The top of her head barely reached his chest, yet the arm draped over her shoulders was even thinner than her own.
No, thin was not the right word.
Illness had left it frail, almost skeletal.
The little girl could feel every shift in his unsteady balance. Even with all his strength focused on staying upright, he was still on the verge of collapsing against her.
Pressed against his chest, she could hear his heart.
Unlike the rest of him, it beat with startling strength. Each thud seemed to insist that he was alive.
His room was more than forty meters away. For him, and for the girl struggling to support him, it was no small challenge.
Somehow, neither of them fell.
They were both more stubborn than they looked.
"Sorry," the boy said as he collapsed onto the bed, deeply embarrassed. "I'm soaked in sweat."
The girl was probably four or five years younger than him.
Her face red, she shook her head to show that she did not mind, then hurried into the bathroom.
The faint trickle from behind the door only made his embarrassment worse.
When she came back out, he looked over at her.
"A-are you done?"
She nodded.
"Let's rest for a little while before we head back."
"Okay."
The girl carried herself with surprising composure. Perhaps she was simply too young to overthink the situation as much as he did.
"Hey..."
She sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
"What is it?"
"Have you ever seen the ocean?"
She looked toward the window, still black beneath the night sky. It was the only thing she wanted to see. His room was almost identical to hers, from the layout and equipment to the uniform smell of disinfectant.
"I have," the boy said. "In Hokkaido."
The girl turned toward him.
A faint light appeared in her eyes, which had been dull only moments before.
"Did it have waves covered in white foam? And wet sand along the shore?"
"...It wasn't quite like the beaches you see on tropical islands."
The boy thought for a moment.
"It was in a city, so there wasn't a long stretch of sand like that."
"Oh."
"Are you disappointed?"
He paused, then continued.
"But if you go to Hakodate, the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse sits right along the waterfront. From Motomachi, there are plenty of places where you can look down and see the sea. Follow the slopes, and you can reach the water."
He gave a small shrug.
"I just can't promise it'll be exactly what you're imagining. White foam, wet sand, the smell of the sea... that kind of thing."
The anticipation in her eyes was impossible to miss.
"Is it far from here?"
"A little," the boy said with a nod.
"...I see."
Her voice fell.
"It would be nice if it were close."
"You'll get the chance someday. Once you're better."
He smiled.
The girl stared at him.
The light in her eyes faded.
"But we're both going to die, aren't we?"
"..."
The boy's smile slowly disappeared.
"Don't believe every little thing you overhear from the doctors," he said at last.
"No. That's not it."
She met his eyes without hesitation, and the directness of her gaze made him uncomfortable.
"I can feel it. I know I'm going to die."
Then she studied him.
"And you... you're the same, aren't you? I see you here all the time. You're always in pain."
"Well..."
The boy lowered his voice.
"Everyone dies eventually."
"I mean dying here. In a hospital room, like us."
Her voice was young and sweet.
Her words were anything but.
"What happens after people die? Do we have souls, like in stories? Can we keep existing and thinking? Will we... get to see the people who died before us?"
"We're not going to die."
His chest tightened as he said it.
"But you just said everyone dies."
The girl puffed out her cheeks and frowned.
"Enough!"
His voice rose without warning.
Silence fell between them.
"I'm sorry."
The boy's face tightened as he forced his emotions back down.
"What I meant was... we'll live long enough to have normal lives."
He searched for something else to say.
"You love the ocean, right? You'll get better. That day will come, and you'll go to the beach with your friends."
The girl watched him in silence.
Then she smiled.
"Dad used to say that."
The boy stared at her.
"Mom used to say it too."
"..."
"So did my older sister."
She kept smiling. It was the innocent smile of a child her age, but the tears gathering in her eyes were being held back with practiced care.
As though she had been doing it for a very long time.
"They all said the same thing."
Her smile did not break.
"And they all died."
The boy went still.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"Does it only hurt this much because I'm still a kid?"
She looked at the boy who was only a few years older than her.
"I..."
He started to answer, then stopped himself.
Then, somehow, he forced a smile.
"Of course. Keep overcoming one obstacle after another, and happiness is waiting at the end. Have you ever played a video game? Every time you beat a boss, you level up. You get stronger until you finally reach the perfect ending."
His smile steadied.
"I've already beaten several bosses. This illness is the final boss. Once I defeat it, I'll get my happy ending."
"Really?"
The girl blinked.
"Of course. If you don't believe me, I'll prove it."
"And after that, will we go see the ocean?"
"The ocean? Uh, I don't really like it that mu..."
He saw her cheeks begin to puff out again.
"I mean, yes. I love it. It's my favorite."
"The ocean is amazing!"
Energy suddenly rushed back into the girl, and she thrust one small hand into the air.
"Why...?" the boy asked.
"Because all I've ever seen are cities on land. I've never seen anything that vast with my own eyes. Pictures and videos can't capture how magnificent it is. They leave too much to your imagination!"
By that logic, seeing the ocean for herself might destroy the beautiful version the unknown had created in her mind.
He was smart enough to keep that thought to himself.
At some point, the little girl had climbed fully onto his bed. In the darkness, he could make out only the delicate outline of her body.
Yet she was there.
Alive and breathing.
Close enough to touch.
Somewhere in that simple warmth, he found the courage he needed.
"When we've both beaten our final bosses, we'll go see the ocean."
As he spoke, he reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"So don't say you're going to die so easily anymore."
"Do you promise?"
The little girl stared at him.
"Promise you won't lose to that boss like Dad, Mom, and my sister did."
"I promise."
She nodded hard.
"I believe you. That makes us friends now. Teammates."
She held out her little finger.
"Pinky promise. Whoever breaks it has to swallow a thousand needles."
"Okay."
Let's keep fighting together.
Let's...
Stay alive.
With a trembling hand, the boy hooked his little finger around hers.
"My name is Makoto Kaizuka."
He smiled gently.
"Makoto. Written with the character for truth. For sincerity. For purity."
...
Shouichi Shinkawa frowned at the patient nameplate on the wall.
"So this room used to be yours."
He shrugged at the wall.
"Looks like my future isn't exactly bright, Didos."
He tore down the old nameplate and replaced it with one bearing his own name.
"Do you like... the ocean?"
A girl's voice came from behind him.
Shouichi turned.
She was a plain-looking girl whose hospital gown fit her as naturally as everyday clothes. Her short hair fell to her shoulders, and a faint, strained smile touched her face. She was still attached to an IV drip.
She looked so frail that Shouichi thought he could knock her over with one finger.
He had never seen her before.
She was probably another patient.
Maybe fifteen.
"The ocean? It's all right. I've thought about visiting the beaches in Santorini," Shouichi said.
The girl tilted her head.
There was nothing cute about the gesture.
It looked sad.
"Santorini... I've never heard of it," she murmured. "Sorry. The only place I remember is Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido? You'd be better off going to Okinawa..."
Before he could finish, the girl slowly turned and walked away.
Shouichi watched her leave, puzzled.
"Is that how people say hello around here?"
...
"This may come as a shock, but I have terrible news..."
The voice was careful.
"Kaizuka-kun didn't make it. He passed away inside that death game."
"Is... that so?"
"No. To be precise..."
A man in glasses stepped forward and gently took over from the first speaker.
"He was killed."
"By another player."
"By a player named Yurnero."