CH 41

Although there was a disturbance on the second day when it rained heavily, the schedule was not disrupted and the three days of orienteering were completed without any incident.

Since the last day of school was Thursday, the next day, Friday, was a day with normal classes. My classmates looked sluggish, and Takadera and Ogishima were also looking lazy.

“Senda, has Takane-san arrived yet today? She’s always here pretty early.”

“I can definitely imagine Takane-san being here when Senda-kun is here.”

“That’s right… I wonder why that is.”

I had hardly gone a day without contacting her at night, but yesterday I did not hear from Takane-san. I thought she must also be tired, so I did not send her a message.

Asatani-san was gathering with her group and seemed to be concerned about Takane-san. The other classmates were also worried – It was so different from usual that Takane-san had not arrived even ten minutes before the start of the school day.

The pre-bell rang for the morning homeroom. I returned to my seat and thought about calling her now – but I would know if she would be absent or not when the teacher arrived, so it might be better to wait until then.

“Good morning, everyone. I have been informed that Takane-san will be absent today. If you are in a group with her in class, please tell her about the content of the class while she is absent when she comes back. Sensei will try to follow up as best she can.”

The classroom was a little buzzy – Although we could imagine that she was absent by her not coming to class, everyone seemed unsettled when it became a fact.

Asatani-san, who was seated far away from me, turned and looked at me a bit. I wished I could get in touch with Takane-san, but if she was not feeling well, it was not good to force her to contact me – but I couldn’t just wait and do nothing.

After homeroom, I excused myself and went to the stairs where people wouldn’t be able to see me to send a message to Takane-san.

[Takane-san, I was surprised to hear that you are absent today. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t feeling well. Don’t worry about school, just take a good rest.]

Should I put my notes together more neatly than usual, or should I ask a girl with beautiful handwriting to show them to her? As I was thinking about this, I saw that Takane-san had read my message.

[Thank you very much. I’ve caught a cold, so I’ll take the rest of the day off, but I’ll get better as soon as I can.]

Takane-san responded, and I was so relieved that I couldn’t help but pat my chest.

After all, it was not good that she got wet in the rain during orienteering. I wondered how she was now – I was worried about her condition, but if I couldn’t take care of school matters because of it, it would make Takane-san worried.

Takane-san was not in the seat next to me. Not long ago that was normal, but now I felt as if there was a hole in my chest.

Touching my elbow or handing me a letter. Every time Takane did that, I wondered how happy I was. I guessed today would be the day when I would chew on that.

That evening, as I was in my room reviewing the day’s lesson notes, Ruru-nee knocked on the door and came in.

“It seems Nozo-chan caught a cold… What are you doing, Nakkun?”

“I’m checking my notes for today. I’ll give them to her after the holiday.”

“…Eh?”

“What do you mean, ‘Eh?’”

Ruru-nee in her loungewear sat on my bed with a dazed look on her face and shook her head, enough to move her pigtails around.

“Nakkun, you don’t understand.”

“…A-About what?”

“Nozo-chan may be reserved, but isn’t this where you go to visit? Tomorrow is Saturday, you know, your day off, right? It’s so lonely having to stay home and sleep on your day off.”

“Takane-san said I didn’t have to deliver the handout printouts and such because the cold might be contagious. So I’ll just have to wait until she gets better. …W-What? Don’t spread your arms!”

“Girls are not always honest. But, if Nakkun catches a cold, Nozo-chan will be concerned, and Onee-chan will also be very worried.”

If Ruru-nee were in my shoes, she would be visiting her.

I wondered what I was going to do. After spending a day without Takane-san next to me, I–

“…I don’t think it’s necessary to spend a long time visiting a loved one. Even if it is just to see her face for a short time, I think it will make a big difference in how she feels. If you have even the slightest desire to make Nozo-chan happy, I think you should go.”

“Even if you say that, that’s… She told me I shouldn’t come, so it’d be as if I’d be intruding. I wonder if this is really okay.”

“That’s, um, if I can be responsible for it, I’ll take it as much as I can, you know? Onee-chan is also worried about Nakkun’s important person. I would love to go with you and give Nozo-chan a big hug.”

“Why do you love Takane-san so much? Everyone to… No, I get it.”

“Nakkun is the one who knows best, doesn’t he?”

There was no option to be told that and still not go. I couldn’t surprise her, so I had to call her beforehand to let her know that I still wanted to go visit.

“Then, now that I’ve said what I want to say, she will do one thing for Nakkun that Nakkun wants her to do.”

“Doesn’t that mean she’s going to give me something rewarding, on the assumption that I’m going to visit her…? I still have to ask Takane-san first.”

