They were sitting outside Honoki-san's house, drinking tea. The old man and Andy-san were there as well.
"Thank you very much, Isane-san," I said to the girl. She smiled sadly. Something was clearly wrong — the others didn't look very cheerful either.
"Sit down," Isane sighed sadly. I sat next to them.
"I can't cure Hotaru-kun," she said.
My heart froze.
"It's impossible, even for me. A fragment of Hollow is too deeply rooted in him. I simply can't remove it. It's killing him, slowly draining him…"
"But he got better!"
"Temporarily. I was able to weaken the disease, but I can't cure it." Her words sounded like a sentence. "We have a choice. Leave everything as it is, and he will live for another two months, bedridden and suffering from constant pain…"
"Or?" My voice came out dry.
"Give him two weeks of active life." She looked devastated, on the verge of tears. "His body can't take any more… If I had arrived at the beginning, something could have been done… But it's too late… We haven't told him yet — we didn't want to upset him. But he'll then die in two weeks…"
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
Why? He has already been deprived of everything — no family, no health, no purpose in life… and now even life itself. Why is the world so cruel to him? He hasn't harmed anyone.
"Is there anything we can do?" I asked.
"I can talk to my captain, but I'm not sure even she will be able to do anything. We can only stay with him and give him at least these two weeks of happiness…"
"Maybe we should tell him?" Honoka-san suggested.
"He'll be devastated," I sighed. "I think he would want to live life to the fullest… at least for a little while."
It was hard to say it aloud. Yes, it's a bit cruel to decide what's best for him. But he hasn't even been able to walk for so long already. I definitely knew he would choose two weeks of freedom over two months of agony. I couldn't tell him, but I know for sure what he would choose.
"Isane-san," I turned to the shinigami. "Please speak with your captain."
"I will," she nodded.
"Thank you."
That concludes our conversation.
I went to the river to wash my face — I couldn't let Hotaru see me like this. It was better for him not to know the truth yet, and for the children as well. Isane-san was a good person; she would definitely ask. I hoped Captain Unohana Retsu would find at least a moment to help my friend. She was a captain after all, with far more important duties than helping the poor. One cannot help everyone.
But still… I hoped she would help at least him.
The rest of the day passed wonderfully. After resting, Hotaru ate until he was full — now he could eat normally again and was happy finally to do so on his own. We had a good time, talked pleasantly until evening. Isane-san had forbidden him to get out of bed for now, but tomorrow he would be allowed to walk a little.
I returned home with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was upset— there was a chance to help him, but it was painfully slim. His remaining time had been drastically reduced, and all I could do was pray to the Soul King for a miracle. But the very realisation of this hopelessness simply breaks my heart and makes me clench my fists in helplessness.
There was nothing I could do. I wasn't a doctor. All I could do was stay by his side and hope.
But still, I was glad to see him so happy. I had never seen him like that before.
I managed to persuade Momoto-san not to overload me with work. I promised to visit my friend more often. When she learned the truth, she agreed immediately and promised to let me leave early. At least for a while.
Now I lay on my futon, unable to sleep. Thoughts spun in circles, refusing to give me rest. I stared out the open window, thoughtlessly contemplated the grey clouds. Rain began to fall. Sleep would not come.
The sound of rain enveloped me, pulling me into a strange haze. The drops drummed on the roof, creating a steady, hypnotic rhythm.
Hard to think. Can't sleep.
Oh well.
Then I felt something — a strange, familiar sensation.
I got up and looked out the window.
There was someone standing on a nearby rooftop, in the pouring rain, face turned toward the sky.
I got dressed, climbed out the window, and approached the stranger.
"Yare-yare… Good evening, Karasumaru-kun," he said. Only now did I notice his silver hair, the same kimono, and that sly smile.
"Gin," I breathed out, recognizing him. I stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"
"No need to be so formal," he waved it off. "And you, I see, are troubled by something."
"Not really," I tried to brush it off.
"Really?" His smile widened even more. How did he do that? Smiling like that with his eyes narrowed… He really did look like a fox. Maybe he ate a lot of lemons.
"Ah," I sighed and sat down. "Yes. My friend is dying. An illness. And there's nothing I can do."
"Nothing?"
"It's not in my power," I raised my head to the sky. "All I can do is wait…"
"It won't make him feel better if you kill yourself."
"Yes."
"Well then, stop suffering," he said. "Souls don't die." I looked at him — he was still staring at the moon, not turning around. "After death, we all return to the Soul King, and then we go to rebirth... It's a cycle. When we die in the world of the living, we either pass on our own or wait here until our time comes. By killing Hollows, shinigami do the same thing — they send them into the cycle. It's the same for souls."
"Then why not just send everyone to be reborn?"
"The soul becomes greatly weakened and may dissolve into others. Spiritual power does not disappear anywhere; it simply passes on to others. Souls are created from reiryoku and return to reiryoku. Hollows also play a role in the cycle as concentrators of power. Everything is intertwined."
"So the world needs Hollows too?" I asked, surprised.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "But they were created for a reason."
"I suppose so," I sighed.
"Go to sleep," he waved lazily. "The rain can't last forever… Good luck."
With those words, he simply vanished.
Well, well. Who was he really? A strange guy — but he seemed like a good person.
He was right. There was no point in killing myself with worry. I'd better make Hotaru's last days his best. I already had a few ideas. I truly believed things would turn out for the best.
The rain began to fade; the clouds parted slowly, revealing the night sky. The moon peeked out, illuminating everything below.
Beautiful.
"The rain can't last forever…"