to be gradually improving..."
Condition?
Oh, that's right, I'm at the doctor's...
But... what am I sick with?
"...I will adjust the dosage of your prescription this time around..."
Where is Hina-senpai?
Kasumi looked around the room, which reeked of antiseptic, her eyes darting around in search of a familiar silhouette.
"Toyama-san?"
"Where is... Hina-senpai?"
The middle-aged doctor stopped writing. Nearby, an intern nurse smiled and spoke up gently. "Toyama-san, you mean the family member who came with you, right?"
Came with me?
Hina-senpai... brought me here?
Kasumi nodded. The nurse looked at the doctor, then briskly walked over, opened the door, and stepped outside. Only a few seconds later, footsteps echoed. A girl walked in, her light teal hair falling to her shoulders, her eyes sparkling with a radiant smile.
"Kasumi-chan! What's wrong? Did you miss me already after just a little bit?"
"Hina-senpai..." Kasumi called out her name, the unstable feeling in her chest suddenly easing at the sight of that smile.
Hina pulled the cushioned chair closer to Kasumi and plopped down, grumbling: "Jeez, I told you to let me come in with you from the start, but you were being so stubborn."
Then she turned to the doctor: "How is it, doctor? Is she okay? Does she need more regular check-ups?"
The doctor flipped through the medical records, pushing up his glasses: "We'll probably need to monitor her for a while longer..."
"Ehh, no way!" Hina whined. "Like, almost every single second of our free time this past month has gone into this place, you know?!"
"We will do our best. We hope you understand... Hikawa-san."
"Hmph, so do we need any more tests today? She and I still have to go get dinner."
The doctor glanced up at the wall clock.
17:15.
"Perhaps that's all for today. Thank you for your time, Hikawa-san and Toyama-san. Same schedule next week," the intern nurse quickly chimed in.
"Got it, got it. Come on, Kasumi-chan, let's go eat."
Hina helped Kasumi stand up, wrapping an arm around her so Kasumi's body weight rested entirely against her. "Hehe, you're all limp like a gummy bear. Let's go."
They left the clinic and got into the elevator down to the parking lot. It took almost 15 minutes of fumbling around before Hina remembered where she had parked. She guided Kasumi to lie down on the backseat, then circled around and got into the driver's seat. The car started and rolled forward.
Crimson sunset light streamed through the window, making Kasumi drowsy as the hum of the car lulled her toward sleep. Everything just floated by. Suddenly, Hina's voice from the front seat startled her awake.
"So, Kasumi-chan, what do you want to eat?"
Eat...?
Kasumi stared at the hand resting on the gear shift in front of her.
What... did she want to eat?
"What do you want to eat?" Kasumi asked back.
"Eh, me?" Hina tilted her head in thought. "Hmm, we had ramen yesterday. Today I want something with lots of protein! How about beefsteak?"
Beefsteak?
A while later, the car decelerated and pulled to a stop right in front of a family restaurant. Hina turned around, leaning over to look at Kasumi.
"So, do you want beefsteak? Or should we change to something else?"
Kasumi looked at the neon lights reflecting on the window glass.
"Here... is fine."
"Boppin'!" Hina quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed the car door open, stepped out, and walked around to open the door for Kasumi. The cold evening wind rushed in. As soon as Kasumi’s feet touched the ground, she shivered.
"Cold..."
"Eh, cold? Wait me a sec."
Hina ran to the back, rattling the trunk open and pulling out a coat. "Hehe, good thing I brought it. Put it on, Kasumi-chan."
Hina draped the warm coat over Kasumi's shoulders, carefully pulling the lapels together. Not stopping there, she pulled Kasumi into a tight hug, vigorously rubbing her own body against the other girl to transfer some warmth before finally pulling away.
"How's that? Any better?"
"Hot..."
"Heh, you're such a handful!" Hina pouted. "Well, better a little warm than catching a cold. Come on, let's go."
Saying that, Hina naturally reached out, grabbed Kasumi's hand, and pulled her toward the door. Kasumi looked down at their intertwined hands. For some reason, this touch brought a strange peace to her mind, she unconsciously squeezed that hand a little tighter.