“I’m sure it’s definitely fine. Because I’ve seen pictures of Nozo-chan and Nakkun, and I know how well they get along.”

“…You should be ashamed of yourself for looking at it without permission…”

“Yeah, I was a little embarrassed when I said it myself. How nice, Nakkun is in love. I’m satisfied with just falling in love with shoujo manga.”

Since she went to a co-ed school until middle school, Ruru-nee was very popular among boys, even from my point of view as her younger brother. There were some who wanted to get to know her through me.

However, even though she was sent to a party with boys from other schools after entering an all-girls school, Ruru-nee didn’t seem to have a boyfriend.

“They say eggnog is good when you have a cold.”

“…No, I’m not going to make it and take it with me.”

“So Onee-chan can’t do anything for Nozo-chan?”

“I think she’d be glad for the lonely feeling, seriously.” 

I wondered if I would be able to stop Ruru-nee’s outbursts when they met face to face one day. I didn’t think I could stop her if I fought her head-on, so I begged she’d go easy on me then.

When I asked Takane-san again if I could visit her, I got this reply.

[Thank you very much, I’m really happy.]

[I’ll be careful not to catch a cold, so let me know what you think.]

After that message, Takane-san sent me a map to her house. Takane-san commuted to school by train, so it was quite far from my house, but it was within a reasonable distance by bicycle.

I thought I should visit her after giving her a proper time, so I told Takane-san I would arrive at ten in the morning and left home the next day with plenty of time to spare.

The 40-minute ride on the cross bike went  by in a blink of an eye when I thought I was on my way to Takane-san’s place.

–However, I had an inkling of this from the moment I saw the map.

Takane-san’s house was located in an upscale residential area near North Central. It was wider in person than it looked on the map, and at first I walked past it without knowing if it was there or not.

I came back and tried to check the nameplate. Even if I have plenty of time, I y not sure what I was doing – As I thought this,

Someone was at the gate. I didn’t notice because that person was dressed in plain clothes – It was Sakai-san!

As soon as she noticed me, she tried to run away from the scene. Shouting in a residential area was annoying – But I couldn’t just leave things as it was.

“Sakai-san!”

“……!” 

I stopped my bicycle, ran and caught up with Sakai-san. She was wearing heeled shoes, so it was not that difficult.

“…So Sakai-san also came to visit Takane-san… Did you not?”

“I… I was in the same class as Takane-san in elementary school, so I know where her house is, then… I heard she was absent because of a cold…”

“Then you really wanted to visit…”

“It’s fine. If Senda-kun came, I would just be a bother to him, wouldn’t I?”

Was that really how it was? I didn’t think Sakai-san should refrain from visiting just because I came.

“You were in the same student council in middle school. I think it’s normal that you went to the same high school and came to visit her like this… But I wonder…”

“…B-But we were only in the student council together, not enough to be considered friends by Takane-san…”

“…It’s a tough subject. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what friends are, too.”

“…What’s with that?”

Sakai-san says in a slightly cold voice – but she was laughing.

“I find it hard to believe that Senda-kun’s problems and mine are the same. Senda-kun is Takane-san’s…boyfriend, and I’m just a nosy person to Takane-san, trying to get her to join the student council.”

“About that… I don’t think Takane-san has decided not to join the student council. It’s just that she hasn’t decided yet.”

“Is that…so? Did Takane-san talk to Senda-kun about that?”

“Takane-san, she… No, I can’t say about this. She changed clubs and joined the library committee, all for a reason.”

“Reason… Ah, I’m not much of a boyfriend-girlfriend person, but I can at least imagine.”

Takane-san wanted to be with me as much as possible. That’s why she joined the reading club and the library committee.

“…L-Like I said, I would only be a hindrance if I visited.”

“I want you to come with me, Sakai-san. I’ll explain that we met in front of the house.”

“W-Why…? I’ve apologized to Senda-kun, but I had been acting so weird before, and even now… Are you not mad about that?”

“I’m not mad at you for that, because I could understand your reasons. I’m not one for being unreasonable.”

“…Hah~. Actually, I was just about to leave when I didn’t have the courage to press the intercom. Aren’t you a sly boyfriend? You’re going to do what I was going to do so easily.”

I thought about it a lot before I came here too, but I didn’t tell her that. I wondered how much Sakai-san admired Takane-san, that she was going to leave without even pressing the intercom.

“Well, I’ll press the intercom.”

“…Please. Don’t worry, I won’t run away again.”

Sakai-san said quietly, and she stood back behind me, looking nervous. By the way, the gate was big and a western-style iron gate. I had never visited a house with one like this.

The time was 9:55. I pressed the intercom and waited for a while. Then, after a while, the call was connected.

