“Amane, your sniffling’s annoying.” “You’re annoying.” The next day, it was Amane who’d ended up with the cold. As his classmate and good friend Itsuki Akazawa had pointed out, Amane had been trying and failing to snort everything back up his nose. Trying to exhale only resulted in a terrible, wet, burbling sound. Amane wasn’t sure whether it was because his nose was stuffed up or as a result of the cold itself, but a throbbing pain was spreading across the back of his head. He had taken some over-the-counter medicine, but it wasn’t making a dent in his symptoms at all. Truly, Amane was a sad sight. His congested face twisted in nasal distress as he became well acquainted with a tissue. Itsuki looked at him, not with concern but exasperation. “You were just fine yesterday, dude.” “I got caught in the rain.” “Aw, chin up. Wait, didn’t you have an umbrella yesterday?” “…I gave it to someone.” Naturally, there was no way that Amane could openly admit at school that he’d given it to Mahiru, so he kept things vague. Incidentally, he’d caught a glimpse of Mahiru earlier that day. She’d looked rather well, not ill at all. Amane couldn’t help but laugh. Things had gotten completely flipped around. It was his own fault—he’d neglected to warm up in the bath when he’d gotten home. “Don’cha think you were being a little too nice, lending out your umbrella when it was pouring like that?” “Not really. Even if I did, no point complaining about it now.” “And who did you give it to anyway? Who was worth catching a cold?” “…A, uh, a lost little kid?” Can’t really call her a kid with that body, though… Well, that and the fact that we’re the same age. Although, her face did look kinda lost… Something clicked when Amane thought of the unusual encounter that way. Her expression had been exactly that of a lost little kid searching for their parent. “Well, what a kind and upstanding gentleman you are!” Itsuki laughed, unaware of the feelings bubbling up in Amane’s chest as he recalled his meeting with Mahiru the day before. “But you know, even if you let someone borrow your umbrella or whatever, I bet your real problem was that you got lazy and didn’t warm up afterward. That’s why you’re dying.” “…How do you know that?” Amane shot back. “Well, you don’t exactly take good care of yourself. That much was obvious the moment I saw your place. That’s why you got sick, dumbass.” Amane couldn’t really argue with Itsuki’s friendly ribbing. It was true that he didn’t have the most wholesome lifestyle. To elaborate, he was bad at keeping things tidy, and his room was always a total mess. What’s more, he subsisted on a diet of convenience-store meals and nutritional supplements. The only time he had a decent meal was when he went out to eat once in a blue moon. Itsuki often grew frustrated with him, asking him how he could live like that. Knowing his friend kept such habits, Itsuki was not at all surprised that Amane had caught a cold overnight. “You oughtta go straight home today and rest up. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so focus on getting better,” Itsuki advised. “I will…,” Amane replied. “If only you had a nice girl to nurse you back to health like I do.” Itsuki’s lips curled up at his slight boast. “Shut up. I don’t need to hear that from a guy who’s already got a girlfriend.” Amane slapped away the box of tissues in front of him with the back of his hand, intensely irritated. As the day wore on, Amane’s condition continued to deteriorate. The headache and runny nose were soon accompanied by throat pain and a fatigue that permeated his body. Though he single-mindedly hurried home after school, his body seemed to be losing its battle against the disease, and his pace was agonizingly slow. Eventually, he reached the lobby of his apartment building and forced his heavy legs to move him into the elevator, where he leaned against the wall. His breathing was rougher than usual, and he felt hot. Somehow, Amane had been able to endure it while he was at school, but he’d let his guard down now that home was in sight, and his condition had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Even the peculiar floating sensation of riding in the elevator, normally not a concern, was now a source of dull agony. When the elevator eventually stopped on Amane’s floor, he staggered out on leaden feet and began to shuffle toward his apartment. Almost immediately, he was confronted by a sight that caused him to seize up, however. Right there in front of him was the girl he had not expected to speak to again, her shimmery flaxen hair fluttering in the breeze. Her lovely features were full of life, her complexion vibrant and glowing. Even though she had definitely seemed the more likely candidate to catch a cold, she was healthy as could be. The benefits of her self-care were on vivid display. In her hands, Mahiru was gripping the umbrella that Amane had forced on her the day