Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818792435693508578
Even my foggy brain could tell. Toka looked incredibly flustered. My mind raced ahead, thinking I had to do something, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate. It felt like a thin membrane stretched between my consciousness and my physical form.
“H-hold on a sec!”
Toka fluttered out of the room in a flurry. The sound of footsteps running down the hallway and Toka’s desperate voice echoed up from the first floor.
“Mom! Ryo kun is in trouble!”
Come to think of it, Mom had the day off today… Somehow, Toka seems to keep better track of our family’s schedule than I do… The clatter of footsteps approached again, and the door swung open with a loud bang.
“T-thermometer and something to drink…”
“Toka chan, you don’t need to panic like that.”
Toka’s lively voice and Mom’s calm voice reached my ears. What’s with this temperature difference? I almost laughed, but I didn’t have the energy for it.
“Ryo’s never been the strongest kid, you know.”
“R-Really…?”
“Ever since he was little, he’d often get fevers like this after pushing himself too hard. I thought he’d learned his lesson after badly injuring his knee in middle school. Maybe it just shows how much he cares about you, Toka-chan.”
They’re talking about something embarrassing… But maybe if I blush now, they won’t notice…
“Pushing himself too hard…”
Toka murmured the words softly. She looked down at my face and suddenly fell silent. Oh no, she’s probably upset. I want to tell her it’s not like that, but my mouth won’t form the words…
“D-did I… push you too hard, Ryo-kun…?”
Toka’s voice trembled.
“Because… I suddenly barged in, acted selfishly wanting attention, and at school too… Y-yeah, I guess… That must have been exhausting…”
No. That’s not it. It’s not Toka’s fault.
“Toka-chan, that’s not it.”
Mom quietly interjected.
“When Ryo collapses, it’s usually after he’s been ‘on edge’. So right now, it just means he finally relaxed. He relaxed in front of Toka-chan. Right, Ryo?”
I blinked to say “Yeah.” That alone made the light snap back into Toka’s eyes.
“I…”
Just as Toka was about to say something, Mom’s face turned mischievous.
“But this is a real headache.”
“A headache?”
“I’m about to hit a busy period at work. Yuzu has her club tournament coming up, and Dad has work. What if we catch your cold?”
Mom’s eyes were laughing. She looked incredibly pleased.
“Um, well…”
“What is it, Toka-chan?”
“I’ll take care of Ryo-kun!”
“Take care of him? What do you mean?”
Mom tilted her head, grinning. Toka, flushing bright red, leaned forward and continued!
“I’ll take care of everything for Ryo-kun this summer vacation! Porridge, changing clothes, water pillows, all of it…!”
“…Nursing him?”
“That’s right!”
I thought the care period seemed short, but she was dead serious. Maybe overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, Mom shrugged and chuckled.
“Well then, I guess I’ll leave it to you~”
“I-Is that okay?! Thank you so much!”
Touka practically stood up ready to salute, thanking Mom. Wait… what about my opinion…? Mom definitely thinks this fever is no big deal and is just playing around. This is awful, absolutely awful.
“We should go to the hospital first.”
“I’ll come along too!”
“You need to be careful not to catch a cold yourself, Toka-chan.”
“Yes!”
…And so, my summer vacation got off to the worst possible start.
――Hospital examination room. Mom and Toka listened to the doctor’s explanation beside me as I lay on the bed.
“Um… three meals a day? Snacks? How about fluids? What about bathroom breaks?”
No, Toka is grilling the doctor with questions! This is embarrassing… Mom isn’t stopping Toka either; she’s just giggling beside her. And Toka is even taking notes, which is unusual for her.
Huh…? A notebook?
“It’ll be fine. Take your medicine, get plenty of rest, and you should recover quickly.”
“But just in case something happens!”
Gahhhhh! Wait, looking closer… that’s my growth notebook! When did Touka bring that here?! This is bad! If she sees that cover, my fever might actually spike!
“Um… what’s the relationship between you and Kuga san? Or rather, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before?”
The doctor took a breath from Touka’s intense questioning and suddenly asked. Hey, even the doctor seems a bit put off.
“It’s a special relationship!”
Alright, decision made. I’m just gonna play dead. It’s way too painful to just stand by silently while bomb (Toka) is holding bomb (the training notebook)!
“I-I see… Caring for someone is one way to show affection, after all. Please support Kuga san well.”
“A way to show affection…”
Toka murmured the words, savoring them deeply.
◇
On the way home from the hospital. I staggered along the path to my house with unsteady legs.
“Ryo-kun, are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little woozy…”
“You can use my shoulder.”
“Well, but if we get too clingy, someone might see us…”
“This isn’t the time to worry about that.”
Saying that, Toka offered me her shoulder. Just that made walking much easier.
“Mom, I’ll take full responsibility for looking after Ryo-kun!”
“Yeah, I’m heading over to Toka-chan’s place now to bring some things too.”
…Huh? While I was dozing off at the hospital, it seemed they’d settled something between them.
“Ryo-kun, let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“My place. Starting today, you’ll be staying at my house so I can take care of you.”
“T-Touka’s house…?”
“Yeah.”
Her answer was immediate. It was so utterly without hesitation it was actually scary.
“I’ll have to retrain you, Ryo-kun, since you always push yourself too hard!”
It really is scary! Touka just suddenly started saying stuff like that!
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !