I’m an Introvert, but After Taking Care of the School’s Most Beautiful Girl Who Lives in an Apartment When She Was Sick, She Became Attached to Me and Started Inviting Me Over to Her Place! - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Even though it was awkward, I lifted the school’s most beautiful girl in a princess carry. Since even a slight jolt might hurt if her headache or other symptoms flared up, I used my painfully lean muscles to minimize any shaking as much as possible.

“S-Suzuya-kun…! cough cough No…! You’ll catch my cold…!”

“It’s fine. Even if I catch it, I’m not going to die. …Anyway, can you tell me where your bedroom is? It’d be weird as a person to go all the way into your room like this, so I’ll just put you down in front of it.”

Even in this feverish, staggering state, she twisted in my arms, trying in her small way to resist, worried she might infect me. But there was no way I was going to let the person who had come to greet me at the door just say goodbye here. I didn’t care what would happen to my own reputation after this. I just focused on getting her safely to her room.

“Cough… Umm, the door behind that dining chair… That’s my room… cough”

“Okay. Thanks for telling me.”

Seeing my posture, Natsuki finally seemed to give up and obediently guided me to her room. My underdeveloped muscles were screaming, but I somehow managed to carry her to the room she had indicated and carefully set her down so as not to jolt her.

“Here. Watch your step.”

“cough Thank you… I’ll… cough repay you…”

“Come on, come on. Don’t worry about repayment. Just rest for now.”

I couldn’t very well go into a second-year high school classmate’s room, so I let her move freely in front of the door while turning my gaze back to the entrance to avoid seeing her private space. Eventually, Natsuki closed her bedroom door in front of me with a slightly apologetic gesture and headed straight to her bed with uncertain steps.

“Since your condition is bad today, I’ll leave important things in notes…”

“—please…”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

Watching the closed entrance door, I was already preparing to leave quickly before any misunderstanding could arise once she got into bed. In the urgency of the moment, I even retrieved the convenience store bag I had hastily tossed and placed it neatly on the table. Inside her room, I heard the rustle of the blanket as she settled in, and just as I was about to leave, a faint voice came through the door.

“Um… I live alone… And it’s hard for me to cook right now…”

“Ah, I see. Do you want anything to eat? I can go buy it for you. I have the usual get-well supplies, like energy drinks and jelly, but… Hmm, looks like that’s not quite it. Anyway, you can request anything you want.”

Looking back, it was a pretty bold move for her to make such requests. She had never spoken to me before, and she was inviting a classmate, a boy she’d never interacted with, into her home while sick. I didn’t remember doing anything to earn her trust, but watching her cough like a fragile little animal before me, I couldn’t help myself. The words came out of my mouth naturally.

“I want rice porridge… cough cough!”

“Rice porridge, huh… Wait, they don’t sell that… Um, Natsuki, this is awkward, but if it’s porridge, I’ll have to make it myself… So, um…”

“Oh, you can use the kitchen however you want… Cough..! The fridge is mine since I live alone, so anything is fine… Sorry about this.”

My lack of social skill was showing. I couldn’t even say, “Are you okay with me using your kitchen?” If Tenma were here, she wouldn’t have had to go to such painstaking lengths to be considerate of me when she was feeling weak herself. I hated my own helplessness, who could only wait for her words.

“Thanks. I’ll make the porridge, so you just rest for now, Natsuki.”

In the early spring, with winter’s chill still lingering, I removed my knit sweater, rolled up my sleeves on my dress shirt, and carefully washed my hands. After drying them, I stood again in front of her room’s door and spoke as gently and quietly as I could.

“Natsuki-san, do you have a preference for what kind of porridge you want?”

“Eh… If I request something… cough it’d be too much trouble for Suzuya-kun… I don’t want to bother you any further… cough”

“By now, it doesn’t matter. And I don’t think it’s a bother. I actually like helping others.”

“I see… Hehe, good to know… cough cough —then, egg porridge would be nice.”

“Okay. I’ll come check again when it’s ready, so just rest until then.”

To prevent her from feeling guilty, I quickly reassured her with my words, and she finally gave in and quietly requested the type of porridge she wanted. For some reason, I could tell she was in a surprisingly good mood just through the door, and she even smiled a few times during our conversation, making it easier for me to talk with her. 