[Yes, this is Takane.]

“Takane-san… This is Nagito Senda,”

[Nagito-san, so you really came… Thank you very much. I’m coming to get you now.]

“Takane-san, you’re…”

Before I could say anything, the call was disconnected. I hear the sound of a door opening to a garden that spreads out inside the gate, and a grand house beyond it that could be described as a mansion.

Takane-san had come out wearing a cardigan over her nightgown. I was told there was no one else in the house, so she had no other choice, but I was worried just to have her come out here.

Eventually, the lock was removed from the inside and the door opened. Takane-san’s face was a little red – I could tell just by looking at her that she had a fever, so her cold had not gotten better yet.

“…Nagito-san… And Sakai-san too…”

“We met at the gate. Sakai-san also came to pay Takane-san a visit…”

” ..Takane-san, are you okay?!”

Takane-san suddenly lost her balance. I caught her reflexively – I could tell just from that, Takane-san’s body was getting hot.

“…I’m sorry… I wandered off a bit…”

“You should rest in bed. I’ll carry you.” 

Takane-san looked at me with dazed eyes as I held her up. She nodded weakly, and I picked her up and carried her to her house – The front door was left open when Takane-san came out, so Sakai-san opened the door for me.

“Sorry for intruding… Is Takane-san’s room okay?”

“…Yes… My room is…on the second floor…”

“Senda-kun, are you okay alone with that? I can do something too…”

“Don’t worry, Sakai-san can help open the door again. My hands are full.”

“Can you climb the stairs as you are? You look thin, but you have quite the strength…” 

She said it was hard to carry a weak person, but it was not so hard because Takane-san grabbed me when I lifted her up.

“Nnn…”

(–!?!?)

I stopped thinking for a moment – But I couldn’t stop walking, so I mindlessly walked upstairs and arrived at the room with the name plate that seemed to be Takane-san’s room.

Because of this posture in which I lifted Takane-san up, something that should not be touched was hitting my chest. I must finish carrying Takane-san as soon as possible and forget about this.

I put Takane-san down and laid her on the bed, and she regained consciousness a short time later.

“I’m sorry, Takane-san… For coming on such short notice.”

“No… It’s fine. Sakai-san came to our house once, didn’t she? When we were in elementary school.”

“Eh… S-So you remember…”

Takane-san looked at Sakai-san in the corner of the room and smiled, her cheeks upturned. The fever seemed to be painful after all, and I would like to take her place if I could.

“It was rare to have friends over to our house, so my mother was happy… Even then, Sakai-san brought me prints when I was absent.”

“I see…”

“…I didn’t think you’d remember me, because at that time… I went home right away.”

In other words, Sakai-san was my senior in terms of visiting Takane-san.

Gal-like Sakai-san had wanted to be friends with Takane-san since elementary school. Imagining that scene made me smile – and at that moment,

“…I wish I had been in the same elementary school as you, Takane-san.”

“Nagito-san…”

“…Isn’t it amazing that you can say that with a straight face? I’m embarrassed just listening to it.”

“Ah… I-I’m sorry. I was listening to Takane-san and Sakai-san’s conversation, and I just thought of that.”

“…I’m glad you feel that way. I, too, would have liked you sooner if we were in the same elementary school, Nagito-san… E-Eh, um…”

It was something of an embarrassment that reached its maximum – When Sakai-san turned around and stepped back, I wondered if it’s not because she’s laughing, but because of the atmosphere.

“…U-Um… Sakai-san, thank you for coming all the way here. Could I ask you to do something for me…?”

“Y-Yes, what is it? I’ll do anything if it’s okay with you. I can make you porridge or something.”

“No… Sakai-san, may I ask you to come over here?”

Sakai-san walked up to Takane-san, bent down and listened to her – She was somewhat surprised.

“Um… Senda-kun… Can I ask you to stay out in the hallway?”

“Eh…? A-Ah! I’m sorry, I’m leaving right now!”

At first, I didn’t understand, but then I thought about why I had to go out into the hallway and it finally hit me.

“I’m sorry, Nagito-san. I wanted Sakai-san to help me…”

“Wait here for a minute and I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Takane-san had worked up a sweat, and Sakai-san was going to help her wipe it off. I promptly went out into the hallway and leaned against the wall a short distance away from Takane-san’s room.

“…How nice… I got to see Takane-san’s face.”

I was finally relieved. I was glad I followed Ruru-nee’s advice to go visit her – If I had stayed home today, I probably would have regretted it.

I looked at my phone and saw that Ruru-nee was asking how I was doing. I told her that I was able to see Takane=san and that I was visiting her now, and was waiting for her to call me into her room.