Green plums cannot become lovers.

In November, Tokyo is filled with the deepening of autumn, and the morning and evening breezes carry a noticeable chill. The ginkgo trees lining the streets have turned from a brilliant golden yellow to a deeper amber, and occasionally, early-fallen leaves twirl and drift down in the wind.

After school that day, An and Asuka went to the hospital as usual. The window of Kaori Miyazono's hospital room was open a crack, and the cool autumn breeze blew the off-white curtains and her light golden hair.

"The birds are here." She put down the sheet music in her hand, a warm smile on her face.

An and Asuka sat down beside her bed and naturally took her hand: "How are you feeling today?"

“That’s great,” Kaori Miyazono blinked. “The doctor said I’m recovering faster than expected; it’s practically a miracle.”

As she spoke, her gaze lingered on An and Asuka's faces for a moment, then she chuckled softly, "Asuka, you seem to be in very good spirits lately. Has something good happened?"

An and Asuka coughed slightly, somewhat awkwardly: "Well... we set some rules with Marina and the others, and our lives have become more regular."

He didn't say it too bluntly, but subtly mentioned that the girls were "too clingy" and needed to be properly restrained.

Kaori Miyazono chuckled upon hearing this, her amber eyes curving into crescents: "Maria and the others... they definitely would be like that. After all, they've waited so many years, and they can finally express their feelings openly."

After laughing, her eyes gradually dimmed, and a trace of barely perceptible sorrow appeared on her face.

She looked at the ginkgo trees outside the window and said softly, "Actually, I envy them... They can live with you so carefree and do all sorts of things."

An and Asuka squeezed her hand: "You'll be soon too, won't you?"

Kaori Miyazono was silent for a moment, then turned her head and looked earnestly at An and Asuka: "Asuka."

"Ok?"

I'm having a routine surgery tomorrow.

Kaori Miyazono said in a lighthearted tone, as if casually mentioning a small matter, "The doctor said I'm recovering well recently and can try further treatment."

As she spoke, her fingers were still gently circling in An and Asuka's palms, a bright smile remaining on her lips. But An and Asuka noticed the subtle way her other hand unconsciously gripped the sheet, and the fleeting tension deep within her amber eyes.

At that moment, An and Asuka felt as if their hearts had been gently squeezed.

He knew her too well—she was always like this, habitually using a smile to cover up her inner unease, and speaking of heavy things in a light tone.

"Why are you only telling me now?" He held her hand, his voice gentle yet tinged with reproach.

Kaori Miyazono stuck out her tongue, revealing a rare playful side: "I just wanted to give you a surprise~ If the surgery is successful, I can be discharged early! Then I want you to be my accompanist again!"

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future: "And the doctor said that this surgical plan is new, and the success rate is much higher than before!"

An and Asuka knew she was downplaying the seriousness of the matter. He had seen her medical records and was well aware of the complexity and risks of this kind of surgery. But at this moment, he simply smiled and nodded: "It will definitely be successful. After the surgery, I'll take you to eat the new cake. Your mother secretly told me that they're launching a chestnut Mont Blanc tart this weekend."

"Really?!" Kaori Miyazono's eyes lit up instantly, like stars suddenly illuminated. "I want to be the first to try it!"

"Then you need to cooperate well with the surgery and get well soon."

"Mmm!" Kaori Miyazono nodded vigorously, then, as if suddenly remembering something, pulled a small notebook from under her pillow. "Oh, right, I recently made a list of 'things I want to do after I recover,' look—"

She opened the notebook, which was filled with all sorts of cute illustrations and words drawn with colored pens:

Cherry blossoms in spring, rain in summer, red leaves in autumn, and snow in winter.

The girl's notebook depicted the spring, summer, autumn, and winter as she imagined them.

Every page was filled with drawings, and some places even had pictures cut out from magazines. An and Asuka turned the pages one by one, their eyes growing increasingly gentle.

