16 Listen for one last time

Cough! Cough! Cough!

'Where...?' With heavy coughs, Aki slowly opened her eyelids, which felt unbearably heavy. Her thoughts were clouded as she had just woken up from her slumber.

But no matter how hard she tried to move, her body wouldn't respond to her will.

'What is going on with my body!?' Aki panicked, feeling her body lethargic and, more terrifyingly, burning hot.

"!!" Then, she noticed something on her hand, causing her eyes to widen.

Her hand, which she had covered her mouth with when she coughed, was now covered with blood. But it wasn't just any blood; it was mixed with something black.

'Ah... So it was like this...' Memories flooded back, and she realized what was happening to her because of the blackened blood.

"Hah..." She let out a dry laugh, feeling her chest tighten as she stared at the blackened blood, fully aware of the fate that awaited her, with no possibility of turning back.

She was scared, truly frightened by the thought of becoming something akin to a zombie. More than that, she was consumed with guilt and sorrow for burdening Haru with such a daunting task. But not that it mattered for her as she, according to her, had already made a choice when she decided to ran away from Haru and others. 

'But... how did I get here?' She scanned her surroundings and realized she was lying on the floor, her upper body propped against the wall inside a dimly lit classroom. However, she struggled to recall how she had ended up there.

"!!" But as her gaze shifted to her right, and her body froze in shock.

'H-Haru!?'

To her right, Haru lay with his eyes closed, his upper body also leaning against the wall.

"!!" Panic surged within her as she took in the sight of Haru's body with splashes of fresh black blood, and fear gripped Aki's heart at the thought that something terrible might have happened to him.

"H-Haru!!" She managed to call out to him, mustering all her strength, but to her horror, Haru remained still.

'No! No! Move!!!' Aki tried using her hands to shake him, but her weakened body felt too heavy to budge. Determined not to give up, she pushed herself, gliding along the wall until her head fell onto his left shoulder.

The sudden movement jolted Haru from his slumber.

"Eh?... A-Aki?" He murmured, his eyes opening and falling upon Aki, whose head now rested on his shoulder.

"You... fool... Why are you... here?" Aki, relieved to see him awake, couldn't help but lash out, although her words felt weak given her dire state.

"Hah... Aki." Despite her words, Haru didn't seem to care; instead, he was simply glad that she was finally awake, after who knows how many hours had passed. But the hollowness in his eyes showed that he was aware of the fate that awaited her.

Instead of replying to her question, Haru bit his lips and extended his right hand, which was slightly trembling, toward her black hair, gently combing it with his fingers. His intentions were clear - he was not going to leave her behind.

But for Aki, it only intensified her pain, worry, and distress, seeing him stay instead of leaving her.

"Go away... Haru... You know what is going to happen... to me... please..." Aki struggled to get away from him as she spoke. The fever and the blackened wound on her neck had already exhausted the remaining strength within her, and now, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get up.

However, Haru didn't say a word, much less showed any signs of leaving her.

"Please... Haru... why are you... doing this..." Tears filled her eyes as she pleaded with him to leave her. 

"Haru!!"

It was then that Haru finally opened his mouth, retracting his hand. "I tried calling dad in the morning... but he didn't pick it up."

Hearing his words, Aki fell silent, remembering the time she also called their parents but received no answer.

Seeing her quiet, he continued, "I don't know whether he or Aunt Yuuki are still alive or not... They are our only family in this world, yet we don't know about their situation. So, do you think it is easy for me to leave behind my only family I possibly have left?"

"Haru..."

"You know, I have always respected the decisions you made... even the decision you made to break up with me immediately after we heard that our parents were getting married. Thinking about it now, back then, it seemed easy deciding things on the spot, and I was also somewhat glad that you made the decision because I too wanted the best for my father the same way you wanted for your mother..."

Tears shone within Haru's eyes as he recalled the good times they had spent together, moments that only these two shared, cherishing the secret bond between them. The memories were so bittersweet that they caused Haru's voice to quiver as he reminisced about those days. However, like so many other things, their time together didn't last long because they chose to prioritize their parents' happiness over their own.

Aki didn't say anything but continued to listen, struggling to keep her heavy eyelids open. But Haru's words stirred up emotions within her, reminding her of those cherished moments they had shared.

"But as time went on... I realized that it wasn't easy for me to suppress my feelings for you, no matter how hard I tried. However, you, on the other hand, easily settled into the role of my new sister and a daughter to my father..."

"H-Haru... I-" Aki attempted to speak, but Haru interrupted her. 

"Just listen, Aki... please... listen for one last time..."

Seeing her remain silent, he continued, "You know, I wanted to hate you for this because I felt a bit betrayed... but then again, the decision wasn't just yours, but ours. And I don't think it's possible for me to ever hate you for anything... Therefore, to suppress my feelings, I did things to make you hate me instead... but you never hated me once... It was then that I asked Miami to be my fake girlfriend, just to show you that I also had moved on... pathetic, aren't I?" Haru let out a dry laugh as he berated himself.

He then took out a worn-out cigarette from his pocket and continued as he emotionally stared at it, "This is the last thing she gave me before... she... she"

He wanted to tell her how Miami had turned and was ultimately killed by his own hands, but the thought of explaining tore at his heart. For him, Miami wasn't just a fake girlfriend but was more than a best friend to him.

"Please... Haru... don't..." Aki's heart ached, seeing the state he was in, more than her own. Knowing they were together before the apocalypse started and only Haru came to the lab, Aki had understood within her heart what might have happened to Miami. So she didn't want him to continue speaking about something that pained him.

"I killed my friend... And I couldn't save you from this hell as I promised... I am really sorry for being pathetic and weak... But even if I am pathetic and weak, just let me stay by your side for one last time... please" Tears fell from his eyes as Haru released his pent-up emotions.