Kaori's teacher, an elderly woman, her prized student: Miyazono Kaori.
Half a year ago, she was full of vitality and energy because she was nurturing someone to inherit her legacy. But one day half a year ago, she was struck by a bolt from the blue.
Her student had contracted an incurable terminal illness.
The outcome was nothing more than a difference between dying sooner or dying later.
How could someone like that possibly continue learning the violin? Naturally, it was impossible.
But as mentioned, Kaori's teacher was already advanced in age. Kaori was practically the last student she had found, and the only one.
Kaori's misfortune plunged her into anxiety.
On one hand, she worried about her student's condition, and on the other, she worried about what would happen to her legacy.
As was her routine, she came to the hospital again today.
Walking down the deserted hospital corridor, filled with the smell of disinfectant, Kaori's teacher skillfully found her way to Kaori's room, knocked on the door, and entered.
Kaori's room was a private one, with good ventilation and lighting, which could make the patient's mood more comfortable and help alleviate the condition.
On the bed sat a girl with dull golden hair. Her face was somewhat pale, the only color being her somewhat faded pink lips. Her beautiful face still lacked the vitality of the past, replaced by confusion.
She wore a large hospital gown, and her slender arm was wrapped with unknown wires connected to a nearby instrument displaying Kaori's vital signs.
Beep-
This was the only sound in the room, apart from the faint rustle of the curtain stirred by the breeze.
"Kaori, feeling any better lately?" Kaori's teacher looked at the girl on the sickbed, forcing a smile onto her pale, somewhat disappointed face.
"..."
The girl was momentarily stunned, stiffly turned her head to look at her teacher, then suddenly broke into a wide smile.
Her voice was still full of energy.
"Of course! I feel like I'll be discharged soon, and then I can learn the violin with you again, Sensei!"
Kaori's energy seemed exactly the same as before her illness, still so spirited.
But as her teacher, how could she not know this girl who was like a daughter to her?
Hiding the pain in her heart, not showing it, not letting those who care about her share the pain… that was this pitiful girl.
Yet, ironically, as the teacher, she had no choice but to play along, pretending to believe the girl's condition was 'improving'.
The quiet room fell into silence again.
Teacher and student didn't know what to say to each other.
Kaori's teacher broke the awkwardness. She smiled and took out a cake from the bag she brought.
"This is your favorite cake. I passed by it today and specially bought some for you."
"Wow! The limited edition! Thank you so much!"
The girl, like a little hamster, ate the cake she loved so much.
And her teacher could only watch silently.
As her teacher, perhaps this was all she could do now.
Ring ring ring.
Just then, the ringing of a phone broke the quiet. She quickly took out her phone and saw it was an unknown number.
She was about to hang up, but her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
For some reason, she felt that if she hung up this call, something would happen that she would regret for the rest of her life.
Hesitating for a second or two, Kaori's teacher answered the call.
"May I ask if this is Nishimura-sensei?" (T/N: Sensei is usually used to call a master of craft, not only teacher or doctor.)
"Hello, yes, this is she. May I ask who's calling?"
The voice on the other end, Yusei, said directly, "I heard you've previously composed violin music for theme songs. I'd like to ask for your help in creating one."
Hearing it was a job offer, Nishimura's expression dimmed slightly. She politely declined, "I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood to compose music right now. Please find someone else."
"Oh? Even if I can pay you a significant reward? Including restoring your disciple's health?"
"Yes, I don't want to... Wait, what did you say about helping Kaori recover?"
Nishimura immediately asked urgently.
"That's right. Has Nishimura-sensei forgotten? I was the one who told Miyazono Kaori about the problem with her body. Although it's a terminal illness, it's not necessarily incurable."
The previous Yusei might not have had a method, but now there were plenty of solutions.
Whether it was going to Tohru and Kanna's world to 'invite' a high-level priest or asking Athena for help, both could easily resolve the illness.
Athena was the chief god who endowed humans with life and soul. A mere terminal illness could be easily solved by her simply bestowing life upon Kaori again.
"Is it really... no problem?" Nishimura was still hesitant.
After all, it was a terminal illness, one that even the hospital couldn't cure. Could someone else really have a way? Normally, anyone encountering someone claiming to cure a terminal illness would first think they were a charlatan, not a miracle doctor.
"Treatment first, music composition later. We can start now." Yusei disliked procrastination. Curing a terminal illness wasn't difficult for him, so he stated it plainly.
"Alright, alright! May I ask where you are now? I'll come pick you up immediately."
"No need. Just tell me the hospital and the room number."
"Please let me pick you up."
"No need."
"...Alright. The hospital is..."
A while later, Nishimura hung up the phone, her face still wearing an expression of disbelief. She stared blankly at Kaori on the sickbed.
Kaori, who was eating cake, looked at her teacher with some confusion.
"Sensei?"
As soon as she spoke, her teacher began muttering to herself.
"No, I should wait and see first. What if it fails?... No, he sounded so confident, it should succeed..."
Kaori looked puzzledly at her teacher talking to herself, then shook her head and continued eating her cake.
'Well, anyway, it's already incurable, no need to worry about my figure anymore.'
'Tonight, I want fried chicken, hamburgers, fries… a double portion!'
When Yusei and Athena arrived at Kaori's hospital room according to the address, they saw a golden-haired girl stuffing cake into her mouth like a hamster.
Yusei had met Kaori before. Back then, she was somewhat thin and weak. Now, leaving other aspects aside, her face seemed a bit rounder.
Like a hamster, her cheeks were puffed out. Kaori also looked towards the hospital room door and saw Yusei and an unfamiliar little girl with white hair.
"Mmph, gulp... You are that fortune-teller from before!"