I wasn't the only one reluctant to part ways; it seemed Senpai felt the same, as neither of us could bring ourselves to leave.
"Um..."
"Well..."
The way we tried to speak at the exact same moment made a laugh bubble up uncontrollably.
"Haha."
"Fufu... I feel a bit of that same reluctance, but we have shopping to do, so shall we head out? Besides, I'll be able to do this whenever I want from now on, right...?"
...Wait, what?
Is that... really how it's going to be?
We stopped by the supermarket on the way to buy ingredients for dinner. Naturally, I wasn't allowed to carry a single thing. Every time I tried to reach for a bag, she scolded me with a gentle smile.
I realized I needed to give her the wallet now.
"Sara-senpai, I’m going to leave this wallet in your care. Please use it for anything we need to buy from now on."
Sara-senpai looked a bit stunned to be handed my wallet so soon after the key, but the surprise lasted only a fleeting moment.
"Then, I shall look after it for you."
She accepted the wallet without further hesitation. Looking at her, it seemed as though she had already steeled her resolve for what this meant.
"……Today has been nothing but happy moments. Since you've made me so happy, it’ll be Takanashi-san’s turn once we get home, okay?"
I got the distinct impression that her promise not to hold back was already starting to manifest in ways like this...
When we reached the entrance of the apartment, Senpai pulled out the key with a happy, almost proud smile on her face.
Click...
The sound of the lock disengaging echoed in the hall. Senpai opened the door and gestured for me to enter.
"Welcome home, Takanashi-san."
As I stepped into the entrance of the otherwise empty room, Senpai’s voice followed me.
"I'm home."
The scene reminded me of the day she had nursed me through a cold. Joy welled up inside me as I realized those days—the days when she was always by my side—had finally returned.
And just as if she were reminiscing about those times... as if she were venting all the frustrations I’d caused her lately, even if it was through my own helplessness... her relentless "Taking Care Time" began. She moved with the energy of a fish finally returned to water.
The moment we set the bags down, she turned to me.
"Now, Takanashi-san, let's get you into some roomwear."
Hearing that, I realized that with my right hand in its current state, changing would indeed be a struggle.
While I was still processing that, she moved with practiced ease, heading straight for my dresser and pulling out my clothes without a second thought. Naturally—if I could even call it that—she didn't hand them to me. She hung them within easy reach and immediately began unbuttoning my shirt.
"Um..."
"Yes, let's get these off."
The fact that I was already getting used to this... no, I decided to stop thinking about it.
I let her help me change. When I'd had a cold, Senpai had at least been considerate about my lower half... but this time, it took a significant amount of effort to talk her down.
Seriously, I changed that part myself. I couldn't possibly let her go that far.
"Aahn."
"Munch, munch... Um, if I have a spoon, I can manage on my own somehow..."
Following our lunch earlier, I ended up being hand-fed by Senpai once again. I thought a spoon might make me independent enough, but...
"It is still too early for that. Please, leave everything to me."
And that was that.
"Next is this. Aahn..."
Senpai wore a blissful smile from start to finish; she looked more alive than I’d seen her in days. It seemed her recent worries had finally been put to rest.
And, of course, the care didn't stop at dinner. Seeing her prepare a bath bucket and a towel, I naturally assumed...
"I am very sorry, but since I don't have my own things ready today, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to use the bath. For now, let me wipe down your body."
……Wait, what?
I felt like I’d just heard something world-shaking. What did she mean by not having "her things ready" for the bath?
No, no, surely she didn't mean...
I couldn't possibly let her go that far.
Then, right around the time Senpai was preparing to head home, it hit me.
"Ugh... kh..."
I’d been feeling a slight chill for a while now. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but it quickly became undeniable. The pain in my wrist seemed to be intensifying as well. They had warned me at the hospital that I might run a fever, and it seemed the time had come.
Sara-senpai, having finished the washing up, returned to the room and immediately noticed something was wrong.
"...Takanashi-san!?"
She hurried to my side to support me, pressing her hand against my forehead to check my temperature.
"Oh, you have a fever... Are you cold? Let's get you into the futon."
Senpai stayed right beside me until we reached the bed, then lifted the duvet so I could slide inside. The chills were getting worse. The fact that I’d switched to a thin duvet because of the recent warm weather was definitely working against me.
"Once the fever peaks, I think it will settle down. Please, hang in there."
With those words, Senpai leaned her upper body over the edge of the bed, draping herself over me and hugging me tightly through the duvet.
"Sara-senpai..."
"I will stay like this until you're feeling better. Please tell me if it becomes too painful..."
Faced with her serious, worried expression, I stopped overthinking the situation and let myself depend on her.
After a while, the chills began to subside as Senpai’s warmth seeped through the covers.
"I am right here... It's all right..."
Sensing that I was finally relaxing, she slightly loosened her embrace and reached out a hand to gently stroke my head.
Before I knew it, the chills had completely vanished.