Ever since entering the simulation, Narumi Tōru had approached this "game" with an extremely straightforward, problem-solving mindset.
How do I get a better evaluation?
How do I unlock a better ending?
In the end, the key to everything lay with a single person: Yukinoshita Yukino.
If her story could only conclude in tragedy, then this simulation was doomed to never yield the result Narumi wanted.
Which immediately led to a new problem.
How could he prevent the tragedy tied to Yukinoshita Yukino, and steer the story toward a hopeful happy ending?
If it were anything else, Narumi might still have found a way to twist fate around. But chronic illness — that was the one problem he was powerless to overturn.
How could he free Yukinoshita Yukino from her disease?
The curly-haired young man snapped back to reality. As his thoughts loosened their grip, the tension on his face eased slightly as well.
Night had fallen. The sea breeze blowing in from afar carried a sharp chill, causing the girl asleep against his shoulder to instinctively pull the blanket tighter around herself.
Yukino had dozed off while waiting for the comet. Constantly taking medication at fixed intervals had made her drowsier than usual.
Feeling the steady breath of the girl by his shoulder brushing against his ear, Narumi gazed into the distance with an unfamiliar sense of uncertainty.
What could he even do next? At this rate, they would inevitably be caught by the Yukinoshita family. And once that happened, the simulation's evaluation phase wouldn't be far off.
That wouldn't do.
He still hadn't made Yukinoshita Yukino happy in this simulation.
As long as that goal could be achieved, Narumi was willing to pay a far higher price—
"…A higher price."
Suddenly, something clicked. He froze slightly, a spark of inspiration flashing in his eyes as he stared at the sea.
Wasn't this kind of setup common in clichéd third-rate romance stories — especially the ones mass-produced in that peninsula country?
[A classic terminal-illness solution — the organ transplant route. If you really loved her, going that far wouldn't be impossible. Too bad you don't love her.]
Who says I don't? What if I actually do?
Besides, Narumi had never tried pushing things to the brink of death inside a simulation before. He had no idea what that experience might be like.
Carefully, he laid Yukino down on the sand, resting her gently atop the jacket he'd spread out. Then, facing the salty sea breeze, he walked toward where the waves broke.
It was already deep into the night. The clear sky showed no sign whatsoever of a comet about to streak across it.
A simulation is just a story set by the system in the first place, right?
So if he acted against the story's logic — would the rules governing this world change?
The young man swallowed, then, as if guided by something unseen, slowly stepped into the sea.
Cold water crept past his ankles, his calves, his knees — up to his thighs.
[Are you truly planning to end your life under these circumstances…?]
Just as moving forward became difficult, the system issued its warning exactly as expected.
I'm not brave enough to test the system like that.
Narumi merely smiled and cast a glance back toward the beach —
Yukinoshita Yukino was slowly sitting up.
Still half-asleep, she rubbed her eyes, barely able to make out the blurred silhouette standing amid the shimmering waves.
Bathed in moonlight, the curly-haired young man stood calmly even with the water up to his thighs. When he turned back to her, his face held nothing but a relaxed smile.
"Already awake? Why not sleep a little longer?"
"Wait— you idiot…!"
Yukino dragged her frail body up from the sand and, without hesitation, waded straight into the sea.
"What are you doing?!"
"Hm? Trying out that 'end it all' thing you mentioned. Don't worry, I haven't succeeded yet."
"You idiot! You're seriously an idiot with zero common sense, aren't you?!"
"It's not like I have no common sense…"
Narumi tilted his head unconcernedly, looking at the girl beside him. She'd plunged straight into the icy water just to reach him, shivering from the cold yet stubbornly wearing an angry expression.
Like a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted kitten.
Kind of cute.
"You were thinking about ending it all yourself, Yukino. So why stop me?"
"My pessimism about my own survival and my not wanting you to get hurt aren't contradictory…!"
Her furious voice trembled. As if afraid he might disappear without a word, she clutched tightly at the hem of his clothes—
—only the hem, because they had never clearly defined what they were to each other.
"Even if I'm facing the worst possible ending, I still want you to… go back to your normal life."
"But a 'world' without you has no meaning to me anymore."
Narumi stated it plainly — a clean, decisive blow.
"…You're impossible to understand."
"Because you're special. To me — and to this 'world' as well."
He reached out to take her hand. Though she instinctively flinched, she ultimately stayed silent and let him pull her closer.
"At a time like this, how can you still say such embarrassing things so calmly…?"
"Because I'm shameless."
Narumi replied lightly, interlacing his fingers with her cold hand.
"If you disappear tomorrow, then I'll plan everything and leave with you. If you want to return to a healthy life, I'll do everything in my power to make that wish come true."
Under the bright moonlight, the silver metal whistle hanging on Yukino's chest reflected a faint but striking glow.
"The only thing you need to do is tell me what you truly feel. Hold nothing back. Lay everything bare."
His voice was gentle and steady, yet carried a quietly persuasive pull.
"Life or death — a simple choice between two options. Easy enough, right, Yukino?"
"That kind of thing…"
Feeling the warmth passing between their hands, the girl looked away uneasily. She realized she had always avoided meeting Narumi's gaze.
As for why — she already knew the answer.
"Of course I… want to live properly."
Doesn't everyone?
"I want to go back to my old life. I want my healthy body back… I want to rebuild healthier relationships with my family while there's still time — at the very least, I don't want to stay silent in that suffocating house that's worse than death…!"
Her voice began to shake uncontrollably. She didn't notice that the smile on the young man's face had grown gentler and gentler.
"I thought that as long as I stayed correct and held onto my principles, life would fall into place… But I don't actually have that kind of strength. Or enough time…"
"You'll wake up."
"…Huh?"
"This awful life of yours is just a nightmare."
Narumi opened his arms and pulled the girl — eyes reddened, stubbornly refusing to lift her head and show her weakness — into an embrace.
"You'll wake up from this dream. I promise."
Steady words. A warm embrace.
They struck far closer to the heart than any flashy, hollow gesture ever could.
Leaning against his shoulder, Yukinoshita Yukino stared up at the cloudless night sky, doing her best not to let the moisture in her eyes fall.
"…Don't make such unrealistic promises."
"I already promised. If I don't keep it, you're welcome to come yell at me."
"..."
After a long silence, she closed her eyes, buried her face against his shoulder, and hesitantly — yet firmly — wrapped her arms around his back.
"…Thank you."
If she really could wake up from this nightmare.
"When the dream ends… I hope we can meet again."
Yukinoshita Yukino whispered those words in a tone almost like a farewell.
"…We will."
The curly-haired young man tightened his embrace slightly, gazing out at the sea that rose past most of their bodies.
"…We'll meet again."
Narumi Tōru, carrying a tangle of complicated emotions, made the one promise that might never come true.