Chapter 22

"Can I ask about Azami?"

In the men's changing room, which had become quite bright with the morning sun shining through a small window near the ceiling, Kaede, who was lying down a little away from me, turned to me and said this.

When I first met Kaede, I told her that I couldn't talk about my situation due to certain reasons. Of course, I couldn't say that I had just returned from another world and knew nothing about this one, but I said it nonetheless. Kaede, understanding this, must have been considerate and asked me this question.

"…I'll answer within the limits of what I can."

I replied, crossing my arms behind my head as I lay on my back. Glancing sideways at Kaede, she seemed about to say something but then closed her mouth again.

"…?"

When the words didn't come, I turned to look at Kaede, who was humming and swallowing her next words.

"Were you going to ask something?"

"Yes, but… it's okay, really."

In response to my question, Kaede smiled. I wondered what she had been about to ask, but I didn't know if it was a question I could answer. Well, if she says so, there's nothing I can do.

"Alright. If you want to ask anything, feel free to do so anytime."

"…Yes. Ah, um, Azami. Are you going anywhere today?"

As if a thought had just occurred to her, Kaede asked. Clearly, this wasn't the question she had been about to ask earlier. I smiled wryly and replied.

"No, I don't have any plans for now."

"Really, absolutely not? You won't be gone when I wake up, right?"

Kaede, who was insistently and thoroughly checking, stared intently into my eyes.

There was plenty of food downstairs, and the first thing to do was to figure out how to move Kaede. Without a good plan, I couldn't take any action yet.

If I had to say, I wanted to check if the community at the city hall was safe. But if Kaede wanted me to stay, it wouldn't be a problem to go and check later.

"Alright, I promise. Now, go back to sleep."

I understood her feelings. So, I met her gaze and clearly answered.

Relieved, Kaede eventually fell asleep.

+++++

Waking up to the sunlight, I looked at the watch on my wrist. It seemed I had slept for about three hours.

The sun had risen a bit higher, and I glared at the small window, which had let the direct sunlight in. Kaede, who was lying against the wall, was still asleep.

Thinking about putting up something like a curtain later, I stood up to go to the bathroom.

"…Azami…"

As I quietly opened the door, a voice came from behind. Thinking she was awake, I turned around, but Kaede's eyes were still closed, and she was breathing softly without saying anything more.

"Talking in her sleep…"

Perhaps she was having a dream. Occasionally, she would tightly close her eyes and fidget. Seeing the blanket slip off her shoulder, I approached and readjusted it. Up close, Kaede's face was slightly flushed.

Then, Kaede's eyes slowly opened.

"A, Azami, sir? Good morning?"

"Ah, I'm sorry for waking you."

"No… *cough*. You were here, thank you."

Kaede looked up at me and smiled, coughing lightly. Seeing this, I placed my hand on her forehead without asking.

"…You have a fever. Did you catch a cold? Wait a moment."

I regretted not letting her sleep on the sofa in the staff room, as we had done when we first met. Because of my experience of sleeping on hard ground during my three-year journey in another world, I had let her sleep in this room.

As I stood up to leave, Kaede reached out from under the blanket and weakly grabbed the hem of my pants.

"*Cough*. Don't go…"

She squeezed out the words and looked at me with trembling eyes, pleading. She must be feeling weak due to her poor health.

"…It's okay. I don't intend to leave this floor."

Given her reaction, I had no choice but to respond this way.

Actually, I had planned to move Kaede to the staff room and then go out to look for cold medicine.

But since that wasn't possible, I decided to let her rest in a slightly better environment. With Kaede's permission, I left the men's changing room.