Shirakawa Natsu was taken aback for a moment before coming back to his senses. His arms tightened slightly around her, feeling the warmth of their bodies pressed together.
"Alright then," he said softly. "Wherever you want to go, Sister Yōcai… just the two of us. Let's go together."
At his words, Hashimoto Arina trembled faintly in his embrace. She lifted her head, her lips curling into a gentle, almost motherly smile. Cradling his head to her chest, she rested her chin lightly against his hair. Her voice carried a mischievous lilt.
"You're just teasing me, aren't you? I've been through so much lately… even I sometimes want to try acting spoiled."
Shirakawa Natsu felt himself sink deeper into her embrace. It should have been nothing more than a warm, healing posture—but beneath the weight of her E-cup chest, he couldn't help but entertain thoughts far less innocent than simple comfort.
He nuzzled his cheek against her softly. "What a shame. I was hoping we could slip away on a romantic honeymoon trip, Sister Yōcai."
"Idiot," Arina muttered fondly, tightening her arms around him. "Just hearing you say that already makes me happy."
"Sister Yōcai, there's something else…" Seeing that the mood was good, Natsu seized the moment. "I've been thinking of transferring."
"No." Arina shook her head immediately. "If you go somewhere else, I can't take care of you. I wouldn't feel at ease leaving you in someone else's hands."
"Sister Yōcai…" Natsu's hand slid around her slender waist. His tone softened. "I'm thinking about our future. Do you really want us to keep hiding like this? Meeting in secret forever?"
For a moment, hesitation flickered across Arina's face. But her expression quickly firmed. "Compared to having a normal relationship… I'd rather stay by your side, Natsu. Besides…"
She trailed off. She didn't need to say it. His test results had been poor. The next three months were uncertain at best—his heart could give out at any time.
Compared to life itself, everything else lost importance. At the very least, she wanted to be by his side until the end.
"Sister Yōcai… do you believe that monsters exist in this world?" Natsu asked suddenly.
Arina froze. The concern in her expression stiffened into something unreadable, and she looked at him the way she looked at patients who clung to impossible hopes.
"Ahem." Embarrassed by her gaze, Natsu pressed on, forcing himself to keep speaking. "I've already asked Yajikui to contact Tokyo General for me. Once the detailed results come back, I'll explain everything to you then."
Of course, he knew there were no monsters. But that didn't matter. He needed an excuse—
An excuse to earn her trust again once his heart and organs had miraculously recovered.
The power of the Huang Mao app was no less than that of the gods and spirits in legends. And since monsters didn't exist, there was no danger of one showing up to expose his lie.
Arina studied him carefully, her gaze steady and serious, as if weighing every word.
"Not easy to believe, huh?" Natsu gave a small, wry smile. He had prepared a list of excuses, ready to plant the seed of belief in her mind. In a few days, with the hospital's test results to back him up, everything would fall into place naturally.
"I believe you, Natsu."
Arina's smile blossomed like sunlight. She leaned down, kissed him lightly, and cut off his words, murmuring against his lips:
"Now, go to sleep."
Stunned, Natsu wondered why she had accepted it so easily. Why hadn't she urged him to stay in the hospital? But she didn't elaborate, and instead, he slid his hands beneath her blouse, resting them lightly on her narrow waist.
"Don't move," Arina whispered, cheeks flushed. "If you keep that up, I'll go back."
"Just touching," Natsu whispered playfully, leaning close to her ear. "I won't move."
She shot him a fond glare, then shyly slipped her hands beneath his shirt from behind, unclasping his underwear.
Natsu grinned. He had gotten his way.
"You're like a child…" Arina muttered, her face burning red as she tugged the quilt up to cover them both.
That night, Shirakawa Natsu kept his word. He had said he would restrain himself—and he truly did. The only failure lay in the fact that his "combat ability" lasted barely two and a half minutes.
Before dawn, Arina slipped quietly out of the ward.
When Natsu awoke, he began tidying his bed. He had few belongings; he usually wore hospital gowns. Dressed now in casual clothes, with a healthy new heart beating in his chest, he looked more energetic. Though still a little weak, he no longer seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment.
By the time Yajikui arrived with a suitcase, everything had already been packed and neatly stacked.
"Thanks," Natsu said as he began arranging his things in the case one by one. "I must have saved the world in a past life, to end up childhood friends with you."
