A small scream that tore apart darkness rang throughout the store where a gentle afternoon sunshine shined down. The eyes of employees and those who enjoyed tea who were surprised by the suddenness all gathered to me, the source.
It was my voice, but it was so different from my normal voice. I even dropped the telephone handset I was holding
I need to pick it up…I thought in a corner of my head, but that thought disappeared and soon I was running out of the café I worked part-time at.
Without looking back after hearing my surprised manager’s voice, I ran in a straight line.
Over the phone, I heard my mother’s pained sobbing. There were also flurried voices from behind her. Just from that, without mother telling me anything, I could clearly understand what she wanted to tell me.
I squeezed out of the narrow alleyway where the café was located, came out onto a big street, and managed to catch a taxi.
I did not have time to wait for the driver to ask, “Where are you headed?” and shouted the destination the moment I jumped in, slowly catching my breath and calming my heart palpitations.
My hair, which is not black but slightly brownish and extends down to my waist, is messed up because of all the running. What’s more, I was still in my work uniform. An elegant black uniform with a frilly apron.
Because I had run with shoes that had some heels, my legs were hurting a bit too.
The driver quietly closed his eyes and did not say anything to me who was sitting on the back seat. It was probably because the destination I shouted was the university hospital. Moreover, anyone could clearly tell that I was in a hurry. Maybe out of being considerate, he hurried to the destination, overtaking cars in front of us.
When we arrived at the university hospital, he parked at the place closest to the entrance and consoled me.
“You can pay later, so go quickly!”
“Oji-san…! Thank you, I’ll come back soon.”
I rushed to the hospital, running towards the reception desk.
“M-My little sister…where’s Kusunoki Hana!?”
Taken aback by my force, the receptionist’s face faltered for a moment, but I had no time to think about that. After saying, “I’ll check immediately,” she was about to stand up, but then I heard a voice from behind me. When I turned around, I saw Takagi-san, the nurse in charge of my little sister.
“She’s in the emergency operating room, I’ll lead you there, follow me!”
“……Yes!”
***
I wonder if I’ve ever prayed this fervently to god before
I’ve always been the type to overcome my troubles through effort.
However…
Let me pray today.
And please, please, let my wish be granted.
I don’t care if I have to give up my everything.
“So please, god… Please help my little sister Hana……”
My frail voice echoed throughout the dimly lit hospital corridor. It felt like someone’s funeral, and I was terrified that a god of death might descend.
I sat down on a chair next to a door with the words ‘operation in progress’ lit up in red above it.
Next to me, my mother and father were sitting down too. The two of them were tired and holding their heads down the entire time. All I could do was to glance at the nurses who sometimes passed by and pray that the operation would be successful.
I regretted my helplessness that I was not a doctor or anything. No, I know that regretting wouldn’t change anything, but still……
My little sister is currently undergoing an emergency surgery.
I am at in the large university hospital.
The hospital that my little sister Hana entered four years ago after suffering from an illness.
At first, my parents and I all thought that it was just a normal cold. We waited for her condition to improve after giving her medicine. However, Hana’s health did not improve at all. Sensing something strange, my parents took her to a hospital.
However, the doctor’s diagnosis result was a cruel one. The name of Hana’s disease was ‘unknown.’
Even after examining her body and testing her blood, it was impossible to discern. Thus, the doctors could not do anything. They said that it might be a new kind of virus, but there was no evidence to support it.
I was 17 years old back then, and had despaired at the ruthlessness of fate. My thirteen-year-old sister had been suddenly hospitalized.
On days when we didn’t have school, we went shopping and cooked together. Before tests, I always tutored her.
Seeing us like that, my parents smiled and said we were like twins even with the age gap.
However, that daily life full of smiles collapsed in an instant, like a sand castle. The sound of waves at the beach, the laughter of children playing at the nearby park……it all sounded like mockery.
“……They said that her condition changed suddenly. There may be problems in the respiratory organs, or so the doctor said. The time the operation will end is…unknown.”
“…Surely, surely Hana will be okay, right…?”
Father who had been keeping silent told me about Hana’s situation.
Then, mother hugged my waist in consolation. I hugged mother tightly. I kept my voice down and cried, trying to make myself feel better, even a little bit.
Yes. I’m alright. What would an older sister do if she couldn’t believe that her little sister would be okay?
“Oh, that’s right…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to pay for the taxi…the driver told me that I could pay later and sent me ahead.”
When I looked at the clock, the time was 5:00pm. The call had come to the café around 4:00pm.
So, even after excluding the time spent traveling, I had made him wait for about 30 minutes.
“Quite a bit of time has passed…here, take this.”
A 5,000 yen bill was held out. Because I had rushed out from my part-time job, I noticed that I didn’t have anything on me. Seeing me like that, father’s expression started to loosen a little.
I hastily stood up and told them I’d be right back before leaving.
***
When I returned to the entrance of the hospital, the taxi driver was waiting while drinking a can of coffee. When he saw me, he waved his hand with a smile.
“Hey, you’re making a terrible face.”
“Eh… Ah, thank you…”
He gave me a warm can of milk tea.
He didn’t ask me anything. If he had asked if things were alright, I definitely would have cried without being able to answer.
