The year she lost her sight, Ruzuki Rei became acquainted, on her own, with the patient in the room next door, a boy who had also inexplicably come down with acute neuritis.
Even without paying special attention to him, she pieced together what he was like from what other people said.
The nurse at the hospital said he was very handsome. The children chasing one another around the flower bed downstairs said he told stories so gently. An older student she happened to meet said his tennis skills were second to none.
Even on the day her surgery succeeded, she never got to see him with her own eyes.
On her first day at Rikkai University, she read the new student guide's wildly over-the-top description of the "Child of God" and wondered if she had chosen the wrong school.
*
The year he fell ill, Yukimura Seiichi became acquainted, on his own, with the patient in the room next door, a girl who had also inexplicably come down with acute neuritis.
He heard from others that her life had been almost exactly like his. He didn't disturb her, but he couldn't help caring about her either.
Their shoulders brushed outside the examination room; they drew close in silence on the rooftop. Yukimura Seiichi never imagined that one day he would shamefully draw courage from someone else.
*
"I can hear... your voice."
Three months into their relationship, Yukimura Seiichi brought up that memory as if it were nothing, but never mentioned their meeting on the rooftop.
"The sound of flowers blooming, the sound of water droplets falling, the sound of the wind passing by..."
His girlfriend's eyes curved into a lovely smile. "Every time, I can hear your heart beating, Seiichi."
Reader's Note:
#To avoid surprising readers who may not like the heroine's name: Rei means a clear, pure voice.
1. Rikkai University: 16+3
2. As always, a sweet, everyday-life story
3. Acute neuritis, specially tailored for a fictional setting
Theme: The sound that flows is my way of saying I love you