Kaori Miyazono leaned closer and pointed mysteriously to the last item on the list, saying, "I haven't finished writing this one yet—it's '100 little things I did with Asuka,' and I've already thought of the 87th one."

After I'm discharged from the hospital, I'm going to finish everything, one by one.

Anhe Asuka felt a warm current surge in his heart as he watched her enthusiastic expression. He closed the notebook and looked at her earnestly: "Okay, not a single item is missed, all done."

"It's a deal!" Kaori Miyazono held up her little finger.

"It's a deal." An and Asuka hooked their little fingers together, and the two smiled at each other.

The sky outside the window gradually turned a warm orange hue, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, turning the ward into a warm gold.

Kaori Miyazono leaned on An and Asuka's shoulders, her voice gradually softening: "The surgery is tomorrow morning at ten o'clock... The doctor said that if you want to come, you can wait outside. But I'll definitely come out safely, you might not even finish your coffee before I'm wheeled out."

“We’ll all come.” An and Asuka gently stroked her hair. “Marina said she’d bring a game console, Shizuka prepared a bento, and Ai said she’d sing you a cheering song.”

Kaori Miyazono chuckled, "That scene must have been quite lively..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until she finally fell asleep on his shoulder, a faint smile still lingering on her lips. An and Asuka carefully laid her down, covered her with the blanket, and sat by the bed watching her for a long time.

As the moon rose, he left the hospital and strolled slowly through the autumn streets. The evening breeze was cool, but his heart was filled with warmth. He looked up at the night sky—it was rare to see stars in Tokyo tonight; though only a few were visible, they stubbornly twinkled amidst the city's light pollution.

"Xiaomei," he whispered in his heart.

"Hey, I'm here." Xiaomei's gentle voice rang out.

[Kaoru's surgery will be fine, right?]

[According to continuous monitoring, the vital signs of the target, "Kaori Miyazono," have completely stabilized, and her organ functions have returned to a healthy level. The combined effect of the systemic medication and the "protective charm against illness and disaster" has produced a synergistic effect, and her current physical condition is even better than that of the average healthy person. Tomorrow's surgery is actually no longer medically necessary, but it can serve as a symbolic milestone in her "formal recovery."]

Anhe Asuka was slightly taken aback.

[It is suggested that the host take this opportunity to allow modern medicine to "discover" this miracle, providing a reasonable explanation for the target's recovery, which will also help her and her family accept this fact.]

An and Asuka pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Yes, rather than suddenly announcing that Kaoru is fully recovered, it would be more natural for the doctors to "accidentally discover" this miracle during the pre-operative examination. This would also make it easier for Kaoru and her parents to accept.

He took a deep breath of the cool night air and walked briskly towards the station. Tomorrow will be a good day.

The next morning, the hospital was filled with the unique scent of disinfectant mixed with the morning light.

When Kaori Miyazono was wheeled by the nurse to undergo her final pre-operative check-up, she was surprisingly calm.

She was wearing a light blue hospital gown and holding a rough amulet that An and Asuka had left her the night before they left.

"Xiao Xun is in great shape today," the nurse pushing her wheelchair said with a smile.

"Because today is an important day," Kaori Miyazono said, shaking the pendant in her hand. "And I have a lucky charm."

In the examination room, Dr. Yamada, the attending physician, was already waiting. This doctor, in her fifties with gray hair, was an authority in the field of neuroblastoma and was also the doctor who treated Kaori Miyazono when she transferred to Tokyo four years ago.

"Good morning, Kaoru." Dr. Yamada adjusted his glasses, his tone gentle. "How are you feeling today?"

"Excellent!" Kaori Miyazono replied energetically, "I'm ready to embrace my new life!"

Dr. Yamada smiled and began the routine examination. Blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature... one data point after another was displayed on the instrument.

As she took notes, she chatted with Kaori Miyazono: "I heard your boyfriend is coming today?"

“Yes! And his friends will be coming too!” Kaori Miyazono’s eyes curved into crescents. “They said they’d have a party outside the operating room while they wait for me to come out.”

