21st Century Necromancer

Leaning back on the hospital bed, Yuiko Shiina felt a faint pain in her lungs, but she didn't pay it much attention. Since she had learned of her illness, this vague pain had always troubled her to the point where she had almost grown accustomed to it.

Moreover, compared to the pain, the joy of seeing Jounouchi Hiromi again was enough to alleviate all the discomfort she felt.

She had thought she would never see Jounouchi Hiromi again, but unexpectedly, she was reunited with the person she had yearned for over a decade.

The first time being kissed forcefully by a girl in high school, her first kiss, the first flutter of the heart, the first confession... She and Hiromi had too many entanglements and too deep a bond.

For Jounouchi Hiromi, she had almost slit her wrists, even had an honest conversation... It seemed they had done everything a couple could and could not do.

Back then, she truly naively thought that she and Hiromi would be together forever, even preparing to spend her life with her.

But fate always had its own cruel twists. On graduation day from high school, Yuiko Shiina was about to tell Jounouchi Hiromi that she planned to move and live with her so that they could be together forever. What awaited her, however, was the news that Jounouchi Hiromi had been accepted into a university and was going to Tokyo to study.

Yuiko Shiina had planned to go to Tokyo with Jounouchi Hiromi, ready to work part-time and earn money, allowing her to focus on her studies. She had already planned to run away from home, but her father stopped her, and she was confined at home for a week.

By the time Yuiko Shiina finally left home after her mother's pleading, she could no longer find Jounouchi Hiromi. She wanted to come to Tokyo to search for Jounouchi Hiromi, but at the time, without knowing which university Hiromi attended, her several trips to Tokyo were fruitless.

She thought she and Jounouchi Hiromi had inevitably missed each other, and the idea of searching for her gradually faded from her heart. She only regarded the events of her high school days as a beautiful memory, deeply buried within her heart.

However, fate wasn't ready to let her go, or rather, it was preparing to give her a belated compensation.

Lung adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that couldn't be considered fatal or dangerous, curable with timely surgery and treatment, was inoperable for Yuiko Shiina due to her chronic bronchitis. Doctors in her hometown recommended that she seek treatment at a major hospital in Tokyo and provided her with a referral letter.

Yuiko Shiina didn't particularly care whether she could be cured or not, but with the thought that she might see Jounouchi Hiromi, who always talked about wanting to be a doctor, she still came to Tokyo.

What Yuiko Shiina did not expect was that she actually did meet Jounouchi Hiromi in Tokyo.

It's just... Hiromi already had a boyfriend and was even engaged.

Yuiko Tsuina was not blind to the conspicuous ring on Jounouchi Hiromi's finger; it was simply impossible for her to ignore. A little inquiry with the nurses in the ward and she quickly understood everything crystal clear.

Indeed, fate was not perfect! Yuiko Tsuina couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Even though she had encountered Jounouchi Hiromi again, Hiromi was about to get married, while her own life was soon to end. Nevertheless, perhaps this was for the best; her presence wouldn't affect Hiromi's life, and if she were to leave this world such, surely Hiromi would remember her, wouldn't she?

Thinking this way might seem selfish, and her death could very well cause Hiromi regret. But, they had been apart for so many years, her own heart steadfastly remembered Hiromi, who was now about to wed—surely a little reprisal wasn't excessive?

Yuiko Tsuina thought this way, her mind already made up. She refused surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation—all the healing treatments. Although it was unfair to Hiromi, being able to spend the last moments of her life with her, she could definitely die without regrets.

In the past it had always been she, doing this and that for Hiromi; this time, she would let herself enjoy the feeling of Hiromi fussing over her.
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As she plotted this in her mind, a sudden, severe pain in her lungs made Yuiko Tsuina clutch her chest in an instant. The intense burning sensation caused her to curl up in agony on the hospital bed.

"Yuuko! What's wrong?" Fortunately, at this moment, Jounouchi Hiromi, who was on rounds, walked in. Seeing Yuiko Tsuina curled up on the bed, she rushed over, checking her pulse while anxiously asking her.

"It's... it's nothing, just a bit... painful, I'm fine." Yuiko Tsuina saw Jounouchi Hiromi before her, managing a pale, weak smile on her face, but the pain from the cancerous tumor was not so easily endured.

Jounouchi Hiromi rolled her eyes at her irritably and pressed the call button beside the bed, summoning a nurse to provide Yuiko Tsuina with pain relief. After a bustle, Tsuina finally got better, but her complexion remained ashen.

"Sorry, Hiromi, troubling you with my care again." Yuiko Tsuina, now lying on the lowered hospital bed, showed an apologetic expression.

"When will you ever grow up, little kitty? It's really troublesome when you're like this every time!" Jounouchi Hiromi looked at Yuiko Tsuina, weak yet still apologizing, and couldn't help but recall the time she tried to commit suicide by cutting her wrists for her, instinctively calling her the nickname from those days.

Hearing Jounouchi Hiromi call her that, Yuiko Tsuina couldn't help but reminisce about the past, and with a laugh, said, "It's been a long time since you called me little kitty, it really brings back memories, Hiromi."

"Don't think too much, what you need to do now is focus on recovering." Jounouchi Hiromi looked at her sternly, although she too was reminded of their shared history. Still, some things had inevitably changed, but she tried to comfort Tsuina, hoping she'd cooperate with the healing, "And if you want me to call you 'little kitty' again, you have to behave. Didn't I tell you that my pets must listen?"

"I understand, Hiromi," Yuiko Tsuina agreed, but still insisted, "But I still don't want to become bald in front of you, and my body can't undergo surgery either. How are you going to heal me, Hiromi?"

"Don't worry, though your condition is complicated to cure, controlling it is quite easy. Our hospital is currently working on a research project involving Broad-spectrum anti-cancer drugs that suppress tumor activity. Although still in the experimental stage, there have been successful cases.

Recently, a patient with stage IV esophageal cancer managed to suppress tumor activity for three years through this drug, until only recently did they surgically remove the tumor. So, little kitty, rest assured, obediently follow the treatment, and I will definitely cure you." Jounouchi Hiromi pinched Yuiko Tsuina's cheek before finally leaving the ward.