・・・ xxxiii ・・・
The Leo from before was always so strong.
Even when the world was being difficult,
even when everything seemed too hard,
even when he couldn't take it anymore,
Leo always smiled.
"... She was the same as well,
wasn't she?"
Right now, he wasn't anything like his old self.
Leo had turned weak.
Fragile.
Frail.
Ao hadn't noticed this sooner.
It seemed unreal.
Ah... That's it. This isn't real.
Leo never came back.
Nothing ever changed.
Everything was still the same.
... Right?
・・・ xxxiii ・・・
When he opened his eyes again,
it was dark outside the window.
—Christmas Eve.
Leo was gone.
Instead, there was another person sitting beside him.
As he moved his head lightly, he could feel the cool touch of a wet towel caressing his forehead.
He blinked once. Twice.
The familiar face focused in front of his vision.
It was Hashimoto Rie.
・・・ xxxiv ・・・
Is this real?
Or... is this another dream too?
He did not know.
Everything felt too blurred, uncertain.
His fever clouded his thoughts.
The pain felt too unbearable.
Maybe I'm still asleep.
He looked at her.
Rie was saying something. There was a deep worried look on her face.
No.
Don't make that expression.
"... Get better soon, Ao-kun," she seemed to say.
To his ear, her words were faint. Distant.
She made a small smile.
In that moment, Rie's face flickered.
・・・ xxxvi ・・・
He was suddenly seeing another person.
His eyes widened.
... Ah, it's her.
Rie stood up and removed the wet towel.
She turned around, ready to leave.
No—
Don't leave me.
Don't go.
Don't disappear.
"—Not again."
Not again.
Not again.
Not again.
Not again.
"—Rie..." he whispered quietly. So quietly.
Somehow, she heard him.
Rie froze.
She turned to him,
her eyes blinking in surprise.
It was the first time he had called her by her name.
Silence passed. He didn't know what to say.
He hadn't decided what to do after calling out to her.
He parted his lips without thought.
The words came out of his mouth before he could even stop himself.
"... Would you believe me if I told you I killed someone before?"
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re:Happiness | Cell Phone Novel
General Fiction「 Can you teach me how to be happy? 」 Fujiwara Ao has been living the past nineteen years of his life in ease. Born with the ideal background and blessed with enough talent, that's what most of the people presume. In their eyes, he was sim...
