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Kotone sits on the train idly tapping her feet and holding chocolates and a nicely wrapped gift. Most couples on Valentine’s Day would be going on dinner dates or going to see a movie, but she had different plans than most.
The train finally stops, Kotone exits and starts walking to her true destination, Tatsumi Port Hospital. She walks through the entrance and is greeted by the receptionist; she signs in and starts making her way to his room and finds herself standing outside his door. She takes a deep breath, opens the door, and walks in and sees Shinjiro Aragaki lying in bed.
It’s never easy seeing him like this, hooked up to all those machines, but at least he looks peaceful. “Hey Shinji,” she whispers, always hoping he would respond back, but he never does. “It’s Valentine’s Day, so”—she pauses mid-sentence and lets out a sigh.
She looks at the chocolate in her hands and wonders why she brought it. “It’s not like you’ll be able to eat it,” she whispers to herself. She then glances back at him and pulls out the gift she brought. “It’s a sweater. I made it in sewing class. I even added the same numbers as my hair clips.”
She grabs his hand, and tears start to form in her eyes, and she wipes them away. She often wonders if Shinji even remembers her. Everyone has forgotten about the dark hour as if it didn’t happen. Even Junpei doesn’t remember Chidori; she brought her up once to him, and he had no clue who she was, so Kotone fears if Shinji even remembers her.
More and more tears start trickling down her face, and she holds his hand a little tighter. “Please,” she pleads, the tears becoming more unmanageable, “please give me a sign, anything that you remember.” She starts to quietly sob, hoping no one hears her outside.
When she finally composes herself, she grabs a nearby tissue and wipes her face. She stands up and starts letting go of his hand as she walks away, but something pulls her back, and she feels his hand tightening around hers, almost pulling her towards him. “Shinji,” she says in surprise.
Kotone sits back down and stares at him; he’s still unresponsive, but she looks at their hands connected and his tightened around hers like he’s trying to tell her something. She squeezes back and smiles, tears forming once again. “Ok, I’ll stay a little longer.”
She spends the time telling stories and recounting events—just about anything her mind can come up with—even just starting to repeat things she’s already told him, but she knows he wouldn’t mind.
The last time they had a real conversation was at the dorms; he wasn’t feeling well, and he just told her to talk about anything. She smiles at the memory; that was the moment she first realized she had feelings for him. Then he gifted her a watch and put his arm around her when it got cold; she thought her heart was going to explode.
Even after doing all that, you still tried to push me away, didn’t you?” she giggles to herself. “Good thing I’m stubborn, huh?” She leans in and kisses his cheek.
She grabs the box of chocolates and opens it. “You wouldn’t mind, right?” As she pops one in her mouth, she says, “You never seem like the type to enjoy sweets anyways.”
A doctor comes in and tells Kotone that visiting times are over. She feels Shinji’s hand release hers, grabs the gifts she brought, and leaves another kiss on his cheek. “I’ll give this to you when you wake up, so you have something to look forward to,” she says, and then leaves his room.
She’s now back on the train, staring at her watch, smiling, thinking about all the things they’re going to do when he wakes up. She can’t see the future but has a feeling next year’s Valentine’s Day will be even better.