That calm afternoon, I was at the hospital with my mother with the purpose of visiting my relative.
To be honest, I don’t like this white-colored building. The atmosphere is too quiet, and at the same time it makes the heart beat faster.
In this row of many seats, people wait for good news to come to them—while also preparing to hear bad news.
Here I sit, in the front row. Even though there are only a few people that can be counted on one hand on the seats behind, I don’t feel comfortable sitting next to strangers.
Feeling bored, I kept myself busy with my phone which only had ten percent battery left. My mom was answering a call from my aunt who hasn’t come yet, so I was alone on this bench.
I was only asked to wait for a bit—which could take several minutes.
Then I heard the sound of wheels. The sound was soft but enough to make me look at it.
A girl with reddish brown hair that made her look charming. The girl who came to me was sitting in a wheelchair. Her face looked tired but cheerful, then she said something to me.
“You look bored. Want to chat with me for a bit?”
I just stayed silent. Her smile was light, like she was used to talking to strangers, her voice was also soft and calming to hear.
I nodded slightly, silently admitting her words.
At that moment, her smile became brighter. Did she really want to talk to me so much that it made her that happy?
“My name is Akari Yuna, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you… My name is Homura Yuuto.”
“Nice to meet you, Homura!”
“Nice to meet you too, Akari.”
Her tone was very enthusiastic and that made me feel awkward.
Did I do everything right? I hope I didn’t make a mistake.
“So, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for my mom. She’s answering a phone call outside.”
“Oh, is that all?”
“Not really… Actually, I just finished visiting my relative who’s sick.”
“That’s unfortunate… What’s wrong with your relative? If I may ask.”
“His leg is injured, they said the bone in his right leg is slightly fractured.”
Akari covered her mouth with both hands when she heard my answer, her eyes also looked teary.
Well… I wasn’t surprised by her reaction. I also felt that way when I heard my relative had that kind of injury.
“Umm… What about you, Akari? What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
“Oh, me? I just finished doing physiotherapy. The doctor said I’m recovering fast, so he said I’ll be able to walk normally again soon.”
“Oh… I see... That’s great, I’m happy to hear that…”
Physiotherapy…? Mmm… I don’t know much about biology, but if I’m not wrong… That’s a kind of therapy for people with partial paralysis… right?
Thank goodness she can be healthy again soon…
Right after Akari explained her condition, suddenly a grown woman with glasses wearing maid clothes came up to us.
“Lady Akari, you must not go wandering around on your own like that!” The maid scolded her, but the voice she used was very gentle.
Akari just giggled and apologized.
Maid… huh? She must be the daughter of someone really rich.
“Well then, see you later, Homura!”
“See you…”
Akari waved her hand, her wheelchair is pushed by the maid who just came and scolded her.
I waved back a little, then went back to play with my phone.
Suddenly, I realized something.
I just had a smooth conversation with her.
But, if it wasn’t for her who started asking questions, I probably wouldn’t say anything and we would’ve just stared at each other.
Not long after that, my mom came back.
“Yuuto, let’s go home. They said aunt will come soon to visit Ren.”
“Alright.”
With that, my time at the hospital ended and I went home.
It felt relieving to leave a place with horrifying atmosphere, so I was grateful I didn’t have to stay long at the hospital.
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