I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 73

Chapter 73   Illness and the Intercom

“…Are you kidding me.”

The morning after I decided to join the tournament at Toudou’s invitation, I stared at the thermometer and sighed.

—38.2 degrees Celsius.

I was clearly sick.

As soon as I recognized that fact, I felt exponentially worse. I’d had a bad feeling since waking up just before my alarm, something unusual for me. Yesterday, I’d binge-watched that trending anime on demand, finally going to bed around three in the morning.

Waking up at seven, on so little sleep, was rare for someone like me who usually needs a lot of rest.

Keeping my dizzy head upright, I glanced at the clock. It was 7:20. My first lecture didn’t start until the second period, so I had about two hours before I’d have to leave.

“No way… There’s no way I can manage this. I should just sleep…”

Weakly muttering to myself, I flopped back onto the bed.

I was supposed to attend three introductory lectures today, but it was looking impossible. With this fever, I might not even make it to university tomorrow. Fortunately, during the first week after spring break, attendance isn’t crucial, since students are still in the registration period.

Still, missing out on notes was less than ideal.

I’d just started my third year, ready to commit to regular attendance—and now I was sick. Bad timing. As I thought that, I tapped a message to Ayaka.

“Sorry, I’m sick with a fever. Could you take notes for me, please?”

…Sent. But would she believe me?

Just a text like that might make her think I’m just skipping for extra sleep, given my usual habits. I really hoped she’d believe me, though. Placing my phone beside my pillow, I slowly lay down.

Once I was lying down, the fever made it feel like gravity had doubled.

Living alone has a lot of perks, and it suits me. But not when I’m sick.

“This is miserable…”

Hearing my own hoarse voice felt strange, like it didn’t even belong to me.

—This might be the first time I’ve been sick in spring.

As that thought floated through my foggy mind, I let my consciousness drift away.

◇◆

When I woke up, not only did my body feel sluggish, but I also had a headache. It wasn’t unbearable, but it definitely added to the misery. Slowly, I propped myself up to quench my thirst. Physically, I wanted nothing more than to lie down again, but staying hydrated when you’re running a fever is a matter of survival. I sluggishly made my way to the fridge, finally managing to open the door.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Inside was a two-liter bottle, but it only had a couple of sips of water left. I could see a few cans of beer in the back, but drinking alcohol in my condition was out of the question.

Sure, I could drink tap water, but making it taste better would require boiling or chilling it—too much effort. Running to the nearest convenience store to buy water was also nearly impossible given how I was feeling. In the end, drinking straight from the tap was the easiest choice.

I’d avoided it before, vaguely concerned about cleanliness, but now wasn’t the time to be picky. I filled a glass with tap water and took a sip. It wasn’t as bad as I feared, though lukewarm and not exactly refreshing.

—Can’t be picky now, though.

With a heavy sigh, I checked the freezer. It didn’t have much that I could easily eat, so I’d probably need to go shopping by the evening. That prospect felt daunting in my current state.

Just as I was thinking this, the doorbell rang.

Startled, I glanced toward the door. Shinohara had said she’d be in a shared class from first period today. I hadn’t ordered anything either.

If it was some kind of salesperson, this was about the worst time possible. Bracing myself, I trudged over to the door and opened it, only to be taken aback.

“Good morning. That’s quite the reaction,” Ayaka said, standing in the doorway with a slight frown, clearly annoyed by my surprise.

“Why are you here?”

“You’re the one who said you had a fever, aren’t you?”

Ayaka held up a grocery bag hanging from her elbow, showing me the contents—some food, jelly, and water.

“Can you let me in? This is actually kind of heavy.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Wait, hold on, it might be messy—”

I turned around, feeling a bit flustered. I could barely remember ever letting Ayaka into my place, and even then, it had only been a few times. Those times, it was either just up to the entryway, or I’d prepped the place for her beforehand to make sure it looked clean. Recently, I’d tried to keep it tidy, but I still had that instinct to double-check, hoping to maintain a good impression.

“Wow, it’s actually clean in here.”

“Whoa!”

Her voice came from right behind me, making me jump and nearly bend over in surprise. I stumbled, my balance giving way.

“Hey, watch it!”

Ayaka quickly reached out, wrapping an arm around my neck to keep me from falling. But with the difference in our weights, we both ended up tumbling onto the bed. I was underneath, Ayaka on top.

How on earth did gravity pull us into this position? I was at a loss.

“…Um, isn’t this usually the other way around?”

“…Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”

The scene must have looked like I was the one being pinned down, and I felt my mouth twitch at the awkwardness of it. Seeing Ayaka’s face this close up was a rare sight, too. Her long eyelashes seemed almost damp, and for a moment, I felt my heart skip.

“You’re staring too much.”

With that, Ayaka pulled away and stood up.

“It’s hard not to stare at someone when they’re that close.”

“Fair point.”

Ayaka simply agreed and went to the kitchen, opening the cupboards to check their contents. Even from behind, her figure was striking, but given how unwell I felt, none of the distracting thoughts from our hot spring trip crept in this time. Instead, I felt a strong sense of relief that Ayaka was here with me in my weakened state.

Though I hadn’t often invited her over, it seemed that the familiarity and comfort I felt now were the result of all the time we’d spent together.

“…Thanks for coming,” I murmured.

Ayaka turned around, tying her hair back with a hair tie, and gave a small smile.

“That should’ve been the first thing you said.”

…She was right. When she showed up, my first reaction had been, “Why are you here?” Of course she’d be a bit annoyed. Listening to the sounds of her preparing something in the kitchen, I quietly closed my eyes.