January 24, 1993 (Sunday)

I wrote down the events from the 22nd in my diary. I’m free in the evening and there’s a lot of interesting things happening, however, it’s hard to read since I had to write while lying on my back.

Wake up is at 6 am. I beg of you, this is way too early! This isn’t like some kind of school club weekend training event y’know.

The doctor entered the room. “Let me know when you fart,” he says. Hmm… well, I may have farted last night, but I’m not 100% on that. I feel like I farted, but I also feel like it may have just been a dream. Gah, I want to eat something!

My mother came at 10:30am. You definitely feel a lot better when you can see your family’s faces. She brought a calendar and clock, along with the CD Walkman I won at the party to celebrate the new year with the Sailor Moon team.

I have to speak in a whisper when I try to talk, so as to not strain my stomach muscles. While I was whispering, my stomach started to rumble – guu, guuu, guu. Could it be?! I concentrated on all the muscles in my butt and waited.

Ffffffffffft.

Ah… that was definitely it. It came. Yay! With that, it was okay for me to eat. My heart was aflutter thinking about lunch, but when – TA-DA! – it finally came, it was just three plastic cups.

What’s this?

“It’s liquefied food.”

Is… that so?

I took one and gave it a swig, and it tasted like a a milk-flavored candy had been melted down and mixed with calcium. Still, it had been two days since I had put anything in my mouth, so I enjoyed it. Another one was a soup that tasted like a watered-down version of the broth that you’d put soba noodles in. Some sort of health supplement?

There was just one last one to look forward to. I was pretty excited. I opened the lid and… it tasted like a watered-down Chinese soup.

I was absolutely heartbroken. After having looked forward to it so much, THIS?

It’s just weird. It all just seemed so completely and utter bizarre! I did my best to try to not laugh. Aah, the wound’s gonna open back up. I know it hurts, but it’s just so strange! Someone, help me please!

After I finished eating, my brother came bearing manga – and interesting manga at that… which means I can’t read it. Hiro watched TV with headphones plugged in and was having a good time laughing along with the program. Watching him picked up my spirits and I started to laugh too. Ow! My stomach really hurts!

Next my Aunt came and brought me some Mickey Mouse pajamas. They’re really cute. Thanks!

Someone from my office’s front desk came, which helped bring up my spirits. But it made me wonder how the work was going. I know there’s nothing I can do about it, but I still wonder about it.

I wonder who’s playing as my stand-in? More to the point, I wonder if I’ll be able to return to my role?

It’s awful. I let out a sigh.

Dinner is also three plastic cups, plus a 200cc bottle of milk. The melted-milk-flavored-candy meal was now rice-flavored. It tasted like rice, but there was no rice in there to be found.

After dinner, my mother pulled out a toothbrush set for kids. “I was in a hurry,” she explained.

The first time brushing my teeth in two days. The fruit punch flavor brought me back to my childhood and tasted so good. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing, leading to more pain from my stomach.