Prologue

Kamo Touma held his wife's left hand. He regretted how long he'd waited before taking her to the hospital, having convinced himself it was just a cold.

“If only I'd acted more decisively...”

Rena's eyes were tired as she lay on the bed, but she smiled at Kamo.

“You didn't do anything wrong.”

That was all she said before her back arched and she fell into a violent fit of coughing. The pulse oximeter on her finger soon let out a shrill beep. It was an indication that her blood oxygen level had fallen dangerously low. But all Kamo could do was gently rub his wife's back.

A thick tube ran up to Rena's nose. It was a high-flow nasal cannula for delivering oxygen. It was there because her lungs had failed to the point where even an oxygen mask could no longer compensate. Even after switching to this high-flow system that could provide a more stable supply of oxygen... her blood oxygen level continued to fall.

Her doctor declared that she wasn't strong enough to continue and had her moved to the ICU, where she was to be intubated and placed on a ventilator.

He saw that Rena was struggling to speak through her coughs, so Kamo placed a marker in her right hand. With shaking hands, Rena began to write in the notebook Kamo held out to her.

――I knew this was going to happen. I've known for a long, long time.

Her writing was terribly messy. The only sound in the room came from the hollow hum of the airflow generator tirelessly working away. Kamo forced a smile through gritted teeth.

“It'll all be okay. You'll feel better before you know it.”

Even as he said this, Kamo knew it could well be the last conversation they'd ever have. He'd been told that she'd be anesthetized while the endotracheal intubation was administered, and depending on her condition, Rena might not be able to speak or write.

She looked up at him with wet, feverish eyes and continued to write.

――There's no escape from the curse of the Ryuuzen clan.

Kamo tried to deny it, but when he saw the dark despair in Rena's eyes, he found himself at a loss for words.

“I'm sorry... I couldn't save you.”

All that came out was a voice so weak even he could barely hear it.

 

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