Love Comes After Simulation

[In the years that followed, you and Mako continued to visit Yoshida Town and Sora no Ike every year. In the earlier years, you drove her to the lakeside. In recent years, it’s been Mako driving you.]

[The little girl has grown up. She graduated from Misaki University’s School of Medicine. She’s a bright child who earned her place at Misaki University entirely through her own efforts. You had hoped she would follow in your footsteps, but after a brief exploration, she chose not to take your path.]

[Instead, she shifted her focus to biology, originally her minor, and eventually became a PhD in the field.]

[After completing her studies, she joined a biology research institute. She became busier, often coming home late at night. When you urged her to find a partner, she told you she had dedicated her entire heart and soul to her career.]

[When you turned 66, Mako had already gained some recognition in the field of biology. She switched to another research institute, becoming even busier. Still, she always found time to accompany you and care for you.]

[You didn’t pay much attention to her career, remaining focused on your surgeries. Over the years, you refined the procedure further, resolving minor issues. However, these were only minor tweaks, yielding limited improvements.]

[You eventually confirmed that the procedure had reached its peak. It was no longer possible to make significant advancements; even minor improvements were scarce.]

[As an elderly man, you began to tire. In the operating room, you only handled the most critical parts of surgeries, leaving the rest to the younger doctors you had trained. You no longer had the stamina to complete an entire surgery.]

[At the age of 70, you retired from the operating room. Over the years, you had trained five disciples. They had mastered your procedure, and you hoped they would bring new advancements to it.]

[You were disappointed. These five disciples merely replicated your surgery with unwavering loyalty. None of them improved upon it. During a birthday celebration they organized for you, you reprimanded them for their lack of innovation. They bitterly explained that your procedure was already perfect; any modifications would only detract from its excellence.]

[Shifting your focus to teaching, you established a training program to help doctors from hospitals worldwide master your procedure, hoping to spark collective innovation.]

[By the time you turned 80, your efforts had borne no fruit.]

[On the first snowfall of November in Yoshida Town, you and Mako sat in your car near the grave, looking at the snow-covered tombstone and the snow-blanketed Sora no Ike. You had grown old, and Mako was nearing the end of middle age. Neither of you could linger outside in the snow like before. You stayed in the car to avoid the cold.]

[In the car, you drank together. You felt dejected. Your energy and strength had declined significantly. Even teaching surgeries had become a struggle. You knew you were nearing the end of your life, and you still hadn’t found a reliable treatment method.]

[You tried to conceal your frustration, but Mako, who knew you well, easily saw through your façade. She began reminiscing about her childhood, especially the time when you first adopted her.]

[She talked about how nervous and excited she had been upon being adopted by you. You were handsome, kind, and approachable. When you visited the orphanage, all the children adored you and wanted to be your daughter. She had been one of them.]

[When you chose her, she was thrilled that her dream had come true. At the same time, she was anxious, wondering if she could be a good daughter. Her imagination, fueled by some suspenseful stories she had read, even led her to briefly question if you were truly a good father.]n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

[Her words captured your attention. Smiling, you asked her if she now thought you were a good father.]

[She told you about the shock she felt after entering your high-end home, transferring to an elite school, and using luxurious items. None of these brought her joy. Instead, they gave her headaches as she tiptoed carefully, afraid of breaking something or making a mistake.]

[What brought her joy and made her feel happy was your warmth, gentleness, and approachability.]

[She told you that you were the best father and the person she loved most.]

[Her heartfelt words touched you deeply. You told her she was the best daughter and, apart from Reina, your most beloved family member.]

[This snowy visit and heartfelt conversation didn’t leave a profound impression on you. They didn’t bring you healing or redemption. You remained fixated on your surgery.]

[On the contrary, Mako seemed to be spurred by something, throwing herself into her work with even greater determination. Months would pass without you seeing her even once. For several years in November, she only came to Yoshida Town during the first snowfall, no longer staying for half a month like before.]

[On your 86th birthday, you realized your time was running out. As a young man, you had been consumed by surgeries; as a middle-aged man, you had been consumed by surgeries; and even in old age, surgeries had occupied your every moment. You had neglected your health and carried unresolved burdens in your heart. That you had lived this long was nothing short of a miracle.]

[Finally, one of your disciples succeeded in improving your procedure, but the improvement was like a drop in the ocean.]

[You felt despair. Your body deteriorated rapidly, and you were admitted to the hospital, kept alive by machines and IV drips.]

[Oddly, the hospital setting comforted you, giving you a strange sense of solace. You felt closer to your wife here. In her final days, she had also lain on a hospital bed, watching endless drips of medication flow into her veins.]

[You thought to yourself: you had said goodbye to your wife at 19, to your father at 73, and to your mother at 77. Now, it was your turn.]

[During your hospital stay, Mako rarely visited. Even when she did, she wouldn’t stay long. Her research seemed to have reached a critical juncture. You understood her passion. If you had been on the verge of a breakthrough, you would have been even more engrossed.]

[At 87, when you were barely clinging to life, Mako came to your hospital room, bringing something with her.]

[She removed the item from its preservative solution and placed it gently in your trembling hands.]

[Even though it had been years since you last held a scalpel, opened a chest, or touched the heart you had dedicated your life to understanding, you knew immediately what it was—a piece of cardiac tissue.]

[Mako told you it was a biologically engineered heart valve, the result of her research and the culmination of her life’s work. This was the mature application of decellularization and regeneration technology, a solution that eliminated the flaws of previous biological valves!]

[It was like an earthquake, the collision of tectonic plates. Medicine’s towering mountain rose even higher, more majestic, and closer to the sky.]

[The hope she brought reinvigorated your rapidly failing body.]

[Together, you and Mako leveraged all your connections to expedite a surgery. You designed the surgical plan, while your most skilled disciple performed it as the lead surgeon.]

[The surgery was a success.]

[Ecstatic, you, now in your twilight years, threw yourself into the field of biology with boundless passion. With your medical foundation, Mako’s guidance, and the advantage of memorization over understanding, you spent three years mastering the technology your daughter had developed.]

[Mako was by your side the entire time, and when she saw the joy on your face after you succeeded, she smiled.]

[Only then did you think to ask her: was her decision to study this technology a coincidence, or was it because of you?]

[Mako answered that it was half coincidence and half inspired by your surgery.]

[But this was a lie.]

[Even as a young girl, Mako had realized that her father was driven by the desire to cure the illness that had taken her mother’s life—even though her mother was long gone. The first half of your life was about your love for Reina. The second half was about your battle with the disease that took her. Your entire life had been dedicated to her. Even adopting Mako was to fulfill a wish Reina had expressed before her death.]

[Mako wanted to help you. That was why she entered medical school. But she soon realized that you had already reached the pinnacle of existing medical knowledge. She could barely keep up with you, let alone lead your surgery to new heights. So, she decisively abandoned medicine and turned to biology.]

[As for the mother she had never met, though she had developed some understanding and affection for her through your stories, these feelings had little impact on her.]

[Your life had revolved around Reina. Hers had revolved around you.]

[Finally, you were able to resolve the knots in your heart and enjoy your remaining years. Mako stayed by your side.]

[At 97, you passed away peacefully in your sleep. Mako buried you on the hillside near Sora no Ike, next to her mother’s grave. That year, during the first snowfall at Sora no Ike, she sat between your graves and watched the snow.]

[Simulation Ends.]

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