A Story About a Blonde Gal Angel Who Excessively Praises My Cooking. After Asking Me to Teach Her How to Cook, Feelings of Mutual Love Began to Grow

Chapter 102: Cold

“I’m heading to work now, but are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’m a high school student, you know? The doctor said it’s just a cold, so I’m okay.”

“Make sure to contact me if anything happens, alright?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Alright, I’m off.”

“Take care~”

The day after the summer festival, I caught a cold.

Fortunately, it’s just a common cold, and I’ve already got medicine, so there’s no problem.

“Dad, you don’t have to worry either~.”

On the way back from the hospital, I bought some food and drinks, so I should be okay. I’ve also locked the door properly.

“But still, I feel so weak…”

Feeling unsteady, I crawl into bed. It’s so frustrating to catch a cold with so little time left of summer vacation.

“Well, at least I finished my homework, so that’s a relief.”

If I hadn’t finished my homework, this would have been a nightmare.

“But it’s so cold.”

Even though I’m in bed, my head feels fuzzy. I feel both cold and hot, and just breathing makes me feel exhausted.

But somehow, I feel like colds were even worse when I was younger. I find myself wondering why noticing that I’ve grown feels so strange.

“Maybe I overdid it yesterday.”

Back when I first had a cooking competition with Senior Tomitsugu, my hands were shaky, but yesterday I think I managed much better.

Supporting Motobu-kun is surprisingly fun. I guess it’s because I’ve come to understand his little habits when he cooks—like the way he orders things, or his routines.

It’s like everything keeps spinning faster and faster. I didn’t even have to ask what I should do next; I could just move on my own. I realize now that I’ve gotten to know Motobu-kun better than before.

“…The fireworks were beautiful, too.”

There are some things you can understand without words. Of course, there are also things you won’t understand unless they’re said out loud.

“…Next time, I wonder if we can cook together again…”

With my eyelids growing heavy, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

—

“…Haa…haa…haa…”

Suddenly, I woke up. I felt suffocated and sweaty, my body burning up. I think I had been dreaming, but the memory faded with every breath. All I could remember was that it was a sad dream.

“…This is…bad…”

Even lifting my arms felt exhausting. Reaching for the thermometer was a struggle. I could feel the heat returning, draining my strength. At least I wasn’t coughing, which was a relief.

“…This sweat feels so gross…”

My body, sticky with sweat, was too weak to even change my pajamas. I reached out to the shelf for a sports drink, but I accidentally knocked it over.

“…This is so hard…”

The sports drink rolled away on the floor, out of reach from the bed.

“…This is seriously bad…”

I gave up on trying to hydrate and just stared at the ceiling. The dark ceiling seemed to press down on me, each beat of my heart linking to a vague sense of fear.

“…I need to…call someone…”

I fumbled for my phone near my pillow and managed to grab it.

“…Someone…”

I opened the home screen. There was a picture of Motobu-kun and me from Okinawa. I only use this as my wallpaper when I’m at home.

“…Motobu…kun…”

I couldn’t think of anyone else to call for help. So, without much thought, I dialed Motobu-kun’s number.

The ringing of the call only made my anxiety worse.

“Hello? What’s wrong?”

“…Motobu…kun…haa…haa…”

He picked up. Just hearing his voice made me feel relieved.

“What’s wrong, Amatsuka-san? Are you feeling sick?”

Just breathing was taking all my energy. But I could still hear his voice, so it’s okay.

“Are you alright, Amatsuka-san?”

With my mind clouded by fever, I couldn’t think of what to say.

“I’ll be right there, so hang on.”

I couldn’t say anything, but Motobu-kun was coming. I never thought a simple cold could make me feel this weak.

But still, if Motobu-kun is coming, then I’ll be okay.

—

Chapter 103: Nursing Amatsuka (1)

I ran to Amatsuka-san’s house. It only took a few minutes.

Even though summer was ending, it was still hot outside.

I finally arrived and pressed the doorbell at Amatsuka-san’s house.

