Chapter 5

"Various things, I'm sorry."

Yuzuki sat on the bed and thanked Arisa, who had just finished cleaning. Yuzuki, who could not walk without a cane, could only be a hindrance during the cleaning, so he could only watch. He felt very apologetic about this. On the other hand, Arisa looked as if it was nothing.

"I just tidied up the trash for now. I'll come back another day to clean more thoroughly."

"That's not necessary..."

"I just don't like leaving things half-done."

Arisa said this with a slightly haughty attitude. Then, after looking at the just-cleaned changing room, she asked Yuzuki.

"Nagasegawa, how are you handling the bath? What did the doctor say?"

"I was told not to bathe for two or three days, so I just wiped my body until yesterday."

Since yesterday was the third day, he could technically enter the bath today, though he couldn't soak in the tub. Yuzuki, who had not washed his body properly for three days, found it mentally taxing and intended to bathe today.

"How do you plan to enter the bath?"

"Well, I can only enter with one leg. I can't use the cane in the bathroom."

He could wash his body while sitting, so if he could move to the bathroom with one leg, it would be fine. Now that the trash was cleared, it wasn't that difficult. But...

"That... seems a bit dangerous. The bathroom tiles are slippery."

"That's a bit exaggerated. ...Besides, it's healing quite well. If I try hard, I can walk without the cane..."

"If you get careless, it will get worse. I'll assist you."

By "assist," she meant she would help him get to the bathroom. The thought was very touching, but...

"How? ...You can't wash my body while I'm still dressed."

"I know. ...I'm thinking about it. For example, do you have a swimsuit and a tracksuit top?"

First, Yuzuki would wear a swimsuit and a tracksuit top. In this state, Arisa would help him sit on a chair in the bathroom. After she left, he would hang the tracksuit on the towel bar. After washing his body, he would put the tracksuit back on and, with Arisa's help, leave the bathroom.

This was Arisa's plan.

"No, you don't have to go that far... I didn't accept the engagement to be indebted to you. It's fine if you don't feel obligated... You don't like it, right?"

Yuzuki felt grateful for the help, even though he was a bit embarrassed about receiving help from a girl. However, Arisa, though she wouldn't directly touch his skin, probably didn't want to touch a man she didn't like for a long time.

Indeed, Yuzuki had helped Arisa, but not for any return. It felt like he was forcing her to work for him, which made him feel guilty.

But Arisa shook her head.

"It's fine."

"No, but..."

"If you fall in the bathroom and make things worse or get another injury, it would be a mental burden for me. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Yuzuki tried to see things from Arisa's perspective. If he got injured again after she left, she would probably regret not helping him.

"...I understand. But I'll return the 'excessive' part next time."

With that, Yuzuki took the swimsuit and tracksuit and entered the changing room. Then, with Arisa's help, he entered the bathroom.

"Knock on the door when you're done. I'll be waiting."

"Okay, got it."

He sat and washed his hair and body. The first shower in three days was indeed refreshing... He silently thanked Arisa.

After washing, Yuzuki took the towel from the towel bar and lightly dried his body, then put on the tracksuit.

(I could probably get out without Arisa's help, but...)

He looked at the step between the bathroom and the changing room while standing on one leg. He could jump over it by opening the door and jumping forcefully. It wasn't that difficult.

(...But, I still feel a bit uneasy.)

However, the bathroom floor was slippery. If he failed the jump, he would definitely fall.

"Shiraki, I'm done."

Yuzuki said this while knocking on the glass door. Arisa cautiously opened the door a little, confirmed that Yuzuki was wearing the tracksuit, and entered the bathroom.

She supported Yuzuki by placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Since I'm supporting you, just hop!"

"Okay."

While thinking that it was a rather cute expression, Yuzuki put strength into his one leg and jumped over the step. Then he sat down in the changing room.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Call me when you're done changing."

"Okay, got it."

