Even though the sky is so blue.
Even though the wind is so warm.
I am very sleepy.
After that, I couldn't sleep in the end and stayed up until 4 AM.
I don't have any memories after that, so I probably fell asleep.
Maybe it's just my constitution, but if I don't get at least 7 hours of sleep, my physical condition collapses instantly.
Today, having probably only slept for 3 hours, my headache, nausea, and dizziness were incredible.
"Onii, your face looks even scarier than usual, you know?"
"The 'as usual' part was unnecessary..."
It's no good, my head isn't spinning. I can tell even myself that there's no spirit in my words.
Since I don't have a fever, it's not a cold. It's just physical malaise due to simple sleep deprivation.
While I was drinking coffee to wake myself up, my mother brought out porridge with pickled plums, along with oranges and strawberries.
"Akito, I know it's tough, but try to eat a little. Also, get some Vitamin C from the oranges and strawberries. Eat some chocolate later too, okay?"
"Thanks."
This is what you call being waited on hand and foot.
Personally, I'd like to eat a lot of meat to recover my strength, but honestly, I have no appetite.
If I were living alone, I definitely would have skipped school... but my mother isn't lenient enough to let me rest for something like mere sleep deprivation.
For now, I have to eat at least a little and go to school.
"Onii, are you really okay?"
"I'm fine. But I'm sorry, I can't give you a ride to school today."
"That's fine, I don't want to die yet either."
Yeah. Today, I feel like I'd get into an accident.
Maybe I should walk instead of taking my bicycle too.
After eating the porridge, pickled plums, oranges, and strawberries, I left the house while nibbling on a chocolate bar.
The sunlight is hateful today of all days. Control yourself, Sun.
As I was walking along Ginkgo Avenue as usual...
"Hey, hey, hey! Akito, yo!"
"Ah? What, it's just Ryuya."
"What do you mean 'what'? It's morning, right? Let's go with high energy!"
So annoying.
This guy is energetic in the morning as always.
"Wait, by the way, where's your bike?"
"Lack of sleep. I felt like I'd have an accident if I rode it, so I'm walking today."
"I would've come to laugh at you if you'd crashed."
"I'll blow you away."
I hit him on the back of the head quite hard, but Ryuya remains unfazed. His toughness hasn't changed either.
It's easy to exchange light banter with Ryuya because I don't have to be careful. It really feels like a male friend.
We've been like this since middle school.
A relationship that doesn't change is a good thing.
"By the way, Akito. You went to visit Kuonji yesterday, right?"
"Sanzenin-sensei told me to, so I went reluctantly."
"You say that, but weren't you all excited before heading to Kuonji's house yesterday?"
This guy observes my actions way too closely.
Also, I wasn't excited. ...I wasn't, okay?
"So, how was it? Did anything good happen?"
"Nothing. I went to her house, left the jelly and handouts, and came home."
"What? I was expecting an event like going to her room or seeing a weakened Kuonji and having your heart flutter a bit!"
Is this guy an esper?
He says it like he actually saw it. And everything is accurate too.
Enduring the twitching of my face, I let out a small breath.
"Ryuya, are you into rom-coms lately?"
"Hell yeah! Ever since I started being able to see red threads, I've been digging through rom-coms and romance stuff like crazy!"
It's often misunderstood, but the man named Kurashiki Ryuya is an otaku.
Because of his physique and appearance, he's feared, and his usual actions and words are like those of a normie, so there's no otaku vibe at all.
He's respected without doing anything and is always a popular person in class regardless of being a normie, otaku, male, or female.
That is Kurashiki Ryuya.
Moreover, his parents and older sister are otakus to the core.
With a 'gifted education' at the genetic level, he is a pure-blooded otaku who covers manga, light novels, anime, games, dramas, movies, and so on.
"According to my rom-com analysis, if you go to a beautiful girl's house to visit her when she has a fever, and she lives with her family, nine times out of ten a meddling older sister, younger sister, or mother will get super hyped and invite you inside. If I remember correctly, Kuonji should have one older sister who is a university student. I heard before that her parents both work, so if her cute younger sister has a fever, there's a high possibility the older sister stayed behind to nurse her. In other words, you met Kuonji's older sister yesterday, didn't you?"
"............"
Scary, scary, scary, scary, scary, scary.
What is this guy, was he watching from somewhere? Because he was so accurate, I unintentionally fell silent.
Ryuya didn't miss the fact that I went quiet and wore an evil grin.
"I'll take that silence as an affirmation?"
"Don't be stupid. I was just appalled by your non-existent delusions."
"Heh, so you're going to stick to that stance to the end."
This guy has mostly sensed it.
But I won't admit it. It's obvious that if I admit it, I'll become material for their jokes.
I absolutely cannot yield here.
"Ryuya, Akki! Mornin'!"
"Oh, Neika. You're tiny and cute today too."
Damn, another person as troublesome as Ryuya has arrived!
"...Yo, Neika. Good morning."
"Morning-morning! ...Huh? Akki, isn't your tension low?"
"I'm sleep-deprived. It would help if you could stay a bit quiet."
"By the way, how many hours did you sleep?"
"About 3 hours."
"Pffft! 3 hours is fine! I pulled an all-nighter today! I couldn't finish the dere route for the long-black-haired girl in my new gal game. Man, it was tough!"
That's not something to brag about.
And you, even though you look like an elementary schooler, how are you even buying gal games?
"Neika. Is that the one with the heroine who looks like Ryuguuin?"
"Oh, as expected of Ryuya. Yesterday was the release date, and I just had to finish the heroine who looks like Rio."
"Lend it to me when you've cleared it."
"Okey-doke."
It's rare to see a boy and a girl get excited over gal games.
Well, these two have always been like this... this relaxed relationship isn't bad either.
"By the way, Akito. About the continuation of the previous talk."
"Eh, what-what? What are you talking about?"
I take it back. Grow up a little, will you?