As soon as Ichimatsu cleaned himself up at the public bathhouse, he found his feet leading him to the hospital.

"Why am I doing this?" Ichimatsu thought. "There's no point...it's not like me visiting her is gonna make her better...yet something makes me want her to get better..."

The hospital doors slid open, and Ichimatsu walked inside, his nose taking in the terrible smell.

"Good morning, sir!" the nurse at the desk said cheerily, a soft smile on her face. "What's your name?"

"Ichimatsu..." Ichimatsu replied.

"Do you happen to know Jyushimatsu?" the nurse asked.

And despite how much he hated Jyushimatsu, Ichimatsu nodded his head.

"I know him, yes..." he mumbled.

"Are you here to see Kanola Mizuko then?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah..." Ichimatsu muttered.

"She's in room 214. Please enjoy your visit...sir," the nurse replied.

"Thanks.." Ichimatsu murmured, making his way towards the elevator. As he entered it, the hospital's distinct smell grew even stronger.

Ichimatsu tried not to gag, but he just couldn't hold it in. Something about the smell made him feel unwell.

The elevator doors slid open, and Ichimatsu walked down the hallway, glancing over at the small sitting area.

"What's the point in having that area? Nobody uses it, I bet.." Ichimatsu thought as he stopped in front of Kanola's door.

Knocking twice, Ichimatsu opened up the door.

"Why hello, Ichimatsu!" Kanola exclaimed, then began to cough loudly, cringing when she stopped. "Excuse me," she said weakly.

"Hi.." Ichimatsu mumbled. "I just thought I would see how you are..I really don't want to work with Makono for the rest of this week.

"Oh, worry not! Worry not! I should be better soon! Very soon!" Kanola said, but her voice claimed she wasn't sure at all. She wheezed quietly, then continued, "Makono has school next week, and if I'm not better by then, Jyushimatsu will be there to help you. Shouldn't you be at the Cat Cafe right now?"

"It's not time to open yet, is it..?" Ichimatsu asked.

Kanola looked at the hospital clock on her wall then wheezed again. "No, it's not time yet. I'm glad you decided to visit me though. I have something important to tell you. Makono has known this since last night, so I think I should go on and tell you."

Kanola wheezed again then look Ichimatsu directly in the eye.

"They ran a few critical tests on my last night," Kanola coughed, "And it turns out I really am sick!"

"But you've known you were sick.." Ichimatsu muttered.

Kanola wheezed again then laughed, but quickly cringed in pain.

"I have cancer, Ichimatsu," Kanola said calmly. "Lung cancer, to be exact."

"What the heck..." Ichimatsu spat. "How do you have cancer?! You were fine just the other day!"

"I've been feeling very bad for a long time, Ichimatsu," Kanola said gently. "My chest hurt, especially when I laughed or sighed. Breathing even hurts from time to time. And the other day, I collapsed, so, of course, Makono called the hospital. And while they were running a few tests on me, they found out that I have cancer."

Ichimatsu felt like a rock was in his throat, and he had no idea why. In fact, he felt like he would start crying.

"Of course, they said I'll most likely survive this. It's not that bad yet. But, just the thought of death slightly scares me, you know? If something were to happen to me, Makono would no longer be legally allowed to live here in Japan. She would have to move to America. That's where my ex husband has been ever since Makono was born.."

"I see..." Ichimatsu mumbled, his entire body trembling. "I hope..I hope you get better soon..."

"Thank you, Ichimatsu," Kanola said weakly, closing her eyes to rest as Ichimatsu left the room.