Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

–There was a girl about the age of an elementary school student in a white hospital gown. She stared at Tsugumi inorganically through her shaggy hair.

The girl was sitting deep on the sofa, letting her feet, which did not touch the floor, swing back and forth.

…The fact that she had feet meant that she might not be a ghost. It would be better if she was just a lost child or something.

As Tsugumi pondered what to say to the girl, she stood up without a sound. Her shoulder shook and she tried to retreat, but her legs seemed to be sewn to the ground.

“Wh-why, uh.”

She pulled her leg with all her might, but instead of moving, it felt as if the strength in her leg was gradually slipping away. The strange phenomenon, which he did not understand, made him impatient.

–In the split second that Tsugumi took his eyes off her, he moved to stand right in front of her. The girl looked up at him with a calm expression. Without saying a word, she reached out with her right hand and placed it on Tsugumi’s left chest–his heart.

Impatience, fear, and bewilderment took over his thoughts. His heart that beat like a quick bell was unpleasantly noisy.

The girl smiled.

“–Good.”

–Her voice was wrinkled, like an old woman’s.

“I have a prophecy for you. Well, you’ll get your money’s worth.”

As if in a whisper, something in the form of a girl continued. It looked like an oracle of a Goddess.

“The seal is now a dying flame. Soon the Beast of Calamity will be unleashed. But there is a way of life in the midst of the fire. –Strive to keep it in your hearts and minds. Well, you’ll forget it tomorrow.”

The girl with the voice of an old woman laughed.

“Who the hell are you?”

When Tsugumi asked this question in a daze, the girl squinted. Her violet eyes glinted suspiciously.

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“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. –When the time comes, please save my beloved child. Oh, let’s make it the price you should pay.”

“Wait, what are you talking about…!”

With a gulp, he grabbed the girl by the shoulders. Even though he flinched a little at the slender body, Tsugumi was not going to give in.

–He was not convinced by the sudden mention of a prophecy. To begin with, he didn’t even know who this girl was.

“Let go, child of the Shaman. I told you that now is not the time.”

The girl said in a strong tone, shaking off the hand that gripped her shoulder. Her eyes, like purple crystals, shot straight through Tsugumi.

As their eyes meet, his vision distorted. He put his hand against the wall and looked forward again, but nobody was there.

When he looked around the room and confirmed that the girl wasn’t there anymore, he sighed.

“Damn, I feel like I’ve been turned into a fox…”

Saying this, Tsugumi sat there against the wall. It would have been much easier to say that he was dreaming while standing up. But to him, the previous event could only be the reality.

…Tsugumi understood that she was saying something important. At the same time, he could understand why he couldn’t remember this conversation for long.

He stared at his hands. He could still feel the touch of the girl’s shoulder when he grabbed her.

“Bell-sama… I can’t call her. There’s something like a strange barrier in the room.”

Tsugumi clicked his tongue. With this, he couldn’t even ask for advice.

After all, he didn’t know if it was that girl… But what was she doing here? If he was going to forget it in the morning, it didn’t have to be today.

“…It might be useless, but I’ll leave a note just in case.”

The seal, the Beast of Calamity. And the word kachi – perhaps written as vortex or fire – was the only way to make a difference. It was too abstract to make sense, and it was probably not a very good kind of prophecy.

Tsugumi had a feeling that something terrible was going on under the surface, but what did this have to do with him? A strange feeling of uneasiness scratched at his chest.

–And can I take the girl’s word for it?

In the first place, he didn’t even know if the prophecy was really true or not. After all, no matter how worried he was, there would be no answer.

“…Let’s go to bed.”

In times like this, it would be best to do nothing more. He couldn’t leave his room anyway, and tomorrow he would have forgotten everything.

“…I wonder what will happen to me.”

While lying on the bed, Tsugumi muttered.

–Until yesterday, he thought he was a normal person, no different from anyone else around here. But his uncertain past, the anomalies in his soul, and the events that were happening around him were gradually negating that fact. It felt like that.

It wasn’t even funny that he didn’t understand it best, even though it was about himself.

In the midst of blurred thoughts, almost falling into unconsciousness, Tsugumi subconsciously opened his mouth. Words that he did not intend to say spilled out like whispers.

“Still, I’d like to remain as Tsugumi–Neesan…”

–The next thing he knew, he fall asleep. And the next morning, when he got up, he found a strange note on his desk.

“What is this scribble? –Who wrote this?”

Tsugumi picked up the note, tilted his head, and was about to throw the note in the trash. But then he reconsidered and gently put it back.

“Maybe it’s something Senpai has forgotten. Let’s save it just in case.”

Saying so, he tucked the note into the back of a novel he had left under his pillow. Here, even if he forgot the note’s existence, he would be able to remember it when he finished reading.

Tsugumi gave a small stretch and got up from the bed with slow movements. It was nice to be up, but there was nothing to do.

He remembered going out last night to get a drink, but on second thought, there was no way that Tsugumi, who was in the hospital with an upset stomach, could eat or drink normally. It had to be a dream or something.

Otherwise, he must have been sleepwalking or something strange was controlling his consciousness.

With these rambling thoughts in mind, he dragged the IV out of the room. After so much sleep, he needed to get out in the fresh air once in a while.

-It might be cold, but let’s go to the rooftop. Tsugumi thought so, but when he was about to turn down the corridor, he bumped into something with a thud.

“Oh, that hurts…”

It hit him hard in the stomach. A gripping pain centered on the abdomen. The impact made Tsugumi cringe and moan.

With tears in his eyes, he looked up and saw a girl in a hospital gown standing there.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

The girl with long, shaggy hair was looking at Tsugumi with her hands wandering about in a panic. She seemed to be trembling slightly, as if frightened. Her dark eyes were filled with tears.

…It feels as if I’m the one abusing her.

Although feeling awkward, Tsugumi stood up, clutching his stomach.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t check properly, but don’t run in the hallway in the first place. It’s dangerous, okay?”

Tsugumi said in a quiet voice. He didn’t mean to be overbearingly angry with a child, but he had to warn her, at least.

Although it didn’t turn out to be a big deal this time, there was a risk that the person who hit him could have been injured or his medical condition could have worsened.

When he warned her, she bowed her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Oniisan. I wanted to get to the lobby quickly because my father was coming to see me, so I ran…”

“I’m not angry. Just be careful next time.”

Tsugumi chuckled and said so, gently patting the girl on the head. He didn’t know why this girl was in the hospital, but he did know that she wanted to see her family as soon as possible.

They parted immediately, but Tsugumi had a strange sense of deja vu.

“–I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before, or is it just my imagination?”

He tilted his head in that direction, but couldn’t recall anything in particular.

…Well, it must have been my imagination. This kind of thing is quite common. Though feeling uncomfortable, Tsugumi convinced himself.

–And so the week in the hospital passed uneventfully.