幼馴染（Osananajimi-Childhood friend）

Final episode: Losing a Love That Has Begun

　I rushed back to my house from Kyoko's hospital. Even though I had an umbrella, I was running in a light rain, so the pants I was wearing got very wet.

　I changed my clothes as soon as I got home, so I didn't catch a cold.

　It was a Sunday afternoon, about two weeks after Kyoko had told me not to come visit her anymore.

　I received a phone call at home. As soon as Mom picked up the phone, she said

"Yusuke, we have to hurry.

"What?

"We have to rush to Kyoko-chan's hospital.

　Of course, I had a bad feeling at that time.

　Mom and I found a cab in front of the house, so we quickly got in and headed for the hospital.

　We took the elevator and hurried to the hospital room on the 10th floor, but Kyoko had been moved to the ICU. I asked at the nurse's station where the ICU was and moved to the ICU which was on the 5th floor.

　I was scurrying around on the fifth floor and soon Kyoko's mom found me and we were able to enter the ICU. The room was filled with nurses and a lot of equipment, and Kyoko had all sorts of tubes and cords connected to her. Kyoko herself was asleep or had her eyes closed.

"Yusuke-kun, please take one last look at Kyoko's face.

　The teary-eyed woman told me, and I looked at Kyoko on the bed.

　She looked even worse than she did two weeks ago, and the bones in her wrists stood out.

"A few days ago, she was calling Yusuke-kun in her sleep, but now she doesn't even talk in her sleep anymore.

　I was looking at Kyoko blankly when the nurse came in.

As I was watching Kyoko, the nurse said, "The doctor will be here soon, so could you all please leave the room?

　So my mom, I, and Kyoko's mom went out of the room and sat down on a chair in a lounge-like area on the fifth floor, staring at the white walls. I heard that Kyoko's father was on his way to the hospital now.

　Eventually, Kyoko's mom called by a nurse and walked into the ICU. After a while, two male nurses dressed in green? Two of them pushed a stretcher into the ICU.

"Yusuke, you'd better be prepared.

"I know.

　Without pausing, a stretcher covered with a white cloth was carried out by the male nurses in green, and Kyoko's mom accompanied them, crying.

　My mother and I went home.

　I guess I had been prepared for this two weeks ago. I was able to say goodbye to Kyoko without shedding a tear.

　It had been a month since Kyoko's death, the rainy season had ended, the days were hot, and school was in summer vacation.

　Near the end of the summer vacation, I asked my mother to buy me a dog. It was a two-month-old Toy Manchaster Terrier female dog named Nico. She was very energetic, jumping up and down and always wagging her tail.

(The End)

[Afterword]

The description of the hospital is not appropriate, so please forgive me.