After a while, Kanade's mother called the three men from the kitchen. It seemed she had finished cooking and wanted them to carry the food.
We busily carried the dishes and lined them up until the long table in the living room was completely packed.
"Well then, to celebrate the reunion of the Ichinose and Hagiwara families, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
At Kanade's father's signal, we clinked our glasses together. It was a banquet with adults involved... but the contents of everyone's glasses were either tea, orange juice, or cola.
We're minors, so we can't drink, and both mothers are not fond of alcohol. And since my father had to drive home, he couldn't drink either.
"Ahaha. Since it's a reunion after such a long time, I'll hold back on the alcohol... Haha."
Thus, Kanade's father, who read the atmosphere and refrained from drinking, looked somewhat lonely.
"Even so, Ak-kun. You've really grown up," Kanade's mother said as the banquet started to liven up.
"Ahaha... Not yet, really."
"That's right. Not yet, not yet."
My mother started teasing me annoyingly.
"I don't think that's true, you know? Aren't you really smart?"
"...Even if I'm good at studying, it doesn't mean much."
In the end, I haven't accomplished anything yet. Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere, I couldn't say any more than that.
"You're so stoic. Really."
"That's right. Ak-kun is very stoic," Kanade said with a beaming face.
"...Oh my. Our little girl is so happy, as if it were about herself."
Kanade's mother gave a mysterious smile toward the beaming Kanade.
"...Mom?"
"Ak-kun, do you remember? The day you first met our daughter in her hospital room?"
"Mom!?"
Seeing Kanade so flustered was somehow very refreshing.
"...I remember."
In fact, there hasn't been a single day that I've forgotten.
"Is that so... Teehee. Then, did you know that our daughter cried her eyes out after you went home that day?"
"Eh?"
Is that true? I looked at Kanade...
"...Auuu."
She was covering her face with both hands. However, since she couldn't cover them with her hands, her ears were visible and were as bright red as a boiled octopus.
"Why do you think she cried?"
"...I don't know?"
"It's because this girl thought she would never be able to see you again."
"Stop it already..."
"She thought you were disillusioned after seeing her in such a changed state. We didn't notice it at the time, but according to this girl who was wailing... for a moment, your face looked like it had stiffened."
...True, on that day, I tried my best not to show a stiffened face, but the shock was so great that I wasn't confident in how well I had hidden it. Regardless of Kanade's parents who were watching us from the side, had the person herself noticed it?
"...I'm sorry."
And as a result, I ended up hurting Kanade deeply. My heart tightened with guilt.
"Ak-kun. Why do you need to apologize?"
"But..."
"...That's right, Ak-kun. There's no need to apologize."
Kanade joined in.
"...When Mom asked me if I wanted to meet you and the others, I refused at first."
"...So that's how it was."
"Of course. ...During the treatment, I'd occasionally check my reflection in the mirror. Every time, I felt despair at how much my appearance was changing."
...Knowing that she had been deeply hurt in a place I didn't know about was somehow as painful as if it were happening to me.
"Suffering from the side effects of medicine, literally vomiting blood from the disease... living that kind of life, being exhausted, my body weakening, and preparing for death... Then, once I prepared for death, I felt like the vision that had narrowed started to open up a bit."
"..."
"...I was made to realize that death is something that comes equally to all living things."
...The atmosphere was such that no one could interject.
"...But I think my vision opened up precisely because I realized that. I'm going to die anyway. I was able to feel that way. In short, I was able to stop caring."
Kanade's monologue continued.
"And because I stopped caring... I thought I wanted to see you one more time."
...Why was it me?
"Even so, I thought I was prepared for anything. For you to say horrible things to me. For you to abuse me. For you to cut ties with me. For you to mock me. All of it..."
"...I would never."
"Right. You didn't do any of that. ...Even though you were shocked by my appearance, you encouraged me."
Kanade looked down while smiling.
"But, for the me at that time, that was... the hardest part."
...Why?
"...Because Ak-kun's brave behavior... your un-childlike behavior... gave me the chance to objectively see that my condition was truly that hopeless."
"...!"
"Deep down, I thought something could be done about that disease. I thought that as time passed, I'd be released from the pain and it would be sublimated into a distant memory. I thought I could still live."
...Kanade ran her finger along the corner of her eye.
"As a result, while the despair of death spread... I thought that a normal person wouldn't want to be involved with someone in such a state anymore. ...Because, you see."
Kanade's voice began to tremble.
"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't want to see someone like that ever again...!"
I couldn't see Kanade's face.
"If you get deeply involved with someone who might die soon, the parting will only be more painful...!"
But I knew she was crying.
"You'd want to run away from unpleasant things!"
...Knowing that much was enough.
"Hey, Ak-kun!"
As expected, when Kanade looked up... she was crying.
"How could you say you wanted to have regular meetings with me...?"
...I.
"Because I wanted to encourage you."
I answered instantly. I had repeated the question to myself about my feelings back then over and over again.
"Why did you want to encourage me?"
"Because I thought if I encouraged you, I could save you."
Even though me encouraging her shouldn't have been able to save her.
"Then... why did you want to save me...?"
...There's no need to even ask that question. It's obvious.
"Because you were special to me."
...It was nothing more, and nothing less than that.
"...Special, huh."
Kanade seemed to be savoring my words.
"Teehee."
Kanade's eyes...
"Ufufufufu."
"...Hehe."
It looked as if a faint light had been lit within them.
"I see. Special, huh. ...Hehe. I'm happy."
Kanade wiped her tears.
"Ak-kun. Ak-kun."
"What?"
"I also think... that you are special, Ak-kun."
"I see."
"Aren't you happy?"
"...I'm not unhappy."
I shook my head.
"There's no way I wouldn't be."
As I continued, Kanade's face brightened up instantly.
"Ak-kun. Ak-kun."
I realized it just now.
"What?"
Come to think of it... right now, besides me and Kanade, our parents were also in this living room.
The parents... were watching our exchange with gentle smiles on their faces. I didn't feel particularly embarrassed about them hearing my conversation with Kanade nearby.
...Because I think it's precisely because we were in this place that I was able to have this kind of talk with Kanade.
Right now, every single event that happened at this moment, in this place...
Every event that happened after reuniting with her, whom I once experienced parting with and thought I would never see again...
I felt that all of it was very precious.
"...Hehe," Kanade smiled softly.
"We really are two of a kind, aren't we?"