Uneasy daily life

"No, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Azusagawa Kaede shook her head, her eyes exceptionally bright: "It's not scary outside at all, I feel fine... However, it seems I've used up all my effort points for today, I'll try again tomorrow, hehe..."

Sakuta Azusagawa opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"Huh? Disappeared?"

Yukino Yukinoshita exclaimed in surprise.

Sakuta Azusagawa quickly looked down and saw that the bruises on his sister's calves had disappeared, and her skin was now completely white.

Yui Yuigahama's eyes widened in disbelief; it was the first time she had ever witnessed such an unbelievable situation. Shirae Eika and Makinohara Shoko only found out about it afterward.

"Tsk tsk, Zichuan, you're not up to par." Baiying shook her head and said, "You're still sweating profusely over similar scenes, while your sister has already figured out what to do tomorrow."

"Um……"

Sakuta Azusagawa chuckled self-deprecatingly, then stood up and patted his sister's head.

"Feng, you're much more capable than I thought, incredibly capable."

Chapter Fifty-Eight: An Unsolvable Problem

"This is called Monopoly! It's a board game..."

"Yes, it tells the story of how to seize wealth from others and use that wealth to acquire assets, thereby living a life where you can reap the wealth of others without any labor."

"These are cookies I made... uh, they might not look very good..."

"Yes, the Deadly Chef's Handmade Cookies are mainly used to torture those stubborn guys and make them obediently reveal their true feelings—hehehe! Come on, little girl, try Grandma's cookies, they're absolutely delicious..."

"Xiaoxue! Please take Xiaobai away!"

"Bai Jun".

"I'm not leaving! I want to play games! I want to tell stories! I want to create a brand new timeline!"

"Then I'll have to feed you cookies."

Holy crap! You're so ruthless!

"Crunch, crunch... Hmm? It's not as bad as Bai Ying said, is it? It's just a little burnt, a little bitter, and has a weird sweetness..."

Holy crap! You're toxic!

The Azusagawa residence was quite noisy today.

Wearing panda pajamas and hugging a panda plush pillow, Azusagawa Kaede warily and suspiciously surveyed the group of people who had invaded her home... There were too many, far too many! This number was no longer an invasion, but a direct occupation of her home!

The enthusiastic pink-haired older sister is preparing for the game; the beautiful black-haired older sister keeps glancing at Nasuno, seemingly very fond of it; the quiet, dead-eyed older brother occasionally glances at her, appearing quite suspicious; the brown-haired, round-faced older sister seems to be constantly eating, even handing her food...

No, but it doesn't feel so bad?

Oh, bad people who are always causing trouble and talking badly are always bad.

The panda's natural enemy is my enemy!

Hmm? Where's my brother?

Kaede looked around and suddenly noticed that her brother was on the landline by the door, making a phone call. She couldn't hear what he was saying because of the distance... Hmm, she'd had this feeling lately. It seemed like her brother was busy with something very troublesome.

So I have to pull myself together and not cause my brother any more trouble.

Unfortunately, even though it's the weekend, Xiangzi didn't come to play for some reason.

"Feng, I'm going out for a bit."

Sakuta Azusagawa suddenly spoke and walked to the entrance to change his shoes.

"Oh! I'll take good care of the house... Uh, I'll play with everyone!"

Azusagawa Kaede replied as usual, but then changed her mind halfway through.

Bai Ying glanced at the soon-to-be-launched Monopoly game with a conflicted expression, then shook his head regretfully, saying, "Looks like I can't make you work like slaves today. 9527, remember to use your superpowers to give the little sister a little something, like pretending you've been hanged or something..."

"Oh."

Angelina responded expressionlessly, popped a potato chip into her mouth, and waved her hand dismissively: "Go."

"Ugh?!"

Amidst Azusagawa Kaede's exclamation, the white figure sitting cross-legged by the coffee table soared into the air, skimmed over the ceiling, and landed steadily in the living room.

