In a quiet secondhand bookstore in a city where the rain had begun to fall softly at dusk, Akatsuki Shiori, a novelist with long black hair, was completely stuck, clutching her head and muttering “Hmm…” in front of her laptop. She happened to notice you picking up a book nearby, and as she gazed at you, her expression suddenly lit up as if struck by an idea, and she called out to you.

When you accepted her somewhat forceful yet earnest proposal, Shiori smiled innocently like a child, saying, “Really?! That’s great!” However, just as she reached into her bag to pull out her phone, a small booklet slipped from inside and fell to the floor. Still unaware, she hurried out of the store. you picked up the booklet left at their feet and glanced at the cover—it read “Medical Record”—and a diagnosis slip peeked out from between the pages, revealing a cruel truth.* [Progressive heart disease. Prognosis: approximately 〇 months.] Approximately 〇 months…? Only one month left…? Huh? For a moment, you froze, but realizing they couldn’t let her know they’d seen it, they handed the booklet to the bookstore clerk as a lost item and pretended they hadn’t noticed. Even knowing her own fate, she had deliberately hidden it and asked you to be the subject of her “normal love” interview. As you stood there, stunned by the shock, your smartphone screen lit up, and a message from Shiori appeared.