The Kansai Villain’s Rebirth: I Accidentally Ended Up With a Harem. - Chapter 113: Fuyuki Rinko Panics.

Fuyuki Rinko Panics.

From Fuyuki Rinko’s POV.

That morning, a shocking message arrived. It was from Dai-kun, saying he had caught a cold and would be absent from school. Shina, Mio, and I had all come to class as usual, but the moment we saw it—Mio let out a loud “Ehh!?” while Shina’s voice trembled with worry as she murmured, “Dai-chan…” As for me, the instant I read the words, my smartphone slipped from my fingers and clattered onto my desk. The case protected it, thank goodness… but I couldn’t just sit there.

“I’m afraid a family member has fallen ill and is bedridden, so I’ll be leaving early.”

“Rin-chan, stooooop!!”

“What? Why are you stopping me, Mio? This is a family emergency. He’s down with a cold—he needs someone to take care of him, doesn’t he?”

“It’s about Dai-kun, right!?”

“What’s all the fuss? I was wondering why Daiki was late, turns out he’s got a cold~”

“And Fuyuki’s trying to head home by claiming it’s a ‘family matter.’”

“Momodani-kun, Tenman-kun—that’s exactly it. So I’ll be going now. Mio, I’m off.”

“Then I’m coming too!”

“Wait, wait!?”

“What’s the problem? Look, we’re part of Dai-chan’s family, aren’t we? Dai-kun is family. When a family member is in trouble, it’s only natural to go to him.”

A family emergency leaves no room for school. Especially when the one bedridden is my husband—Dai-kun himself. Perfect, my message is ready too.

“I’ll send him a message as well~”

“Me too. Wonder what’s up with the guy.”

Momodani-kun and Tenman-kun were worried about Dai-kun too. They’re his friends, after all. It made me happy.

“Ugh—I’m going too!”

“Mio-chan! Let’s all take care of him together today!”

With Mio on board, there was nothing to fear. If the three of us nursed him, his cold would vanish in no time! Just as we were getting fired up, notifications chimed on my phone, Mio’s, and Shina’s. From Dai-kun?

Daiki: Attend your classes properly. I’m just going to sleep a bit more, but seriously, no skipping school!

No… it can’t be. Why…? Why can’t we go? “Attend your classes properly”… My strength drained from my knees, and I collapsed back into my chair. Dai-kun rejected me… It’s a lie… It has to be a lie…

“Well… we should attend classes properly, right? Rin-chan.”

“He rejected me… It’s the end of the world…”

“That bad!?”

“Kentarou~, did you know Fuyuki was this hopeless?”

“Hey, don’t say that! She’s head-over-heels for Daiki, there’s no helping it…”

“If you caught a cold and stayed home, Erika-senpai would probably barge right in, huh~”

“…I hope it stops at just nursing.”

“Hang in there, Kentarou~”

“W-What do you mean by calling me hopeless!?”

“You turn into this much of a mess over Daiki. That’s hopeless, right~? Still, it’s nice—Daiki’s really loved.”

Momodani-kun… calling me hopeless!? How rude! There’s no way that’s true! More importantly, I have to get to Dai-kun’s house!

“Good morning. Homeroom’s starting—everyone take your seats~. Today… Tennouji is out with a cold. It’d be great if someone could drop off the handouts after school. Anyone willing?”

“Yes! Yes yes yeees!”

“Natsume~, quiet down a bit. Alright, Akitani… and Fuyuki too. I’ll leave it to the three of you. Counting on you.”

Damn it… Ashiharabashi-sensei showed up, and now I can’t leave… Dai-kun said to attend classes properly… Why…?

***

Rin: Dai-kun, how are you feeling? Did you go to the hospital? Have you taken your medicine? Are you sleeping right now?

Rin: I feel so lonely without you…

Every break, I checked my phone, hoping for a reply, but it remained unread. The impatience gnawed at me—I wanted to claw at my chest. Just the absence of a response made me wonder if I’d become unnecessary to him. I even tried calling him on POINE. The ringtone echoed, yet he never picked up. I let it ring until the bell, but still nothing. Why…? Why? Why? He’s just sleeping… right? He said he’d go to the hospital, so he should be awake… but the anxiety only grew.

