Chapter 299

Overall pink, but clad in silver-white armor, the entire armor is covered in heart shapes from top to bottom, a muscular giant brimming with 'love'.

This is the Stand, Crazy Diamond.

"Dulala lala lala lala lala--"

Obeying orders, the illusory yet solid clone began to swing its fists forward without hesitation, launching an attack that seemed to want to shatter everything in its path.

But this is only a facade.

Crazy Diamond is quite unique even among Stands that already possess numerous special abilities.

Its ability is... repair.

"Restore to its original state" would be a more accurate description.

Repair, restore, reorganize.

While it cannot treat diseases, it is far more effective than conventional medical treatment in repairing injuries.

Actually, when it comes to Stands, Asakusa Toru would probably prefer Stands like 'The World' or 'Star Platinum', which are the simplest and most direct Stands with the ability to stop time, and are quite charismatic Stand users in the original story, something akin to his past dreams.

At the very least, it has to be a Stand like 'King Crimson' or 'Gold Experience' —either related to time or having a path to achieving the Requiem's advancement. In short, being handsome has to be the top priority.

If all else fails, a more special Stand like 'Wonder of U of U' is also an option.

But the last substitute that exists here.

But it's Crazy Diamond.

Perhaps there was a moment of disappointment, because expectations were dashed and hopes were dashed.

But joy followed immediately.

Because the significance of this stand-in is that he is able to salvage things that he could not salvage otherwise.

... although it still couldn't cure the disease.

But isn't that precisely his purpose in pursuing the extraordinary?

Crazy Diamond's punches quickly dissipated, as if he knew he had completed his mission. Crazy Diamond's figure faded away on its own, revealing a brown-haired youth lying unconscious on a hospital bed.

Natsume Kyosuke.

They were involved in a bus accident during a school trip. The bus they were on plunged off a cliff, and everyone on the bus was once in a near-death experience.

But in the end, they miraculously survived.

The only reasons, besides faith and love, can be a miracle, right?

Someone miraculously struggled to wake up, and miraculously encountered Asakusa Toru, who had once returned to the same place.

Miraculously, at the very moment when the fuel leak could ignite a fire at any moment, the man lying on the hospital bed in front of her used his last bit of strength to firmly plug the fuel tank.

Then, despite suffering near-fatal injuries, everyone managed to hold on until they were taken to the hospital for treatment, and no one died.

Such a miracle.

Although they all needed to be hospitalized to varying degrees due to different injuries.

But this is still a result that can only be described as miraculous.

Of course, beyond miracles lies an incredibly cruel reality that must be considered.

An accident is an accident, and the bus driver who fell off the cliff is also a victim and bears responsibility, but he cannot afford the medical expenses of all the students on the bus.

The school that organizes the school trip is the responsible party and should bear the medical expenses for everyone, but the number of an entire class is indeed too much for the school.

If an insurance company were to cover the entire cost, everyone would be happy.

A world where only insurance companies get hurt would be perfect.

Unfortunately, insurance only provides quick payouts when you buy it. Once the amount involved becomes large, getting the compensation you want becomes incredibly difficult.

Perhaps in the end they will still choose to compensate, but that process will be much longer.

At the very least, they cannot afford the maximum amount of medical expenses while being hospitalized for treatment.

To put it bluntly, this is where Asakusa Toru's biggest expense lies.

There are too many people.

Although he doesn't have to bear all the costs—the school and insurance will cover a certain amount—he only needs to make a small initial payment, which will be returned once the process is complete.

But this is still a significant number.

Fortunately, only a minority of students were seriously injured; most students only needed to stay in the hospital for a few months before being discharged.

However... the one who was most seriously injured and had not yet woken up, even after he, Asakusa Toru, had attended Advanced Nurturing for a year and was still not awake, was the only boy who had not yet been discharged from the hospital, right in front of him.

If things had continued as they were, even in the end, he would likely have been transferred to a major hospital in September of the year before last and recovered by last summer.

But Asakusa Toru doesn't expect that to happen, because the world doesn't always go as planned.

Just like when the car accident happened, if he hadn't appeared, even with their adrenaline surging, the only Naoe Riki and Natsume Rin, would never have been able to move all the people in the car to a safe area, let alone call for help after rescuing them.

Asakusa Toru knew very early on that some things would happen according to a set pattern, but some things would not be predetermined in an intertwined world.

Therefore, after dropping out of school, the first place he visited was this nearby hospital.

Natsume Kyosuke did not transfer to another hospital during the year he was in school.

This is the reality he has come to understand.

I don't know if it's because they can't find a better hospital to solve the problem, or if it's due to some other issue.

But he simply didn't wake up.

