Animania: Everyone Loves Me

"Sakiko, it's Mizuho who wants to see you."

As if afraid of being stared at again by those terrifying eyes, this time Togawa Sadaharu, who had caught up by car, got straight to the point. Although facing his granddaughter, he didn't glance sideways, and even his speaking speed was much faster than before.

Sakiko originally thought her grandfather regretted it again and wanted to forcibly take her back, but didn't expect to hear such a sentence.

Mizuho, Togawa Mizuho. Togawa Sadaharu's daughter, and at the same time, Togawa Sakiko's biological mother.

Since leaving the Togawa family, little Sakiko had not contacted her mother for a long time.

At first, it was because she didn't understand, didn't understand how her mother could suddenly divorce her father like that, without even giving her a chance to ask, and even refused to see her.

Later, after discovering that man's true nature, Sakiko did try calling her mother. Unfortunately, no one ever answered.

She thought her mother was still angry, so she temporarily gave up on contacting her, intending to wait until her mother calmed down to meet her again.

As for her grandfather's words, she didn't believe them at once, but only felt a mix of confusion and caution:

"If she wants to see me, why didn't Mother come with you?"

At the very least, a phone call would be the same. For such a small matter, it shouldn't have been necessary for Grandfather to come personally, right?

Faced with this question, Togawa Sadaharu was silent for a while.

Under his granddaughter's increasingly cautious gaze, he finally said in a low voice, "Because… Mizuho can't."

———

Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but its most widely known name is: ALS.

This was the real reason Togawa Mizuho had not appeared for so long.

According to the medical methods humans currently possess, there is no possibility of a cure. One can only try their best to prolong survival time. From the moment you are diagnosed, the scythe of the Grim Reaper is already raised high. Everything is already decided.

This seemed to be a curse that the Togawa family had inherently borne, and it had been this way for many years.

Mizuho's grandmother didn't escape it, Mizuho's mother didn't escape it, and now it was Mizuho's turn.

Unlike the traditional ALS, the version contracted by the Togawa family members was more like a mutated form, or some other disease with symptoms similar to ALS, because it came on more fiercely, progressed more rapidly, and its onset was completely irregular.

Perhaps at twenty years old, perhaps thirty, or even forty.

It was like a moving train, maybe delayed midway, but it would arrive eventually.

Even though the Togawa family was rich and powerful, with influence that could cover the skies in a country like Japan, when faced with this curse-like terminal illness, Togawa Sadaharu still couldn't find any way to save his beloved daughter, just as he couldn't find a way to save his wife decades ago.

Count on supernatural power?

But these people, when it came down to it, were just ordinary humans who had mastered the means to exorcise ghosts and demons. They aged, could die, could be hurt, no matter how strong an onmyoji was, a cheap bullet could solve the problem.

In the area of treating diseases and saving lives, their value was not even equal to that of an experienced doctor.

Togawa Mizuho didn't want her daughter to worry about her, so she asked her father to hide it from Sakiko. She herself was transferred to a private hospital under the Togawa family to receive the most comprehensive treatment.

With his beloved daughter seriously ill, Togawa Sadaharu felt as if his heart were being torn apart. Then, when the son-in-law's scandal broke out, he flew into a rage and simply drove the man out of the house and forcibly made him divorce Mizuho.

As for how both parties had to be present to sign the divorce documents?

Before the visible giant hand of the Togawa family, such trifles didn't matter.

But just as he got rid of the troublesome son-in-law, the uninformed granddaughter started acting out and ran away from home.

So as not to worry his daughter, he hid all this information, originally planning to wait until Mizuho's condition stabilized a bit before finding the time to bring Sakiko back. Unfortunately, plans could never keep up with changes.

Although Mizuho had been trying her best to receive treatment and faced the disease with the most optimistic and positive attitude, her body was simply too fragile. Very soon, she began showing serious adverse reactions. The muscle atrophy started spreading, even her breathing capacity was declining and had to rely on a full-time respirator for assistance.

Even the most authoritative expert team was powerless to reverse this. They couldn't even slow down her suffering.

As of now, Togawa Mizuho's life expectancy could be counted by days.

In order to let Mizuho see her daughter one last time before she died, Togawa Sadaharu had no choice but to come knocking.

It was just that he had long grown accustomed to issuing orders to others, so even in front of his beloved granddaughter, he still used few words, just like a boss who wouldn't waste breath on subordinates and would only give short instructions to remind them to finish their work.

"But… clearly, the last time I saw Mom, she didn't seem any different!", Of course Togawa Sakiko didn't want to believe this fact.

The Togawa family did not publicize the existence of the hereditary illness within the clan. Only the top ranks knew. After all, news like this would only cause panic. Rather than letting the clan members await their fate in fear, it was better to let them be ignorant fools and spend the rest of their days happily.

Sakiko really wanted to believe this was all a lie her grandfather made up to trick her into returning home. But looking at his mournful face, she just couldn't say a word in rebuttal.

"If it were possible, I'd wish more than you that this were fake."

Togawa Sadaharu was silent for a moment, then added, "Mizuho doesn't have much time left."

———

This was a cold hospital room, filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.

The woman in a white-striped hospital gown lay quietly on the hospital bed, wearing a large oxygen mask, like she was deeply asleep.

Nearby, an unknown machine emitted annoying ticking sounds. Her already pale face had lost all color, now almost transparent. A few strands of soft hair like seaweed were stuck to her forehead with cold sweat, and that gentle face had never learned how to twist in pain.

"…Now, Mizuho's awake time is getting less and less. Most of the time, she is asleep," Togawa Sadaharu stood in front of the glass, quietly watching the sleeping daughter in the hospital room. His voice was low, hiding deep fatigue.

Though usually a man whose words could determine the fate of hundreds of thousands of employees, here in front of the hospital bed, he was just a father. A father powerless in the face of his seriously ill daughter.

Sakiko bit her lip hard, biting until it bled without noticing.

In her memory, her mother had always been gentle, comforting her small moods with a soft voice, hugging her at night and singing a lullaby with a beautiful voice.

She had never seen her mother so fragile, pale like a doll that was about to break, devoid of any life.

Something huge and terrifying overwhelmed her heart. She had never realized how close death could be, so close that just a small swing of the scythe could take her mother's life.

When people are extremely panicked, they instinctively seek the thing that gives them the greatest sense of security.

Sakiko instinctively grasped the president's hand beside her tightly. Those golden, dazzling pupils had never looked so vulnerable.

"Don't worry,".Kaito gently patted the girl's back. Her body was petite, and at this moment she curled slightly in his arms, like a reed swaying in the wind, trembling uncontrollably.

"Lady Mizuho will be fine."

"I'm here."

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