Two It had started in April, when the late-blooming sakura trees still held their cherry blossoms. Medical science continued to make advancements, whether I knew ƒ„‘—––Š‡‘”‘–ǡƒ†‘•–Ž›†‹†ǯ–Ǥ‘”†‹†…ƒ”‡–‘Ǥ What I later learned was that modern medicine had advanced far enough to permit at least one girl a normal life, even when a serious illness left her with less than one year to live. So normal was her life that if she chose to keep her disease a secret, no one would suspect a thing. In other words, mankind had gained the power to extend her life as it was before. When I thought about it, carrying on as if everything was normalȄ despite suffering a serious illnessȄseemed more machinelike than human. But no one in that position had any reason to give a damn about what I thought. ›…Žƒ••ƒ–‡…‡”–ƒ‹Ž›†‹†ǯ–Ž‡–ƒ›•—…Š…‘…‡”•‘„•–”—…–Š‡”ˆ”‘ enjoying the benefits of modern medical science. Š‡ǯ†„‡‡•Ž‘’’›Ž‡––‹‰Š‡”•‡…”‡–‘—–ǡƒ†—Ž—…‹Ž›‹–™ƒ•–‘ someone like meȄjust some guy who happened to be in the same class as her. Š‡†ƒ›ǯ†Ž‡ƒ”‡†Š‡”•‡…”‡–ǡ™‡––‘–Š‡Š‘•’‹–ƒŽ‹•–‡ƒ†‘ˆ•…Š‘‘Ž for my appendectomyȄnot the surgery itself, but because I needed to get the stitches taken out. The doctor said I had recovered fine, and the stitch removal was over quickly. I would have been able to go back to school, if only just a little late, but the wait had been long, typical of a large hospital, and I was inclined to take the excuse to skip. And so, I lingered in the lobby for a while. The events that followed were caused by a mere passing impulse. I ‘–‹…‡†ƒ„‘‘•–”ƒ†‡†‘ƒ•‘Ž‹–ƒ”›…‘—…Š‹–Š‡Ž‘„„›ǯ•…‘”‡”ǡ•‘‡ distance removed from the other seating. I assumed someone must have accidently left the book behind. Curiosity and anticipation filled me, of the kind only a bibliophile knew, and the impulse compelled me into motion. I weaved my way through the waiting patients to the couch and sat there. The paperback-sized book was fairly thick; at first glance I judged it to be at least three hundred pages. Its owner had added a protective cover, made of paper, that I recognized from a bookstore near the hospital.