When I Started a Volunteer Nursing Service, All the Beautiful Girls in My Class Suddenly Became Gloomy - Chapter 4-5

Chapter 4: Wiping Her Body

“Mmm…”

“You awake?”

Ichinose-san moved her mouth cutely with sleepy sounds, then her eyes opened.

“…How long was I asleep?”

“Let’s see, about half a day I think.”

“Eh… I slept that much?”

She blinked a few times and looked at the clock on the side table.

6:13 PM.

After checking it she said,

“Sorry, Amamiya-kun…”

while hiding half her face under the blanket.

“You don’t have to apologize. Your fever’s gone down a bit too.”

As I said that, I gently touched the cooling patch.

The heat on her forehead felt calmer than before.

“…Really?”

“Yeah, you look a lot more comfortable than at the start.”

“I see…”

She let out a relieved breath and gripped the blanket tight.

Then, while looking away a little,

“Amamiya-kun, you stayed the whole time…”

she whispered softly.

“I couldn’t just leave a sick person and go home.”

“But… I think most people would leave halfway…”

“Is that how it works?”

“…That’s how it works.”

Ichinose-san answered quietly.

The way she said it sounded strangely lonely, so I had a hard time replying.

“You hungry?”

I changed the subject and she gave a small nod.

“Just a little…”

“Then I’ll make something light.”

Right when I tried to stand up,

a small hand reached out from under the blanket and pinched my sleeve.

“…Where are you going?”

Her fever-moist eyes shook with worry.

“To the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

“…No.”

She shook her head a little and gripped my sleeve tighter.

Her grip was weak.

But I could clearly feel she didn’t want to let go.

“Ichinose-san?”

“…Stay here a little longer.”

The face peeking from the blanket was bright red.

I couldn’t tell if it was from the fever or something else.

But her voice sounded so helpless that I didn’t feel like pulling away.

“Got it.”

I sat back down beside the bed and she narrowed her eyes like she felt a bit safer.

Then,

“…Sweat feels gross.”

she muttered.

“You had a pretty high fever after all.”

“…I want to take a bath but I can’t move…”

Sure enough, sweat wasn’t just on her forehead but on her neck too. After sleeping so long, it made sense it felt bad.

“Wiping with a towel should help a bit.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll get a warm one.”

When I tried to stand again,

“…Amamiya-kun.”

“Yes?”

“Um…”

Ichinose-san pulled the blanket up to her mouth and looked away shyly.

“I might not be able to do it by myself…”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

We stared at each other for about a full minute.

I was the first to look away.

“…Is it bad?”

Ichinose-san kept half her face out of the blanket and looked at me anxiously.

She looked like a small animal, which made it even harder.

“No, it’s not bad, but… um…”

“You’re the only one here, Amamiya-kun…”

When she said it like that, it was hard to refuse.

After all, I started this because I couldn’t leave someone suffering alone.

Saying “No way” here felt wrong.

“…Just the back then.”

I said it like a last resort and her face brightened up a little.

Seeing that reaction made me feel like adding conditions was kind of mean.

“O-okay, I’ll get the towel.”

I headed to the bathroom like I was escaping.

While I turned on the faucet and wet the towel with warm water, I looked at myself in the mirror.

“…My face is super red.”

The guy in the mirror looked pathetically shaken. When I touched it, it felt really hot.

But I guess it couldn’t be helped.

At school Ichinose-san was always quiet, pretty, and never showed any weakness.

She was so special that the guys posted about her on social media almost every day.

Wiping her back was honestly something I never saw coming.

I had never even held hands with a girl before, so suddenly being told to wipe her sweat didn’t feel real.

But.

Ichinose-san probably didn’t mean anything by it.

She just felt gross from the sweat and wanted it wiped.

That’s all.

“…Alright.”

I let out a small breath and gently wrung the warm towel.

Then I steeled myself and went back to her room.

“…You took long.”

“S-sorry.”

Ichinose-san was already sitting up on the bed.

She had her legs neatly together at an angle, waiting for me.

“E-excuse me…”

I moved behind her and she slipped off the cardigan she was wearing.

“A-are you really sure…?”

“I asked you to, so it’s fine.”

When I rolled up the camisole from her back, a sweet scent tickled my nose even though she was sick.

That’s why beautiful girls are unfair.

She was sweating but there was no bad smell at all.

“Um…”

“Yeah?”

“Never mind!”

Her skin was clear and white. Parts of it were red from the fever.

Her shoulder blades looked impossibly delicate, and she had that graceful girl curve at the waist.

But all of that got blown away by one huge shock.

There was no bra.

—

Chapter 5: Clueless Flirty Amamiya-kun and the Weak Spoiled Ichinose-san

No bra?

