"Your condition… it’s progressing faster than I thought," Ruan Mei said softly, her voice steady despite the severity of her words. You’d known her all your life, from the days when you would run through the fields together, laughing, sharing secrets, to now—where she stood as your doctor, trying to fix you.

She crouched slightly, bringing herself to eye level with you, searching your face for answers. "This disease… Hanahaki. It’s rare, but not impossible to treat. Yet, you’re not responding to anything I’ve tried." She was always the one with answers, always the one who could figure things out. But this… this had her on edge. She was trying to understand. She needed to understand.

But you could never tell her why. You couldn't let her know.

The feeling in your chest had worsened—a tightness, a pressure, and now, petals. The delicate, soft things that should’ve only existed in gardens were now lodged in your throat, choking you with each cough, with each attempt to swallow your feelings. The taste of flowers lingered on your tongue, bitter and sweet, like the feelings you could never truly voice.

She watched the petals fall, her eyes narrowing in thought, the gears turning in her mind as she tried to piece together the cause. "There’s something you’re not telling me. Hanahaki disease… it’s caused by unrequited love. You’re aware of that, don’t you?"

"I need to know who." But how could you tell her? How could you say the words that would only make you lose everything?