CH 49

You…don't seem too well.

Translated by Dawn

You…don’t seem too well.

The next day…or rather, precisely today, I woke up in the afternoon.

There was no one around in the house.

Checking the date on my smartphone, it seemed to be Saturday today.

Mai was at club activities, and my mom was probably working on her day off.

Come to think of it, I had a terrible dream.

With that in mind, as I looked around, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the desk. I got up and approached the desk, opening the paper. It seems that the terrible dream was not just a dream.

Sighing deeply, I collapsed onto the bed.

I felt strangely weak.

I had a cold not too long ago, but this fatigue was even worse than that day.

I wonder what I should do from here on. As I absentmindedly stared at the ceiling, my phone suddenly buzzed with a notification sound. I hesitantly took out my phone and saw that I had received a message on LIME from Shuji.

—What. It’s just Shuji.

While disliking myself for even momentarily thinking that way, I reluctantly tapped on Shuji’s profile, as if it were an obligation. The message from him read, “It’s raining, so club activities only had morning practice. Let’s hang out now.”

Wait, hold on, you yourself said it was raining.

Why would you really want to go out and hang out on a rainy day?

Normally, I would make such a retort, but right now, I didn’t even have the energy for that.

Without even the composure to pretend, before I knew it, I had sent a message saying, “Sorry. I’m not in the mood today.”

Not good. It seemed like I was seeking attention or something.

As soon as I realized it, I tried to delete the message, but it was already marked as read.

Well, I guess it didn’t really matter anymore.

After all, I just got beaten up by Mizutani in the middle of the night, so no matter what happened now, I was immune. In a way, I’m invincible, hahaha…

As I was indulging in these rather empty thoughts, a response from Shuji came in.

“Alright then, I’m coming over to your place.”

“…Huh?”

Surprised, my voice escapes in real life rather than through LIME.

…What was Shuji talking about?

Did he really read the message I sent just a while ago?

To someone who clearly expressed not being in the mood to hang out, he responded with “I’m coming over to your place.”

Did he consider visiting a friend’s house as something separate from hanging out?

“That being said, see you in 30 minutes.”

“Don’t come.”

Thinking that he probably wouldn’t come anyway, I replied.

Lately, I’d been leaving the house every night, so I hadn’t been getting enough sleep.

As I lie down on my bed, the drowsiness soon overwhelmed me.

Without any resistance, I succumbed to a second round of sleep.

***

I woke up to the sound of the intercom, “Ping pong.”

At first, my memories were hazy, caught between dreams and reality, but after a while, I remembered the exchange I had with Shuji through LIME.

Did that guy Shuji really come?

Honestly, I had my doubts, but there was always the possibility.

After all, there was that time when Mizutani unexpectedly invaded my place… With that in mind, I made my way to the front door.

Peering through the peephole, I saw a guy with brown hair and sharp features.

Wearing a tracksuit and with a sports bag slung over his shoulder, there was no mistaking it—he was Shuji himself.

…He’s serious, that guy.

“Yo, Akito. You don’t seem too well.”

Shuji said with a smirk as I reluctantly opened the door.

There was a faint scent of deodorant. He must have applied it thoroughly after club activities.

“…Well, yeah.”

“Are you alone right now?”

“Does it look like there’s someone else here?”

Shuji peered past my shoulder into the dimly lit interior.

“No, I don’t see anyone… Well then, I’m coming in!”

With a single remark, Shuji swiftly entered the house.

I missed the chance to stop him and stood there dumbfounded. Suddenly, Shuji, who had been taking off his shoes, frowned unexpectedly.

“…Akito. You kinda stink, don’t you?”

“…Ah. Well, I haven’t showered.”

I had a moment of surprise, but as I traced my memories, I realized it.

Since I returned late last night, I hadn’t even changed my clothes.

The emotional damage must have been too overwhelming, causing me to fall asleep without even realizing it.

However, if someone from the club is saying that I smell, it must be pretty bad.

It was shocking, but it was my fault for being unhygienic. So,

“Sorry, but you should go back. I need to take a shower now.”

“Well, then I’ll wait inside. I’ll have some barley tea from the fridge.”

“…Who said you could just make yourself at home in someone else’s house?”

“Huh? Is that not okay? I came all the way here, you know?”

“…….”

It would be indeed impolite to invite him over on a rainy day and then turn him away… Well, that was not the case here, right? In the first place, Shuji came here on his own accord, I didn’t ask him to. So, I shouldn’t feel obligated to let him into my house. I knew that in my head, but…

“…Alright, I get it. I’ll let you in, I’ll let you in.”

In the end, I gave in to Shuji.

“As expected of Akito, you understand well.”

After Shuji patted my shoulder, he walked past me and entered the house.

Having lost the will to resist, I followed Shuji and entered the living room.

As requested, I took out barley tea from the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and placed it on the dining table.

Then, I pointed to the chair closest to the glass and said,

“Sit there and wait for me.”

“Roger that.”

“Don’t move on your own. Just stay there quietly.”

“I got it, I got it. I won’t move. I’m not a kid, I can handle that.”

“……….”

I felt anxious. I couldn’t specify what exactly, but in various ways.

…Well, now that I’d let him into the house, I had no choice but to accept it.

I didn’t have anything to lose now.