“…No response…”

It was so quiet, I couldn’t even tell if anyone was home. The sound of cicadas buzzing drowned out everything, and even after five minutes, there was no answer from the intercom.

It was the same when I tried contacting her on my phone.

“…Excuse me.”

I cautiously placed my hand on the front door.

“It’s unlocked?”

The door wasn’t locked. Feeling suspicious, I entered Amatsuka-san’s house. Is it really just a cold? Could there be a burglar?

No, in this situation, I could easily be mistaken for a burglar myself.

“…But I can’t just leave without checking on Amatsuka-san…”

I nervously moved forward. The last time I came to Amatsuka-san’s house was for her birthday, but I hadn’t been in her room since before then. I tried to remember the way to her room.

“…I think it was here…”

Feeling a strange sense of guilt, I knocked on the door that seemed to lead to Amatsuka-san’s room. But there was no response.

“…Amatsuka-san…?!”

I found her lying face down on the bed. On the floor were a thermometer and a half-finished sports drink.

“Amatsuka-san?! Are you okay?!”

“…Mo…tobu…kun…”

Her weak voice sounded like she was on the brink of death. Seeing her in such a fragile state made me panic.

“I’m calling an ambulance right now!”

“…I’m…fine…”

“How is this fine?!”

“…I’m…so thirsty…”

“First, let me get you something to drink.”

I grabbed the sports drink from the floor and rushed over to her.

“Can you sit up?”

“…I can’t…”

“Let’s get you sitting up. You need to rehydrate first.”

I helped her sit up by holding her shoulders and pressed the sports drink to her lips. Even though she was breathing heavily, she managed to drink it little by little.

“…I feel alive again…”

“You still look like you’re about to die.”

“…Haha…I really thought…I was going to die.”

“This isn’t funny. We need to get you to the hospital.”

“I already went this morning. I got medicine…but while I was asleep, it came back…and it got really bad…”

She seemed to have regained enough strength to force a smile. But it was still summer, and even though it was nearing the end, there was still the risk of heatstroke.

“I’m calling an ambulance anyway. Please get changed.”

“I-I’m fine!”

“You might have heatstroke.”

“I’m still sweating, so I’m fine. But before anything, I need to wipe off this sweat…”

Now that she mentioned it, her pajamas were soaked with sweat, clinging to her body and revealing her shape more than I was comfortable with. I instinctively looked away and hesitated to call the ambulance.

“Please…get your own clothes.”

“Yeah.”

It would be too awkward if I accidentally opened the underwear drawer.

“Motobu-kun…could you…wipe my back for me…?”

“What?!”

“J-Just my back! My body feels too weak and heavy…”

“If you’re that weak, we should go to the hospital.”

“It’s just a cold, really!”

She showed me her doctor’s note. How badly does she want to avoid the hospital?

…Wait, wipe her back? Me? Wipe Amatsuka-san’s back?

“Alright, here goes.”

“W-Wait, Amatsuka-san?!”

“There are sweat wipes over there.”

“…”

She turned her back to me and started taking off her pajama top. Even though she kept her arms in the sleeves, she skillfully used the fabric to cover her chest.

“…Amatsuka-san.”

“This is…so embarrassing…”

“It’s embarrassing for me too…I’m a guy, you know. Just saying.”

“I-I know, but still…”

Her skin was so smooth, with her long blonde hair swept forward, leaving her bare back exposed. The nape of her neck was damp with sweat, making her look even more alluring.

…Wait, is she not wearing a bra…? I guess it’s uncomfortable to sleep in one, but still…

“Alright, I understand.”

I took out a sweat wipe and braced myself. I layered three wipes just to be sure.

“Eek!!”

“P-Please don’t make weird noises…”

“S-Sorry. It’s just cold, that’s all.”

I tried to be as neutral as possible. Like I was wiping down a kitchen counter…

No, this isn’t going to work. Even through the wipes, I could feel the softness of her skin and the heat radiating from her feverish body.

“…Mmm…”

“…”

…Please don’t make those kinds of sounds…

“Could you also wipe between my shoulder blades?”