"Then you'd better do your best and not keep them waiting too long," Dr. Yamada said, beginning a more thorough examination.

However, as the examination proceeded, the expression on her face gradually changed.

At first, he was puzzled, then incredulous, and finally shocked. He checked the instrument screen repeatedly, even taking off his glasses to wipe them clean and putting them back on, and then tried a different device to perform the examination again.

"Doctor?" Kaori Miyazono asked anxiously. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Dr. Yamada did not answer immediately; her fingers flew across the control panel, bringing up a comparison chart of all of Kaori Miyazono's test data from the past month.

The curves on the chart clearly show a phenomenon that is almost impossible in medicine—the shadows representing the lesions have shrunk and faded at an astonishing rate in the last two weeks, until today's examination showed that they had completely disappeared.

"This is impossible..." Dr. Yamada muttered to himself, his voice filled with shock, "This completely defies medical common sense..."

"Doctor?" Kaori Miyazono's heart leaped into her throat. "What happened? Has the situation worsened again?"

“No…quite the opposite.” Dr. Yamada looked up at her, his gaze complex. “Kaoru, I need to do a few more tests to confirm. Can you cooperate?”

Over the next hour, Kaori Miyazono was wheeled around for a series of comprehensive tests, including CT scans, MRIs, and blood tests. With each test, Dr. Yamada's expression grew increasingly shocked.

Finally, when all the results were gathered in his hands, the hands of this veteran doctor with thirty years of medical experience were trembling slightly.

She picked up the phone, her voice trembling with excitement: "Please immediately notify Mr. and Mrs. Miyazono to come to my office! Also, notify the hospital director and all the chief physicians of neurosurgery to convene an emergency consultation immediately!"

When Ryoko Miyazono and Yoshimi Miyazono heard the emergency call from the hospital, their hearts sank to the bottom. Ryoko swayed, her face turning deathly pale.

"Did something go wrong with the surgery?" Her voice trembled.

The nurse hurriedly explained, "No, no! It's good news! Dr. Yamada said it's incredibly good news! Please don't worry!"

The couple exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion and unease in each other's eyes, but they suppressed their fear and anxiety, waiting for the outcome.

At the same time, An and Asuka, along with the three girls, also arrived at the hospital.

They carried large and small bags—Marina brought a game console and snacks, Shizuka prepared a delicate bento box, Ai held a support board that read "Kaoru, do your best," and An and Asuka held a bunch of sunflowers.

"Kaoru should be preparing for the surgery by now, right?" Marina checked the time. "Aren't we too early?"

"It's better to come earlier," Shizuka said softly. "Maybe we can make it in time to say a few more words to her."

However, when they arrived at the ward, they found it empty. Moreover, the atmosphere on the entire floor was strange—the nurses were huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, each with an expression of disbelief on their face.

"Excuse me, where did Kaori Miyazono go?" Anwa Asuka stopped a nurse to ask.

The nurse looked at them with a strange expression: "You're Kaoru's friends, right? She...she's been taken for additional tests. Dr. Yamada has called a meeting with all the specialists in the hospital; it seems...it seems something terrible has happened."

An and Asuka understood, but on the surface they still showed a worried expression: "Has the situation changed?"

“I don’t know either…” the nurse shook her head, “but judging from the doctors’ expressions, it doesn’t seem like a bad thing.”

Before the words were even finished, the conference room door opened. Dr. Yamada was the first to walk out, followed by the hospital director and seven or eight doctors in white coats. Each of them wore a complex expression that combined shock, confusion, and excitement.

Upon seeing the Miyazono couple, Dr. Yamada hurried over, his voice trembling with excitement: "Mr. Miyazono, Mrs. Miyazono, and Mr. Anwa, you've all come... Perfect timing, perfect timing!"

"Doctor, what happened?" Miyazono asked anxiously. "It's Kaoru, she..."

"A miracle!" Dr. Yamada took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "A miracle rarely seen in medical history has occurred!"

