3 Afterlife?
Arima Kōsei PoV-
I grieve when Kaori died, she was the light of my life, the person I came to love the most, but everything disappeared after she passed away.
I may look okay on the outside but I'm in constant pain on the inside. I can't move on to the fact that she's no longer here in this world.
Time passed after that, I continued my career as a musician, however, every time I played the piano there was this sad feeling that won't just go away no matter what. I still couldn't move on.
In 3rd year of high school, I became a legend of the musical world, a world genius, who quit. My potential was supposed to be infinite but I couldn't be bothered, it's none of my business anymore.
At graduation, she confessed to me, if ever I wonder who this 'she' is, it's my childhood friend Tsubaki. I have long known that she had a crush on me, but despite that, I kept my silence.
And now she confessed, I wasn't really planning to accept her offer because I don't have a single romantic feeling toward her, me dating her means. Her time with me would be pointless because I can never give her the affection that she needed.
However, an idea came to mind and I thought.
What if she can cure my sadness?
Then I decided to accept her confession and we started dating each other. Tsubaki was extremely happy with my answer, she burst into tears to express how happy she was.
I'm not an emotionless being, so I feel a bit happy for her, but for me, I wonder if I made the right decision.
After we started dating, we went on a lot of dates. It was quite fun, but I couldn't be truly happy. Despite our time together I still haven't fallen in love with her.
Our college days started, I already had a major that I wanted to get a degree with. It was being a surgeon, to be exact a neurosurgeon, a doctor that specializes in the brain, spine, and spinal cord.
I wanted to be someone who could cure the same disease as the one I loved, Friedreich's ataxia, presently there is no cure for this rare disease.
And I will do everything I can to create a cure for this disease, even though she isn't here anymore, I just want to do this, to make myself feel better.
With my hard work, I passed at Tokyo University. It was the best university in my country with an acceptance rate lower than 10%, it's like Harvard University but only half as hard.
Just so you know, Harvard had only a 5% acceptance rate.
So my years at Tokyo University started, it was pressuring, especially in exams but I got through all the tests and trials.
Though, I have had to sacrifice my time with Tsubaki ever since we got to college. We rarely met, because we went to a different college. She wanted to go to the same college as me actually, but she couldn't pass because of how low the acceptance rate is.
To begin with, she wasn't that smart. I have a very high IQ, so comparing my intellect with her is rather... wrong in my way.
And another surprising thing, here I thought that she would go to a major that has to do with sports but, her choice was too unexpected.
She chose (BSN) or Bachelor In Nursing, she wanted a degree in nursing! I tried to change her mind, but her sight was already on set with it, so I decided to support her decision as her boyfriend.
Since we rarely met, and every time we did we do it, basically sex, it releases our stress, we use each other's bodies.
The first time we did it, is the next day after we started dating each other, surprising? It is, I wasn't the one who asked for it, but her.
Either at this point, I've lost count of how many times we did it, probably hundreds of times, not like it matters.
We used protection whenever we did it, but of course, there are times that we do it raw, on her safe day.
Exactly 2 years later after I graduated to college, I became a licensed surgeon, a real doctor, normally it would take 4-7 years to become one, but my a big shot saw my talents, so they helped me hasten my progress because they wanted me, to work under the government which I did.
After becoming a surgeon, many things happened, my best friend Ryōta became an international football player, he was famous and popular with ladies.
While he was popular in the sports category, I was popular in the medical field, a genius who had a 99.99% success rate of surgery without failure.
And by the way, I wasn't just a neurosurgeon like I originally intended, but an all-rounder surgeon. I was the so-called 'Perfect Surgeon'.
The title really doesn't matter, I don't care about that, what I want is to complete the cure of the disease Friedreich's ataxia. I didn't forget why I became a surgeon in the first place, it's because of this.
I was just at the beginning stage, but I can still hope, it wasn't impossible to create a cure.
Exactly 3 years later, Tsubaki became a fully-fledged nurse. She was really happy that she succeeded, she even bragged about it with me.
Makes us wonder if she lives under a stone, not to brag but, I'm famous in the medical field, and as a nurse, she doesn't know me?
Especially when she's my girlfriend, well it can't be, I let her stay ignorant for a while.
Then after she got to know about my achievement, her reaction was priceless, she blushed so hard that she couldn't make eye contact with me.
I say cute, at this point I have fallen for her, which I never thought I would, but the shadow of my past haunts me.
I couldn't forget about her, my feelings for her haven't changed a bit, I love her. And these feelings may never disappear.
2 years later, I proposed to Tsubaki which she happily accepted, a year after she became pregnant with my child.
A few months later, my first child, my blood and flesh came to this world, and she was the most beautiful thing that came to my life.
I cried when she was born, my love for her is indescribable, my beautiful, cute, and adorable daughter.
She was like the missing piece that completed my life.
---
4 years later,
My daughter Ai is playing the piano and she is the same as me, a genius. She could easily perform a simple song, which makes me really proud of her.
2 years later,
She had her first performance, and she had won! I and her mother were really proud of her.
But….an unforeseen disaster happened, Ai inherited the disease Friedreich's ataxia, I couldn't believe it.
What is this? Is this a joke from God? Of all the people, why does it have to be my daughter?
But to my disappointment, God couldn't answer me, I mean how could he? Does he even exist?
I doubt that.
Because of this incident, I completely focused on creating a cure for that damned disease!
There is no way I'm letting my daughter wait for her death! I refuse to see her funeral!
8 years later,
I rarely go home or interact with anyone other than my family, I was finally at the late stage of my cure, my hard work was bearing fruit.
However, my daughter's body has become really weak, even walking was already a hard thing to do, but I swear it won't be for too long!
A few months later,
Finally, I have created a cure for that damned disease! I succeeded!
I immediately started the procedure to form a surgeon for my daughter!
..
..
..
The surgery was a big success! I made history, I created a cure to a disease that was supposed to be incurable.
I was happy that I had saved my daughter and cured her disease, but at the same time, my body collapsed and I lost consciousness.
I knew my body condition very well, I have been constantly neglecting to take care of it for the past several years, and I was sure that I died because of overwork.
"Shame….I didn't live enough to see my daughter's wedding or see my grandchildren but other than that, I'm satisfied with my life…because I have fulfilled my desire, to create a cure and to save my daughter...now I wonder if there is really an afterlife... it's time for me to find out."
What happened next is something I have never thought or dreamed of.
---
An unknown time later,
I suddenly felt something hot covering my entire body, and my first thought was. 'Am I in hell?'
But after that, I had the urge to open my eyes, and I really did after a few seconds, as I opened my two eyes.
I saw a very familiar room, it made me feel nostalgic.
"Ah...is this my old room? How nostalgic... wait could this be the afterlife? If so, it's not bad at all." I smiled thinking that this is the afterlife.
Suddenly, a loud foot noise was coming toward my room, and I thought it was a guardian of the afterlife or some sort that was ready to take me somewhere.
But to my surprise, the guardian that I had expected didn't arrive, instead, it was a younger version of wife Tsubaki!
I was confused for a moment, upon realizing a possibility and exclaimed at the younger version of my wife.
"Tsubaki?! Don't tell me you died too?! What about our daughter?!"
The younger version of my wife's expression went blank a moment later, her face became crimson, she approached me and unexpectedly slapped my head and shouted.
"K-kousei! W-what are we talking about?! Who'd want y-your daughter?! Are you still half asleep?!"
Because of her slap, I went back to my senses.
"Eh?"
At that moment, I realized that this might not be the afterlife after all!
(End-)
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