Feeling the light squeeze, Hina turned her head back, smiling, and pushed open the glass doors to enter the restaurant. Noisy chatter and the rich smell of garlic butter greeted them as they entered. The two sat down in a cozy corner booth. Soon, a waiter brought out two sizzling portions of steak. In front of Kasumi was a piece of meat still crackling on a cast-iron skillet, served with a sunny-side-up egg, golden French fries, and a few slices of carrot.
But Kasumi just sat there, watching the wisps of smoke rise. Her hands, hidden inside the coat sleeves, felt heavy. She couldn't even bother lifting the knife and fork.
Seeing Kasumi just sitting there frozen, Hina chuckled and leaned forward, using her knife to cut the steak on Kasumi's plate into even squares. Once finished, she skewered a soft piece of meat and brought it right to the other girl's mouth.
"Say ah~"
Kasumi looked at the meat, then obediently parted her lips. Just like that, one person cut and fed, the other chewed and swallowed. Kasumi's sense of taste was dull, but she still slowly swallowed it all down, until the steak, fries, and even the egg were wiped clean.
When Kasumi looked down again, the only things left stranded on her plate were a few slices of carrot. She looked up, her gaze sweeping across Hina's plate across the table. On Hina's plate... carrots were left behind, just like hers.
"You... don't like carrots?"
Hina blinked, looking down at her own plate, then tilted her head and laughed it off: "Eh? Don't you remember? I don't like eating them."
"Is that so..."
Kasumi blinked, trying to dig through her gray memories. It seems... Hina really had said that a few times before. Probably.
As the waiter cleared away the empty plates, Hina rested her chin on her hand and looked at her, that ever-present gentle smile blossoming on her lips once more.
"Are you full now? Was the food good?"
"Yes." Kasumi nodded.
"I’m glad. Then let's go home now!"
Home?
"Come on, Kasumi-chan, let's go home together!" Hina stood up, cheerfully holding a hand out in front of her.
Kasumi looked up, preparing to reach out and take it —
Screeeech — !
A piercing screech rang out as a guest at the next table suddenly dragged a wooden chair across the floor.
"Ah — "
In a split second, the scenery before her eyes twisted. The neon lights of the restaurant suddenly blurred, shattering into blinding streaks of light. Her head throbbed as if hit by a hammer, and a wave of nausea rushed up to her throat. She covered both her ears, shrinking into herself.
"Kasumi-chan?"
A hand reached out, intending to touch her shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
Kasumi screamed in panic. Her body reacted unconsciously, throwing her arms out forcefully to defend herself.
Crash.
Her arm hit the water glass on the table. The glass tipped over, freezing ice water spilling everywhere, streaming down the edge of the table. A few cries of alarm came from nearby guests, and a waiter rushed over.
Amidst that panic, a pair of arms held her tight. Someone's hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her back to lean against their chest. A familiar scent enveloped her senses.
"Kasumi-chan. I'm here. I'm right here." That voice trembled as it whispered close to her ear, brushing away all the surrounding noise.
Kasumi looked up with tear-filled eyes, her blurry vision pinned onto the face so close to hers.
"Hina... senpai?"
"Yeah, I'm here. It's okay. Everything is fine now." Hina's embrace tightened just a bit more.
Kasumi shut her eyes, burying her head into the crook of the other's neck. Her trembling hands clung desperately to Hina's warm coat like a drowning person clutching a lifeline. Waiting until Kasumi's breathing stabilized and her heart stopped pounding so hard against her ribs, Hina loosened her hold. She looked up, sheepishly bowing her head to the waiter who was busy wiping up the puddle on the floor.
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
"No, it's nothing at all. Is... your partner alright?" the waiter asked, looking sympathetically at the girl curled up in a ball.
"Her illness just suddenly flared up... I'm really sorry." Hina scratched her head.
"Oh, it's alright."
Kasumi nestled against Hina, her ears pricked as she listened to the hazy conversation drifting over her head. It wasn't until the waiter left that Hina's soft hand stroked her hair.
"How is it? Are you feeling any better?"
"Y-yes..." Kasumi replied, letting her hands drop from where they were gripping the other's coat.
"Then let's go home now. Do you want something sweet? I'll buy it for you," Hina smiled again.