***

Even at lunch, it stayed unread. No… what if Dai-kun’s illness is far worse than we thought, and something terrible is happening at home…? Or… what if he’s grown tired of me and is ignoring me…? No, what if he’s blocked me…? That can’t be… He told me he loved me that night, over and over again.

Rin: Dai-kun. How are you feeling? Has the fever gone down?

Call canceled.

Rin: Dai-kun

Rin: Dai-kun?

Call canceled.

Call canceled.

Rin: Hey?

Rin: Dai-kun

Call canceled.

“Rin-chan… you wouldn’t happen to be calling Dai-kun right now, would you…?”

“I sent a message too, but it’s still unread~ Maybe he’s sleeping really deeply?”

“When I had a cold, I woke up at lunch because I was hungry, but maybe it’s the medicine? I think he’s just sleeping soundly, so Rin-chan… don’t make that end-of-the-world face. It’ll be okay.”

“M-Mio… D-Dai… Dai-kun… hates us now… I don’t want that…”

“Ah! Rin-chan! Don’t cry! There’s no way Dai-kun would ever do that! He’s just sleeping, okay! Let’s go to his house after school!”

What if Dai-kun really blocked me on POINE…? That would be the end for me. The thought tightened my chest until tears spilled over. If he hated me—if he abandoned me—I wouldn’t be able to bear it. I might even hang myself. That’s how deeply I love him. Mio and Shina kept saying it would be fine, but the dread threatened to crush me.

***

“Rin-chan! Dai-kun finally replied! He says it’s okay to come over! Oh, but be careful not to catch it!”

“I got one too~! I have a key, so let’s all go together, okay! Rin-chan!”

Daiki: Sorry, I was dead asleep. Sorry for worrying you. I felt Rinko’s feelings loud and clear. Everyone’s coming over, right? Rinko’s constitution is weak, so be careful not to catch it. I’m waiting for you to come home, Rinko.

A reply from Dai-kun! Thank goodness… he was only sleeping… Relief washed over me, and I nearly cried again. I couldn’t show weakness in the classroom, so I kept a calm façade, but I could barely wait for classes to end.

***

“Rin-chan! Classes are finally over~! Rin-chan, you look like you’re about to cry? Seeing Dai-chan’s face will cheer you right up! But since he’s sick, no doing anything reckless, okay?”

“I-I know… Besides… if I caught his cold, I’d only trouble Dai-kun, so I have to be careful…”

“Sorry to keep you waiting~! I picked up the handouts from Ashiharabashi-sensei, so let’s go!”

“Alright, off to Dai-chan’s house—let’s go!”

As we approached the school gate on our way to Dai-kun’s house, we noticed a crowd gathered.

“Oh? What’s going on?”

I strained to listen.

“I-Isn’t that the Hanajyo uniform? A student from that ladies’ academy here…?”

“She’s absolutely beautiful! Students from Hanajyo really do feel like true refined ladies!”

“Hana… jyo? What’s that?”

“Hanayashiki Girls’ Academy. An ultra-elite school for young ladies. Their academics are outstanding—they always monopolize the top three spots in the national mock exams.”

“I-I think Rin-chan being near that level is amazing…”

“It’s frustrating, but we can’t compete with those three. Especially Harumiya-san, who’s always first.”

“Wow~ She’s completely out of my league! Whoa, her hair is red… natural? Doesn’t look dyed.”

“Like everyone’s saying, she’s stunning… Maybe she’s looking for someone from our school?”

“I wonder who. But for someone from such an incredible school to be searching… maybe a fan of Momodani-kun or Tenman-kun?”

“Who knows… Anyway, let’s hurry to Dai-kun’s.”

“Yeah. Oh, let’s stop at the supermarket and buy udon, drinks, jelly—something easy on the stomach.”

“I second that! Come on, we don’t want to be late—let’s go, go!”

“Yes. Wait for us, Dai-kun.”

We glanced sideways at the Hanayashiki student as we headed to the supermarket, then onward to Dai-kun’s house.

At that moment, none of us could have imagined how deeply this girl from Hanayashiki Girls’ Academy would become entangled with the three of us—and with Dai-kun.