I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 54

Chapter 54: Yuuta’s Nursing Operation (1)

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When I got a message from Kaede saying that she couldn’t come because of her high fever, I was honestly crushed.

…I was really looking forward to it, though.

That said, if she wasn’t feeling well, there was nothing that could be done. I wanted her to get proper rest, and this wasn’t a situation where I should force anything. That was what I thought. But right at that moment…

Ping.

『…I want you to come take care of me…』

“…Huh?”

For an instant, time stopped. My brain froze for about three seconds until it processed reality.

…Take care of her? Me? At Kaede’s house? No, no, no, no, no…!

A strange sweat instantly ran down my back.

Wait, even if it’s her house, if her parents see me, that’s definitely bad, right? And if Shouma sees me…He’s already in the middle of a mental breakdown. Wouldn’t this be the final blow?

Just as I reached the conclusion in my head that this was obviously impossible—

Ping.

『Don’t worry, my parents aren’t home today.』

“…Is she an esper?”

The timing was way too perfect, like she had read my mind. No, did she actually read it?

No way…There’s no way things line up this conveniently…

Or so I thought, when—

Ping!

『…I don’t want to… I want you to come… I’m lonely… Yuuta-kun… please.』

“……”

Silence.

My mental strength was being shaved away at an alarming speed. Kaede was in full-on clingy mode and since she was weakened by a high fever, the destructive power was way higher than usual.

Is there any guy who could say no to this? No, there’s no way… Absolutely no way…

The meeting in my head ended in one second with a unanimous decision.

“…I guess… I have no choice but to go…”

I took off my hat, put on a mask, and took one deep breath in front of the mirror.

…Kaede is relying on me. There’s no option where I don’t go.

My resolve hardened more and more.

“Alright… I’m going.”

I pulled my hat down low, put on my mask, and stepped out the front door, carefully watching my surroundings like I was on a covert mission in a movie.

…If Shouma sees me, that’s really the end, but…

Even so, I didn’t stop walking.

I’m coming, Kaede.

Muttering quietly in my chest, I headed for Kaede’s house. 

After arriving at the nearest station, the first place I went wasn’t her house. It was the supermarket.

“Sports drink… Fever cooling sheets… And one of those ice pillow things…”

I tossed items into the basket one after another. From the outside, my basket was clearly filled a “going to nurse someone” set, but right now my sense of duty outweighed my embarrassment.

…The real problem is rice porridge. I’ve never made that before…

When I searched “how to make rice porridge” on my phone, a Cookpad recipe popped up at the top. Scrolling through it, I threw the ingredients into my basket.

“…This should work…Probably.”

After checking out and stepping outside with the bags in my arms, the winter air slid smoothly into my lungs. Then, following the location Kaede had sent me, her house came into view.

…So this is it. That’s a pretty nice house…

Relieved that I had arrived safely, I also realized that the way I was sneaking around made me look completely like someone doing something wrong. Right next door, I could see Shouma’s house. The curtains were tightly closed, and there was no sign of anyone inside.

…Thank goodness. If I ran into him right now, my life would’ve been over. I steadied my breathing and moved in front of Kaede’s house. I didn’t ring the doorbell. Kaede had told me, “You can just come in without ringing it.”

I quietly opened the door. Inside, the air was completely still and silent.

…This is nerve-wracking.

I took off my shoes and headed straight for Kaede’s room. I knocked on the door and then opened it—

“…Yuuta-kun…”

Kaede lay weakly on the bed, smiling softly as she looked up at me. In that instant, my heart jumped hard in my chest.

…This is bad. This isn’t just cute. This is downright unfair…

For a moment, my mind went completely blank. My heart skipped so hard I almost collapsed, and I hurriedly forced myself back to my senses.

“F-for now… I’ll make some rice porridge, so just wait a bit.”

When I said that, Kaede knit her brows worriedly.

“…You can make it…? Really?”

“I-I can if I look it up on Cookpad!”

“Really…?”

“I said really!”

She was sick, so why could she still look at me that way so adorably when doubting me? Hiding the fluttering feeling in my chest, I left the room.

…Calm down, me. Just think about cooking first. At this rate, my self-control is going to die.

I took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen.

Alright… This is a battle. My first-ever rice porridge. I’m going to succeed no matter what.

The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I felt like a rookie adventurer challenging an unknown dungeon.

…It’s huge. And there’s so much equipment.

But I had no choice. I opened up Cookpad and checked the ingredients… And the moment I did, I frowned.

“…‘A pinch’? ‘To taste’? ‘Simmer on low heat’? I was never taught this kind of technical jargon…”

Complaining to the screen didn’t get me any answers.

“…Well, eyeballing it should be fine.”

Whether that decision would turn out good or bad later, I had no idea. I took a small clay pot from the cupboard, added water, and poured in the rice. So far, so good.

The problem came after that.

“…Uh, minced ginger… This counts as minced, right? If I cut it small, it’s minced, right?”

I chopped away with the knife. Some pieces were clearly too big to be called minced, but I ignored that.

“Eggs… Eggs are added at the end, I guess…? Eh, whatever.”

Salt? Just a little.

“Well, maybe I’ll add a bit more. There.”

I sprinkled in salt… sprinkle… sprinkle… Maybe I added a bit too much salt, but I ignored that too.

“Alright, lid on.”

Clack. 

I closed the lid of the clay pot.

“…What exactly counts as ‘simmering on low heat’ anyway…”

I turned the flame knob all the way down and sat there, hoping for a “simmering” vibe. After a while, I heard a gurgle gurgle sound coming from the pot.

“…Might be about time.”

I lifted the lid. Steam billowed up, and the white rice had cooked down nicely into something that looked like proper porridge.

…It’s done…? No, wait… This is just normal rice porridge, isn’t it?

It didn’t look bad. It wasn’t burnt. I almost felt like puffing out my chest.

“Alright…!”

Carefully lifting the clay pot, I carried it out while making sure not to spill anything.

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