He held up a stack of test reports, his hand still trembling slightly: "According to the comprehensive examination done this morning, the tumor in Xun's body... has completely disappeared. Not shrunk, not controlled, but completely gone! All relevant indicators have returned to normal, and she is now healthier than most healthy people!"

The air freezes.

Ryoko Miyazono stared blankly at the doctor, as if she hadn't understood what he was saying. Yoshimi Miyazono was also stunned; she opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

A few seconds later, Ryoko Miyazono asked in a trembling voice, "Doctor...you mean, Kaoru's illness...is cured?"

"It's healed! Completely healed!" Dr. Yamada nodded emphatically. "We checked it three times and confirmed it was correct! This is simply... simply inexplicable by current medical theory, but the facts are undeniable!"

At that moment, the nurse pushed Kaori Miyazono back from the examination room.

The girl looked bewildered, clearly not quite understanding the situation. Seeing her parents, An, and Asuka all there, she blinked and asked, "What's wrong? Why does everyone look like that? Has the surgery been rescheduled?"

Ryoko Miyazono could no longer control herself. She rushed over and hugged her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her face: "Kaoru...Kaoru...You're better...You're really better..."

"Mom?" Kaori Miyazono was a little flustered by the hug. "What's done?"

Miyazono also came over. This usually composed father now had red eyes and a choked voice: "The doctor said... you're completely cured. The tumor is gone, and all your indicators are normal..."

Kaori Miyazono froze.

She slowly turned to look at Dr. Yamada, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "Doctor... is this true?"

Dr. Yamada nodded vigorously, tears glistening in his eyes: "It's absolutely true. Although I don't know what happened, your body has indeed recovered miraculously, and you don't need surgery anymore."

Quiet.

Then, Kaori Miyazono's tears fell silently.

These were not tears of sadness, nor tears of pain, but rather a complex emotion that had been suppressed for too long, a mixture of shock, ecstasy, disbelief, and relief.

She hugged her mother, her shoulders trembling violently, but she couldn't make a sound.

Marina, Shizuka, and Ai also gathered around, the four girls hugging each other, laughing and crying. Ai cried between sobs, saying, "That's wonderful...that's really wonderful..."

Marina wiped away her tears, but smiled brightly: "I knew Kaoru would get better!"

Shizuka gently patted Kaori Miyazono's back, but her own eyes were also moist.

An and Asuka stood to the side, watching this scene, a warm smile playing on their lips. He walked to Kaori Miyazono's side and gently took her hand: "You see, I told you I would succeed."

Kaori Miyazono looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears.

The medical team repeatedly studied all the data and finally concluded in a consultation with experts on Monday that this was a miraculous recovery case that could not be fully explained by existing medical theories.

However, despite the tumor having disappeared, based on the principle of caution, the hospital recommended that Kaori Miyazono remain in the hospital for observation for another month, while undergoing systematic rehabilitation training, as her long-term bed rest required her to rebuild her muscle strength and sense of balance.

Kaori Miyazono showed amazing cooperation in this regard. Every morning, she could be seen practicing diligently in the rehabilitation room, progressing from slow, assisted steps to walking independently, and then to trying jogging.

Two weeks later, when Kaori Miyazono twirled lightly in the rehabilitation room and flashed a bright smile at herself in the mirror, the attending physician finally signed the discharge consent form.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, the Tokyo sky, which had been overcast for several days, suddenly cleared up. The morning light pierced through the clouds, turning the early winter streets a pale golden brown.

At the hospital entrance, a few remaining ginkgo leaves gleamed like amber in the light.

Kaori Miyazono, wearing a beige knitted cardigan and a light brown long skirt, stood on the steps and took a deep breath of the long-lost, crisp air that belonged entirely to the outside of the hospital.

Then she saw them. Under the roadside trees not far away, An and Asuka stood there holding a bouquet of sunflowers. Beside them were Marina, who was waving on tiptoe, Shizuka, who was smiling and nodding, and Ai, who was jumping happily. A little further away were Kousei Arima and his group.