"Cold"

Hospital.

A quiet room.

"Don't make that face."

Kitahara Toru looked at his depressed girlfriend sitting by the window and comforted her, "The doctor's prediction might not be accurate. Look, I'm still alive and kicking."

Even though he said this, he knew very well—

The side effects of the extreme pressure method were taking full effect.

This was why he had never agreed to marry Yamada Ryo.

Marriage would delay her life.

That's why he proposed breaking up—but Yamada Ryo firmly refused.

It's fine.

After his death, Yamada Ryo would definitely find a good home.

Even though she was already 34 years old, she was still so beautiful and cute.

There was no reason she wouldn't find a good man…

…Alright, better not think about that.

Wouldn't want to get jealous while I'm still alive.

"Well, Toru-kun is going to live a long life."

Yamada Ryo tried to comfort him—

"We still have to get married, don't we?"

She gently reminded him, "Remember when we went to Meiji Shrine that time? We saw the newlyweds. The bride wore such a beautiful white kimono… I wanted to wear one too."

Everything will be fine.

It has to be fine.

"That doesn't seem like you."

"What?"

"Ryo rarely shows such a gentle expression. It surprised me."

Kitahara Toru looked at her with a slight smile on his lips.

Seeing his smile, Yamada Ryo felt her heart clench.

How can he still be so optimistic?

He's obviously dying.

———

"Do you still remember where we first met?"

Yamada Ryo fell silent for a few seconds—

"…I remember. Under the bridge in Shinjuku."

"I loved the way you played the bass. Free and effortless—like a breeze that can't be caught. When you asked me to support you, I was so surprised at the time. Your bass wasn't cheap, so why did you still need my support? Later, I realized—you loved music too much. You spent so much money on it every month that you could barely afford to eat..."

Kitahara Toru smiled at her.

"I like people who are dedicated to their careers or hobbies. Those people are very attractive."

After coughing violently, he continued as if nothing had happened—

"On our trip to Hokkaido, before we graduated high school, you took the initiative to confess to me. I was really happy. Especially happy. That someone so dedicated to music could make a place for me in her heart… it surprised me. I was content. Even amazed. After all, when we were together before, you were always lost in your ocean of music and barely paid attention to me."

"But I..."

Yamada Ryo lowered her head and spoke desperately—

"I never did anything for you. I don't deserve to be your girlfriend at all."

She hadn't done anything.

What was the use of regretting now?

It was too late…

———

"It's enough. I was satisfied just having you support me when I needed it most."

Kitahara Toru shook his head slightly.

"I thought about giving up countless times in university. My fingers bled, and Gotoh told me to stop trying—I hesitated. If it weren't for you encouraging me to keep going… well, anyway, thank you."

"For having a girlfriend like you, I always thought I was very lucky."

If it weren't for her, he never would have reached the realm of a god-level bassist.

In his simulated life, Kitahara Toru had always put career and skill training first—

Love was never his only pursuit.

———

"I'm not as good as you say I am."

Yamada Ryo felt an overwhelming wave of guilt in her heart.

She hadn't done it out of love.

She just wanted Kitahara Toru to become powerful so she could reap the benefits.

———

"If it were Gotoh, she probably wouldn't have let me go abroad. But Ryo, you didn't try to stop me—you accepted my request without hesitation."

"I..."

Yamada Ryo's lips trembled slightly, and in the end, she just lowered her head.

She had simply chosen the easy way out without thinking too much.

At that moment, the more Kitahara Toru praised her, the guiltier Yamada Ryo felt.

———

"Sorry, I brought up Gotoh again."

To avoid suspicion, Kitahara Toru stopped talking about Hitori Gotoh.

Yamada Ryo shook her head slightly.

"It's fine. Toru-kun, did you have a good relationship with her?"

"Maybe? But we haven't contacted each other in almost ten years. She blocked me. It seems like she's gone back to how she was when I first met her..."

"She was still a quiet, shy girl, difficult to approach. Later, I sent her so many private messages and even went to her house to look for her… but Gotoh had no interest in responding."

———

Kitahara Toru looked away.

But Yamada Ryo couldn't.

She had stolen the man that Hitori Gotoh had loved—

And she hadn't even taken care of him.

She had a guess as to why Hitori Gotoh had returned to her socially anxious self...

———

She had learned to wear makeup, socialize, and study hard—

All just to win Kitahara Toru's favor.

But after being rejected by him—

She lost the backbone behind all her efforts.

She even lost the reason to keep playing the guitar—

And returned to being a socially anxious girl.

———

"I ruined the lives of two people."

Yamada Ryo felt even more distressed.

She didn't know what to do.

If Hitori Gotoh could just yell at her—

Maybe she would feel better.

———

"Ryo."

After calling his girlfriend's attention, Kitahara Toru's expression softened—

"I let Gotoh go—not because she's bad, but because I love you more. I can't abandon the person I love just for her, right?"

———

"But I'm not as good as you think I am."

Yamada Ryo thought that maybe it would have been better if she had never existed in this simulation.

She clutched her chest, feeling how sadness filled her heart.

If she had never existed—

Hitori Gotoh could have been with Kitahara Toru.

They could have been happy together.

They wouldn't have needed her as a third wheel.

———

"Don't overthink. Let's go home."

"Mm."

———

◇

[Following Kitahara Toru's advice, you took him home from the hospital. His health continued to decline. You realized the doctor's judgment had not been wrong.]

[During his final days, you prepared to learn how to cook. After being together for so long, you had never even made him a proper meal.]

[To do this, you sought help from a friend who was very skilled in cooking—Nijika Ijichi. She was very happy to hear your request and agreed easily.]

[One day, you ran into Hitori Gotoh at STARRY. She saw you and quickly walked away.]

As expected, Bocchi still hates me.

———

[Over the next six months, you took good care of Kitahara Toru, but his health did not improve at all. He grew weaker, struggling to breathe after only a few steps.]

[Fearing something would happen to him, you sent him back to the hospital.]

———

"I can't keep using text simulation."

Yamada Ryo decisively chose full immersion mode.

She wanted to spend the final days of Kitahara Toru's life with him.