A Sick Day and Unwanted Company
Overwork. Stress. Nutritional imbalance. Lack of sleep. A shower in cold water last night... The various culprits that could have caused this cold and body ache swirled through my mind as I pulled the blanket up to my chin. The shower was likely the final nail in the coffin. The other factors had been trying to ruin my body in their own ways, but none could have had as significant an impact as that.
If there was a silver lining to this misfortune, it was that the symptoms weren't all that severe. I didn't have a thermometer at home to check, but looking back on past illnesses, I suspected it was a mild fever that wouldn't even top 37 degrees Celsius. My forehead didn't feel burning hot to the touch, either. At worst, maybe 38 degrees... well, around there. The sneezing was the same. It was frequent, but my throat didn't hurt all that much. I’d have to keep an eye on it, but for now, I could endure it if I had to. Since there were no other special symptoms, if I put in the effort to act like I was perfectly fine...
I could go about my daily life without any issues.
"..."
As I said, if I put in the effort.
"Ugh..."
Sunday. Unless there was a reason to go out, it was a day I could spend entirely at home. There were no supplementary student council classes, and I wasn't going to be forced to drink until I couldn't stand by some alcoholic like yesterday. So, I didn't want to put in the effort to act fine. Just for one day, I wanted to be comfortable. It felt like a light cold that would go away after a day or two of rest, so I wanted to spend it in peace. Even if I got messages from people disappointed that I didn't have more useful information, I would use my health as an excuse to ignore them and spend the weekend doing absolutely nothing.
Of course, being sick, my mind drifted to...
"..."
That Healing-type transcendental who was annoyingly rigid about drawing lines. The one who, even when I cut my finger on a piece of paper a few weeks ago, told me to come find him whenever I was hurt. ...He came to mind.
"...Phew..."
I shook my head, because getting treated by that man felt a bit uncomfortable. To say it was because of pride didn't quite fit; it was similar, but the texture was different. Was it because he was a man Yozora had her eyes on? That was definitely not it. It was because I didn't want to owe Seo Woojin a debt. That seemed the most accurate. I had that kind of personality to begin with, and if I were to even try to bring up Yozora in front of him, I’d be in a position where I’d need to be in the opposite situation, not creating a debt. For example, saving him from some danger when he had zero combat ability...
...I don't know. My head hurts, so ideas like that... are hard to come up with...
"10 o'clock..."
Checking the time on my phone, I crawled out from under the warm blanket with a listless sigh.
"My hat... where did I put it?"
First things first, I had to go buy some medicine.
A ball cap to cover my messy hair. A jumper that was already about two years old and looked worn, just like the one I wore yesterday. And cream-colored jogger pants that were essentially my pajamas. Dressed in an outfit that showed zero concern for fashion, I eventually headed to the convenience store after much deliberation.
It was true that a pharmacy would be much more reliable for over-the-counter medicine, but the distance to the convenience store was significantly shorter. If I considered the round trip, the difference would double. Perhaps it had rained briefly during the night, as the ground was slightly damp. I walked along that path at a slower pace than usual, soaking the soles of my shoes, and wandered into the convenience store in front of my house.
Just as I was about to pull my hat down a little lower, I ran into an unexpected person.
"Huh?"
"..."
Vice Student Council President Yoo Siwoo. His gaze, which had been on the disposable electronic cigarette he was purchasing at the counter, drifted toward me as I opened the door.
"Hmm...? Huh...?"
"..."
Thanks to the brim of my ball cap, he didn't seem to recognize me immediately, but judging by his reaction, it was clear he had almost identified me, failing only to be 100% certain. Well, my hair was a rare, long, blue-white color, so it was natural for him to react that way. He was the guy who had been following me around like a stalker even before I joined the student council... no, he was a jerk, so there was no way he couldn't distinguish my hair color.
Knowing it would be a hassle if my identity was revealed, I naturally headed toward the back of the store, pretending not to notice him, but the stinging gaze on the back of my head remained constant.
