Cup noodles. They were the ultimate support for the culinary-impaired and a fantastic instant food that could be stored long-term. On those days when going outside felt like a chore, you could feel a wave of salvation just thinking, "Oh right, I still have those!"
What a revolutionary invention... I couldn't help but offer my praise. If they didn't exist, I'd probably be eating overpriced corned beef or SPAM right now. Not that those aren't delicious in their own right, though.
"You really are the strongest..."
Cheese seafood, of all things... Are you trying to finish me off while I'm already suffering from this cold? My mouth was in absolute bliss, but is it true that this doesn't actually help cure a cold? Could I actually make it to school? Oops, my nose. Grab tissue, honk.
It was noon on a weekday—my body was a wreck of coughs and sniffles, so I was taking the day off under the grand pretext of being sick. The headache was gone. I still had a slight fever, but the lethargy had mostly receded.
The game console I'd turned on made that gentle, high-tech whirring sound characteristic of the latest models. Looking at the home screen as it booted up, a surge of excitement welled up from deep within, heating my body once again. Ah, this is the life...
While I was drowning in laziness and forgetting all about my guilt, my phone gave a ping. Checking the notification screen, I saw a message from someone. Who was the one pinging my phone?
[Sajocchi, you alive?]
Sorry about that, Ashida.
Is it already lunch break? She must have contacted me out of consideration. But honestly, answering truthfully might be a bad look. A sick person slurping cup noodles while gaming might be some kind of blasphemy. For now, I'll show my gratitude while pretending to be a proper patient.
[Living is a wonderful thing.]
I think I messed up.
No reply came. Instead, the number of "read" receipts for my message kept ticking up—Wait, read? Oh no. Is this a group message?! The one the whole class sees...?!
[This guy definitely isn't sleeping.]
[He's relaxing quite leisurely, isn't he?]
[Math is seriously going to be bad, you know.]
Hey, stop it, Iwata, Iiboshi-san, and Yamazaki. Don't remind me about Math; my headache's going to come back.
It was fine... Math, being a non-memorization subject, was a miraculous field where even people who couldn't study had a chance to land a high score. It was easier to handle than subjects where you had to trudge through long passages of text.
Actually, argh! Even thinking about that is a source of a headache! For now, I'll clear my mind, make my head empty, and just stare at the butt of the game character in front of me! Hey, boy! You've got a nice ass!
Ah, I have to take my afternoon medicine...
◆
"...I wonder?"
"But..."
"—Gah...!?"
I woke up at the sound of something. On the TV screen in front of me were the words "GAME OVER." Wait, game over? This is an RPG... Ugh, it must have been one of those scenes where the dialogue proceeds automatically, a battle starts, and I got killed because I wasn't doing anything. Crap, I was out cold... I'd fallen asleep sitting up like some kind of ascetic monk. Oops, drool.
Looking at the clock, it was already evening. I remembered taking my medicine after noon, drinking some juice, and making it to the fourth town... so I must have been out for about four and a half hours. Thanks to that, I was feeling pretty good.
"Hup... hm?"
As I stood up and felt the unpleasant sensation of sweat concentrated on my backside, the intercom rang. After that, no further sound came from outside the room. Was Mom out...? Well, fine, I'll answer it.
".........Eh?"
When I checked the intercom camera, two girls were standing there. No matter how I looked at them, neither was Nee-chan, and besides, she wouldn't ring the doorbell of her own house. Which meant... eh? Is this a hallucination? A girl who looks like a Goddess, an embodiment of my every ideal, is on the other side of the screen... Why? I pressed the button.
"W-What's up...?"
『Ah—』
The timing was awkward. I'd called out to them just as they were about to turn away from the house. My voice must have reached them, because they rushed back to the camera and leaned their faces in close—Whoaaa!! That close-up is insane!! Holy crap, what is this?! Can I kiss the screen?! I'll smear my cold germs all over it!!
...I should put on a mask.
◆
"You've come well."
"Don't you 'you've come well' me!"
"Eh."
A smartphone was thrust right in front of my face at the front door. When I looked, I saw the history of a group message that had gone completely off the rails—Wait, what is this? What's with this reaction from everyone? They're genuinely terrified.
"What do you mean, 'Living is a wonderful thing'?! If you're going to joke around, at least make it obvious!"
"Yeah, it was actually a bit scary. You sent that one sentence and then went totally silent, Sajocchi. Everyone was freaking out since you'd collapsed earlier."
"Ehh?"
I went to get my phone from my room to check. When I opened the app, there were dozens of survival confirmations. It had gone from "He's probably joking" at the start to an atmosphere of "Wait... eh? No way?" and then to "Hey, isn't this bad? Isn't this really bad?" This was bad. What was truly bad was that I had been normally playing games while they were panicking.
["Sry, I was asleep," and... send.]
[I'll kill you.]
