Chapter 7

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Thank you so much! It really gave me a boost!

I slept soundly without waking up once, and when I next noticed, the room was gradually brightening.

Morning had come.

After eating a delicious meal and taking in the nutrients, and taking my medicine and sleeping soundly, my body felt surprisingly better.

The lethargy from yesterday was completely gone.

I sighed in relief as I sat up and saw Hanae Riko dozing in a chair next to the bed, and I couldn't help but hold my breath.

She was curled up, looking cold, with her nose buried in the coat she had draped over herself.

"Eh... Why..."

"Mm..."

Roused by my words, Hanae Riko slowly opened her large eyes.

She moved her face a bit dazedly, but the moment she saw me, she jumped up as if a sound had been made.

"S-Sorry for staying until morning...! Actually... After you fell asleep, I tried to go home, but the train stopped due to the snow..."

Realizing the situation, I wanted to hold my head in my hands.

"Ah, that's right...! Sorry...!"

I remembered the radio announcement in the teacher's car.

"In the Kanto, Koshin, and Tokyo 23 wards, there is a high possibility of major delays due to the snow, and some local trains may be suspended..."

I sighed softly, recalling the monotonous voice of the announcer.

Unbelievable...

Why didn't I take better care of her...

It's no excuse, even if I was sick.

I felt incredibly embarrassed about how self-centered I was yesterday.

"Shinoyama-kun, how are you feeling?"

"Ah, yeah. I feel much better. My fever seems to have gone down."

Hanae Riko offered me a thermometer, saying, "I'm worried."

I took it and measured my temperature, which read 36.6 degrees.

It had returned to normal.

Hanae Riko, peering at the digital number on the thermometer, let out a relieved sigh.

Then she immediately said, "But you need to take your morning medicine! Wait here a moment," and left the room.

What should I do?

I feel fine, so I should get up and go...

But should I check on her if she told me to wait?

In fairy tales, people who peek at this moment end up with a sad fate.

Hanae Riko will probably say, "You seem to be fine now. I'm going home," and leave.

And our connection will end there.

We've never spoken to each other at school.

From Monday on, we'll just be strangers again.

...I don't want her to go yet.

I immediately felt ashamed for thinking such a thing.

She must be tired because of me.

I should let her go as soon as possible.

After thinking about it in circles, I decided to get dressed and head to the living room, but to my surprise, Hanae Riko returned with a tray carrying a homemade egg sandwich, apple slices, and water for my medicine.

"Ah! No, Shinoyama-kun. It's important to take care of yourself when you're recovering. Here, get back into bed."

Her gentle tone left no room for argument.

In the end, I enjoyed the delicious homemade egg sandwich, ate the apple, took my medicine, and extended the dream-like, happy time.

Hanae Riko sat next to me, eating the sandwich.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, looking happy as she ate.

She was so cute that I couldn't help but steal glances at her.

I hoped she wouldn't notice my creepy behavior...

◇◇◇

After a short break following the meal, I thanked and apologized to her again.

"Hanae-san, thank you for everything. And I'm really sorry... Did you sleep in the chair? It must have been cold... Ah, I'm so sorry..."

"I was fine with the coat. Don't worry about it. Okay?"

"You should have woken me up..."

Hanae Riko only smiled softly in response to my words.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Shinoyama-kun. But I think your body is still weak, so please rest a bit more."

Even though she must have been cold with just a coat, she didn't complain once.

Instead, she kept worrying about me.

What's with Hanae Riko...

Why is she so kind?

I felt a different emotion mixed in with my feelings of guilt towards her.

A feeling I had never felt for anyone before.

It was a kind of admiration mixed with affection.

My chest felt slightly heavy.

I'm such an idiot.

What am I thinking?

It's impossible...

Falling in love with the school's top beauty?

That's way beyond my reach.

Right, I can still turn back now.

It was probably just a momentary infatuation.

I didn't actually fall in love.

I tried to convince myself of this.

"Is the snow stopping?"

Hanae Riko said this almost to herself as she approached the window.

The curtains were pulled open with a swish.

Outside the window, a snowy landscape stretched out.

Faced with the vast expanse of white, which made me doubt we were in Ohsama, Hanae Riko and I looked at each other in amazement.

"Wow..."

I stood up and went to the window.

"What should we do? The trains probably still aren't running..."