Not wanting to waste her energy further, I said only what was necessary before heading back to the kitchen.

“———”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“N-no! cough cough! Nothing!”

“Oh? Then okay.”

Just as I was leaving the door, I thought I heard her mutter something, but she quickly denied it before I could ask, so I decided it must be just my imagination. She would now rest under her blanket, so I moved quietly, opening the fridge gently to avoid making any noise.

“All right, time to put my cooking skills to use.”

I muttered to myself and efficiently gathered pots and utensils, beginning to make the porridge.

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Kaon Natsuki’s POV

“You were really cool…”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“N-no! cough cough! Nothing!”

“Oh? Then okay.”

I didn’t realize I had spoken so naturally, and when I coughed to cover it, Suzuya-kun said nothing further and quietly left the door. I kept replaying it in my head. I had asthma from childhood and got sick easily. My fever hadn’t gone down, and I was even feeling dizzy.

Living alone away from my parents, I had no one immediately to rely on. My friends were probably still at school, so I couldn’t just ask anyone to come over. With my fever, I even had nightmares, and the anxiety kept piling up. Curling under my blanket, I struggled against the chills of this relentless cold.

Then, as if on cue, the doorbell rang. My classmate Suzuya-kun had come to my room, sent by my close friend Kaede, to deliver the get-well supplies. I knew he was trying to be brief, considering my sickness. But I reached my limit first, and my balance faltered from dizziness. I collapsed. I didn’t expect to be caught twice, once at the entrance and once in the hallway. I tried to move, but he didn’t let me. Gently, he guided me to my room.

His arms were so comfortable that I couldn’t resist, naturally surrendering to his kindness. I remembered a similar feeling from when I had collapsed at home as a child and my father carried me. Suzuya-kun’s embrace felt similar, warm, and safe, and I wanted to nestle against his chest.

“Here. Watch your step.”

“cough Thank you… I’ll… cough repay you…”

“Come on, come on. Don’t worry about repayment. Just rest for now.”

Even though he put me down in front of my room, I tried to resist his comforting presence a few times, but was gently rebuffed and ended up letting myself rely on him. When I quietly closed the door, I noticed him glancing back at the entrance, deliberately avoiding looking into my room.

Grateful for his gentlemanly behavior, I finally made it to my bed, swaying on unsteady legs. I realized firsthand that pushing myself could inconvenience others even when I thought I was fine.

“Don’t push yourself anymore today, okay? Rest quietly.”

He called through the door, and I heard him walk away and return to the dining area. Would he leave now? That kind expression and voice stayed in my mind.

“——please…”

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Um… I live alone… And it’s hard for me to cook right now…”

“Ah, I see. Do you want anything to eat? I can go buy it for you. I have the usual get-well supplies, like energy drinks and jelly, but… Hmm, looks like that’s not quite it. Anyway, you can request anything you want.”

Why did I say that? Because I was sick, feverish. I used that as an excuse to rely on him. Seeing a kind classmate come for me, my heart melted at his gentle attitude. It amazed me that I could trust a boy I’d never spoken to at school so much.

“I want rice porridge… cough cough!”

“Rice porridge, huh… Wait, they don’t sell that… Um, Natsuki, this is awkward, but if it’s porridge, I’ll have to make it myself… So, um…”

“Oh, you can use the kitchen however you want… Cough..! The fridge is mine since I live alone, so anything is fine… Sorry about this.”

Hearing him say “You can request anything” so sweetly, I couldn’t help being swayed. The warmth of his presence after enduring loneliness for so long was comforting, like sweet honey drawing me in.

Even though I didn’t want to trouble him more, I wanted to rely on him. I knew I might regret it later, but I couldn’t resist this comfort. Eventually, the sounds of him moving in the house reached me. Wrapped in my blanket, I listened carefully and closed my eyes. I knew this intense loneliness and restlessness were amplified by my cold, yet I couldn’t stop myself.

His words, his kindness, melted my heart completely. I had let a mere classmate into my home and allowed a boy to win my trust. I knew it was bad. I knew it, but for now, I chose to trust his kindness and this comfort.

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