Kasumi kept her face lowered, thinking.
"...."
"....Ice cream..."
"Ice cream?" Hina's eyes curved into half-moons. "Sure thing. I'll buy some for you. Come on, be a good girl, stand up so I can help you out to the car."
*
The car pulled over to the curb in front of a brightly lit convenience store. Kasumi sat curled up in the passenger seat, waiting for Hina to buy the ice cream. A moment later, the car door opened, bringing with it the biting cold wind of the night. Hina slipped into the car, pressing an icy tub of vanilla ice cream against Kasumi's cheek.
"Here you go."
Kasumi took the ice cream, scooping a small spoonful into her mouth. The sweetness and cold spread across the tip of her tongue, freezing the remnants of her earlier panic. Hina didn't eat. She just turned the key in the ignition and continued driving, occasionally glancing at Kasumi through the rearview mirror and offering her smiles.
Down in the parking garage, there wasn't a single soul in sight. They rode the rumbling elevator all the way to the top floor.
Ding.
Stepping out, they were met with the quiet of the apartment hallway. Hina led Kasumi by the hand to the very end of the corridor, fishing a bunch of keys from her pocket. Keys clinked together, followed by the sharp clack of the lock turning. As the door swung open, the motion-sensor light in the entryway immediately flicked to life.
"We're home, Kasumi-chan." Hina looked back over her shoulder and smiled, taking off her shoes and stepping up onto the wooden platform.
Home.
Kasumi stepped over the threshold and took off her shoes. Right at her feet, a pair of soft fluffy slippers had already been pushed forward by Hina.
She slipped her feet into the slippers and walked inside.
Bathed in a soft yellow light, the living room was so quiet that the faint hum of the heater echoed clearly. Dragging her feet, she simply let her body drop onto the plush sofa. By now, the tub of vanilla ice cream in her hand had begun sweating freezing water through its paper casing.
Still buzzing from the panic attack, her head felt heavy, drained of its last ounce of strength. She cast a glance around. A faint scent of aromatic wax lingered in the air, settling over a space where every single object lay in its proper place.
It's just...
Her eyelids drooped as she pulled a throw pillow to her chest and curled up on the couch.
Footsteps echoed, followed by the trickle of the faucet being turned on in the bathroom. "Don't just stare at it, hurry up and eat your ice cream! I'll get the bath ready for us."
Hina's voice drifted out, filling the emptiness of the room. Kasumi buried her face deeper into the pillow, giving a tiny "yes" before closing her eyes.
*
Whirrrrr...
Kasumi sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes half-closed. Behind her back, Hina held the hairdryer, patiently drying every soaking wet strand.
Slender fingers ran through Kasumi's hair. Meticulously stroking from the roots down to the very ends, untangling it little by little. It felt pleasant, like a tingling rhythm lulling her scalp to sleep, causing the fatigue from earlier to crash over her and defeat her final shreds of alertness.
"All done."
The hairdryer clicked off.
Kasumi lazily opened her eyes, reaching up to touch her head. Her hair was completely dry, smooth, and rested obediently on her shoulders. Hina placed the hairdryer on the nightstand, then turned back to pat her lightly on the shoulder.
"Hop into bed, Kasumi-chan. You look like a sleepy raccoon right now."
Kasumi nodded, sliding down onto the mattress, slipping under the covers, and curling up like a small cat seeking warmth. Ceiling light flicked off. Light footsteps moved around, followed by the click of a switch.
Later, Hina got under the covers. She immediately reached out, pulling Kasumi close and enveloping her in a hug. The sweet scent of body wash lingered around the tip of her nose. Kasumi closed her eyes, nuzzling her face closely against the other's chest, listening to the heartbeat echoing through the thin nightgown.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Good night, Kasumi-chan."
Tinged with a hint of exhaustion, a soft whisper drifted through the darkness. Perhaps Hina was also tired from this endless cycle of clinic visits? Kasumi asked herself. She mumbled an incoherent apology in her throat, wrapping her arms around the waist of the person beside her, burying herself deeper into that safe embrace.
"Good night... Hina-senpai."
As Kasumi's breathing steadied, a comforting darkness blanketed the room — burying the quiet sigh of the one holding her in the night.
"Kasumi..."