Chapter 244: Transplant

Recently, Yamaguchi Tomoko had been eating dinner alone every night. The reason? Both of her close friends had found love and were now spending their evenings on dates.

Kurata Ryoko had reconciled with her first love, her high school literature teacher, while Tachibana Sui had finally received a promise from the man she had been admiring for a long time. In short, both women were now deeply immersed in their romantic relationships.

Although Tomoko wasn’t used to dining alone, she still felt genuinely happy for her two friends.

After finishing her meal, she began clearing the table and washing the dishes. Suddenly, her phone rang.

“Yes… I understand. I’ll come right away.”

After the call, Tomoko hurriedly left her apartment.

At the hospital, outside the operating room, Tomoko rushed into the corridor and saw her anxious parents waiting.

“Dad, how is Sayaka?” Tomoko asked, running up to her father.

“She’s in surgery right now,” her father replied.

Tomoko’s face paled. “What happened? Why does Sayaka need surgery?”

With a mix of worry and relief, her father explained,

“Sayaka had a relapse of an old illness at school, triggered by a cold, and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. But just earlier, the hospital informed us that a patient who had been admitted recently due to a traffic accident was a perfect blood match for Sayaka. We’ve received the patient’s consent—they’re willing to donate their bone marrow to her. The doctors are now performing the transplant. If the surgery succeeds, Sayaka will finally be able to live a healthy, normal life.”

“R-Really?” Tomoko stared at her father in disbelief.

“It’s true. Now, we just have to wait and see how the surgery goes.”

An overwhelming mixture of anxiety and joy surged through Tomoko, leaving her so weak that she sat down next to her mother.

For as long as she could remember, she had always wished her frail, sickly younger sister could live a happy and normal life. And now, the opportunity had come, catching her completely off guard.

This was a gamble between life and death, and Tomoko couldn’t bear to imagine what might happen if the surgery failed. If her sister’s life had to be put on the line for this slim chance, Tomoko would rather remain an older sister who constantly worried about her sibling’s health.

Her mother, too, was deeply anxious, her face pale as she stared at the door to the operating room.

Seeing her mother’s worried expression, Tomoko reached out and tightly held her hand.

The agonizingly long wait finally ended two hours later.

When the doors to the operating room opened, Tomoko’s father rushed to the doctor and asked,

“Doctor, how is my daughter?”

The doctor replied,

“Don’t worry, the surgery was a success.”

Hearing this, all three of them showed a mix of overwhelming relief and joy on their faces.

At that moment, two hospital beds were pushed out of the operating room. Tomoko immediately spotted her younger sister, Sayaka, lying on one of the beds, her face pale but serene. Supporting her mother, she quickly walked over.

“The patient needs to rest now,” the doctor said. “Once she wakes up, we’ll notify you.”

“Thank you so much, doctor,” Tomoko’s parents said gratefully.

“You’re welcome,” the doctor replied before instructing the nurses to push Sayaka’s bed toward the intensive care unit.

“Big sister, I’m sorry for making you all worry.” Yamaguchi Sayaka spoke apologetically as she looked at her sister, Yamaguchi Tomoko, who had taken time off work to care for her.

“Silly girl, why are you being so formal? But we really were lucky this time—not only did we find a bone marrow match, but the surgery was also a success. The doctor said that as long as there are no complications in the next few days, you’ll be able to leave the hospital.”

In the days following the surgery, a series of physical examinations confirmed that Sayaka’s health indicators were all normal, bringing immense relief and joy to the Yamaguchi family.

“Big sister, does this mean I’ll finally be able to do things like running or playing sports, just like normal people?” Sayaka asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely. The doctor said that people who undergo successful bone marrow transplants can live completely normal lives.”

Sayaka’s face immediately flushed with excitement.

“It’s such a beautiful day. How about we go for a walk outside?” Tomoko suggested, glancing at the sunny weather outside the window.

“Sure!”

Since Sayaka wasn’t yet able to move around freely, Tomoko helped her into a wheelchair and pushed her outside.

They arrived at the hospital’s lawn area. Surrounded by warm sunshine and the cheerful scenery, both sisters felt a sense of peace and comfort.

“It’s a shame Sis Ryoko and Sister Sui couldn’t come. It would have been livelier with them here,” Sayaka remarked.

“Those two traitors prioritize their boyfriends over friends. They’ve been leaving me to eat dinner alone every day. It’s so depressing,” Tomoko grumbled.