He finished changing while sitting and called out to Arisa. She helped him stand up, handed him the cane, and opened the door to the living room. He sat down on the bed.

"Phew... Even just taking a bath is troublesome."

"Don't take off your cane just because it's troublesome. At least for a week... Follow the doctor's advice."

"I know."

If Arisa hadn't reminded him, he would have given up long ago. But now that he had been reminded, he couldn't do that.

"By the way, have you checked the fridge?"

"It's fine... There's nothing in it?"

"Thank you. I saved the trouble of checking."

Despite saying this, Arisa opened the fridge and sighed.

"There's really nothing. ...What do you plan to eat?"

"I have cup noodles and some ready-made curry. Well, if you could bring some convenience store bento, that would be appreciated."

"Is that what you usually eat?"

"I try to eat vegetables as much as possible..."

"Hmm..."

Arisa sighed and thought for a moment. After a few seconds of deliberation, she walked to the entrance.

"I'll go buy some. Please wait a moment."

It seemed she would buy some convenience store bento. Yuzuki, who didn't want to move, was very grateful.

"Thanks."

"There's no choice. With that leg, cooking is difficult. ...Well, it doesn't make much difference."

She threw in a slight insult. Indeed, whether he was injured or not, he couldn't cook, so there was no room for argument.

After waiting for a while, reading the newspaper, Arisa returned with a large amount of groceries. It included raw ingredients, including rice. Surprised, Yuzuki asked.

"Hey, Shiraki. That... doesn't look like convenience store bento."

"Of course not. If you live an unhealthy life, you won't get better. I'll use the kitchen. Please wait about 30 to 40 minutes."

Arisa said this unilaterally, rolled up her sleeves, and started washing the rice. Since he couldn't waste the ingredients she had already bought, Yuzuki had no choice but to wait silently for the meal to be ready.

After a while, a very pleasant aroma filled Yuzuki's nostrils.

"I could only make simple dishes."

"...Simple dishes?"

White rice.

Miso soup with root vegetables.

Pork ginger stir-fry.

Boiled spinach.

Salad.

A complete one soup and three dishes meal.

"Simple... Is this?"

"The pork is just grilled, the spinach is just boiled, and the salad is just cut."

"Isn't that... quite a lot of work?"

"I cook regularly. Besides, I never skip any of the four dishes for dinner, so this is actually a shortcut. So don't worry about it."

Yuzuki said "Itadakimasu" and took a sip of the miso soup. The umami of the kelp and the flavor of the miso spread in his mouth.

"Delicious... This is the best I've ever had."

When Yuzuki expressed his honest opinion, Arisa, for some reason, opened her emerald eyes wide and froze.

"Shiraki? Are you okay?"

"Ah, no, sorry. It's just that I've never been complimented on my cooking before. ...Is it really that good?"

"It's... well, it's hard to explain, but it's much better than a mediocre restaurant. This is made from kelp, isn't it? Amazing... I'm really sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much."

"That's good... Well, it would be unpleasant to have my hard work criticized, so I'll take it as a compliment."

Arisa showed her surprise for only a moment. She quickly returned to her usual cool expression and picked up her bag.

"Anyway, I've given you today's food, so I'll go now."

"Food...?"

Before Yuzuki could criticize her harsh words, Arisa said in a flat voice, leaving only the necessary details.

"Please soak the dishes in water. I'll wash them tomorrow. There's still some boiled spinach and miso soup left. I also made some rice balls. They're all in the fridge. Please eat them in the morning. I'll check, so it's fine, right?"

"Y-Yes."

With such a commanding attitude, Yuzuki had no choice but to nod. After saying "See you tomorrow" in a matter-of-fact tone, Arisa left as if she were escaping. Yuzuki muttered to himself.

"Maybe she's shy?"

Yuzuki was a bit surprised to discover this unexpected side of Arisa Shiraki.

Current Dere Level: 7% (for being complimented on her cooking)

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