Angelina, having shown off her skills, smiled smugly: "Heh heh, impressive, right? I'm from the Crimson Troupe... oops, I mean, I'm a legitimate superhuman."

"Oh...like the superpowered people on TV?" Azusagawa Kaede nodded blankly. "Would there be monsters with them?"

"There are no monsters, but there are plenty of weirdos."

"Your superpower looks pretty cool!"

“I’ve practiced diligently…” Angelina snapped her fingers with a flourish, and chips lined up and flew into her mouth one by one from the torn bag of chips next to her. “Crunch crunch…like this…crunch…it’s so easy and convenient.”

Diligent study and hard practice refer to how to snap your fingers.

Azusagawa Kaede clapped briefly in agreement, but suddenly he didn't look cool anymore, like raw materials being dumped into a large vat on a TV assembly line...

"Phew! Your drinks! Snacks! Characters and dice... Ready to start the game! This is a really hot new board game!"

Yui Yuigahama was getting ready with great enthusiasm when she turned around and suddenly realized someone was missing: "Huh? Where's Yuki?"

"You guys have fun, Bai Jun and I are going out together."

The voice of Yukino Yukinoshita echoed from the entrance hall.

……

……

The hospital was clean and tidy, yet it had a unique atmosphere.

The air here is very special; you can't smell anything.

People sitting in chairs waiting or resting, doctors and nurses occasionally passing by in the corridor, and all sorts of people in each room.

There are always many people in the hospital, but it's so quiet that it feels like you're all alone.

Yukino frowned. Why was Azusagawa-kun at the hospital? Could it be related to Azusagawa Kaede's medical records?

Hmm? Speaking of which, about that request from Azusagawa-kun before...

"arrive."

Sakuta Azusagawa stood in front of a hospital room, reached out and opened the door, revealing a private room inside.

A little girl, covered by a blanket, was leaning against the headboard, gazing at the sunlight-drenched greenery outside the window. Hearing a noise, she turned to look at the doorway, her eyes brightening slightly: "Sakuta, you're here... Hmm? Are you Yukino Yukinoshita? And Shirokage?"

“Yes.” Sakuta Azusagawa put the fruit aside and sat down on the chair next to him. “Kaede couldn’t go out, so I didn’t tell her about your hospitalization…”

"It's okay, I'm used to being hospitalized. It would feel strange if too many people came to visit me."

Shoko Makinohara smiled brightly, her tone and demeanor completely unlike that of a first-year junior high school girl: "But thank you for coming to visit me."

“Indeed.” Bai Ying nodded. “Too many people came to visit, it turned into a funeral parlor, and it felt like the people lying on the beds weren’t even in hospital beds anymore.”

Yukino Yukinoshita paused for a moment before remembering the other person, and said, "You still remember me..."

"Of course I remember, the older sister who loves cats."

Shoko Makinohara thought for a moment and added, "Hmm... I guess it's because Sakuta often asks me to play, so I remember people related to Sakuta."

Yukino Yukinoshita was at a loss for words. The atmosphere was so quiet that she couldn't say a word. Suddenly, she felt a poke in her waist. She looked up and met the gaze of a white figure and a chair that had been pulled over. She then sat down quietly.

In terms of procedures, those who can stay in a single hospital room for recuperation either have families willing to pay for the single hospital room or have a rather special medical condition.

...I hope it's the former.

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced to the side and found the white figure unusually quiet. He was resting his chin on his hand, looking at Makinohara Shoko and Azusagawa Sakuta quite seriously.

"Is everything alright now?"

Sakuta Azusagawa took out an apple, hooked the trash can over, and started peeling the apple with a fruit knife.

“No problem.” Makinohara Shoko laughed. “Sakuta has dark circles under his eyes. If he doesn’t get enough sleep, his health will collapse.”

"I'll definitely sleep well next time."

"Hook?"

"This is a right that belongs to elementary school students. You are no longer an elementary school student."

"Yeah, I'm finally a middle school student now. I just made some good friends at school... I hope everyone hasn't forgotten me when I go back."

"Definitely not, they might even celebrate your successful discharge from the hospital."

