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Literature Club—
The wind slammed against the windows, rattling the glass with sharp clacks.
Oikawa couldn't help sighing again at how unreliable the weather forecast was. Not only was there rain, there was a damn typhoon too.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at it.
The first thing he saw was a breaking news alert.
["Typhoon is expected to make landfall near Chiba City this evening. At landfall, its intensity will reach strong typhoon level (42–48 m/s, Force 14–15)."]
["Meteorological experts warn that Typhoon will last for a long time, with heavy accumulated rainfall and high disaster risk. Relevant industries are advised to prepare protective measures…"]
Oikawa was completely speechless.
When stocks go up, you know to buy. The kid's dead and now you come to breastfeed.
"Looks like the typhoon's really here. My phone says nearby stations have stopped running. I might not be able to get home."
Zaimokuza looked stunned.
Came here just fine, but now he couldn't go back.
Oikawa had a headache too. His house wasn't close to school, and there was no way he could walk that distance.
As for biking, in this weather it would be downright dangerous.
"The school should have some kind of plan. No need to worry too much."
Oikawa didn't think the school would just abandon everyone. If they did, Sobu High probably wouldn't stay open much longer.
Most of the students' parents at Sobu High were successful figures in Chiba.
Take Kawasaki, for example. Her family wasn't poor at all. She just didn't want to add to her parents' burden.
And Zaimokuza…
His father was a lawyer at the largest law firm in Chiba City.
Yukino's father was even more impressive, a prefectural assemblyman in Chiba and head of a massive family business.
Granted, he'd married into the Yukinoshita family.
Still, Oikawa couldn't help feeling envious. If that kind of cushy life was available, he'd gladly take as much as he could.
"Yeah."
"But since everyone's here, I'm not too worried. Worst case, we can just stay overnight in the Literature Club."
Zaimokuza was surprisingly laid-back, like he believed anywhere he felt at ease could be home.
"Kawasaki, why aren't you saying anything?"
Kawasaki was usually quiet, but the three of them had spent enough time together that conversations rarely fell flat.
"Kawasaki?"
Oikawa looked over.
She was slumped on the desk, apparently fast asleep.
"She looks like she's asleep!" Zaimokuza said.
"Something's not right."
Oikawa quickly walked over and placed a hand on her forehead.
Burning hot. She had a fever.
She'd seemed off during the day. It was probably because she got soaked in the rain that morning. He should've told her to go home and take the day off.
"Kawasaki's got a fever. I'll carry her to the infirmary."
"Call Shizuka-sensei. If she's still at school, ask her to come to the infirmary."
Hoisting Kawasaki onto his back, Oikawa sprinted out.
The infirmary was in the teaching building, not the club building. He silently thanked himself for working out recently. Running down four floors and across campus like this would've been impossible otherwise.
"Teacher… she… she has a... fever."
Oikawa panted as he explained. "She got drenched this morning, and she looked uncomfortable all day. She just collapsed in the clubroom."
Maybe "collapsed" was a bit exaggerated, but if it made them take it seriously, he didn't mind.
"Put her on the bed first. I'll check her temperature."
The moment she heard "collapsed," the school nurse's expression turned serious. She immediately pulled out a thermometer gun.
Beep.
A red number appeared. 39.2°C.
The nurse visibly let out a breath.
39.2 was high, but not life-threatening, and manageable.
She took a white tablet from a drawer and handed it to Oikawa.
"Have her take this. Then I'll give her an injection and she should be fine."
"Do we need to go to the hospital?" Oikawa asked.
"Normally, no. She was probably chilled by the rain, and the temperature's been dropping recently, so she developed a fever."
"Let her take the medicine first. I'll give her a shot afterward. If her temperature doesn't drop, we can still send her to the hospital."
The nurse sounded confident.
And she had reason to be. The most common thing she treated every year was fever.
Oikawa nodded, then asked, "Do you have water?"
"Yes, I'll get some."
The nurse stepped away, and Oikawa gently shook Kawasaki.
"Don't sleep."
He spoke as softly as he could. "Wake up and take the medicine first. You'll feel better after."
"…Is this heaven?"
"I think I dreamed I failed my entrance exams… then you said you'd take me to heaven."
Kawasaki slowly opened her eyes. Her voice sounded unusually soft and clingy, completely different from her usual self.
Oikawa was speechless.
What kind of nonsense dream was that?
"Here's the water."
The school nurse handed the paper cup to Oikawa, then bent down to look at Kawasaki with a reassuring smile. "Don't be scared. Take the medicine, then we'll give you a shot. Your fever will go down quickly."
"No… I don't want a shot."
"Waaah… Oikawa, I don't want an injection. Don't make me get one. I promise I won't be mean to you anymore."
The moment she heard the word "shot," Kawasaki grabbed Oikawa's arm and clung to it desperately, refusing to let go.
Oikawa froze.
He had never seen her like this before.
In his impression, Kawasaki was always cool and composed. Mentally tough, stubborn once she set her mind on something, the type who never even knew what giving up meant.
But right now…
She had dropped all her defenses, turning into a little girl. Honestly, she looked even more childlike than her little sister, Keika.
"But Kawasaki-chan, you need the shot," Oikawa coaxed gently. "Be good. It doesn't hurt at all. Once you get it, you'll be better."
"Then you'll get into the school you want, and you won't have to worry about me taking you to heaven either."
He tried his best to sound warm and reassuring.
"Really… it doesn't hurt?"
Kawasaki looked at him with watery eyes, pitiful enough to melt anyone's heart.
"Really. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy."
Oikawa lied through his teeth, feeling like he'd committed an unforgivable sin. The guilt twisted inside him.
"I believe you. If you say it doesn't hurt, then it won't. You wouldn't lie to me."
'…Crap. Please, don't believe me. Ahoo… I'm not a good person.'
Seeing her clear, trusting gaze only made him feel worse.
Right now, she really did resemble her little sister, Keika. Even the way she spoke sounded almost identical. Oikawa found himself wondering what exactly had happened to turn this soft, cute girl into the cold, aloof Kawasaki he knew.
"Ahem."
The nurse couldn't stand their interaction anymore and cut in. "Student, step outside for a moment. I'll give this young lady her injection."
Oikawa nodded and tried to pull his arm free.
But Kawasaki refused to let go. Tears immediately spilled from her eyes.
"Don't leave me… I won't be mean to you anymore… don't leave…"
"I will be good… I'll cook you lots and lots of delicious food… whatever you want, I'll make it…"
"Don't leave, okay?"
Her eyes tightened around his heart like an invisible hand, leaving Oikawa momentarily stunned.
"I won't leave. I promise."
He looked at the nurse. "I'll turn around. Can you give her the shot like that?"
"…Sure. But don't peek."
The nurse felt like she'd just taken ten thousand points of emotional damage.
Being stuck at school because of a typhoon was one thing. But as a nearly thirty-year-old single woman, being forced to endure such a massive amount of sweet couple moments was just cruel.
Why can't boys and girls these days focus on studying?
.
.
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