I decided to accept Oji-san’s kindness of staying quiet.
After drinking the milk tea, I said goodbye to him and left that place.
Up until the end, he didn’t ask anything and saw me off with a smile. I think that it would be nice if I could become an adult who could console others like that.
I entered the front door again and headed towards the elevator.
However, when I arrived, there were many people in wheelchairs waiting in line.
The operating room was on the third floor, so I judged that it should be fine to walk and started climbing the stairs.
“Hey, do you want me to grant your wish…?”
It was when I had just passed the second floor and was about to get to the third floor, that I heard a voice echo from somewhere.
No, there was no sound in the corridors and stairways. Maybe it would easier to understand if I said that a voice rang directly in my head.
“Wh-Who…?”
“Hmm. A ‘god’, I guess.”
“Eh…!?”
The owner of the ringing voice said that he was a god.
Just in case, I looked around, but there was no one.
“What do you mean…?”
I let out an honest question.
A god…I thought that it shouldn’t be possible.
However.
What if it really is a god?
What if he could make my little sister better?
“Weren’t you praying before? ‘I don’t mind if I have to give up my everything. Please help my little sister,’ or so you said. So, here are the exchange conditions. In return for your everything, I will grant your wish of helping your little sister. How about it?”
“Ah…!”
No way, no way no way!
A god really came to grant my wish. It wasn’t on the level of miracle anymore. There was an indescribable feeling of…bliss.
“Help—please help my little sister! I don’t care about what happens to me…!”
“Yup. Okay, your wish will be granted!”
I didn’t have time to check if he really was a ‘god’. However, if there was even a one in a billion chance, I would give everything for that.
While recalling the god’s cherry “okay,” I thought about Hana. Then, I felt a pain in my hands, making me realize that I had been squeezing my hand too tightly.
Because, I knew it wasn’t long until Hana’s time was up…I properly knew that the chance of her
living even after a surgery was near zero.
So please help me.
I stood there in prayer.
I quietly closed my eyes and thought about Hana.
4 years younger than me, my little sister is now 17 years old. Her disease was found when she was 13, and then she was hospitalized. From then on, she couldn’t go out much.
For Hana, who was always playing outside with her friends, the word painful would not be enough. Instead, she began spending time playing video games that could be played inside. Perhaps the only funny story that came out of it is that she, now 17 years old, became somewhat of a gamer.
Because she played too much, father got angry and pulled out the plugs and fought greatly with Hana. That was a fun memory.
Hana…I want to see her laughing…I want to see her smiling face again.
“Kusunoki-san…! The operation ended safely!”
To me who was frozen in the middle of the corridor, the nurse Takagi-san ran over to me with tears in her eyes.
It ended safely…?
“R-Really…?”
“Yes, really…!”
From the sudden words, my mind could not register immediately.
However, I knew one thing. Hana’s operation ended without any problems.
That was enough.
In that moment, tears started flowing out. I wonder if it was from relief or from happiness. Not knowing how to stop the overflowing tears, Takagi-san was crying with me.
I have to go to Hana, I thought and took a step forward.
However, the place I ended up was a world of darkness deeper than night……
From the sudden event, I lost balance and ended up falling over. In front of me, behind me, below me, above me, everywhere was pitch black.
“W-What happened…? Takagi-san?”
I called out to Takagi-san who was with me, but there was no reply.
I can’t see anything and I’m all alone…?
“No, it’s scary…dad, mom…!”
My whole body felt fear and I hugged myself.
What kind of a joke is this?
Perhaps I fainted after learning that Hana was safe and sound. If so, then, I can conclude that this is a dream.
However, in that moment, a ‘voice’ echoed in my ears, confirming that this was reality.
“Welcome, Hinami.”
Hearing the voice coming from behind me, I slowly turned around.
I heard this voice before. Right, this is…the voice of god.
When I finished turning around, there was a man standing in front of me.
I wonder if I can see if him in the dark because he’s shining. Or perhaps my sight has just gone crazy.
His sweet light chestnut-shaded hair barely reached his shoulders, while his clothes gave off a western image.
On top the deep orange clothing that fit his body perfectly, he had a short-sleeved coat on top. If I were to borrow Hana’s words, he would be like a person from a game. Regarding the defensiveness of game characters’ combat uniforms, I often wondered if the design was important when I was watching the game played by Hana next to me.
He was indescribable with the words I had. No, if I were to describe him using a modern word, I guess he would be an ikemen (***pretty boy). Those eyes that shined like gems were looking straight at me.
“You’re… a god?”
“I sincerely welcome you for coming here.”
To my question, the ‘god’ grinned and nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T/N: I quite like Hinami so far! As someone with a younger sibling with severe medical issues myself, I resonate with Hinami’s willingness to do anything for Hana health. She’s very sweet!
Anyway, this was the first chapter of the new series I have been translating! There were different people who began translating the first few chapters, but those translations seemed to have stopped for the last few months/year. I decided to translate it from the beginning and go further as this was a story I was interested in reading myself. There is also a manga which you can check out if you’d like (I think it was called “Boxed Garden”). Hope you all enjoy!
KizunaTLs 