Chapter 20
I was resting my chin on my hand, admiring the unusually clear sky today.
“Arai caught a cold today, so he won’t be coming in. Keep that in mind.”
Before classes properly began, our homeroom teacher gave us the news about Arai during homeroom.
At the teacher’s words, I immediately turned my gaze toward the strangely empty desk—Arai’s seat.
‘No wonder I hadn’t seen him.’
…Hmm.
Arai. You caught a summer cold—the kind even dogs supposedly don’t get?
So that’s why you couldn’t come to school.
Well, you went home yesterday after foolishly walking straight through a sudden downpour. It wouldn’t be strange if you caught a cold.
Right, you charged head-on through that torrential rain――.
‘Tsk.’
Honestly.
The memory of yesterday came to mind, and I let out an unpleasant complaint in my heart.
My teeth ground―and I pressed my lips together slightly. I wasn’t happy about Arai catching a cold.
‘Sigh.’
I’d swallowed my discomfort and gone through with that unpleasant act, and this was the result?
It felt awful, like all my patience and effort had gone to waste. On top of that, I remembered how I’d made physical contact with him first and accidentally shown him my underwear.
……I was embarrassed, too.
‘It’s hot.’
The memories brought a certain emotion welling up inside me, and embarrassment and regret gradually flushed my cheeks. I hated the heat, so I took my hand away from my chin.
Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to sort through my tangled thoughts and feelings.
‘What should I do?’
Ugh.
What else? Visit him, obviously.
Putting aside the reason he caught a cold, a “get-well visit” was a classic way to build his affection for her.
The protagonist suffering from a high fever, and the heroine taking care of him.
I couldn’t let a scene like that pass me by.
‘All right. I’ll tell Kaede to skip club activities today.’
Kaede blowing on a bowl of hot porridge or udon noodles beside the sick Arai.
It was a pretty satisfying image.
Hmm. Come to think of it, Kaede doesn’t know how to cook, does she?
I don’t think she’s ever learned.
Can’t be helped, then. I’ll do the cooking.
Besides, even a sick person would prefer food made by someone experienced over a beginner’s cooking.
And we can just say that Kaede made it. Of course, that would mean deceiving Arai.
Well, it should be fine.
Anyway,
Then should I stop by the supermarket on the way and buy some ingredients?
I opened my eyes.
After glancing at the homeroom teacher as they left the classroom, I immediately pulled my smartphone from my pocket.
―Me : Are you okay, Arai-kun? I heard you caught a cold! [Read]
―Me : (crying rabbit emoji) [Read]
―Kaede : A-A cold!? Are you okay? [Read]
―Kaede : (shivering Shiba Inu emoji) [Read]
I posted a message in the group chat that included Arai and Yuki, and Kaede immediately took the bait.
Good. She’s reacting exactly how I hoped, Kaede.
Things were going according to plan. I decided not to let this momentum slip away.
―Me : Miss, let’s visit Arai-kun today. It’ll be a chance to build his affection for you.
As soon as I left the group chat, I sent Kaede a separate message with the suggestion above.
It was surely an offer Kaede had been hoping for deep down, too.
Hehe.
Kaede. You innocent thing.
Go on and accept my suggestion without a fuss.
Then, while Arai’s feeling under the weather today, you can build his affection for you a whole lot.
For the rosy future you and Arai will share someday.
And,
for my return, too.
＊＊＊
“Ugh.”
To get straight to the point, my plan was rejected.
It wasn’t Kaede’s decision. In fact, she really wanted to visit him.
It was just that circumstances wouldn’t allow it, despite how she felt.
‘I didn’t expect them to refuse over safety concerns.’
What if the young lady visited him and caught his cold?
If she caught it and ended up bedridden, it would leave a gap in her upcoming schedule and cause major disruption.
That risk was unacceptable. Therefore, the visit was absolutely not allowed.
Unfortunately, my plan fell apart because of objections like the ones above.
‘Why don’t rom-com rules apply in situations like this?’
In rom-coms, the heroine usually goes right ahead and visits the sick guy, no matter the circumstances. Why didn’t that apply to Kaede?
Was it because this was reality, after all?
“Sigh.”
I let out a deep sigh. Then I heard something clatter—the ingredients in the bag knocking against one another.
“How did I end up having to do this――…”
I lowered my gaze to the heavy weight in my right hand and let out a muttered complaint. I didn’t finish the sentence.