before, neatly folded and closed. She must have come to return it, even though I told her she didn’t have to, Amane reasoned. “…Really, you don’t need to give it back,” he said aloud. “It’s only natural to return something you borrowed…” Mahiru hesitated as soon as she got a good look at Amane’s face. “Um. You have a fever, don’t you…?” “…It’s got nothing to do with you.” Amane frowned. This was perhaps the worst possible time to run into Mahiru—and all over a stupid umbrella, too. It was the kind of thing that shouldn’t have been worth the trouble of returning. Mahiru was smart, however, and was sure to quickly figure out how Amane had caught a cold. “But you only became sick because you loaned me your umbrella…” “That’s totally unrelated. Besides, I loaned it to you on a whim.” “It most certainly is related! The fact is that you caught a cold because I was out there in the rain.” “I said it’s fine, really. It’s not something you need to worry about.” From Amane’s perspective, he had done her the favor for his own self-satisfaction, and he didn’t want her fussing over him now. However, Mahiru didn’t seem likely to just leave him be. Anxiety was written across her graceful features. “…So yeah, it’s all good. See ya.” Their back-and-forth was quickly growing taxing, so Amane decided to force his way out from under Mahiru’s questioning and concern. Swaying and staggering, he snatched the umbrella from her and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Everything was going fine, so far. Unfortunately, Amane fumbled quite a bit as he opened the door to his apartment. The moment he got it open, all the strength left his body. Perhaps the feeling of relief on finally entering his home was to blame for how his body unexpectedly keeled over toward the railing behind him. Although Amane was alarmed, he trusted that the railing was solid enough that it wouldn’t break, and he wouldn’t fall. Surely it would catch him, and he’d be fine. The impact will probably hurt a bit, but I guess there’s no avoiding it…, Amane thought, resigning himself to the pain. However, someone firmly took hold of his arm and hauled him back upright. “…Just as I thought; I can’t leave you alone like this.” Amane heard a fragile voice through his feverish haze. “I’ll repay your favor.” Amane’s head swam as he tried to make sense of the words, but he quickly gave up. Before he understood what was happening, Mahiru had propped up his limp body and opened the door to his apartment. “I’m going to help you inside. There’s no other way, so please forgive the intrusion.” Her tone of voice was quiet but left no room for argument. The fever-stricken Amane had no willpower to resist. He was pulled along, entering his apartment with a girl his own age for the first time in his life. It was true that he didn’t have a girlfriend to nurse him back to health, but it seemed that an angel had descended to care for him instead. Thoroughly addled with fever, Amane had forgotten all about the sorry state of his place until it was too late. It wasn’t until he saw the condition his home was in that he regretted ever letting Mahiru enter. His apartment was spacious. It even had a spare room in addition to the bedroom and main living space. It was quite an extravagant dwelling for a person living alone, but Amane’s parents were fairly well-off and had decided on this place after considering the safety of the neighborhood and the convenience of nearby transportation. Amane had always thought that spending so much money on housing was unnecessary. The apartment was much too large for a single person anyway. Still, his parents had insisted, and he wasn’t about to complain. Setting that aside, Amane did live alone, and he was a typical teenage boy. Things were not kept especially tidy. Various items were scattered all over the living room, and needless to say, there was the state of the bedroom. “This is too pitiful to look at.” The angel, Amane’s savior, gave him a frank assessment of his living conditions. Such harshness was quite the contrast to her charming appearance. Amane could hardly argue—it really was a sorry sight. If he’d known that he’d be bringing a stranger into his home, he might have moved some things, perhaps tidied up a bit, but it was too late for that now. Mahiru let a sigh slip from her glossy lips, but undeterred, she set to moving Amane into his bedroom. They nearly tripped along the way, and Amane vowed to do some serious cleaning sometime soon. “First, I’m going out for a moment, so please go ahead and change clothes before I get back. You can do that, right?” Mahiru asked. “…You’re coming back?” “My conscience would never let me rest if I left you alone like this, even to sleep,” Mahiru responded bluntly, apparently feeling the same way now that Amane had felt toward her when she was soaking wet the day before. Amane did not argue any further. After Mahiru left the room, he obediently