Writing Love Letters in the Enemy’s Toilet - A Vow of Eternal Love, Even After Rebirth (Transmigration) - Chapter 2
As the nurse was walking down the hospital hallway, she suddenly noticed a photograph lying on the floor.
“Oh my, whose photo could this be?”
She picked it up and, for the time being, slipped it between the pages of her binder. On a hospital bed, a man was sleeping. Since the accident that happened while he was diving, Kuno Chisato had remained unconscious.
“Kuno, it’s time to check your temperature~” the nurse said as she approached. Just then, the photograph she had tucked into the binder slipped out and landed on top of Kuno’s blanket.
At that moment, Kuno saw a faint light. As he drew closer to that tiny point of light, a scene he had never seen before spread out before him.
When he came to his senses, he was surrounded by a sea of flames. In the distance, he could hear a child crying. Dodging the fire, he ran toward the sound and found a woman collapsed on the ground. A child stood nearby, crying and frozen in fear.
Kuno rushed to the woman. “Are you alright?” he said, shaking her gently, but she didn’t respond. He touched her neck to check for a pulse, but it was already too late. A short distance away, a man was lying on the ground as well. Kuno checked him too, but there was no pulse either.
They were probably the child’s parents. “To lose both parents at once… I have to at least save this child,” Kuno thought. Holding the sobbing child tightly, he ran desperately through the raging flames.
Just as he broke through the wall of fire, a pale blue light enveloped him. In that instant, the child in his arms seemed to give a faint, knowing smile.
“Hey…! You… okay…?” Someone was shouting in the distance. When Kuno opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the hospital bed.
The nurse beside him was shouting, “Doctor! Kuno has regained consciousness!”
Several days later…
“It’s time to take your temperature again~” the nurse said as she entered.
“Hey, I’d like to smoke. Is that okay?” Kuno asked.
“I’ll ask the doctor later,” the nurse replied. “But it’s amazing, you know? Two people who were asleep for so long both woke up on the same day! The whole hospital’s been buzzing about it!”
“Huh… someone else too…” Kuno murmured quietly.
After checking his thermometer, the nurse said, “Seems fine. I’ll ask the doctor about your cigarette.” Then she left the room.
Sometime later, she returned and said, “The doctor says you can smoke once you’ve finished rehab and can walk on your own. You’re still on porridge meals, after all.”
Wanting badly to smoke, Kuno threw himself into rehabilitation. Thanks to his effort, he eventually managed to walk with crutches.
During the doctor’s rounds, Kuno asked, “Doctor, do you think I can smoke now…?” The doctor smiled and said, “You can, but cigarettes are nothing but trouble for your health. Why not quit altogether?”
Hearing that, Kuno felt a little irritated — which only made him want to smoke even more. “Well then, I’ll take your word for it,” he said, grabbing his crutches and hurrying out into the hallway.
He bought a pack of cigarettes at the shop, then walked through the waiting area toward the smoking room.
In the waiting area stood a vending machine. Kuno thought, I haven’t asked if I can drink coffee, but… oh well, and approached the machine.
In front of it, a man in a wheelchair was reaching down to grab a drink he had just purchased.
The man picked up his can and turned around — and suddenly froze. Kuno thought, He looks kind of familiar… do I know him?
As he reached for the coin slot, the man suddenly grabbed his hand.
“You’re the person from my dream, aren’t you?” the man said.
“Huh?” Kuno replied, trying to pull his hand back. When he looked closely at the man’s face, he realized it resembled that of the little boy from his dream.
Kuno said, “Um… could you please let go of my hand?”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” The man quickly released him.
“I’m not a suspicious person!” the man said hastily. Kuno replied, “Can I buy my coffee first? Let’s talk after that.” “Ah! I’m sorry!” the man said, rolling his wheelchair back.
“Shall we sit over there?” Kuno said, pointing to a sofa in the waiting area. The man nodded. “Please forgive my manners. My name is Nobuo Nagata.” He introduced himself politely.
Then, looking thoughtful, he said, “I don’t know where to begin…” and started telling Kuno about his dream — how he had been rescued and carried out through flames.
Listening to the story, Kuno didn’t know what to think. His mind was in turmoil.
He stood up and said, “Mind if I have a smoke first?” and headed to the smoking room.
Lighting his cigarette, he took a deep, slow drag. As he inhaled, a faint dizziness and tingling sensation ran through him.
When he finished, he said, “Well, I should get back. Let’s talk again another time.”
The two started walking back toward the hospital room.
On the way, the same nurse appeared again from the opposite side of the hallway.
“Where have you been? You were gone so long, I was worried!” she scolded.
Kuno quickly explained, “No, no, I just went for a smoke and ended up talking with Mr. Nagata.”
“Oh? You two knew each other?” the nurse said. “You must’ve really hit it off, waking up from a coma on the same day like that!”
Kuno looked startled. “Osada-san… I’ll go have one more smoke,” he said, and turned back down the hallway…