‘Nagi! Go take care of Arai-kun for me. Please!’
That was because I remembered the bewildering request Kaede had made about thirty minutes ago.
‘Miss, I don’t understand. Why should I go look after Arai-kun by myself, without you?’
‘B-but I’m worried, Nagi… Please. Go check on Arai-kun for me.’
‘Why should I……’
‘Well, …Nagi. You’re good at taking care of the sick, aren’t you? You’ve always taken care of me whenever I was sick. I think you could get Arai-kun better in no time. So, Nagi, please. Okay?’
It was an unreasonable request, and her justification was flimsy.
I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I agreed to Kaede’s request.
……I’d looked at Kaede pleading with tears in her eyes, and my heart had softened.
And I really was worried about Arai, too.
His cold might get worse, and something could happen to him.
'Now that I’m here, I do kind of regret it.'
But the deed was done.
I’d already bought the ingredients, and, more importantly, I’d already told Yuki I was on my way. In fact, I’d arrived at the Arai family’s house.
It was far too late to change my mind.
‘I’ll just make him some porridge and leave.’
With that decision made, I pressed the doorbell.
The doorbell rang through the space. After I waited a moment, the locked door clicked open.
“You really came!?”
Of course I did. Did you think I’d fake it?
“Hi. How have you been, Yuki?”
“I was fine, but not anymore. I can’t be fine now because of my stupid big brother.”
Yuki spoke in a sulky voice.
Wasn’t Yuki worried about her brother? As I turned the thought over in my mind, Yuki’s face came into view.
Her pretty face, usually calm but sometimes lively, was now thoroughly downcast.
Seeing her like that, I realized Yuki was worried about Arai being sick in bed, too.
Siblings, after all.
“He’s so annoying. He’s sick, but he won’t even let me into his room in case I catch his cold.”
“Hehe. Arai-kun must really care about you, Yuki.”
Yuki voiced her complaints, and I found her so cute that I stroked her head.
“Hmph. Whatever. He shouldn’t have caught a cold in the first place.”
She accepted my touch but didn’t stop grumbling. I agreed with Yuki completely and nodded.
Exactly.
If you were going to run off like that, you shouldn’t have caught a cold, either.
Thanks to you, both Yuki and I are in a pretty difficult situation now.
“Yuki. Shall we head inside now?”
“Oh, right! Come on in!”
We couldn’t stay outside the house forever. Then, with Yuki showing me the way, I stepped inside.
My second visit had come about unintentionally.
“Yuki, could you show me Arai-kun’s room?”
“Yeah. This way. Follow me… Takamine-neechan.”
When I asked, Yuki immediately turned around and led the way. It would have been understandable if she’d felt left out that I was looking for her brother as soon as I arrived, but she showed no sign of it.
If anything, she seemed glad and started leading me right away. Seeing that, I realized how worried she’d been.
‘What a terrible older brother, making such a lovely little sister worry about him… Arai.’
Thinking that, I followed Yuki. Along the way,
‘I wonder if Kaede will have a hard time worrying about him later, too.’
I had that thought as well. Of course, what happened after they started dating wasn’t my concern.
Anyway,
“This is his room.”
“Thanks, Yuki.”
After walking for a while, we arrived at Arai’s room. I thanked Yuki for showing me the way by stroking her head.
Then, right afterward, I opened Arai’s closed bedroom door.
The door creaked open, revealing the inside of Arai’s room.
‘It’s clean.’
I’d expected a typical guy’s room—like mine back when I was a guy—but the inside was surprisingly tidy.
‘Arai keeps his room pretty tidy, huh――.’
As I looked around the room, a figure caught my eye. It was Arai, suffering from a high fever.
‘Is he asleep?’
He should have reacted to this much noise, but he remained quiet. All I could hear was his labored breathing.
“Pant, pant――”
His labored breathing, flushed face, and beads of sweat on his forehead. He didn’t look well at all.
“Ugh.”
Looking at Arai, I let out a groan. I was partly responsible for him ending up in this state.
Maybe it was only natural for your heart to soften when you saw someone sick.
“Sigh. Wait here. I’ll help you in a moment.”
A sigh slipped out as I rolled up my sleeves and spoke.
That was when it happened.
“……Gray.”
“Huh? Gray?”
Arai suddenly said a color. His eyes were still closed, so it seemed like he was talking in his sleep.
Gray, of all things,
Hmm.
What on earth could he be dreaming about――――… Ah.
“Pervert.”