Hold on, calm down.

This is probably just a girl thing.

Some girls go without a bra at home.

She probably doesn’t want to feel squeezed in her own place.

“What’s wrong…? Amamiya-kun.”

“N-no! It’s nothing!”

I answered without thinking, and Ichinose-san tilted her head like she was confused.

“…You’re weird.”

She seemed out of it from the fever and had no idea how defenseless she was.

Please don’t turn around like that when you’re so exposed.

My heart can’t take it.

“O-okay, I’ll wipe you now…”

I tried hard to act calm and gently pressed the warm towel against her back.

“…Ah.”

A small breath slipped out, and her shoulders twitched.

“Is it too hot?”

“No… it’s just right…”

She narrowed her eyes in relief and relaxed her shoulders a bit.

I wiped her white skin as gently as I could so I wouldn’t hurt her.

Too close.

Way too close.

Her body heat, the soft hair brushing my arm, everything kept pulling my attention and I couldn’t settle down.

But then.

“…Amamiya-kun, you’re so kind.”

Those quiet words made something warm stir in my chest.

“N-not really.”

“You are…”

She muttered sleepily and leaned back against me a little.

Right then, a soft feeling pressed into my arm.

“——!?”

“…?”

“I-it’s nothing!”

What do I do?

Ichinose-san’s b-breast just touched my arm…

They’re already pretty big, so they spread out to the sides too.

When we’re this close, stuff like this happens.

I don’t know if I can call it an accident, but it was way too much for my heart.

And Ichinose-san herself didn’t notice at all.

“…Amamiya-kun, your hand stopped.”

“S-sorry!”

I quickly moved the towel again.

Don’t think weird stuff.

This is just nursing.

This is just nursing.

I repeated it in my head over and over and kept wiping her back, trying not to think about anything.

“…Feels good.”

Ichinose-san had completely relaxed.

Because of the fever she was leaning on me like she was trusting me with her body, and every time she did, that soft feeling pressed into my arm.

This is bad.

My heart is pounding too loud.

“Amamiya-kun, your face is really hot?”

“Huh?”

“Did you catch my cold…?”

Ichinose-san looked up at me with worry.

She was so close again that I turned my face away without thinking.

“N-no! It’s just… the room is warm, that’s all!”

“…Hehe.”

Then Ichinose-san let out a small laugh.

It was a soft, age-appropriate smile I almost never saw at school.

“Amamiya-kun, you’re funny.”

“I’m not funny…”

“Yes you are…”

She giggled softly and narrowed her eyes like she felt safe.

Looking at her face strangely made the tension from before ease up a bit.

“…Is it done already?”

Ichinose-san turned around with a voice that sounded like she didn’t want it to end.

“Huh? Oh, um… I finished your back at least.”

“I see…”

Her face looked a little disappointed.

Why does she look sad about that?

“I think I got most of the sweat. Does it feel any better?”

“Yeah…”

Ichinose-san gently touched her own shoulder and gave a small nod.

“It feels cleaner now…”

“Good.”

I let out a relieved breath and folded the used towel.

…Alright.

I made it through.

It felt dangerous in a lot of ways, but the nursing part went okay.

That’s what I thought right when,

“…Amamiya-kun.”

“Yes?”

“My front is a little sweaty too…”

“Huh?”

My heart jumped hard.

“I’ll wipe it myself, so can I have the towel…?”

“Eh, ah… sure.”

I quickly handed her the towel.

She took it but kept staring right at my face.

“…Your face really is hot.”

“I-I’m fine.”

“You’re not pushing yourself…?”

Her fever-moist eyes shook with worry as she looked at me.

When she stares like that, it’s bad for my heart.

“I’m not. You’re the sick one, so worry about yourself.”

“…Mmm.”

She shrugged her shoulders like a scolded kid and pressed the towel to her chest.

The movement looked strangely sexy, so I turned my eyes away without thinking.

“…Amamiya-kun.”

“W-what?”

“You’re looking away.”

“I thought it would be better not to look…!”

“Why?”

“Why…?!”

I couldn’t say it.

Because a girl without a bra is trying to wipe herself right in front of me.

Ichinose-san looked a little blank for a second, then,

“…Pervert.”

she muttered.

“Wha!?”

“Hehe, just kidding…”

Her laugh sounded softer than usual, probably because of the fever.

I think right now Ichinose-san is a little more relaxed.

Like she’s letting her guard down and acting spoiled.

She’s showing me an expression she would never show at school.

The second I thought that, something itchy stirred deep in my chest.

That’s why I decided I’d keep what happened today as a secret and treasure it.

Even when I see Ichinose-san at school again, I won’t talk to her in a weird way.

That’s what I thought back then.