Chapter 154
[The assistant wheeled Reina Nakajima out of the operating room and informed Yōhei Nakajima that the surgery was a great success. Overjoyed, Yōhei and Honoka followed the stretcher back to the room.]
[Ibuki Yūko trailed behind them. As the elevator doors closed, she let out a quiet sigh and smiled bitterly, gently poking Reina Nakajima’s cheek.]
[After they left, you stepped out of the operating room, changed your clothes, and headed to Reina Nakajima’s hospital room.]
[Yōhei grumbled about your tardiness but soon dismissed it. His heart was brimming with joy, and he was satisfied with everything he saw.]
[By evening, Reina woke up from the anesthesia. Her dark eyes blinked as she surveyed the room.]
[With tubes and wires still attached to her body, she found it inconvenient to talk. With two nurses stationed by her side, there was little room for private conversation. Instead, you held each other’s hands, gazing into each other’s eyes and seeing your reflections within them.]
[The post-surgery experience wasn’t comfortable. The pain from the incision and the strange sensation of the tubes made it difficult for Reina to sleep.]
[But when she thought about the vast future she could now share with you, sweetness filled her heart. The physical discomfort became akin to the joyous exhaustion of a climber nearing the summit.]
[Her recovery progressed quickly. Some of the machines were removed, and soon, some of the tubes were as well.]