◆Riran◆
“...Nn... mmm...?”
...Ah, I see. I caught a cold and stayed home from school...
Looking at the clock, it was 5:00 PM. I had no memory of anything after noon.
Even so, I felt like I was having a very happy dream...
But what kind of dream was it? I couldn’t remember.
I measured my temperature with the thermometer on my bedside.
...37.2 degrees. Since it was 39 degrees just past noon, it felt much easier now.
Haa... my sleepwear is soaked with sweat. I should take a shower and change.
“...Huh? This... a handout?”
And it has today's date on it. I wonder if Rion brought it for me?
For now, I’ll send a thank-you message later.
My throat is dry... I’ll go to the living room.
As I headed downstairs to the living room, I saw Cal-onee-chan tapping away on her smartphone.
“Oh? Rila, are you awake? Are you okay?”
“Cal-onee-chan. Yeah, my fever has gone down quite a bit, so I’m fine.”
“I see, I see. I’ll pour some tea now, so sit down and wait.”
Such casual kindness. I’m really saved by things like this.
When I sat in the chair, Onee-chan brought out some barley tea and apple jelly.
“Thanks. Did you buy these for me?”
“Nope, Akito-kun bought them for you.”
“Heh, Akito-kun did...”
......................................................Wait?
“...Akito-kun?”
“Yeah, Akito-kun.”
“...Sanada came here?”
“You don’t remember? Akito-kun came to visit you while you were sick.”
Which means...
“H-He came into my room?!”
“Yup. Well, I kind of forced him to go in, though.”
That doesn't matter!
I rushed to the washroom and looked at my reflection.
A cooling sheet on my forehead.
Hair sticking to my neck from sweat.
Sleepwear slightly stained with the smell of sweat.
The front button was open, revealing my chest.
...It’s over...
Time to sit dejectedly with my knees hugged to my chest.
“Now, now, Akito-kun wouldn’t hate Rila for something like that.”
“You don’t know that for sure...”
“But he’s your fated person, right? Then it’ll be fine.”
Onee-chan patted my head as I felt down.
But still, I’m worried because I’m worried.
Besides, this isn't a question of whether he’ll hate me or not.
It’s a matter of a maiden’s heart, having shown him such a pathetic sight.
Even without this, it was already hard to face him after that incident with Hiyori. How could it become even harder to face him...?
“Really, I think you don’t need to worry about it. Seeing the look on Akito-kun’s face, rather than being disillusioned, he was more like...”
“...More like? More like what?!”
“Mufu. It’s a se-cret ♡”
Wh-What is that?
...Wait. I feel like I’m starting to remember bits and pieces...
“Hey, Onee-chan. Sanada came to my room, right?”
“That’s right.”
“At that time, you were...?”
“I was only there for a tiny bit, then I left the rest to Akito-kun and went out.”
Does that mean... that happy dream was actually me doing something weird to Sanada while I was half-asleep...!?
“I can’t get married anymore...!”
“Then just have Akito-kun take you.”
That’s true! But that’s not it!
...No, I think marriage is still way too early anyway!
“Well, don’t worry about it too much. That boy is a super good kid.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that...”
“Since he’s my future little brother, Rila, you have to get along with him too. Otherwise, I might just make a move on him myself.”
“...Eh?! Wh-Wait, Cal-onee-chan?!”
“Nyahaha. See ya~”
Wait, don’t run away!?
Eh, what. Is that Sanada guy trying to lay a hand on Cal-onee-chan too!?
It’s true he keeps himself well-groomed, he’s normally handsome, and he’s been surrounded by girls since a long time ago so he has a vibe of being used to women!
Th-This is bad...! This isn't the time to be saying it's hard to face him!
Maybe there are other girls like Hiyori out there...!
Sanada... I will protect Sanada!
“Ei! Ei! Oh—!”