[Don't ever wake up again.]
[You, seriously, Math is going to be bad.]
"Fweh."
"You brought it on yourself!"
So many words that shouldn't be said to a sick person. This was scary. Can I just stay home for another two weeks...? Isn't it almost summer vacation anyway...?
"Honestly... I'm glad Aichi knew where Sajocchi's house was. I mean, you actually knew it?"
"I-It's not for any weird reason!... I just asked Yamazaki-kun before!"
"Eh?! Aichi, you were the one who looked it up?! Why?!"
"I had some business to take care of!"
Was it from that time she came to my house before? She went out of her way to ask even though it might start weird rumors. She really is a Goddess. Also, the "guy in a club" I heard about turned out to be Yamazaki.
"Hmm, I'm sorry for making you worry... especially since you might catch it."
"Hmph, if that happens, I'll have Sajocchi nurse me back to health."
"Yeah, leave it to me. I'll do anything for you."
"Heh..."
Yes, anything... taking care of her sweaty, steamy body and hehehehe—cough, cough, wheeze! Gfgh... wicked thoughts are hindering my immune system...! Settle down, my cold germs! And my boiling blood! Get away from my lower abdomen!
"........."
"........."
".........Hm, eh?"
When I snapped out of it, Natsukawa and Ashida were looking at me with intense wariness. Um? Do you really hate a sick person coughing even with a mask on? Oh, my face? Was my face gross? Look closely, I'm just looking gross as usual. Sniffle.
"—Yo-You'll do... anything for me...?"
"Eh."
Eh? Natsukawa? What's with that follow-up question? Rather, what are you going to let me do? If it's Natsukawa, I'll put my all into whatever it is. I'd even pay money for the privilege.
"Sa-Sajocchi, do you still feel sick?"
"No, I'm not really—Ack!? Ah, ahh... I might still be a little lethargic."
"Oh, you seem fine then. Don't say you'll do anything, Sajocchi, it's bad for my heart."
"What... eh?"
Thinking I'd be scolded for causing a scene if I said I was already better, I tried to play it off, only for Ashida to point a verbal knife at me with a cool face. Hey, don't say something so cold all of a sudden... What's with that maximum-level rejection? Does being nursed by me boast a lethality-level of grossness? I'm not proud of that at all. Even I can easily make rice porridge, you know? Blossom, my rice grains!
"Geez, don't say such misleading things!"
"Misleading—hmmm?"
"Misleading"? What on earth did she misunderstand? Have I ever said anything with such an implication... I don't think I've ever been guarded against like that before.
"W-Well, it would be bad if something happened... so the least I can do is visit. I'm great at peeling apples."
"Forget the apples, give me Haagen."
"A sick person shouldn't be trying to eat ice cream."
"I-I'll... take care of Airi for you in exchange..."
"Eh, is that actually okay?"
Ashida aside, it felt like Natsukawa's attitude had softened a bit compared to the last time she came to my house. Well, with the footnote that it wasn't just me, but everyone around her too. Natsukawa-san's shift toward being an extrovert is really remarkable; she's becoming harder to talk to in class day by day. I'm starting to see the difference between the worlds we live in...
"By the way, Aichi was the one who suggested coming to see you—"
"W-Wait, Kei...!"
"......"
Ba-dump. Someone please knock me flat for what I thought ten seconds ago. You can take a running start. I'm seriously guilty for doubting Natsukawa's kindness for even a second. I've known for a long time that Natsukawa is kind.
"Natsukawa... you really are a Goddess."
"What are you saying, honestly..."
"Oh? Oh? Sajocchi, you're as fond of Aichi as ever, aren't you?"
"......? Yeah."
Something felt off. For Ashida, who'd been talking about us being comrades and all, to bring that up. Well, the thing between me and Natsukawa is public knowledge, and I can't deny it's become a bit of a running joke.
"Wha... W-What are you saying!?"
"Eh?"
"I-I mean..."
"Now of all times? You're cute today too, Natsukawa."
This was the benefit of having been rejected so many times. If there was one, it was being able to boldly call Natsukawa "cute" without any shame. It's not like it would cause any trouble if people knew I still felt that way now. Besides, there isn't a single moment where Natsukawa isn't cute.
"Wha, wha......"
"Eh? Natsukawa?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry, my fault. We've confirmed Sajocchi is alive, so let's leave it at that. Here, some yogurt as a get-well gift."
"Ah, thanks. Eh, you're leaving?"
"What, you don't want us to stay?"
"No, it'd be bad if you really caught it, so it's fine, but..."
Before I could even be taken aback, Ashida put her arm around Natsukawa's shoulder and started to head back, muttering a middle-aged-man-like line: "Man, how heartless~" Hey, what's with that vibe? Like you're taking Natsukawa-san home with you? Father won't allow that!
Wait, for real? They seriously just went home...