My eyes opened slowly. The first thing that I saw was a white ceiling and a lit fluorescent lamp. I couldn’t properly move my body, but I could at least feel my surroundings. I noticed someone holding my hand. When I saw an IV line connected to my wrist, I realized that I was in the hospital. The entire ward was surrounded by white paint.

I managed to move my neck to see the view from the window. It was winter; the snows barely fell, though. I saw hospital apparatuses around me. Was I in the ICU? The tools were life-supporting machines. I even have a long dangling tube-like thing connected to my nose.

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When the person holding my hand moved, I saw her face. She was asleep, must’ve been here for a while.

Although her face was familiar at some point, I find it hard to remember her. She was a woman around twenties with a long black straight hair. She was still wearing a coat. By the looks of it, she could be the same age as me.

She woke up.

After realizing I was awake, her eyes widened. Concerned enough, she was willing to shed tears the moment she saw me. After rubbing her eyes to wipe away her tears, she smiled and said,

“Welcome back, Akamatsu-san.”