Therefore, he was still able to find the other person's ward, and the money he had prepaid to the hospital's inpatient account was not emptied and he was forced to leave the hospital within the year.

What's not pleasant is that he was in a coma for a year. Although there were many unused gifts and traces left behind in the ward, it proved that other students still came to visit him after he was discharged from the hospital.

Fortunately, he happened to arrive and happened to have the means to solve the problem.

This is not a disease.

So, he will wake up.

How are you feeling?

Seeing Kyosuke Natsume finally slowly open his eyes, seemingly somewhat Natsume Kyosuke, Asakusa Toru asked softly.

With a substitute in hand, the problems that can be solved are naturally not limited to those who are in a vegetative state and cannot wake up.

Ultimately, of all the outcomes he wanted to change in the past, Natsume Kyosuke's situation was actually the one he least needed to care about.

Because they deserve a happy ending.

Even if the process is a little bumpy, even if the situation seems much more severe to outsiders, miracles can happen, and past memories will only exist in the past as fond recollections.

The reason we arrived at that hospital first was because...

Simply because it's close.

The principle of proximity.

Problems that have been piling up for a year, or even longer, won't suddenly erupt just because he's a day or two late, nor will they catch up just a second or two early. The situation where he just misses the deadline at the last second won't happen to him.

He was simply destined for greatness.

"...The most recent one." Glancing down at the map on his navigation app, Asakusa Toru chose the route with the shortest travel time.

It's still a hospital.

During the tunnel collapse, he did his best to save others, but he was so badly injured that he only managed to hold on until the rescue team dug through the collapsed soil and rocks before falling into a coma.

He deserved to die.

Or rather, it's about those who should be dying heading towards the boundary line of being on the verge of death but not quite, reaching that other side called the afterlife.

However, perhaps because such a mysterious afterlife does not exist in this world, the theory of reincarnation has not been constructed.

He didn't die.

Or rather, they did not suffer from irreversible injuries that were certain to lead to death and could not be saved.

But being saved doesn't mean one can easily recover and be discharged from the hospital.

The tunnel collapse was a natural disaster, and the action he took to save others, which aggravated his own injuries, was a conscious choice.

Words of gratitude will be expressed, and fruit baskets will be left for visitors. As long as the price paid is low enough and the damage done is justifiable, people will stop before they actually have to pay a heavy price.

Yes, without him, I might have died.

But I'm not dead yet, am I? If I were to actually take out my money, my wallet would be completely empty!

This is only natural.

What I can do, what I will do, is always only what is within my power, and it can only slightly soothe my inner feelings.

For example, the occasional visits with fruit baskets, and the first hospital bill paid without affecting their lives.

This is the best they could do.

To this, Asakusa Toru could only say...

Let him make up for the deficiencies.

This encounter with Asakusa Toru wasn't exactly a perfectly timed coincidence.

Is he just bored and going to suffer in a tunnel collapse?

He's not some big shot; most of his life is filled with events. He might be discharged from the hospital today and be back in bed tomorrow due to an accident.

That's Kamijou Touma, not Asakusa Toru.

As I said before, all he can do is take care of the things within his power right now.

For example, Meiko, that bus, and Ichinose Honami.

These are things that just happen to be right in front of you, things that you can just reach out and touch.

Logically speaking, Asakusa Toru should have ignored what was beyond his reach.

But who told him to see it?

News, newspapers, videos.

As times change and information becomes more time-sensitive, it becomes increasingly easier for information to spread.

It was really just a coincidence; I just happened to see it and just happened to remember it.

So, Asakusa Toru also extended his hand to him.

Its name is Otonashi Yuzuru.

It's nothing serious. If it's just an injury, no matter how much buildup there is, as long as Crazy Diamond works its magic, he'll recover smoothly.

Only.

Having saved Otonashi Yuzuru, another problem will arise.

This is an issue that should be considered together.

Sometimes the disappearance of a life doesn't just represent a single life; Otonashi Yuzuru doesn't just represent himself.

This is certainly not about his family. He does have a seriously ill but positive younger sister. In fact, the tunnel collapse happened just before he was inspired, determined to work hard and succeed, and embarked on his medical career. He was receiving his admission ticket and preparing to go to the examination hall.

What a coincidence.

However, what Asakusa Toru was talking about was another coincidence, a coincidence that he became a beneficiary because of the accident that caused the death of another person.

A young girl.

The girl, named Tachibana Kanade, had undergone a heart transplant, which extended her life.

Because Otonashi Yuzuru signed the donation consent form, and because Otonashi Yuzuru gave his all, she was able to get better time.

Even if she still dies in the end.

But at least this donation certificate, this donated heart, has extended this time in the unknown future.

... only.

But.

But.