[8:38 AM] [Nagi-chan… I think I caught a cold…]
[Nagi-chan☆]
[What?]
[…You've caught a cold, Mika-san?]
[8:39 AM] [Yup… and my period came at the same time, so after one trip to the bathroom I haven't been able to get up at allㅠ]
[Nagi-chan☆]
[Oh, honestly.]
[What in the world am I supposed to do with you.]
[I'll be there soon, just send me the code for your front door.]
[8:47 AM] [Thanks Nagi-chan… ah, the code is 0704☆]
They say not even a dog catches a summer cold.
Does that mean that I, having caught one, am lower than a dog…?
"Sniffle… atchoo!"
I pulled the thin blanket up to just below my neck. Maybe it's because a nasty cold hit at the same time as that, but I really feel like I'm dying. The last time this happened, I just laughed it off, but with this double whammy of misfortune, it has literally turned into hell.
"Mika-san, I've brought porridge and medicine. Ah, and some warm yuzu tea. Hurry up and sit up."
"Ugh, Nagi-chan. When did you get here…?"
Even though I'm in so much pain, the moment I see Nagisa's face, I feel a surge of strength. I will praise only you, forever and always, the GOAT of Trinity, Kirifuji Nagisa-sama…
"Just a little while ago. Honestly, I can't with you. Mika-san, from now on, please wear something when you go out at night."
"Ahaha… yup, sorry. I'll be careful from now on."
"You have no idea how surprised I was to hear that the idiot who hasn't had so much as a minor illness in years suddenly caught a cold. There's a saying that idiots don't catch colds, and it seemed like you'd stopped doing as many foolish things lately, but now look what's happened."
Hey, Nagisa… don't you think that's a little harsh? If you say it like that, you're basically dissing me for having been an idiot in the past.
I sat up, grunting with effort as I placed a backrest cushion behind me and leaned against it. Why is this body, which is usually overflowing with strength, so powerless at times like this? To think that a body that only feels a sting when shot can be laid low by a cold… there's truly nothing scarier than sickness.
"…Atchoo."
"Haaah… I'm going to go boil some water, so wait just a moment. And you said your period came at the same time, right?"
"Yup…"
"In that case, it's probably better to eat the porridge first before taking the medicine… I'll be right back."
Thankfully, today is the weekend with no morning classes, so it seems Nagisa was able to rush right over after hearing the news. By the way, I'm glad I reset the door lock code. I can just open it with my fingerprint, but I thought a passcode might be necessary, and here it is, being helpful.
Nagisa took the yuzu tea, which looked like it was from a convenience store, out of the paper bag and placed it firmly in my hands before heading to the kitchen. The warmth was clearly coming from my hands, but the place where the coziness began to spread was from inside my chest.
Thankfully, it seems my strength hasn't completely deserted me. I easily twisted open the cap and took a sip of the yuzu tea. Usually, drinks fresh from a warmer are excessively hot, but it had cooled down a bit on the way to my house, making it the perfect temperature to drink.
By the way, for her to show up with porridge, medicine, and yuzu tea that's good for the throat, all because I said I had a cold… how can our Nagisa be so thoughtful? I might actually fall for her at this rate.
Haaaah…
Just a little bit of yuzu tea seems to have cleared my head. Come to think of it, I was supposed to go with Hifumi today to pick out a birthday present for Nagisa. I'll have to reschedule that.
My phone, which was resting peacefully under my pillow, had less than 30% battery left, as I had apparently forgotten to charge it yesterday. Hmm… I did have a bit of a cold then, so oh well.
I opened Momotalk to explain the situation to Hifumi, when a message from Hanako caught my eye.
[Hanako-chan] [Photo]
…A photo?
Unable to resist my curiosity, a moment later I was so startled that I dropped my phone.
[Hanako-chan]
[The advice you gave me the other day, Mika-senpai, was really a huge help.]
[Ufufu, shall I say I was able to realize what it feels like to be liberated from all the shackles that had been binding me.]
[Thank you, Mika-senpai. I'll come visit you soon♡]
[Photo]
The background of the photo was a park that was hard to identify precisely. The time was late at night, when darkness had descended all around.
"Waaah-oh…"
I suddenly feel a feverish heat rush to my head. I knew Hanako was an incredible girl, but… hmm, this far exceeds my expectations. I just wanted Hanako not to lose her own character because of me, but isn't this progressing a little too fast?
Worried that Nagisa might come in and see, I hurriedly sent a reply saying I was glad I could help, and pressed the back button. I did my best to push what I had just seen out of my mind and sent a message to Hifumi, telling her I wasn't feeling well and that we'd have to postpone our plans for today.
A minor incident occurred, but… in any case, I took care of what I needed to do, so I can rest with a peaceful mind now, right?
Not long after I put my phone back down, Nagisa returned with a tray holding a small bowl and a glass of water.
"…Mika-san, why is your face so red? H-Here, take the fever reducer first…!"
"Ahaha! N-No, it's not that, so you don't have to worry. Yes, it's just that being taken care of like this is a little embarrassing…"
"Ah, that… ahem…!"
Thankfully, Nagisa didn't seem to find anything strange in my excuse. Though her cheeks did turn a little rosy… I suppose it's reasonable to assume it was for a similar reason to the excuse I just gave.
…That's probably it, right?
"Phew, well, I have to be at the academy before 1 o'clock, so we should hurry a little."
Placing the tray on the small table next to my bed, Nagisa took out the container of porridge from the paper bag and spoke. When I asked what time it was, she said it was a little past 11. Considering the travel time to and from the academy, Nagisa could stay for an hour at most.
But she's already given me the medicine, the porridge, and water to drink, so there's no need for her to do anything more, right?