did as he was told and started changing out of his school uniform. “It’s really a mess in here; there’s nowhere to even step… How can anyone live like this…?” As he was changing, Amane heard an exasperated voice, quietly coming from the next room, and felt quite ashamed. After changing clothes, he went to lie down and must have fallen asleep without realizing it, because when he managed to lift his heavy eyelids again, flaxen hair was the first thing he saw. Following the hair, Amane looked up to see Mahiru standing silently at his side, peering down at him. The whole scene felt like something out of a dream. “…What time is it?” Amane asked, confused. “Seven in the evening,” Mahiru answered matter-of-factly. “You slept for several hours.” As Amane propped himself up, Mahiru handed him some sports drink that she had poured into a cup. He accepted it gratefully and brought it to his lips, then finally was able to take a look at his surroundings. Maybe it was because he had slept, but he felt just a little bit better than before. He realized that his head felt cool and pressed a hand to his forehead. When he did, his fingers registered a slightly starchy sensation, like cloth. There was a cooling sheet stuck to him. Amane was sure he didn’t have any of those at his place, and he looked up at Mahiru. “I brought it from home,” she answered immediately. Amane had no cooling sheets in his apartment—and no sports drinks, either. Mahiru must have brought that over as well. “…Thank you. Sorry for all the trouble.” “It’s fine.” There was nothing Amane could do but smile bitterly at Mahiru’s curt answer. Mahiru had only offered to play nurse because she felt guilty. It definitely didn’t mean that she genuinely wanted to spend time with Amane. He was sure of that. She was already talking with a boy she barely knew—and alone in his apartment no less. That she would make sure there were no misunderstandings about how she felt was only natural. “For the time being, I brought you the medicine that was on top of your desk. It’s better to take it with something in your stomach… Are you hungry at all?” Mahiru asked gently. “Mm, a little bit,” Amane answered. “Oh really? Well, in that case, I made some rice porridge, so you’re welcome to have some.” “…Huh, you made it yourself?” “Is there anyone else here but me? If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it all alone.” “No, I’ll eat it! Please let me eat it!” Amane had never imagined Mahiru preparing a homemade meal for him. For a moment, he was caught off guard. Frankly, he had no idea whether Mahiru even knew how to cook, but he’d never heard rumors of her failing cooking class, so he was fairly confident it wouldn’t be awful. Although Mahiru looked surprised at Amane’s sudden bow and insistence that he would eat her food, she nodded before handing him the thermometer that was sitting on the side table. “I’ll bring it to you, so take your temperature first.” “Okay,” Amane said, taking the thermometer out of its sleeve. He began unbuttoning his shirt, and Mahiru quickly turned away. “Do it after I leave the room, please.” There was a slight rise in her voice, and Amane spied that the girl’s pale cheeks were tinged red. Amane hadn’t thought twice about taking off his shirt in front of her. He didn’t consider it anything to worry about, but Mahiru was clearly flustered. Perhaps she wasn’t accustomed to seeing much skin. Mahiru’s alabaster cheeks were faintly rosy, and she kept her blushing face turned away, trembling. Even the tips of her ears appeared to be changing hue, making her shyness almost palpable. …Ah, I think I kind of understand why all the other boys are always saying how cute she is. Amane had never denied that Mahiru was very pretty, but he’d also never had any special feelings for her beyond a commonplace appreciation for her gentle beauty. He had looked at her like something akin to a work of art and had been content to admire her like one would a distant masterpiece. Mahiru wasn’t some far-off thing anymore, though. She was in his apartment, looking slightly flustered and very shy. In that moment, Amane saw her as a girl and not some idol, and it was strangely adorable. The two didn’t have the kind of relationship where Amane could just up and say that he thought Mahiru looked cute, however. It would probably just come across as weird if he tried, which was why he kept his impressions to himself. “…Well then, do you think you could go get the rice porridge?” he asked. “Y-you don’t have to tell me,” Mahiru answered dismissively. “I’ll be right back.” She turned and made a swift exit, her footsteps pattering away. It took Mahiru some time to leave, maybe because she was trembling or maybe because of all the clutter. Probably the latter. After vacantly watching her go, Amane wondered again how things had turned out this way and let out a soft breath that was not quite a sigh.
Chapter 2
14 min read