"That's too formal, it makes people feel embarrassed."

The two, one older and one younger, chatted casually, exchanging ordinary words.

Yukino felt a strange sadness and unease. Was it because Haku was unusually quiet today? Or was it...?

The door to the ward suddenly opened, and two middle-aged men and women stood in the doorway. The man glanced at the people in the ward and asked knowingly, "Are you Xiangzi's friends? Which one of you is Azusagawa-kun?"

"This one, this one."

Bai Ying pulled Azusagawa Sakuta over and introduced him in a serious tone: "Azusagawa has always wanted to get engaged to Shoko and marry her when she comes of age. Today, since we've come together, why don't we get engaged? What do you two think?"

Makinohara's parents were completely dumbfounded.

Sitting on the bed, Makinohara Shoko's eyes widened as she pondered the definition of marriage.

White fungus! What gave you the strength to fall ill in this atmosphere?!

Yukino Yukinoshita was getting a little angry and quickly got up to smooth things over, in case something awkward happened...

"Huh?" Mu Zhiyuan's father was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Then I'll take your kind words."

Makinohara's mother couldn't help but joke, "Then I'll trouble Shoko's fiancé to come and visit Shoko often from now on."

"Ah... um!"

Sakuta Azusagawa straightened his back and nodded solemnly, saying, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, everything will be fine!"

"Sakuta—Dad, Mom, stop saying strange things."

Shoko Makinohara couldn't help but draw out her words, puffing out her cheeks: "And there's also Shirokage who likes to fight with cats."

In the somewhat relaxed and carefree atmosphere, Yukino Yukinoshita paused for a few seconds, but her mood did not lighten; instead, it became heavy.

A short while later, everyone said goodbye at the hospital entrance. Makinohara Shoko left with her parents, while the three of them, including Shirakage, stood at the hospital entrance.

"Congenital heart disease, especially a more serious one, can only be resolved through heart transplantation with modern medical technology. Although the success rate of the surgery is very high, finding a suitable heart is extremely difficult due to the risk of rejection. Even if a matching heart is found, there is no guarantee that the recipient will live for several more years..."

As Sakuta Azusagawa watched the family leave, he suddenly said, "When I visited Shoko, I happened to sign an organ donation consent form."

"Azusagawa-kun is such a kind person... I take back my assessment that you're a lolicon criminal." Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly, then suddenly widened her eyes and turned to look at the white figure and Azusagawa Sakuta. "Wait—Sakuta-kun, your chest has a scar that looks like it was from an autopsy..."

“Adolescent syndrome connects the future and the present.” Sakuta Azusagawa said casually, “Shoko-san came from the future. She brought my heart with her, which is why I have these wounds on my body… I don’t know what happened in Shoko-san’s future, but I am sure that I encountered some accident and my heart after death allowed Shoko-san to live.”

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes widened, and she frowned: "You said that Shoko-san can return to the present, which means that the so-called future is not absolute, right? She returned to the present..."

“Miss Xiangzi is the truly gentle person… Now, I can’t distinguish what is right and wrong and what is the standard of being dutiful.”

Sakuta Azusagawa took a deep breath: "Actually, I didn't want to ask, because Shiro has never brought it up before, but I still can't help asking..."

"Sigh..." Bai Ying sighed, a rare occurrence, and said solemnly, "Ask away."

Is there a way to solve this problem?

"I don't have the superpower to cure all diseases. Even if I send out the black light of puberty syndrome, I am not an omnipotent god. Lately, I don't know where I've been slacking off... I can neither express your false sadness nor erase the scars etched on your chest."

The white figure answered clearly, "I don't have the solution you're looking for."

"Too."

Sakuta Azusagawa nodded slightly, his gaze complex and unreadable as he watched Shoko Makinohara's retreating figure.

Yukino Yukinoshita observed and listened in silence, suddenly recalling what Haku had said earlier.

Sakuta Azusagawa doesn't have a terminal illness, but he does.

Selection syndrome.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Cheer Up!