Chapter 5

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< Chapter 4 | TOC | Chapter 6 >

Chapter 5: Noon with the Sleeping Princess

When I woke up, it was already noon.

After confirming the time, 12:03 on my smartphone display, I close it.

Bringing my consciousness towards my health, it seems the fever had already subsided.

I still feel fatigued, but compared to yesterday, the difference was like heaven and hell.

Judging by the speed of recovery, the reason behind my temporary cold was probably the decline in immunity from a prolonged irregular lifestyle.

It's about time I fix my sleep cycle -- while making such a resolution, I give out a small sigh.

Scratching my dizzy head, I turn my gaze sideways.

The Sleeping Princess was in the dreamland.

Breathing like a small bird taking a nap, she was comfortably sleeping while hugging a pillow.

Looking at her this way, Shion is really a beautiful girl.

Silver hair that glistens reflecting the morning sun, plus a fair skin as white as fresh snow.

A face that is so perfect as if the measurements were taken with a ruler, housed a straight nose, round eyes, and soft cheeks the color of sakura blossoms.

It's no wonder that the folks at school unanimously refer to her as "Princess! Princess!".

If her pictures were to be distributed as the princess of some Nordic country, it won't feel out of place at all.

That's the level of Shion's beauty.

However, Shion's sleeping posture was a far cry from the perfect beauty that she normally is.

The comforter that should have been properly wrapped over her is now nowhere to be seen, exposing her belly.

The peach-colored pajamas are also rolled up, exposing her spotless flank to the air.

It looked cold, so I cover her up with the comforter again. Of course, without any lewd feelings or ulterior motives in my mind.

As I was covering her, Shion's physique unwillingly entered my eyesight.

Her frame is quite thin.

But if you look closely, places that stand out really do stand out...

"......"

What are you looking at?

I shake my head in order to disperse all worldly desires.

At the end of the day, Kanata was just a male high school student.

The defenseless sleeping figure of the most beautiful girl in the school has the destructive power to awaken his instincts as well.

However, his reasoning wins the mental tug-of-war.

...Well then, what should I do?

The thought of going home quietly came to mind, but it's discourteous, and might lead to a problem of security if I leave without saying a word.

However, I'm fully awake now, and don't feel like going back to sleep in this state.

I fold the futon for now, and sit down on the couch to play around with my smartphone.

The battery is at 24%.

The last time it was charged was yesterday morning, but there's still some juice left.

For now, I check the newest works of manga artists I follow on Twitter, and search for information on the new season's anime on summary websites.

After going through all that, I open Youtube to look at my favorite quiz blogger, but stop midway.

That was close; I'd have almost woken her up.

I go back to lazily scrolling through my Twitter timeline.

As the remaining battery drops down to 10%--

"Nn..."

Together with a strangely erotic sigh, the comforter stirs and sits up.

"Good... morning..."

"...Morning."

As soon as Shion rubs her pupils and catches sight of Kanata, her expression blooms.

"Good morning!"

"You already said that."

"Ah, you're right."

Shion softens her expression with a grin.

Why does she seem so happy?

"Oh, you folded the futon. Thank you very much."

"Nah..."

I almost slipped out the words "it's normal".

I think there was a large gap between our definitions of "being considerate".

"Woah, it's 1pm already!"

Does she have some plans?

"I really slept like a log yesterday!"

I guess not.

Although it should be a sentence that indicates that she overslept, Shion's eyes were sparkling brightly.

I wonder why her mood is so good ever since she woke up.

"How's your condition now?"

"I still feel slightly feverish, but I'm almost healed up."

"That's great to hear, really..."

Shion heaves a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.

Kanata was surprised that she was so worried about the physical condition of someone else.

"I'm really grateful to you for everything. Thank you so much for your help."

Once more, I bow my head to my benefactor.

"You're welcome. I'm glad it didn't turn into something terrible."

"While I've raked up a huge debt, I'll definitely return it someday."

"Don't worry about it. When in trouble, you help each other out."

Faced with the smile of an angel, Kanata awkwardly makes a bitter face.

He cannot remain at this place for any longer.

As such a thought comes to his mind---

"...Then, I'll get going soon."

"Will you go back already?"

"There are no other choices of action."

"There is, though. Why don't you go after having lunch here?"

Shion has an excited face full of expectation.

I consider her offer.

Although we haven't met for more than a day, I now understand the personality of the girl Yumekawa Shion very well.

She's kind, likes to look after others, doesn't discriminate against anyone, and is like a clump of goodwill.

The invitation for lunch was also a choice from that goodwill.

However, that's exactly why I shake my head.

That kindness should be aimed at someone else, and not to be wasted on someone like me.

Hiding that thought, he makes an excuse.

"After all, any more than this would be an annoyance to you. My health is way better already, and the trains are running, so it's fine."

"I don't think of it as an annoyance though."

"Anyway, it's fine. Your feelings are enough."

"Mm... Is that so..."

Shion seems to agree reluctantly to Kanata's proposal, but droops her shoulder in disappointment.

For some reason a pain in the depths of his heart rises up.

"Well then..."

"Ah, okay!"

At the end, I quickly glance at the empty energy drink cans lined up on the desk, and head to the entrance.

Shion chases me with hurried footsteps.

"Umm...!!!"

Just as I finished putting on the shoes, I turn back to her voice.

Shion fixes her gaze with Kanata's, then averts it, then looks at him again, as if trying to tell him something. However, words didn't come out of her mouth.

"Ah, no, umm... actually, it's nothing."

I wonder what she was about it say.

While I'm curious, it's something I didn't press on.

"...Well then, I'm off."

"Yes. Please sleep properly tonight and tomorrow. Do not stay up late, you're not completely healed yet."

Who are you, my mom?

"Well,... yes."

"Good. Then, please take care. Bye!"

Till I closed the door, I could see the brightly smiling Shion.

She probably wanted to say something to me there.

As soon as I leave the mansion, my nerves all immediately relax.

While my feet feel heavier than usual, I feel like the energy in my body has returned properly.

Breathing in intensely, I walk in the residential area of Umegaoka.

Couples with their children, an old lady with a dog of a large breed.

A ramen shop with a stylish interior that had a queue extending outside the shop.

Mercedes Benz and BMW's rushing away on the main road in front of the store.

This is the usual sight of Tokyo city's Setagawa ward.

The reality of the current situation makes me wonder if what happened till now was a dream.

While waiting for the signal, I take out my smartphone for no reason.

Although I press the power button, the screen remains blank.

It has run out of battery.

That fact was the proof that I stayed over at someone's place yesterday night.

Well, although it confirms that I wasn't dreaming, what use is it even?

I did tell her that I'll pay back the debt I incurred in this incident, but my plan wasn't to do anything directly. At that time, I just wanted to give back some cash to cover the charges of taking care of me.

Therefore, I'll not have any direct contact with her after this incident.

---At that time, these were my thoughts.

< Chapter 4 | TOC | Chapter 6 >

TL Note: You might notice that sometimes the story changes narrative from first to third person, and that's exactly how the raws are. I guess sometimes the author wants to narrate the situation but sometimes just prefers using first person. It shouldn't affect the overall flow, but do let me know if you want me to stick to something consistent.About release schedule: I'll probably release 2-3 chapters on the weekends, depending on my availability. Usually due to work, I only get time for doing this on weekends.