CH 47

“…Haah.”

The day after Shirayuki and I went to the pool, I found myself confined to bed. Since waking up this morning, I had been feeling unusually hot, but I never expected to catch a cold.

“Touma-kun, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine… Has Shirayuki been alright?”

“Yes, she’s been the same as always.”

“I see… I’m glad she didn’t get infected or anything.”

Yesterday, we were together at the pool and afterwards as well.

Hisui was also with us when we returned home… Hisui in front of me right now seems as usual, and Shirayuki just came by a while ago, but there doesn’t seem to be any change in her condition.

“I guess only fools catch colds.”

“Oh, Touma-kun, you’re not a fool.”

“Is that so? Spending time with the two of you, I’ve started to think that my body has turned into some kind of lust monster. Isn’t that also a type of foolishness?”

“If that’s the case, then we’re all fools together, right?”

In a way, Shirayuki and Hisui seem to acknowledge that they too are lust monsters… Wait, isn’t that actually accurate?

Although it’s supposed to be hot because it’s summer, I’m feeling chills, so it’s quite a serious cold. Hisui is taking care of me now, while Shirayuki went out for shopping in place of Hisui.

“…Touma-kun, weakened by a fever… Not bad, isn’t it?”

“Hey, what are you planning?”

Hisui approached, wiggling her fingers, but she pulled back and laughed, saying it was just a joke.

“No matter how much I love you, I have to consider the timing and situation. With this, we might be out of touch for a couple of days, and it’s been a while since my partner had a chance to shine…”

“Partner?” 

“That’s just me.”

Afterward, Hisui gently stroked my head and left the room.

She said she would come to check on me every 30 minutes because she was still worried, but if I felt lonely, I shouldn’t hesitate to contact her.

“…I’m truly loved, huh.”

I murmured, and naturally, my cheeks relaxed.

Come to think of it, whether in my previous life as Arashi or now, I was never cared for like this when I caught a cold.

Even if it’s just a minor cold, the gratitude for someone who worries about you like that is immense. I could feel their love to the point where I wanted to give something in return.

“…I’m getting sleepy. Sleep is probably the best cure for a cold.”

As I slowly closed my eyes, I gradually felt drowsy.

I don’t know how many minutes, how many tens of minutes, or how many hours I will sleep… Will Shirayuki have come back by the time I wake up? I chuckled at the thought.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be apart, but I’m thinking like that.”

It’s not something new, but it’s still exactly as planned by them. I chuckled wryly.

And so, I drifted off to sleep for a while.

▽▼

“…? It feels like Touma-kun was thinking about me.”

Immediately after Touma fell asleep, Shirayuki murmured at the same time.

She had become so attuned to Touma that her entire body would react if he even thought about her. In this way, Shirayuki could instantly sense it whenever Touma thought of her, even if it was just a little.

“…Well, maybe I’m overthinking things.”

She said and laughed.

Well, Shirayuki certainly didn’t possess any kind of psychic powers like those random superhumans. It was simply a feeling that maybe Touma thought of her, nothing more.

She definitely didn’t have any mysterious powers. That much was certain.

“Aside from something to relieve the fever, let’s also buy some sports drinks. And later, when Touma-kun feels better, let’s buy ice cream to eat together…”

And so, she was constantly thinking about Touma.

Although she was like that, it didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of her surroundings. She turned around, wanting to take care of things before obtaining what she had set out for.

“So, what brings you here?”

When Shirayuki turned around, she saw Yosuke standing there.

In fact, she had noticed all along that he had been following her since she left home. However, as Shirayuki, she knew that a time like this would eventually come, so she saw it as a perfect opportunity to convey everything in her own words.

(In times like this, Touma-kun would surely worry. But it’s not that I’m overconfident in myself… I’m Shirayuki Hououin, and I have no need for any worries.)

Shirayuki considered all possibilities in every aspect.

Even if she were to be attacked by Yosuke now, it would pose no problem. In her eyes, there is no significance in the difference between men and women. The only one she could be defeated by in terms of being a man is Touma. Sobbing pitifully and begging for mercy is something she would only do when dealing with Touma.

“Shirayuki… I came here to help you.”

“Hmm? Seems like you’re quite possessed by delusions. Help me? In what way?”

“From him… From Gundo, I’ll help you!”

“Sigh…”

Shirayuki shook her head and let out a small sigh.

If he had uttered abusive words towards Touma at this point, there would have been appropriate consequences. However, even these words were part of what she had anticipated.

“Shirayuki, you’re being deceived! You used to hate him, didn’t you? You looked bothered by him!”

“People change. I have simply come to like him after he changed.”

“That’s why it’s wrong… Because Shirayuki, you…!”

“What about me? Are you perhaps implying that I like you?”

“…”

Yosuke fell silent, and Shirayuki let out a deeper sigh.

The lingering connection from their past familiarity couldn’t be erased, and the relationship they had built before Shirayuki truly regained herself couldn’t be changed.

(So this is the kind of troublesome man he’s become… I see, this must be the ‘protagonist’ that Touma-kun referred to.)

Shirayuki’s gaze towards Yosuke was cold.

Yosuke hadn’t expected to be met with such eyes from Shirayuki, and for an instant, he didn’t recognize her.

He must be thinking—Who is this woman with such cold eyes? She’s not the Shirayuki I know.

“I have known him for much longer than before I met you.”

“…Huh?”

“I finally reunited with him in the truest sense… I was able to meet him. You wouldn’t understand the meaning of these words. Because you are completely unrelated, an outsider.”

It could be said that he was not just an outsider but someone outside of the world… Shirayuki continued her words.

“Koizumi-kun, I don’t like you. In fact, I hate you.”

“…Hate… me?”

“I hate you. I hate the way you look at me as if I were your possession. I hate the way you gaze down on the person I love. I despise how you impose your opinions on me without knowing anything about my relationship with him. I hate you.”

“………”

No matter what was said, Yosuke would never believe it and would persist in his own will.

But when he was told upfront that he was hated, Yosuke had no choice but to accept those words… which meant that the feelings he had held for so long were being shattered.

“Koizumi-kun, do you think I’m beautiful?”

With a nod, Yosuke responded dumbfoundedly.

Seeing that nod, Shirayuki’s smile grew deeper, and she raised the corners of her mouth with a sly smirk—a smile that didn’t suit her and resembled that of a devil. Yosuke felt fear towards Shirayuki at that moment and wished she wouldn’t say anything more.

“My body is no longer pure. It has been stained with his essence. My body constantly yearns for him and can only think of him… I can no longer function without him—I can no longer be satisfied unless it’s him.”

“…Shira…yuki…?”

Shirayuki embraced her own body with excitement. 

Her abundant cleavage, which seemed to take different shapes with her arms, and the scent emanating from her… everything about her made her seem like something completely different. Shirayuki, at this moment, had an irresistibly girlish expression.

It was something that Yosuke could never bring out, and it confirmed that Shirayuki had already entered a place beyond his reach.

“We’ve kissed countless times. We’ve whispered words of love countless times. We’ve had s*x countless times. We’ve embraced the evidence countless times.”

Shirayuki smiled blissfully, pressing her lower abdomen. 

By the way, they used protection, so everything was fine. But to Yosuke, it was as if he couldn’t hear anything anymore… Before he realized it, he had started running.

While Shirayuki gazed at his retreating figure, she soon began walking as if she had forgotten everything.

“…Maybe I have the talent of a wicked woman.”

Saying such things and laughing, Shirayuki was back to her usual self. 

As for Yosuke, who had been pushed to his limits and confronted with reality, whether he could recover or not was no longer of any concern to Shirayuki.