I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine

Episode 33: Visiting With The Young Lady?

For a while after that, Aoba still seemed down, but it seemed she had cried her heart out.

Gradually, she started to return to her usual self.

“Oh, that cat. Isn’t that the parent of this kitten?”

“…Looks like it.”

Fortunately, the parent cat came to pick up the kitten.

Perhaps as thanks for rescuing the kitten, two cats came and rubbed their heads against us to play.

But we had wasted too much time.

After they left, we tried to move, but…

“Ugh, it’s still not drying at all.”

“Well, it’s fine in the summer. I guess it’s tough this time of year.”

Come to think of it, we were still soaked.

Even though we wrung out our sleeves, there was no sign of drying.

And when the wind blew, a chilly sensation hit our skin, making us shiver.

Continuing the volunteering was no longer possible.

So, I contacted President Nagano to explain the situation.

And thus, we were allowed to leave a bit earlier than everyone else.

After putting the garbage in the designated place, we left the mountain.

We bought new clothes at a certain clothing chain store near the nearest station, changed on the spot, and headed straight home.

We decided that it was better to take a bath immediately.

“When should we meet in Kansai?”

That night, I received a message from Aoba.

Come to think of it, we hadn’t decided on a plan yet.

“I’m fine anytime.”

“Then, all the time!”

“Sure.”

“Oh, no no. You should also spend time with your family and friends!”

While exchanging such ordinary conversation, I breathed a sigh of relief.

At this rate, it seems like she’s not bothered at all anymore. It’s the usual Aoba Hikari.

I was relieved, but…

After resting for a day and going to university on Monday, Aoba Hikari wasn’t in class.

Her seat in the middle was empty as usual.

Only the Sleeping Beauty, Seira Imazato, was there. She had already entered her peaceful mode, sleeping soundly with her head on the desk.

I moved one seat away and sat next to her to reserve Aoba’s seat, placing my bag in the middle.

Then I immediately took out my smartphone.

Could it be that she still feels guilty? Does she think it’s awkward to see me? Maybe her invitation to hang out in our hometown was just out of obligation…

I rewrote the message several times, trying to calm my nerves.

“Aren’t you coming to class?”

In the end, I sent this short message.

This way, it couldn’t be interpreted weirdly. While I was still feeling restless, my phone vibrated shortly.

“Sorry, looks like I’ve got a fever. I’m taking the day off~( ;∀;).”

…Seems like she caught a cold.

Even though she changed clothes, staying wet for a long time must have affected her body.

♢

I couldn’t leave her alone.

If she were at home, a simple “Take care” would have sufficed.

But now, Aoba lives alone.

Even if she can’t move because of the fever, there’s no one to take care of her. Just thinking about that situation is quite painful.

“Shall I go see you?”

After pondering over various thoughts again, I sent this short message.

In return, a bear stamp with a bowing head came, saying “Please.”

“But it’s fine to wait until after classes, it’s not that bad yet.”

She added this.

If the symptoms were really severe, she wouldn’t be able to send a message this quickly. Maybe she’s not lying about it being mild.

I calmed down for the time being and attended class.

While taking notes properly, I noticed the lunch break chime ringing.

…But this girl, she’s still curled up.

I couldn’t leave her like this either. I stood up and gently tapped her shoulder until everyone else left.

“It’s lunchtime, Imazato-san.”

She lifted her face sleepily.

With disheveled hair and sleepy eyes, she murmured.

“Lunch. Shall we go eat?”

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. To you, Nogami-san. Also, to Aoba-san… eh. Where is she?”

“You only just noticed that she wasn’t here. You must have been sleeping too deeply. She’s not here today. She seems to have a fever so she’s staying at home.”

“…I see”

Exactly how did she live her life to end up like this? Anyway, I stood up and waited for her to gather her things.

“Do you know where she lives, Nogami-san?”

She suddenly asked out of the blue.

“Well, kind of. I was planning to visit her later.”

“May I go with you? Let’s visit her now.”

“But Aoba said it’s okay to come after class… and actually, if we go now, we won’t make it to the third period.”

“Then we can take a taxi.”

“…But that’s too much money.”

“Leave it to me. I have tickets.”

It was an unexpected proposal.

Confused, I hurriedly sent a message to Aoba.