Chapter 85

The next day.

"You seem to have a fever, but it's a relief that it's gone."

"...Yes."

When Yugen said this, Arisa, for some reason, said it while half hiding her face in the futon.

She has been like this since this morning.

Probably... she is embarrassed.

Evidence of this is that her ears are dyed bright red.

What is she embarrassed about?

Yugen could somehow sense what it was.

Arisa was a bit strange the other day.

She had been actively clinging to Yugen.

No, perhaps it was just that she usually kept up her guard, and the clingy Arisa was the "real Arisa,"

"...I caused you trouble yesterday."

Arisa said this while hiding her face.

Then she peeked at Yugen's reaction.

Her gesture was very cunning and cute... but it made Yugen feel embarrassed too.

"I don't mind, so it's fine."

"...I'm glad to hear that."

If that's the case, it's good.

Even as she said this, Arisa was still watching Yugen's reaction.

She still seemed to be worried about something.

"What's wrong? ...If you have any requests, I'll listen to them."

"...You're an idiot, Yugen."

Arisa said this and then covered herself with the futon.

Even if she is embarrassed, is it really okay to insult him?

Yugen couldn't help but smile wryly.

---

The next day, Monday.

When Yugen arrived at school, Arisa was already in the classroom.

Her fever had already subsided by Sunday morning, and it seemed she had fully recovered without a relapse.

For a moment, Yugen and Arisa's eyes met.

Arisa smiled slightly.

Then, as Yugen took his seat... his smartphone rang.

It was a message from Arisa.

A message saying "Thank you for the other day" and a cute sticker were sent.

Since it was a good opportunity, Yugen replied, "Don't overdo it, okay?"

He immediately received a reply.

"If I collapse, please help me again."

The message was accompanied by a cute sticker, so Yugen judged it to be a joke.

"I'll take care of it. Should I carry you to the infirmary?"

"Since it's a special occasion, to your house."

"Is a princess carry okay?"

"Sure, but do you have the strength for that?"

"Are you that heavy?"

"That's rude."

A sticker of an angry face was sent back.

Yugen couldn't help but laugh and covered his mouth.

If he smiled here, he would look like a creepy man who was smiling while playing with his phone.

"I'll do my best for you."

"Doing your best makes it sound like I'm heavy..."

Even the response "I'll do my best" seemed to be unsatisfactory for Arisa.

By the way, Arisa's weight... was not heavy, but it wasn't as light as a feather either.

To avoid specific statements, Arisa had a healthy weight in the parts where it was considered good to have some meat.

She seemed to do some exercise regularly, so it wasn't as if she had no muscle.

She had a proper, healthy weight.

"You weren't heavy."

"How do you know?"

"I carried you the day before yesterday."

When Yugen replied, there was a long silence before a response came.

"Oh..."

What kind of expression is Arisa making now?

Yugen was a little curious, but if he checked her expression, it might be discovered that he was texting with Arisa.

He didn't want that, so he had to endure.

It was very frustrating, but...

"How was it?"

Finally, the message that came back was a question asking for an opinion.

What exactly was he supposed to answer?

Yugen was a little puzzled.

(...Well, it was soft.)

What he felt when he carried her was softness.

He inadvertently touched various parts, but they were very soft, in a very feminine way.

And...

(She was cute...)

Arisa, who clung to Yugen's clothes and looked up at him with moist eyes, was very cute and endearing.

It was clear that the physically and mentally weakened Arisa was relying on him.

This made Yugen feel a strong desire to protect and conquer her.

I will protect Arisa.

It was a presumptuous desire, but it welled up in him.

However, he couldn't say that honestly.

Considering the context... it was probably a question about Arisa's weight.

"I think you had a good weight."

"That's harassment."

Such a response came back immediately.

After all, it was you who first mocked his strength with "Do you have the strength for that?" and continued to talk about weight.

Yugen felt a bit of unfairness.

So, as a form of retaliation and mischief, he decided to ask a question in return.

"What about you?"

If you ask for an opinion, you should also have the obligation to answer.

With such a mischievous thought, Yugen sent the message.

As expected, she seemed to be at a loss for an answer, and it took a while for a reply to come after the message was read.

Yugen felt frustrated but waited for Arisa's response.

However, before Arisa's response came... it was almost time for the short homeroom period to start.

Did I make her angry?

Just as Yugen was a little worried...

Arisa's response came back.

"I felt a flutter."

Yugen also felt a flutter.

His heart beat loudly, almost noisily.

He was driven by the urge to check what kind of expression she had when she typed this message.

"Can I ask you again? ...When I have a cold."

Another message came.

Somehow, Yugen felt that the first half of the message was Arisa's true feelings, and the second half was an excuse or a cover-up.

Yugen immediately replied.

"It's my pleasure, Princess."

"...Isn't that embarrassing?"

"Pointing it out makes it embarrassing, so please stop."

New Dere Level: 35% → 40%

If you found this interesting and are looking forward to the next part, and if it made you feel a flutter, I would be very happy if you could bookmark and rate it (change the stars at the bottom of the table of contents from ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★). I, too, can't help but feel a flutter ♥.