Chapter 72: Katsuragi and

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Translator: Soafp

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Today is the day I made a promise to meet Katsuragi after three months.

“…Kazunari, this is the place.”

Before Mizuki jumped, the three of us would visit this café.

Katsuragi was sitting at a two-person table near the entrance, different from our usual spot—different from that time, a place that brings back memories, a seat we probably won’t sit in again.

“How have you been?”

“Well, enough not to die. And you, Kazunari… seem a bit worn out.”

“Don’t need you to tell me that.”

Katsuragi now seems to carry an air of struggle, with his cheeks sunken. Well, considering everything that happened, it would be odd if he wasn’t worn out. But his expression wasn’t dark.

After Naoki’s death, Katsuragi and I quit our jobs.

Given the incidents involving the police, and the uncomfortable environment, it didn’t seem necessary to force ourselves to work. It was also a decision made to respect our heavy psychological state and take a break.

Well, Katsuragi actually has already secured a new job. His feelings for Mizuki seemed more serious than I thought.

Grateful for supporting Mizuki devotedly when she was losing her will to live, Mizuki’s father arranged a new job for Katsuragi. It’s a small company owned by Mizuki’s father.

“…And how is Mizuki?”

“Yeah, recently, I’ve started to see her smile again.”

“…Is that so? That’s good. Has Katsuragi felt a bit rewarded too?”

“Hah, still a long way to go. It’s annoying how she hasn’t been swearing at me lately.”

“You’re not so straightforward yourself. You two suit each other.”

As for Mizuki herself, she’s still confined to a wheelchair. Whether she’ll recover to her original healthy state remains uncertain.

Well, for Katsuragi, whether Mizuki will fully recover or not doesn’t seem to be the issue.

As long as she is alive.

Yes, as long as she is alive, they can exchange words. They can convey their hearts.

As long as they trust each other.

Even though I provoked him with my teasing words, Katsuragi responded with a question.

“…How about Maya-chan?”

At that moment, a waitress brought cold water to our table.

As if on cue, I picked up the menu and pretended to ponder what to order.

Even though the order and how to answer were already decided.

Well, let me take a brief pause. Unlike Katsuragi, I’m the unfortunate one, so it’s okay to be a bit mean.

“…It’s not going well, huh?”

But even with this much, Katsuragi would probably understand.

After a sigh, I closed the menu and looked up at the café ceiling, then disclosed the current situation.

“…Well, they seemed to have performed the surgery, but the tumor marker levels seem a bit high.”

Yes, Maya was diagnosed with bre*st cancer.

Using “seemed” is correct here.

I haven’t seen Maya since the divorce.