It was all because of her that he ended up like this...
What to do?
She had to do something to compensate him...
"Um..."
Yanami Anna's cheeks turned red again, uncontrollably.
She twisted her fingers, her gaze wandering, as she tentatively asked:
"D-Do you need... m-me to... g-give you... a m-massage?"
The moment she said those words, she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
This sounded too... too much like some kind of strange invitation!
However, to her surprise, Imaizumi Keita didn't tease her with words as he usually did.
He only looked at her with some surprise, went silent for a moment, and then nodded.
"...Sure."
Having received permission, Yanami Anna felt a sense of relief, but a feeling of nervousness also surfaced.
She took a deep breath and carefully sat down by Imaizumi Keita's bed.
"Then... I'm starting, okay?"
As if performing some ritual, she gave a soft announcement.
Then, she reached out her hands and gently grasped Imaizumi Keita's arm, which had already gone completely numb.
The feeling of touching it was much firmer than she had imagined.
Through the thin layer of the school uniform shirt, she could clearly feel the contours of his arm and the firm lines of his muscles.
Yanami Anna's cheeks grew even hotter.
She tried hard to shake the messy thoughts out of her head, recalling massage techniques she had seen on TV before, and began to knead his arm with her fingertips using moderate pressure.
Her movements were very stiff, one could even say a bit clumsy.
The strength varied, and the positioning wasn't that precise.
But that soft and warm sensation still clearly transmitted to Imaizumi Keita's skin through the fabric.
Imaizumi Keita closed his eyes and didn't speak, just quietly feeling the slightly clumsy tenderness coming from his arm.
The cubicle fell into a silence once more, where only the sound of breathing remained.
Yanami Anna was very nervous at first, but she gradually became immersed in this wonderful atmosphere.
This feeling... didn't seem bad.
After an unknown amount of time, Imaizumi Keita finally slowly opened his eyes.
He tried moving his fingers and found that the numbness had mostly subsided.
"Much better."
He sat up, looked at the blushing girl beside him, and thanked her, "Thank you, Yanami."
"It-It's nothing..."
Yanami Anna quickly let go and hurriedly shifted her gaze elsewhere. "A-Anyway, it was because of me that..."
"Let's go."
Imaizumi Keita had already stood up from the hospital bed. He moved his left arm, which had regained sensation, and then walked toward the exit of the cubicle. "Let's go eat."
"Ah... Oh!"
Yanami Anna hurriedly responded, also stood up, and quickly followed him.
One after the other, the two of them pulled back the curtain and stepped out of that small cubicle.
Teacher Kobatsu Sayo, who was sitting at the desk processing documents, looked up when she heard the noise. Seeing them come out, a knowing smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, finished resting?"
"Yes, thank you, Teacher."
Imaizumi Keita nodded politely.
"That's good. Shioyaki-san on the bed has also stabilized, but it's best to let her sleep a bit longer. I've already told both your homeroom teachers that you can take the afternoon off from classes. Just rest here and go back together when Shioyaki-san wakes up."
"Understood."
Just as the two of them finished saying goodbye to the teacher and were about to leave the Infirmary, the door was pushed open gently from the outside.
Two familiar figures appeared at the door.
"Excuse me."
Ayano Mitsuki poked his head in, a polite smile on his face.
When he saw Imaizumi Keita and Yanami Anna preparing to leave, surprise also showed on his face.
"Imaizumi? Nanami-san? You guys are here too. I heard Lemon had heatstroke..."
Behind him, Asagumo Chihaya also followed. Her gaze fell on Imaizumi Keita, and she nodded with a smile as a greeting.
After chatting with Ayano Mitsuki for a few moments, Imaizumi Keita noticed that Shioyaki Lemon had already woken up and was sitting on the bed yawning, so he pulled Yanami and left.
Ayano Mitsuki then walked straight into the Infirmary carrying a bag of get-well gifts, heading toward Shioyaki Lemon's bed.
"Kouki!"
Shioyaki Lemon saw Ayano Mitsuki's figure, her eyes instantly lit up, and her wheat-colored face turned bright red.
Ayano smilingly placed the get-well gifts on the nightstand, familiarly pulled out a chair and sat down, and the two of them began to talk.
Asagumo Chihaya didn't follow them in.
She just stood quietly at the door, her gaze falling on Ayano's school bag she was holding, waiting with a smile for the visit to end.
They were going to a cram school for class later, and after class, they were going to a study room for self-study.
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