Chapter 165: General Affairs Sakurai Has Caught a Cold
Tuesday.
Early in the morning, Sakurai Saki woke up and found his head spinning.
It rained heavily yesterday, and he got pretty soaked on the way home, but he had taken a shower and dried his clothes right after, so it probably wasn't because of a cold.
Moreover, people with superpowers really don't catch colds that easily.
This kind of condition was definitely caused by his superpower.
It was the [Time Stop] ability. At first, Sakurai didn't think he would get that skill so soon, but unexpected things always happen.
The side effects were still the same as last time. Though no longer a pounding headache, it was dizziness accompanied by a sharp pain—like a needle stabbing into his head—slowing down his thinking and making him drowsy and groggy. The side effects had weakened, but they weren't completely harmless yet.
General Affairs Sakurai lay in bed, holding his phone and texting his homeroom teacher.
The message was basically that he had caught a cold from the rain yesterday and wanted to take the morning off.
He didn't want to go to school. Even if he went, he'd just end up sleeping with his head down on the desk. Since he was going to sleep anyway, why not do it comfortably at home?
Last time, there was an exam, so Sakurai Saki had to go to school—it was related to the match against Shinomiya Kaguya.
But this time… screw it.
He had almost never been absent. Since the beginning of the school year, he hadn't missed a single day or been late even once.
Very quickly, the homeroom teacher replied, telling him to rest well.
...
No one knew how much time had passed—probably around noon?
When Sakurai Saki woke up again, he found that his condition had not improved.
He sat up, drank a bit of water to soothe his throat, then fell back asleep.
————
Knock knock~!
A crisp knocking sound rang out, with a distinct rhythm.
Sakurai Saki was awakened by the noise.
Hopefully the one knocking wasn't one of those door-to-door salespeople, otherwise, Sakurai Saki might help them become a concrete block at the bottom of Tokyo Bay.
Sakurai Saki put on his shoes and dragged his tired body to the door.
He opened it.
The first thing that came into view was a black ribbon and the distinctive pink hair that all five sisters shared.
"Sakurai-san, are you okay?!" Her worry was clear in her voice.
The one who had come was Nakano Nino.
At the moment, she looked very anxious. Seeing that Sakurai Saki was alright, she unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
"More or less," Sakurai replied vaguely.
It wasn't clear where she had heard the news—perhaps she was always keeping an eye on him.
This kind of initiative would surely make those who loved to skip responsibilities jealous. Acting on her thoughts without hesitation was definitely one of Nino's strengths.
"How do you know where I live?" Sakurai Saki was clearly still groggy.
His head was really spinning now, and his thought process was significantly slower.
"Didn't I come here before? This time I came to take care of you." Nakano Nino held out the things she had brought: some cold medicine and a few cooking ingredients.
"Nino, I don't need you to take care of me." Sakurai Saki didn't want to let her into the house.
But Nino's actions were beyond his expectations.
She slipped in right through the gap in the door.
"Do you think I'd believe what a sick person says?" Nino, full of worry, set her things down temporarily and took off her shoes, preparing to help Sakurai Saki back to his room.
"I'm not sick." Sakurai Saki held his forehead.
This shameful state of his was being witnessed by the one person he least wanted to see.
Among the five sisters, the one he hated most was Nino.
But the one with the highest affection toward him… was also Nino.
"Do you even know what time it is right now?" Nino ignored his rejection and directly supported him.
There was quite a height difference between them, and Nino looked like she was struggling a bit.
"Three o'clock?" Sakurai Saki looked a bit awkward, his head still throbbing.
"School's been out for a while—how could it still be three o'clock? Sakurai-san, and you still say you're not sick."
This is the first time Nino had seen Sakurai Saki so weak.
Honestly speaking, it hurt her deeply.
The other party had never shown this side of himself—not even others at school had seen it.
Sakurai Saki at Shuchiin was the symbol of handsomeness and perfection—top grades, outstanding athleticism, as if there was nothing he couldn't do.
This sickly appearance of his, perhaps only she had the chance to witness.
"…Let me say this first: even if you take care of me this time, I still won't develop any feelings for you." Sakurai Saki was shoved back into his blanket.
Nino helped him tuck the blanket tightly.
Nakano Nino seriously said, "Even if our relationship is just that of a tutor and student, I'll still take care of you! Besides, I like you—it's just my one-sided feelings, I've always known that."
Sakurai Saki turned to look at her and weakly replied, "Do whatever you want."
To be a dog-licker and still say it so bluntly—this was the first time he'd seen someone like that.
Also, aside from expressing her feelings so directly, didn't this woman have any more subtle approach?
It was overwhelming—like a speeding truck with no brakes. No one could survive the impact of this "Almighty One."
Hearing such words, Sakurai Saki's headache worsened.
"Don't sleep yet—take your medicine first." Nino quickly went to get some water.
"I'm not sick. It's just a bit of a headache."
"Then take a painkiller."
Sakurai Saki slightly squinted his eyes, looking at her back as she walked away—his vision somewhat blurry.
Truthfully, aside from his mother back in Kyoto, no one had ever taken care of him like this before.
Was he touched? Honestly… just a little.
After all, their relationship was only that of tutor and student. Just hearing that he had taken a day off, she came to visit and take care of him after school—actions like these would move any man.
A dozen seconds later, Nino came back with a glass of water.
Back when she used to hang around this apartment, she'd organized the place neatly and was familiar with everything.
"Here, ah~" Nino held the pill between her thumb and index finger.
Sakurai Saki didn't care that she was feeding him. He swallowed the pill and then took the water from her.
After taking the painkiller, the headache didn't subside much, but still—it was a gesture from her.
Besides, the cause wasn't any kind of illness anyway, but rather the side effect of a superpower. If regular medicine worked, that would be more surprising. Only organizations in the supernatural field could create medicine to suppress side effects like these.
"Alright, go to sleep. I'll go make something for you." Nino saw him swallow the pill and revealed a pleased expression.
She took the glass from him and walked off.
After she left, Sakurai Saki lay on his back in bed and slowly closed his eyes.
…
"Should be this place, right?"
In front of the apartment.
A girl with long pink hair was looking at a map on her phone. In her hands were quite a few items for visiting a sick person, including a deck of poker cards—which suited her style perfectly.
Today, Fujiwara Chika had just learned from Shinomiya Kaguya that Sakurai Saki had taken a day off.
At first, everyone in the student council said they wanted to go visit together, but Chika stopped them. The most enthusiastic one about the visit was Shirogane. The reason was probably because Sakurai Saki had helped him a lot in the past, so Shirogane wanted to return the favor.
There was another reason: even though they had known each other for so long, this was the first time Sakurai had ever taken a day off due to a cold.
Shinomiya Kaguya, upon hearing this, also got a little excited—but her thoughts were different from Chika's and Shirogane's.
She simply wanted to go see the fun.
If she happened to be in a good mood after watching, lending a hand to take care of him wouldn't be a big deal either—that was Shinomiya Kaguya's way of thinking.
But unfortunately—
In the end, after a decisive match through games, Chika won the right to visit Sakurai Saki alone.
Going up to the second floor, Chika knocked on the door.