Next to me, Hanae Riko's eyes sparkled despite her words.

She must be happy about the snow.

I already knew she was more expressive than she looked, so I wasn't surprised, but I was still taken aback.

She was so cute, looking around the street excitedly.

"Shinoyama-kun, can I stay here a bit longer?"

"Of course. I'm fine as long as you're not."

Not knowing how to respond, I fell silent.

Because I had been thinking about her, I felt unusually short of breath.

As a result, I found myself unconsciously sighing multiple times.

"...Shinoyama-kun, do you dislike me?"

"Eh?"

"You seem uncomfortable..."

"..."

Oh no.

Her eyes were getting watery.

It's really tough to think someone might dislike you...

I know how that feels, so I understood.

Even with someone as inconspicuous as me, it's the same.

I couldn't let Hanae Riko cry, so I hurried to explain.

"It's not that... It's just that we've never really interacted before. I don't know how to act..."

"Really?"

I nodded, and Hanae Riko relaxed, looking relieved.

Good.

The misunderstanding seems to be cleared up.

"...It's true that we don't usually talk, even though we're in the same class. I thought maybe Shinoyama-kun didn't want to interact with anyone other than Sawa-kun and the others. Were you keeping your distance from your classmates?"

"That's true for you too, right? You seem even more isolated than me."

I didn't actively create barriers.

I was just a presence so faint that I was almost invisible to girls.

Sometimes I accidentally got caught in Sawa's crossfire and stood out, but I got scolded for it...

Next to me, Hanae Riko looked complicated.

"Isolated... Did I seem that way?"

"Well, yeah. You're always with girls, and I thought you were avoiding boys."

When I said this, Hanae Riko looked a bit awkward and lowered her gaze.

"To be honest, I'm a bit uncomfortable with boys. But I wanted to talk to Shinoyama-kun."

Her words made me feel like I was special for a moment.

But I knew better.

Someone like me couldn't be treated specially.

Probably, she meant that since she didn't see me as a romantic interest, she could talk to me like a friend.

It's the pattern where a girl opens up to a boy she considers harmless.

Sadly, such boys aren't allowed to make romantic advances.

If they do, they end up being seen as creepy and pushed away.

"Shinoyama-kun, I'm glad I got to talk to you."

I tried hard not to misinterpret her words and nodded in response.

"Ah, I wish I had been braver and talked to you earlier. I realized it too late..."

"Too late?"

"I might have to move overseas because of my father's job."

"Eh..."

I was genuinely shocked.

Hanae Riko moving overseas...

Would I never see her again...

...No, maybe it's better for me?

The unrequited feelings I developed would probably fade if we were apart.

That way, I wouldn't have to suffer unnecessarily. Yeah, yeah.

"I actually want to stay in Japan, but I'm not allowed to."

"...I see. Well, you're a girl, so your parents are probably worried."

"But... I really want to stay here..."

Hanae Riko whispered, looking down.

I could only see her profile, but I could tell she was upset.

Unable to stand it, I started to encourage her, fumbling for words.

"You're not allowed to stay alone, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why not stay with a relative?"

"My parents are from Hokkaido, and all my relatives live there..."

"Oh... Then, how about a close friend?"

"They all offered to help, but none of them had a spare room..."

"Well, that's true for most families..."

Our family has a spare room because my parents are overseas.

"If you were a boy, I could have offered you my spare room."

I brought up this impossible scenario, but Hanae Riko suddenly looked up.

"...Shinoyama-kun, would you mind living with me?"

"Wh-What...!?"

I was taken aback by her sudden, unexpected question.

"I wouldn't mind, but you're a girl..."

The possibility of us living together was practically zero.

...Wait, does this mean Hanae Riko thinks it's okay to live with me...?

...Hold on, hold on, idiot.

That's not it.

Even if it's "okay," it's only because she doesn't want to leave Japan and can tolerate living with me.

...Still, it's a little nice to know I'm not hated.

As I was thinking this, Hanae Riko suddenly turned to face me and leaned in.

The distance between us closed instantly.

Whoa...!?

Overwhelmed by her sudden move, I instinctively pulled back, but that only made her come closer.

She seemed unaware of how close we were.

"Um... I have a favor to ask, Shinoyama-kun."

"W-What is it..."

"Shinoyama Sōto-kun...! W-Would you... marry me...?"

...What?

Marry...?

Eh... Marry...?

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