Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818792436173458014
Toka’s face flushed all the way to her ears! Her eyes welled up, and she covered her face with both hands!
“It’s Ryo kun’s fault for kissing me! It’s Ryo kun’s fault for teaching me how to kiss!”
“W-What? My fault!?”
No, no, you don’t have to say it’s my fault! I know I was trying way too hard to be cool, too.
“So, you wish I hadn’t?”
When I retorted a little stubbornly, Toka’s shoulders jerked.
“Noooooo! Don’t say that!”
“Guhhh!”
Toka buried her face hard into my chest. Since I was lying down, her body sank deep into the bed.
“I want more! I want to kiss you so much more!”
“Aaah! Fine, fine! I’m sick, so don’t touch me right now! You’ll catch my cold! Kissing is forbidden too!”
“Fine! If it’s Ryo-kun’s cold, I’d be happy to catch it! Actually, I want us both to get sick with the same symptoms and start a double sick-in life!”
“What the hell is that, some kind of unhealthy buddy life?”
Toka started wriggling around while still clinging to me.
“Mou, I was so touched thinking you were trying really hard to nurse me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’m really happy Toka is doing this much for me.”
“Fuhiihi.”
Toka was laughing weirdly. I think it’s the kind of laugh she absolutely couldn’t do back in her celebrity days.
“Hey, hey, so will you forgive me…?”
“Forgive you? For the kiss?”
“That too, but there’s something else… Ryo kun, can you stand up a little?”
“Huh?”
At Toka’s prompting, I got out of bed. I felt sluggish, but my body was noticeably lighter. Toka pulled my hand and led me to the kitchen.
“Look at this mess right now.”
“…”
Oh my god… The kitchen had turned into a complete disaster zone. Pot lids were tilted on their sides, vegetable scraps littered the sink. Rice grains were dancing a mysterious dance next to the rice cooker.
“Wow, this is something else…”
“I’m not great at cleaning up.”
“I know.”
So this is what was happening behind the scenes of that rice porridge… In a way, it felt so like Toka that I actually felt a little relieved.
“I tried it, but the heat was way stronger than I expected. The pot went wild, the ladle fell, the floor turned into a skating rink…”
A major disaster had struck. Isn’t it kind of amazing I was sleeping through that?
“But I was super confident about the taste! After all, I blew on it a bunch with love at the end.”
Toka looked like she really wanted praise. She bounced up and down a little on the spot, looking incredibly cute.
“You did your best. Thank you.”
“Ehehe, I got praised!”
“But I’m writing ‘Don’t multitask while cleaning’ in your notebook! Seems like you were jotting stuff down too!”
“Huh? How did you know I was writing a training notebook?”
“Because you were muttering to yourself.”
“Ryo-kun, where were you awake from!?”
“For quite a while.”
“Waaaaaah!”
I’m the one with a fever, yet Toka’s face is redder than mine. It looks like smoke is about to start pouring out of her head any second!
“You tried to humiliate me! What a terrible boyfriend!”
“No, I just thought you looked cute…”
“C-cute!?”
“Seriously, if you wrote it in the training notebook, I’d definitely see it.”
“W-well, that’s true…”
Toka’s voice trailed off. Now she started fidgeting with her fingers.
“Ryo-kun, say ‘cute’ again? I’ll get the recording ready!”
“That’ll be something you’ll tease me about forever!”
“See? Ryo-kun, you really do have a fever. You wouldn’t normally say something like that… right?”
Toka tilted her head cutely.
“Ugh! Just get back in bed already!”
“Wh-what’s with you all of a sudden? You’re the one who dragged me out here.”
“Right now, I’m training Ryo-kun! I’m the one raising you, so don’t interfere!”
“I don’t think I’m interfering though…”
Toka started ranting wildly. I was pushed back toward the bed by Thka.
“Mouu, Ryo-kun, you make such a fuss if I leave you alone for a second.”
“Whose fault is that?! Whose?!”
“Whose…”
At my words, Toka’s face fell a little.
“Listen, Ryo kun. You don’t have to push yourself for my sake anymore, okay?”
“I didn’t think I was pushing myself. It’s just… my health was worse than I thought.”
“…If you keep ending up like this, I absolutely won’t like it, okay? I won’t be happy at all if you collapse in the end.”
“I’m sorry about that…”
“But I’m also happy you tried so hard until you ended up like this.”
“Which one!?”
Toka gripped the hem of my shirt tightly.
“Both.”
“But you know, if you ever have trouble, Toka, I think I’ll push myself again. I’ll give it my all.”
“……”
My words made Toka look slightly troubled.
…Actually, I have a near-certain premonition.
If I stay with Toka from now on, there’s someone I’ll inevitably have to face.
The reason Asahina Toka ended up bearing the label of “failed upbringing” wasn’t just society’s voice… Above all, it was because one person said those words to her. That’s why Toka ended up so broken.
(And, even her mother said she “failed” raising her…)
Toka’s real mother—her name was Asahina Rena, I believe.
If I stay with Toka, the day will inevitably come when I have to confront this person. Without resolving the issue with her, there can be no true “success in raising” Asahina Toka. I can’t truly free Toka from the words “failed upbringing.”
“Then I’ll do my best to protect you too, Ryo-kun.”
…Well, I doubt Touka knows I feel that way, though.
“By the way, it’s your birthday soon, right, Ryo-kun?”
“Huh? Yeah, but did I mention that?”
“I looked it up.”
“H-how!?”
“I’ll celebrate big time, so look forward to it! I’ve got your birthday present all planned out too ♡”
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