Chapter 2 She Was Still Beautiful

She Was Still Beautiful

To be honest, everything that had happened felt like a whirlwind—one baffling event after another.

When I woke up, Kaori—who had once been my girlfriend—was there, and I had somehow become her son, Iori. Expecting me to process all of this without confusion was simply impossible.

Not long after leaving the hospital room, Kaori returned with a doctor in tow. The doctor murmured, “It’s a miracle,” staring at me in sheer disbelief.

Before I could fully grasp the situation, I was placed in a wheelchair and taken for a thorough examination. Blood tests, scans—every part of my body was measured by sophisticated medical equipment. And then came the questioning.

“Your son is likely suffering from retrograde amnesia.”

The doctor stated this as if it were a simple fact.

Retrograde amnesia. Being diagnosed with memory loss, in a way, felt like a small mercy amidst this chaos. Waking up in an unfamiliar body, recognizing Kaori as my mother while seeing this boy—Iori—for the first time, was overwhelming. Accepting the amnesia diagnosis was easier than trying to explain what I was truly experiencing.

But when I heard those words and saw Kaori silently crying behind me, guilt settled heavily in my chest.

“…Even if you’ve lost your memories, I’m just happy you’re back.”

Kaori’s voice trembled with emotion, filled with a quiet sorrow.

What exactly had happened to this boy?

More importantly… why had I become him?

Questions kept surfacing one after another, never fading—just piling up, turning into a constant, gnawing unease.

After that, Kaori left me alone with my thoughts and discussed the future with the doctor. From their conversation, I gathered that they planned to keep what had happened a secret from me for now, afraid it might cause emotional distress.

It was absurd—having a conversation like that right in front of the person involved. And yet, their decision had effectively robbed me of the fastest way to understand my situation.

That day had been a complete blur.

Though I had left my hospital room around noon, by the time I returned, night had already fallen.

“Iori, I know this must be overwhelming for you, but… I really am happy that we can talk like this again.”

“…Is that so?”

Without thinking, I spoke in formal speech—a habit I hadn’t yet shaken. Kaori was two years older than me. When we first started dating, I called her Senpai, and even after I began using her name, I could never quite drop the polite tone.

“Of course. From your perspective, this situation must feel so sudden.”

Kaori seemed to mistake my use of formal speech as a symptom of memory loss. For a fleeting moment, sadness crossed her face.

“…Take your time. When you’re ready, when you’ve calmed down… call me Mom again, just like before.”

“…Okay.”

As if soothing a fragile child, Kaori gently ran her fingers through my hair, her touch soft and deliberate.

I had finally reunited with someone I thought I’d never see again. But our reunion had come in a form I never could have wished for.

I couldn’t even begin to put my emotions into words.

“Alright, rehabilitation starts tomorrow. You should get some rest. I’ll come again in the morning.”

“Okay.”

“…Good night, then.”

Kaori’s gentle, maternal smile left me with no choice but to close my eyes. But truthfully, everything had happened so suddenly that I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep anytime soon.

And apparently… I wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

Even with my eyes shut, I could sense Kaori lingering beside me. She didn’t move. Not even a little.

I had no way of knowing what this boy, Iori, had been through. But after the doctor’s examination and my conversation with Kaori, one thing was clear—he hadn’t just been asleep for a day or two. It had been much, much longer.

She must have been terrified.

I could feel the depth of Kaori’s fear.

That if I closed my eyes again…

That maybe tomorrow, I wouldn’t wake up.

…Perhaps.

Perhaps I would end up just like before, unable to open my eyes ever again.

That fear must have been unbearable.

Thinking about it that way, it was easy to understand why she couldn’t bring herself to leave.

I, too, couldn’t make sense of my own situation. My mind was a tangled mess, trying—and failing—to process everything.

But at that moment, more than my own confusion, Kaori’s pain weighed heavily on my heart… and it made me want to cry.

Silently, I turned over in bed.

I shifted onto my side, facing away from Kaori.

I didn’t want her to see me like this—on the verge of tears.

I didn’t want her to know I was still awake.

Noticing me stir, Kaori must have felt reassured. She let out a quiet “See you tomorrow,” then finally left the room.

I listened to the sound of the door closing, then slowly opened my eyes.

The night sky was mostly clear, the moonlight casting a soft, silvery glow across the room.

As I replayed the day’s events in my mind, countless thoughts swirled within me. It was only natural. My situation was incomprehensible. I didn’t understand this body, this life—I was surrounded by nothing but unanswered questions.

…But.

But the thing that occupied my mind the most wasn’t the uncertainty of the future.

“There were a few more wrinkles now—lines that suited her age.”

What I had been thinking about was…

“Even the color of her hair had changed.”

The woman who had once been my lover—the one I had shared so much back then.

“And yet, she was still just as beautiful, just as kind, and just as warmhearted as ever.”