Ika listens attentively and silently to Shinozuka.
"I see..."
She looks toward the sky, holding her hands behind her back.
"Though I am currently satisfied with the way I am, it wasn't always like this. Being weak and sickly while everyone else could run and play... It made me jealous. I thought things like 'This is so unfair, why me ?' and cursed my fate many times before. I hated myself, I hated others... And eventually I accepted this as my fate. It would have ended simply like this if not for my cousin..."
She closes her eyes, reminiscing precious memories. She is smiling and speaking with a nostalgic tone.
"...My stupid and beloved cousin... When I told him "I'm okay with how I am" with a defeated look, he yelled for the first time in front of me, shouting "No ! Why would you stop fighting ? Do you want to turn into a lazy whale ?". It made me really angry. I screamed at him, crying all the tears of my body, and I ended up collapsing from the lack of oxygen. He was so horrified by what he did he cried even stronger than me when I woke up."
"After clearing my mind, I realized what he meant to say. Seeing me resigned to my fate, he feared I would turn into a vegetable and so he tried to wake me up. That's what gave me my answer : I am different from healthy people, and it's okay. This is who I am. But I must keep working hard if I want to live a great life. I told him this the following day to apologize, and he cried even more."
"Yes. My weakness pushed me to develop my strengths."
Ika then looks at Shinozuka sideways, and says with a smile :
"That was my own answer. I hope you will find yours soon Shinozuka."