Chapter 5: Suddenly, She Couldn't Move

"Um, we turn left at this corner… and then what was next again? …Hina-chan?"

They’d gone to the same high school, so their family homes were in the same town.

Keita had done plenty of research ahead of time—there was no reason for them to get lost—but just in case, he decided to double-check with Hinata.

…However, no matter how long he waited, there was no response.

Puzzled, he turned around—and saw her. A girl crouched down in the middle of an empty street.

"H-Hina-chan…!?"

"I’m fine… really."

Keita rushed over, panic etched on his face, but Hinata gave him a weak smile in return.

Not that such a smile could possibly put him at ease.

She was far too pale to call it a smile.
Her slender body trembled subtly—there was no mistaking it. She was clearly unwell.

"You don’t seem to have a fever… Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous?"

He knelt beside her and touched her forehead. Hinata lowered her eyes apologetically and gave a small nod.

"I see…"

He recognized this. Whether that was fortunate or not was hard to say.

It was just like that day, back when she had just started kindergarten—the first day it snowed that year.

The teachers had thought it would be fun and brought the kids outside. Little Hinata had been among them…

Back then, no one knew she had trauma. She had seen snow without any mental preparation—and ended up just like this.

What flashed through his mind was the image of a small girl, limp and helpless.

Hinata had stopped him in time, so Keita hadn’t been affected—but he remembered how terrified he was, thinking she might actually die.

But still, when he looked up now, the sky was clear.
A few small clouds drifted lazily, but not a single snowflake in sight.

Well, Keita had checked the forecast obsessively and planned to postpone the trip entirely if there was even a small chance of snow—so maybe that was to be expected.

"…Maybe the temperature swings and travel fatigue just caught up with you. I’m sorry—I should’ve cut the conversation short earlier and focused on you instead. Can you walk?"

He still didn’t know what exactly had triggered this.

But standing around wouldn’t solve anything.

Even if the sun was warm, it was still winter.
If she stayed sitting on the cold pavement, it would only make things worse.

They needed to find somewhere warm—or at the very least, somewhere she could lie down.

Thinking that, Keita reached out to support her, but Hinata shook her head firmly.

"Sorry… I feel awful, and I really don’t think I can move from here… Keita. Can you go to my house in my place?"

"I mean, that’s no problem, but… wouldn’t it be better if we went together? If we explain what’s going on, maybe they’ll let you rest inside. And if you can’t walk, I’ll carry you. Even if not right now, we can wait until you’ve recovered a bit."

An unexpected request.

But Keita didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone while she was clearly unwell.

It was a quiet residential neighborhood, and despite it being a long weekend, there was barely a soul around.

In a place like this, if a girl was too weak to move, there was no guarantee some creep wouldn’t try something.

…And above all—

“What if… if I look away, she disappears from this spot forever?”

It was the same ominous feeling he’d had that day in the snow—the day she first collapsed.

So he was about to decline her request, but then she gently reached for his hand and said,

"Considering the time we need to get back, we can’t really afford to take it slow… So, please…"

That cold hand brought clarity to his thoughts.

They had come on this trip for one reason:
To see for themselves the state of the home that once housed their family.

They’d saved money for years just for this.

If they went home now, without completing that goal, it would all have been for nothing.

He knew Hinata had been carrying that hope in her heart for a long time—and leaving it unresolved would only leave a painful scar.

"…Okay. Got it. You stay here and rest, Hina-chan."

"Sorry. Really…"

"It’s fine. Anyone can get sick. But if things get seriously bad, you have to contact me. I mean it. I’ll come running, no matter what. I’ll call an ambulance, a cab—anything. Got it?"

"…Yeah."

With solemn eyes, they sealed it with a pinky promise.

Keita helped her lean against the concrete wall, draped his coat over her, and took off running at full speed.

He hated turning his back on her—but there wasn’t time to hesitate.

Every second counted if he wanted to get back quickly.

—Which is why he didn’t hear the words Hinata mumbled to herself as she stared at the ground.

"…Sorry for springing this on you, Kei. But… I got scared. I couldn’t help it…"