That Eternal August I Spent With You ↬ Act Ⅱ ║ Mina Ashido X Reader ║

August 19th / Part 1

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8:53 P.M. / Friday, August 19th
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That day, I did as she asked. Come to the hospital at 9 P.M. No earlier, no later. Though, I can't even begin to explain how difficult it was to not come over as soon as I woke up. I had left my house to go for a short walk around 4 P.M. to get my mind off things, but I ended up walking the length of a city. So, I hadn't been back home since then.

I had been missing dinner more often lately, so all I could do was hope my family wasn't mad at me. But, that was the least of my worries at the time. At that moment, the only thing on my anxious mind was hypotheticals and scenarios as to why she wanted me to come at this specific time, too many to list. All I could do then was just remove all of those pointless worries from my vision and walk straight in.

I stood in front of her hospital room, three minutes before the allotted time. I didn't know then, but visiting hours ended at 9:15 P.M. The doctors and nurses probably thought I was an oddball for choosing to come at the latest possible time, but I had no clue. But, that time was important to the reason of our meeting.

Promptly knocking on the door, I heard Mina's voice telling me to come in. As I turned the knob, I noticed that my hand was a bit sweaty.

'Even though I'm trying not to think about all the worst-case scenarios in my head, my body still shows it, huh?' I thought with a nervous smirk.

As I opened the door, I saw Mina sitting at a small round table next to the big window at the end of the room. She was holding and looking at a picture of some kind of flower, but the angle caused me unable to make out what it was. She set the photo in a nearby bag and looked to me with a smile.

"You made it!" she exclaimed, shifting her eyes towards the clock on the wall. "One minute early... What did I say about no earlier, no later?"

Most of my nervousness subsided at that moment and I chuckled. "Aw c'mon. You don't need to be that strict,"

She laughed in return and stood up from the table, placing a lot of her weight on it. At that moment I noticed something I probably should've noticed as I entered the room.

"Hey, Mina?"

"Hm?"

"Should you be out of your bed?" I asked with a worried expression. "Your doctor said you should rest as much as possible, right?"

She shook her hand back and forth. "Aw, it's fine. It's just a little change of scenery,"

"If you say so..." I muttered.

Taking a seat on the foot of her bed, she sighed and turned to me. "Speaking of a change of scenery... I'll get into why you're here right now!"

"Oh, please do. Is it something you need help with?" I asked, reaching for a nearby chair to sit in.

"You don't have time to sit," she said, promptly raising her hand up. "We need to act as soon as possible,"

"Wha...?" I questioned, my hand now on the chair. "What are you talking about?"

"We're gonna escape for a little bit...!" she whispered with a devilish smile.

I rose straight up and stared at her, dumbfounded. "Escape?!" I said a bit louder than I should've.

"Shhhh!!" she shushed me. "Don't say it so loud...!"

"Ah, sorry," I apologized, scratching the back of my head. "But, seriously... Mina... Escaping? From the hospital? You're in here for a reason, y'know. If something else happened to you..."

"I know, I know!" she said, clasping her hands together and bowing her head. "I know it sounds stupid, but... but..."

"But?" I questioned.

Her expressive face slowly shifted to one of discomfort as she lowered her head and clenched her fists. "But... It might be my last chance to actually go outside..."

That hit like a truck. I could tell by her body language that she didn't want to resort to saying it, but she felt like she had to. She was right, though. Her time left was unknown, so if she was going to do something brash like this, now would be the time. But...

"Can't... Can't you just ask the nurses to take you out for a stroll?" I asked. "It would be much safer with them around,"

"Yeah, you're right..." Mina muttered. "But..."

"And... and..." I stuttered trying to think of ways to talk her out of it. "I could go with you guys! Just a nice walk around the hospital! That sounds nice, doesn't it--"

"But, it won't be just the two of us!" she exclaimed.

Two direct hits to my heart in only a few seconds. At that moment, a short silence filled the room. I pondered. My voice of reason said that I should keep my stance on not going out since it's the safest option. But, the stronger voice inside me called out. As her significant other... I couldn't just let this go.

"That's why I want to ask you to do something for me,"

I made a promise to Mina's mother. A promise that, if I went back on, I would regret for the rest of my life. 

"I know this is probably tough on you... But, I want you to spend as much time with her as possible,"

No matter what happened, I had to make Mina's final days unforgettable. That's what I promised. So, I knew what I had to do.

I sighed and made direct eye contact with her. "Okay, you win," I said. "What's the plan?"

-End of August 19th / Part 1-