During lunch, Lin Ze told Kayako that he wanted to call Hanako to ask why she hadn’t come to school. Kayako didn’t question how Lin Ze got Hanako’s number, she simply nodded quickly. Hanako hadn’t come to school for two days, and Kayako was worried too. Hanako was her good friend, and… and Hanako hadn’t told her how to make rolled egg, Kayako wanted to make it for Lin Ze, but she felt selfish and cold-blooded for thinking that way, so she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Lin Ze went outside the classroom and called. It took a long time for the call to connect. Mrs. Hiraki’s voice on the other end sounded tired.
“Mrs. Hiraki, why didn’t Hanako come to school today? Did something happen?”
“Lin Ze-kun… this morning I went to wake Hanako up, but she wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called her. I took her to the hospital, but they couldn’t find anything wrong.” Mrs. Hiraki started to cry. Why was her daughter so unfortunate? Her husband worked overseas all year round, and she raised Hanako alone. Hanako was her other life, and these past two days had almost broken her.
“What? Which hospital is Hanako at? I will go see her tonight.”
After getting the address and comforting Mrs. Hiraki, Lin Ze hung up the phone. The ghost Hanako had already been sealed by Kayako, so why was Hiraki Hanako still in a coma?
Lin Ze was confused, but he decided to go to the hospital anyway. He went back to the classroom and pretended nothing had happened.
“How is Hanako?”
“She’s fine, just a little sick and uncomfortable. She should be back in school in a few days.”
“I hope Hanako-san gets better soon.” Kayako looked worried, which made Lin Ze feel relieved. Finally, Kayako had someone she cared about.
“Hey, Lin Ze, you know that school encourages everyone to join clubs, right?” Kobayashi Shunsuke suddenly squeezed in from the side.
“I know, but I don’t have any thoughts on it right now.” Man, I’m dealing with life-or-death situations right now, what kind of spare energy do I have to consider joining clubs?
“Alright, what about you, Kayako? Forget it, you’re definitely going to follow Lin Ze.” Kobayashi Shunsuke’s words made Kayako blush and speechless. She just lowered her head to eat.
“Yeah, you can join a club with Kayako. This way Kayako can make more friends.” Lin Ze made a mental note of it and planned to pick a suitable club later.
Lin Ze started eating. Kayako seemed to lower her head even further, she was really shy.
After school, Lin Ze helped Kayako practice riding her bike. “Come on, let’s try to master this section. That way, you can ride to meet me on Monday.”
“I, I will try my best!” Kayako replied, her voice slightly louder as she struggled to control the handlebars.
After half of the journey, encouraged by Lin Ze’s words, Kayako attempted to ride on her own. “Lin Ze! Lin Ze! I did it!”
Kayako’s tone sounded like a child showing off. She stopped her bike and turned to wave and shout at Lin Ze. Lin Ze ran over and patted her head. “Haha! I told you, you could learn. Kayako is very smart. Come on, let’s ride the last bit back.”
“Okay!” I’ll definitely write about this in my diary! Everything was bathed in a warm orange light under the setting sun, and the seed of happiness was slowly growing in Kayako’s heart. She believed that when it became a giant tree in the sky, even if it couldn’t dispel the darkness around, it would be enough to provide her with a place to hide!
On the rooftop, Kawakami Fujiang clenched her fists. “Cut it out. What’s so good about a stupid idiot who can’t even ride a bike?” The resentment in her eyes and the disdain on her lips seemed unable to conceal the emotion called envy in her heart.
“You should practice riding your bike too. Make sure to go slow, you know? Find a place without cars to practice, and be careful!” Lin Ze repeatedly reminded her, again and again.
“Okay!” Kayako repeated, again and again. She didn’t think Lin Ze was being annoying, because his concern was evident. She liked the feeling of being cared for. Thinking about not seeing Lin Ze on Saturday and Sunday, she felt a little sad.
“I have something to do on Saturday. This is my number, call me if you need anything. Goodbye, Kayako.” Lin Ze handed Kayako the paper with his phone number written on it.
Kayako clutched the paper tightly, afraid that the wind would blow it away. “Okay! Then… See you on Monday, Lin Ze!”
“A brief separation will make Monday’s meeting even more anticipated. You have to learn to be patient, Kayako! Lin Ze will miss me too, he will!” She told herself.
After seeing Kayako off, Lin Ze took the bus to the hospital and knocked on the ward door.
“Come in.”
When Lin Ze entered, he saw Mrs. Hiraki, looking exhausted, sitting by the bed. She forced a smile at Lin Ze. “Lin Ze-kun, you came. Thank you for making the trip to see Hanako.”
“No problem.” Lin Ze walked to the bed and frowned as he looked at Hanako. Her complexion looked normal, just like she was truly asleep. “Mrs. Hiraki,” Lin Ze turned to look at her. “Did Hanako act unusual last night?”
Mrs. Hiraki shook her head, looking helpless as she looked at Hanako. “No, everything was normal last night. Hanako was looking forward to going to school today, and she went to bed early. But this morning I found that she hadn’t gotten up, so I went to wake her. I called her several times, but she didn’t respond. I went into her room, and she wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called her. I took her to the hospital, but the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. It’s as if Hanako is just sleeping.”
“There was nothing unusual about Hanako last night, so is this the ghost Hanako’s fault? But why?” Lin Ze could only ask the sleeping Kayako tonight. “I believe Hanako will be okay. She will definitely wake up. So Mrs. Hiraki, you have to take care of your own health. Hanako will be sad if you’re not healthy when she wakes up. I’ll also ask around about cases like this when I get back. “
“Thank you, Lin Ze-kun. I just hope Hanako is safe and sound. These past few days have been so hard. Thank you so much, Lin Ze-kun.”
Mrs. Hiraki stood up to see Lin Ze out. Lin Ze declined her offer. As he was walking out of the hospital, he saw another troublesome person.
“Kawakami Fujiang? What is she doing here?”
“Lin Ze-kun? What a coincidence.” What coincidence? Fujiang had been secretly following Lin Ze here. Even Fujiang herself couldn’t figure out why she was stalking him. Maybe it was because she was resentful of her charm being ignored, maybe it was because she was curious about what kind of person he was, maybe it was because she had nothing else to do. It couldn’t possibly be because of that unspeakable yearning!
“…It is quite a coincidence.” Lin Ze already had a headache, seeing Fujiang made it even worse. He couldn’t help but rub his forehead.
“What do you mean? What do you mean, Lin Ze? You’re disgusted by me? You get a headache when you see me? You have no taste, you jerk!!!” Fujiang successfully broke down again after seeing Lin Ze’s series of actions.
“Lin Ze-kun, are you here to visit someone?” She forced herself to hold back the urge to curse, her teeth grinding in anger.
“…Yeah, visiting a classmate. What about you, Kawakami-san?”
“I was just passing by, but I’m a bit curious. Lin Ze-kun, are you visiting a male classmate or a female classmate?”