Part 15: The Girl and the Hospital

BGM: Lion House Cafe


05/15 (TUE), Night
When I get back, I open up Lion House for a bit. After messaging Naomi during break time, I decide to keep the store closed tomorrow so we can focus on gathering intel and organizing our thoughts. I figure hitting up the library will be a good idea, since we'll have access to newspapers and the like, but considering I still don't know where to start, I decide it's best for us to meet up there first. We don't need to worry about keeping quiet there, at least.

I also make sure to ask Naomi not to tell anyone else about this. Part of me considers telling Mao at first since we're close friends, but considering she's known Miharu for far longer than Naomi, I decide it's best not to. It'd be far too much of a burden for her to bear, and the last thing I want is to ruin the relationship the three of us have right now.



Phew...

Thinking back on everything that's happened so far, I get ready to close shop for the day. Barely any customers have come around, so I only have to clean up a few things. I clean up those things, carry in the signboard and some plants from outside, and put out the trash. The door looks a bit dirty, too, so I make sure to wipe it down. While I'm wiping it, I hear footsteps heading my way. I don't pay them much mind, considering it's not rare for people to pass by at this time of night, but they stop right in front of the store.

Sorry, but we're closed for the-

Thinking it is a customer, I turn around to inform them that we're closed. But I stop mid-sentence when I see the woman to whom the footsteps belong. The moment I stand up straight, she grabs me by the shoulders, pushes me against the door, and then into the store.

BGM: WARNING


So you're Shishimai Rinka!
_{Her VA is Morinaka Aoi; ironically, she's actually voiced a character in Future Diary (Naoko Kurusu), which is her most notable role besides a background character in Minami-ke Okaeri.}

Her words come out loud and rapid. Her voice sounds like her throat is ready to explode. Her first impression makes her seem desperate, but I'd say she's more anxious than anything else. That's why her shouting actually helps me to approach the situation with heightened composure.



You're... Numeral VIII, I take it?

Rather than answering her question, I opt to shoot one right back at her. I don't know her name, but I recognize the face. She's one of the people I've seen in the dream world. Composed as I may seem, it's not enough to keep my nerves calm. I can feel myself working up a cold sweat. Even the most minor thing here could act as a hint for her, so I need to watch what I say.

Answer me!

She slams her hand against the door, closing the distance between us even more. And yet, I'm not afraid. Mainly because I keep in mind why she's so anxious in the first place. The only reason she's asking me is because she's not entirely sure that I am who she thinks I am. Meanwhile, Numeral XII gained her name card from the woman he eliminated during the first round, if memory serves.



Answer me! I've got your card, so I know you're Shishimai Rinka!

I don't doubt that I'd be panicking if this was Numeral XI or XII asking. But it's the same dread I feel from competing with people like them that allows me to remain calm here and now. Compared to them, she looks like your average woman. Slender and pretty, although you can tell she looks overtired. There's no doubt she's been getting little sleep. She's wearing what I believe is a shawl atop a hospital gown.

Tell me! What's your cause of death? What's your regret?

My silence makes her all the more agitated.

Was it suicide? An illness? School? Love? Answer me!



You need to calm down!

My patience starts to wear thin, which causes me to place my hands on her shoulders and shove her away from me. I must've pushed her a bit too hard, since she stumbles backward. She falls and lands on the hard concrete.

Oh... S-Sorry...



Hurk!

I apologize without thinking. Showing sympathy to other participants- my enemies, in other words- probably isn't the best idea.

Are you... okay?

I ask, but receive no answer. All she does is stare down at the ground and mutter something to herself.

I...

Following that, she collapses under her own weight.

Wh-whoa! Hey, are you all right? I... I need to call an ambulance!

No... I'm fine, so... don't call an ambulance... I can get back myself...

Fine is the last thing that comes to mind when I look at you...



Just... don't...

Her sentence trails off there. Judging by her steady breathing, she seems to have fallen asleep as opposed to having passed out. I spot the name of the hospital she was admitted to written on the hem of her gown. It's only a ten minute walk from here.

Ugh, fine...

She doesn't want to get in an ambulance for whatever reason, but I can't just leave her here. Fortunately, she's rather light, so I opt to give her a piggy-back ride.

...This is tougher than I thought it'd be.

After I lock the store up, I proceed to the hospital.

…...

BGM: Silence


When I arrive, the nurse I speak to showers me with praise. It's hardly surprising. I think most people would praise a highschooler who has obviously exhausted herself by carrying a patient all the way to a hospital in the middle of the night. The nurse wastes no time in taking her away, so I guess she really is a patient here.

BGM: A Dot on a Piece of Paper


Thanks to this, I manage to learn her name as well. Kamebuchi Keiko. While she's always had a frail disposition, things have gotten worse for her once she gave birth. I don't pry any deeper, but I doubt they would've told me much more. The only reason they told me as much as they did was to make sure I knew who it was that I helped out in the first place.

Actually, shouldn't that give me a new card...?

Parca mentioned that we'd obtain new cards whenever we discovered vital pieces of information in the real world.

Ah, right. I need the book.

Chances are I didn't get one because I don't have it with me. I'm aware of its importance, but I tend to leave it behind since it's heavy. Either way, I should leave, considering visiting hours have long passed. Curious as I am about Keiko, I make my way back home.

…...

BGM: Rinka's Room


Once I return to my room and get ready for bed, I take a seat at the table on which my book rests.

Well, this is new...



Little bits of light are pouring out from between the book's pages. Needless to say, this is the first time I've seen this happen. In the real world, no less. I take a moment to prepare myself, and then I open it up.

Whoa-

The moment I do, the light begins to rise above the book itself.

Wh-What's going on...?

All I can do is watch as it eventually congregates to one spot almost two feet above my table. It eventually molds itself into a rectangular shape. Well, to be more specific, the shape of a card. Once the transformation is complete, the light dissipates.



The card floats in mid-air for a brief moment before it quietly lays itself to rest atop the book.

So this is how new cards are made...

I can't hide my surprise over witnessing something like that happening in the real world. Something similar happened in the dream world, but it's a whole different experience when it happens in your own room. I pick up the newly formed card. It's exactly the same as the others I have, in terms of shape and make. The only difference is the content written on it.

VIII – Name – Kamebuchi Keiko

As expected, it's Keiko's name card. That's all, though,. I still don't know her cause of death and regret.



She was hospitalized after giving birth, right? In that case...

It has to be related to that. The first ailment that comes to mind from childbirth is-

Ouch.

My head starts to hurt all of a sudden. It doesn't take long for me to realize why, either. It's because I just remembered how desperate Keiko looked. The way she was acting earlier proved that her regret ran deeper than I could comprehend. What I'm doing right now is akin to walking all over that. The more I try to imagine the circumstances of her death, the worse the pounding in my head becomes.

That's when I remember Naomi's proposition to shoulder the burden along with me. I'm not prepared to handle this alone quite yet. Today's done a good job of showing me just how weak I am. Rather than thinking about this anymore, I turn my light off and choose to sleep instead.

-----

Cardbook has updated.




I – Name – Shishimai Rinka
III – Name – Federico Carminati
IV – Cause of Death – Fire
VIII – Name – Kamebuchi Keiko
IX – Regret – Gold Medal


I – Name – Shishimai Rinka
VIII – Name – Kamebuchi Keiko


VIII – Name – Kamebuchi Keiko

_{Now that we know her name, this card appears under Numeral XII's list, since we already know he obtained this card during the first Divine Selection when he eliminated Numeral VI}