Part 6
The next day, I woke up feeling unusually hot.
"...Souta-kun."
I heard someone calling my name. My consciousness, which had been submerged in hot water, quickly began to awaken.
"Souta-kun, you’re not okay… you have a high fever and are covered in sweat. Please wait, I’ll bring you some water."
In front of me was Nagi's beautiful face, and her cool hand was placed on my forehead. She quickly withdrew her hand and then left the room.
I tried to sit up, wondering what was happening... but my vision swayed unsteadily.
Ah, this feeling. It's familiar.
Did I catch a cold?
My head felt foggy, and as I sat, I nearly fell over, reaching out to steady myself on the bed. After a short moment, Nagi returned with a glass of water.
Just yesterday... no, it felt like just a moment ago, I was perfectly fine.
"Nagi, how's your health...?"
"I'm fine. What I'm worried about now is you, Souta-kun. Drink this water, and I’ll take your temperature... I’ll also call Suzuka-san. At this time, maybe one of Papa’s doctor friends can come."
"You don’t need to go that far, I’ll just sleep it off."
"No, you can’t."
Nagi was looking at me directly. It seemed like it would be best to just accept her care and let her take the lead.
"Okay."
I slowly nodded and brought the water to my lips.
★★★
"Hmm... It looks like he have a cold. Considering what happened yesterday, it seems the extreme stress he were under lowered his immunity. Of course, fatigue played a role too. If he take some medicine and rest for a day or two, he should be fine. I just checked, and there’s no issue with over-the-counter medication."
"Thank you."
I blankly watched Nagi and the doctor talk.
The headache and fatigue were overwhelming. My fever was 38°C.
It seemed that the doctor was Nagi's... personal family doctor. A kind-looking woman in her sixties. She had treated me yesterday when I collapsed at the Shinonome house.
"Take care."
"Thank you."
The doctor left after that. After she saw her off, Nagi came back into the room.
"Thank you, Nagi. ...And sorry, but it’s already time for school. You’ll be late."
"No. It’s my fault in the first place. ...Also, about that..."
Nagi sat down at the edge of the bed and took my hand. Her touch was cool and comforting.
"I decided to skip school today."
"...For my sake?"
"Yes. Today, I’ll take care of you."
Nagi smiled brightly and said so, but I shook my head.
"I don’t want to trouble you any more than I already have."
"When it’s family, it’s not a burden, it’s concern. ...Souta-kun, you’re like family to me now. I don’t think of it as a bother at all, so please don’t say that."
Nagi gently rubbed the back of my hand. Then, she continued speaking.
"I heard from Mom that it’s tough when you live alone and catch a cold... And..."
She gently stroked my forehead with her other hand. It was cool and soothing, and I involuntarily closed my eyes.
"From experience, when you’re feeling sick, you feel lonely. You want someone by your side. You want them to hold your hand. When I was little, Mom would stay with me, and Suzuka-san would talk to me."
Her cool hand slid down and gently touched my cheek.
When I opened my eyes, Nagi’s delicate face was right in front of me.
"...You’ll catch a cold too."
"Heh... After kissing so many times yesterday, are you saying that now?"
I couldn’t help but smile at her words.
"Guess you’re right."
"Yes... Perhaps I caught it without realizing, and it spread to you."
Nagi wrapped my hand in hers, squeezed it gently, and stood up.
"Souta-kun, do you have an appetite? Even just a bite is fine."
"...A little."
"Understood. Suzuka-san brought some apples earlier, so let’s make some apple slices. Just wait—"
As Nagi tried to walk, she suddenly stopped.
"...Heh."
A smile escaped her lips, and she looked at me with soft eyes.
At the same time, she tightly squeezed my hand back... Huh?
That’s when I realized. I had extended my hand and was holding hers.
It was as if I didn’t want her to go, as if I was saying I felt lonely.
No, it wasn’t as if—I truly felt that way.
"It’s okay, Souta-kun. I’ll be back soon. ...Ah, should I slice the apple here?"
"...Please."
"Heh, leave it to me."
It seemed I had weakened more than I thought.
Nagi smiled brightly and quickly left the room.
★★★
The sound of slicing echoed through the room, clear and pleasant to the ears.
"Here you go. Souta-kun, open your mouth."
Nagi picked up some apple slices with her fingers and offered them to me.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should sit up... My vision was still a little blurry, so I turned onto my side and opened my mouth.
As I bit into the apple, a refreshing sweetness spread across my mouth. The coldness felt pleasant as well.
"Is it delicious?"
"Yeah. It's sweet and tasty."
Nagi kept bringing more apple slices to my mouth. It was a bit embarrassing, but... more than that, I was happy.
"...Heh, I’m glad."
Nagi smiled and continued bringing the apple to my mouth, over and over again.
It must have been a hassle to do this so many times. She had even sliced the apple for me.
I felt a little guilty about that... but seeing Nagi watching me happily, I couldn’t help but gaze back at her.
"...? Oh, sorry. Um, this might be improper, but..."
Nagi giggled shyly, and soft words flowed from her lips.
"I’m so used to always being the one to rely on others, so it’s a little new and... makes me happy to be able to take care of Souta-kun like this."
"...I do feel like I rely on you quite a lot."
"But you’re still a little reserved, aren’t you?"
"Well..."
It’s true, but it wasn’t so much that I was reserved, as I still felt a little embarrassed.
"It’s fine."
Once again, an apple slice was gently pressed to my lips.
"Today, I’ll take care of everything. Souta-kun, just relax and ask for anything you want. You can be spoiled as much as you like."
"...Thank you."
I said that, and once again bit into the apple. The sweet and tangy flavor filled my mouth.
"You’re welcome!"
Hearing Nagi’s smile and words, my mood naturally lifted.
★★★