"You're so full of it." Mizuki pursed her lips. "The apartment's rented. Don't you want to go back home instead?"
Natsu paused, then shook his head. "Forget it. I'm used to living alone."
In this life, his parents were still alive, and they treated him with genuine care. Throughout his hospitalization, they had worked tirelessly to pay his medical expenses.
Natsu, of course, earned income through drawing manga—part of which he had sent back to his parents immediately after receiving manuscript fees.
But deep down, he couldn't shake the distance. They weren't truly his parents. That estrangement lingered. He wasn't ready, mentally or emotionally, to live under the same roof with them.
Most of his belongings consisted of manuscripts and art supplies. Even then, his suitcase wasn't full.
As he stepped out of the ward, he glanced back at the bed where he had spent nearly a year of his life.
Who would have thought? In the end, he walked out under his own power, rather than being carried away.
Crossing the threshold felt like stepping into another world.
With Yajikui at his side, he completed the discharge procedures. For the final step, his attending physician, Hashimoto Arina, had to sign.
Natsu had expected her to take her time, perhaps offer some words. Instead, she sat in her office, her expression strictly professional, and signed without hesitation.
From the hospital's perspective, this was routine. Many patients, after learning the truth about their condition, chose to give up treatment. The hospital preferred not to let patients die within its walls.
By midmorning, Natsu stood at the hospital gates, suitcase in hand, saying goodbye to the place he had called home for a year.
From the corridor window, Hashimoto Arina watched his figure until it disappeared. Only then did she pull out her phone and scroll through her contacts. She found the number of a senior from medical school—a psychiatrist with whom she rarely kept in touch.
When the call connected, a bright female voice answered. "Yōcai, I can't believe you're actually calling me."
"Senpai," Arina said gently, trying to keep her tone calm, "I'd like to ask you something about psychiatry." She described Natsu's case, carefully omitting his personal details.
"This kind of situation isn't rare," the psychiatrist replied matter-of-factly. "Facing death, not everyone can accept it calmly. Developing mental issues out of fear is common."
"Can it be treated?" Arina asked quickly.
"Treatment depends on identifying the cause. From what you've described, the patient is afraid of death and chooses to escape from it. That's hard to treat. And… realistically, there may be no need."
"…I understand." Arina's expression dimmed, though she didn't sound surprised.
"But listen carefully," her senpai added. "You should consider transferring the patient to a specialized psychiatric facility. Once cognitive and sensory deviations appear, physical pain will worsen, his spirit will collapse, and he may eventually harm those around him. Patients like that are dangerous."
"Thank you, senpai," Arina said softly before ending the call.
She stood still in the corridor, letting the breeze drift through. She had expected to cry—but instead felt strangely calm.
Life was unfair. Even at the very end, fate hadn't spared that boy.
There would be no movie-like farewell, no bittersweet last romance. Instead, his mental state would unravel, replacing their memories with pain.
The logical thing to do was clear: she should inform his parents, let them exercise guardianship, and have him admitted to a psychiatric hospital to live out his final days.
In that way, the best version of Natsu would remain forever in her heart, and he would be properly cared for until the end.
Arina stood quietly for a long time before returning to her office. She sat at her father's old desk, running her fingers along its surface.
She could still remember him sitting there, offering advice to patients. She had always loved art, but followed his last wish—entering medical school, becoming a doctor, and returning to carry on his work.
She did love her job, and had always believed she would continue until retirement, before passing it down to the next generation.
But now…
Opening her drawer, she pulled out an envelope she had prepared earlier that morning.
Dean Koizumi, a stout middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses, was in no mood for trouble.
In recent months, a young doctor in gynecology had been caught in an affair with a married woman, damaging the hospital's reputation. His own daughter, Koizumi, had caused scandal again by running into another department, humiliating him further. Their relationship was strained to breaking point.
As if that weren't enough, rumors had begun to circulate—ghost sightings at night, whispers of a female doctor who had taken her life a decade ago. The hospital's reputation was crumbling.
And now, his distant niece—Hashimoto Arina, the one person who brought him peace—stood before his desk with a resignation letter.
Looking at the envelope, Dean Koizumi felt as if the hospital's very feng shui was cursed.
"I'm sorry, Dean Koizumi." Arina bowed deeply, her hands folded at her stomach. The engagement ring on her finger gleamed under the office lights. "You've taken such good care of me. But I need to look after my fiancé now. I can no longer fulfill my duties here."