I was about to voice that thought to Nagisa when my own thoughts came to a halt. I had just seen her take a spoonful of porridge, hold the small bowl underneath it, and gently blow on it.
What is this? No, really, what is this situation?
Isn't this the kind of thing that only happens when a boy is taking care of a sick girl? Or between a parent and child.
"Nagi-chan…? You're not planning on feeding me yourself, are you? Yes? That would be a little extremely embarrassing for me…?!"
"…Be quiet, and just say 'ah.' I'm not saying it twice."
With Nagisa's ears turning bright red as she said that, I didn't dare to argue. Have I ever been this embarrassed in my entire life?
I meekly accepted the porridge and pondered. Maybe, just maybe, this is a green light from Nagisa?
…Hah, as if. I pushed the absurd thought away and chewed the porridge that had entered my mouth. It seemed to be abalone porridge.
"You said your period came at the same time. I know how difficult that can be, so that's why I'm feeding you."
See? I told you it wasn't like that. In the first place, a development where a same-sex friend you've known for 10 years suddenly seems like a romantic partner? That deserves to be criticized for having no narrative plausibility.
For a while, feeling like a baby bird receiving food from its mother, I diligently accepted the porridge. Then, wondering about Nagisa's own meal, I cautiously asked.
"Hmm… skipping one meal is fine. And if I get really hungry, I can just fill up on dessert."
Saying she has to be at the academy before 1 means she has to start her Tea Party work from then. It's not like I'm an exception, but Nagisa said she would take care of my share for me.
But if you don't eat lunch, you'll have to starve until dinner. And Nagisa, dessert isn't for filling you up! It's bad for your health.
"Uh… if you open the fridge, there should be a few ready-made meals on the top shelf. Yes, so pick one and eat it before you go."
"It's alright, Mika-san. It's no problem to just skip one meal."
"Hey, Nagi-chan, you have to eat, okay? I'm going to check later whether you ate or not."
If you didn't, I'm definitely going to cause trouble. I don't know what kind of trouble, but I will.
As I conveyed this intention to Nagisa with my eyes, she finally let out a deep sigh and nodded.
"Then you can eat the rest yourself from now on. I'm going to go heat one up for myself."
"Ah."
Darn it. It was unbelievably embarrassing, but it was by no means an unpleasant feeling. I should have just kept my mouth shut.
Nagisa, who had heated up a carbonara pasta from the fridge, commented that it was surprisingly edible for a ready-made meal. Indeed, does Millennium's technology know no bounds?
"If you're done eating, give me your plate. I'll just do the dishes and then—"
"Hey, Nagi-chan. If you do that too, I'm going to get angry, you hear? I'll do the dishes when I'm feeling a bit better, so just run them under some water and come back."
No matter what, making the person who took care of me this much do the dishes too is just not right. My conscience won't allow it, young lady. So just come back here nicely!
"…Alright. Then at least tell me if there was any progress on the matter you went to handle yesterday. It would be a little sad if you caught a cold like this and got nothing out of it."
Without even waiting for my answer, Nagisa picked up the tray and disappeared into the kitchen.
Should I say there was progress in yesterday's meeting, or not? It wasn't a total loss, but it wasn't a huge gain either.
The fact that I succeeded in making contact with Arius means I'm already halfway there. After all, they say a good beginning is half the battle.
But unless the Arius Squad comes themselves, it can't lead to a major gain. They are, after all, the most important element of my plan.
"Mika-san, it was my fault. So please stop thinking about work and get some rest."
Nagisa, who had returned after leaving the dishes in the sink, said to me, who had been lost in thought. Hmm, to be honest, I do feel much better than before.
"Ahaha, the yuzu tea from earlier helped a lot, so this is fine! And just having you here by my side makes my headache disappear."
"Wh-What are you saying. If you're really okay, then stop saying such embarrassing things and just tell me about what happened yesterday."
"Hmm… okay, first, I succeeded in making contact with the Arius side! The only problem is that they seem to really hate us. Not just dislike, but on the level of hatred."
"…Then aren't you in danger, Mika-san?"
"I appreciate the concern, but I'm pretty strong, you know? If it comes down to it, I can get away just fine, so it'll be okay. The Arius kids have nothing to gain by causing a disturbance within the Trinity district, so they'll probably restrain themselves."
It's a natural concern for Nagisa, who doesn't know Arius's full strength, but I know the level of the Squad, the strongest force in Arius besides Beatrice.
If we were to clash head-on, it would be a 50/50 fight at best, and to be honest, I think I would win. For the Squad to beat me, Saori would have to become much stronger than she is now. Or they'd have to bring Azusa along, at the very least.
"I'll persuade them somehow. Because the students of Arius deserve to be happy too. Right, Nagi-chan?"
"I don't know, so please don't ask me. What a foolish person you are."
"Ahaha! But you don't dislike this side of me, do you, Nagi-chan? I know everything☆"
"Haaah… Yes, I don't dislike that side of you, Mika-san. In fact, lately…"
"Hmm? Lately…?"
"I-I'll be going now, Mika-san. Make sure to take your medicine and get plenty of rest. Alright?"
"Yup, I'll be sure to take it. But Nagi-chan, why did you change the subject like that?"
"I don't know! You don't need to see me out, so don't even think about following me."
Hmm.
What should I call this? Nagisa feels incredibly prickly today. If I were a boy, that would have been a classic tsundere move.
The only problem is that since I'm Mika, it just sounds like a friend worrying about a child left by the water. Still, just watching Nagisa act like this warms my heart, so that's enough.
…Ah, come to think of it, I have to change my pad after taking my medicine. My mood really can plummet in an instant.