...Please, I just wish he’d go away.
Maybe I should have just turned around and walked out instead of coming inside. Or maybe if I grabbed several condoms from the shelf over there and brought them to the counter, he’d be disappointed, thinking I was a slut...
"Senpai."
"..."
As I was looking at the shelf, rubbing my mouth with my hand while pretending to be deep in thought, that thin, characteristic voice of the Vice Student Council President reached my ears. Suddenly, I thought of Seo Woojin's voice from last night, but I quickly pushed it aside.
"So you use the convenience store too, Senpai? Honestly, I wasn't sure when I first saw you, but your height, your hair... it’s exactly like yours..."
"..."
"Why won't you answer? That’s cold."
"...I have nothing to say."
"Isn't it fate to meet in a place like this? How many convenience stores are there in the world?"
"There are only about five convenience stores in this neighborhood, so that’s about a 20% chance."
"20% is huge. Now you have to multiply that by the probability of us stopping by at the same time, the probability of us living in similar areas, and so on."
"..."
The words, "Isn't it just that you're intentionally using only the convenience stores near my house?" rose to the tip of my tongue, but they eventually leaked out as a quiet sigh. Partly because I had plenty of circumstantial evidence but no physical proof, and partly because I just didn't want to engage in a long conversation. He was the type to say one thing and then blabber on for ten or twenty sentences by himself, so not giving him any bait was the most important thing. Especially when my head was throbbing from this cold.
"What did you come to buy, Senpai?"
"..."
"Ah, I came to buy an e-cig. It’s a bit far from my house, but this flavor is sold out everywhere else."
"..."
"I don't know if my taste is just 'hipster,' but I guess it’s just a popular pick."
"..."
I had seen my sisters smoking disposable e-cigs often, so I had some knowledge, but I didn't say a word and just looked for the cold medicine. Fortunately, it was displayed in a prominent place, so I found it quickly. Ignoring him as he stuck to my side and kept chattering, I grabbed some random medicine labeled 'Antipyretic' and headed to the counter.
"That will be 2,300 won."
"...Just a moment."
"Medicine? Are you sick, Senpai?"
"Do you need a bag or a receipt?"
"No."
"Senpai? I asked if you were sick?"
"..."
"Have a good day~"
"Senpai?"
"..."
"Excuse me. Seoyeon-noona?"
"...Haa... I have a bit of a fever. Are you satisfied now?"
His chirping next to me was noisy. I just wanted to go home quickly, take my medicine, and lie in bed. I tried to answer briefly and leave, but Yoo Siwoo, who had followed me out of the store, blocked my path.
"I’ll take care of you!"
"..."
He said that nonsense with a straight face.
"I’m not particularly grateful for the offer, and I don't need your care. I’m sorry."
"I’m better at that kind of thing than you’d think! Putting a wet towel on your forehead, buying porridge..."
"Whether you’re good at it or not isn't the point. I’m worried that after I send you away, some of my underwear will be missing. The kind that should be in the laundry basket, not the drawer."
"I won't steal them. Should I write a pledge before I come in?"
"Haa... I’m not sick enough to make such a fuss, so go home and play the games you like."
"That’s a portable console anyway, so it doesn't matter if I play it at your place."
"...Doesn't a normal person usually say they won't do it?"
"Anyway! Anyway, that just means I want to help you that much."
"You want to help...?"
"Yes!"
Want to help, huh. ...Should I take that at face value? Rather than believing those words he spat out while pretending to be pure, wouldn't it be much more accurate to assume he wanted to try something while I was sick?
While I was staring at him, blocking my path as if he wouldn't move until I gave him permission, I let out a deep sigh and began to whisper so that Yoo Siwoo would back off.
"...Excuse me."
"Yes, Senpai."
"Instead of you, a non-expert, clumsily nursing me, wouldn't it be better to ask the school nurse for his understanding?"
"...Yes?"
I don't need someone like you.