Sayaka covered her mouth and giggled. “The old you would never say something like that. It seems they’ve rubbed off on you.”

Tomoko thought about it for a moment and realized her tone did indeed sound a lot like Ryoko’s, which made her laugh as well.

Suddenly, she felt as though someone was watching her. Instinctively, she raised her head and glanced around but saw nothing unusual.

“What’s wrong, big sister?” Sayaka asked, noticing her sister’s sudden wariness.

“It’s nothing,” Tomoko replied.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, she thought to herself.

At 6 PM, after having dinner with Sayaka at the hospital, Tomoko left and headed back to her apartment.

While sitting in the subway carriage, lost in thought, she suddenly noticed something in the reflection of the side window. A man wearing a black coat was seated in a corner of the carriage, staring at her through the glass reflection.

Tomoko discreetly turned her head to glance in his direction, but the man was now reading a newspaper. The paper conveniently blocked her view of his face.

I must be overthinking things, she thought, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle.

When she got off the subway and began walking through the station’s tunnel toward the exit, she instinctively glanced back.

To her surprise, the man in the black coat was following her at a short distance. His strange gaze sent a shiver down her spine.

Alarmed, Tomoko quickened her pace.

But the faster she walked, the closer he seemed to follow. By now, she was certain he wasn’t just an ordinary passerby.

A stalker? Scenes from news reports and TV dramas flashed through her mind, and the thought terrified her.

Her fear grew stronger with every passing moment, and finally, unable to care about the curious stares of others, Tomoko broke into a run.

After sprinting out of the subway station, Yamaguchi Tomoko stopped to catch her breath and immediately glanced behind her.

Thankfully, the man wasn’t following her. She let out a slight sigh of relief, though her heart was still racing. Taking a few deep breaths, she continued walking toward her apartment.

After ten minutes of walking, she finally saw the front entrance of her apartment building. Only then did she truly begin to relax.

Upon entering the building, she noticed a sign on the elevator that read, “Under Maintenance.” With no other choice, she started climbing the stairs.

As she reached the third floor, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from below—leather shoes striking the steps.

Although she assumed it was just another male tenant, her earlier fright made her instinctively quicken her pace. All she wanted was to reach the safety of her apartment as soon as possible.

She soon arrived at the seventh floor, where her apartment was located. Standing in front of her door, she fumbled with her keys, her hands trembling slightly as she unlocked the door.

Once inside, she quickly shut the door behind her and leaned against it, her breath ragged.

After a moment, she began to calm down. As she was about to head further into the apartment, her eyes fell on the entryway, where two pairs of high heels were neatly placed. Recognizing them as Ryoko’s and Tachibana Sui’s shoes, she felt a wave of relief and a hint of joy.

“They’re home early today,” Tomoko thought, smiling to herself.

She entered the living room, where the television was on, but neither of them was in sight. Checking the kitchen and bathroom yielded the same result—no one was there. Growing curious, she opened Tachibana Sui’s bedroom door, only to find it empty.

“Strange… where did they go?”

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the living room. She hurried out to check, but when she arrived, there was no one there.

“Ryoko? Sui? Where are you? Stop playing around!” she called out loudly.

The silence in response made her frown in frustration. “Come out right now, or I’m really going to get mad!” she shouted.

What are they doing? It’s not even April Fool’s Day. Feeling both annoyed and amused, Tomoko decided to check Ryoko’s room.

But when she entered Ryoko’s room, it was empty too.

As she turned to leave, a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth, silencing her. At the same time, another hand tightly restrained her arms behind her back.

“Mmph—!” Startled and panicking, Tomoko instinctively struggled, but her attacker’s strength was overwhelming, preventing her from breaking free.

“Don’t move,” a low male voice growled into her ear.

Tomoko froze momentarily, but fear surged through her, and she began to struggle even harder.

The man didn’t speak further. Instead, he dragged her toward the bed and grabbed a rope that had been prepared in advance. Using the hand that had been covering her mouth, he quickly tied her hands behind her back despite her muffled cries.

“What… what are you trying to do?!” Tomoko screamed, her voice trembling with panic.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the man replied coldly, grabbing a towel from the bed and tying it tightly around her mouth to gag her.

Her wide, terrified eyes followed him as he slowly stepped in front of her, his expression unreadable.