"That’s right. Just now, Vice Student Council President... you said you wanted to help with my care without any lewd intentions at all."
"W-well, that’s true, but I already bought the medicine, and it’s a nuisance to ask for separate treatment on the weekend, isn't it?"
I know you’re sticking to me with lewd intentions, so get lost.
"It should be fine? I have a... decent relationship with the school nurse."
"You don't have anything more than just running into him while jogging, do you?"
"There’s more than that. Things the Vice Student Council President doesn't know."
"..."
You don't know, but we have a relationship. ...Are you jealous, by any chance? And if you are, what are you going to do about it?
"So that’s how it is, I’ll call the school nurse to my house..."
"..."
"Let’s just keep this one I just bought as a backup."
"..."
"I don't need your nursing... so... don't follow me. While I’m asking nicely."
"..."
He was always testing my patience with his noise, but this was probably the first time I’d ever seen the Vice Student Council President left speechless. Feeling an unexpected, light sense of triumph, I returned home before he could slip back in like a snake. Of course, the part about calling Seo Woojin to my house while I was alone was a total lie...
...Cough, cough.
...Ugh. I woke up, but my stomach still feels terrible...
"Gnnn..."
I definitely thought I fell asleep early, so how did I end up waking up around lunchtime? Having slept for nearly 12 hours, I found it difficult even to lift my body. I squinted my eyes and brushed back my messy golden hair. As I sat there blankly, thinking about what time it was, how good the bean sprout soup smelled, and, "Ew, I smell like alcohol," I began to sniff the air. Only then did I fully regain my senses and start retracing my memories from last night.
So... it started with Yozora pouring me drinks, saying, "Sua-chan, you’re such a good drinker!" and me just accepting them, all the way to meeting the teacher in front of my house while being supported by the Student Council President. I was worried that there might be a blank spot in my memory, but thank goodness, there was no catastrophe like "blacking out." Of course, I didn't remember the exact details of every conversation, but at least I hadn't missed anything in the grand scheme of things. The flow of memory was natural.
"Thank goodness..."
...So when I’m drunk, I just giggle mindlessly and slur my words. It’s a bit embarrassing, but this is pretty mild, all things considered. I’ve heard some people turn into animals when they drink. Yeah, yeah. If there had been any gaps in my memory, I was going to contact Yozora immediately to find out what happened, but it didn't seem like there was any need to make such a fuss.
Phew, I let out a sigh of relief and slowly lifted my body, sniffing the scent of bean sprout soup wafting from outside the room.
"..."
But now, the one I was worried about was the Student Council President. We hadn't been drinking together, and we weren't even close, yet he had supported me all the way to my front door, hadn't he? To think I’d been clinging to the teacher and rubbing my cheek against him without even thanking the person who had gone through so much trouble for me. From the perspective of making friends, that was behavior equivalent to a zero.
This was something I needed to get his number from Yozora and contact him separately to... "Oh."
Wait. That means he saw everything about what kind of relationship I had with the teacher. And he saw it while completely sober, without a drop of alcohol in his system.
"..."
But, it’s not like a celebrity scandal... isn't it fine if that much is found out? Being a sex partner... looking at manga and novels, it seems like a very common relationship, just like Yozora said...
Between the shame of being caught by someone else and the feeling of, "Wouldn't it be better to just admit it?" my inner thoughts wavered for a moment. I received the Student Council President's number from Yozora, who happened to be awake, and with my sleepiness completely gone, I carefully tried to make a call. After all, it was right to thank him regardless. The talk about my relationship with the teacher would come after that.
-Beep, beep.
Immediately after holding the smartphone to my ear, a connection sound was heard before the ringtone could even finish its third cycle.
- ...Hello?
"Ah, um, that, I, I’m the one the Student Council President supported yesterday..."
What came from the other side was the Student Council President's listless voice, quite different from the one I’d heard yesterday, and...
- ...That, Han Sua... Cough...! A small sound of coughing.