First, Try Opening Up Your Heart 1
When I woke up in the morning, I clearly felt sick.
I don’t have a thermoter, but I felt discomfort all over my body, and it was a struggle to even get up.
I went to hydrate myself from the fridge, only to realize that I had left the groceries I bought last night in Tenjō-san’s room.
This realization completely broke my spirit.
I have to admit it. I’ve caught a cold.
After quenching my thirst, I returned to bed, and then the phone rang.
“Hello?”
『Wow, there it is.』
A ridiculous voice ca from the other end of the phone.
“Akira?”
I didn’t expect a call from Akira.
『Are you up properly?』
“Ah, is it that ti already…”
Looking at the clock in my room, it was long past the usual ti I make calls.
『No morning call today. That’s rare, did you oversleep?』
“I can wake up on my own now, so I’m no longer needed.”
『This morning was just by chance. I was going to complain to Nishiki for skipping the call.』
“My bad.”
『…Nishiki? You sound odd. Are you feeling unwell?』
“It seems like I’ve caught a cold. It’s a little severe, so I’m skipping school today.”
I definitely can’t go to school in this condition.
It would be terrible if I pushed myself and ended up passing the cold to Sensei who stands in front of .
“Sorry, but can you tell Tenjō-sensei that I won’t be coming today?”
I feel bad asking Akira, but she’s the only one I can rely on right now.
『Got it.』
“That helps.”
I feel relieved that she agreed so easily.
It’s hard for to send such a ssage to Tenjō-san right after yesterday.
The timing is so bad, it might seem like a blatant nuisance.
I really feel sorry about that.
『But, are you really okay?』
“You’re so nice today. I wish you were always like this.”
『Don’t talk nonsense and rest properly. Do your parents already know?』
“No, I live alone, so it doesn’t concern them.”
『Oh, really…』
Akira suddenly goes silent.
“Akira?”
『Should I co and take care of you?』
I thought I misheard her because of the fever.
“Akira…you’re actually a good person huh.”
『At the very least, I worry about you if you’re sick.』
“A cold will heal if I just sleep. Don’t worry about , and don’t be late for school.”
『If sothing serious happens, I’ll bring you sothing』
“Just your concern is enough. Thank you.”
Exhausted from talking, I imdiately fell asleep.
I fell asleep, went to the bathroom, rehydrated, and went back to sleep several tis.
Even after waking up, the fatigue from the fever didn’t go away.
My sleep was shallow, and I couldn’t clearly tell if I was awake or asleep.
However, I know it’s a dream when a person who shouldn’t be here appears.
And it was about an event from the past that can no longer be changed.
No matter how much I try to forget, it’s impossible.
It’s the very reason why I beca alone and chose to live by myself.
The adorable girl who was supposed to beco my family through our parents’ remarriage pleaded while crying in my arms.
『I don’t want to be siblings with Yuu-kun!』
The boy and the girl who are not related by blood were supposed to beco a brother and sister under one roof.
But my stepsister, whom I t after becoming a family, wished to remain strangers.
How happy I would have been if she could respond to my sincere feelings.
She was a beautiful girl by anyone’s standards, and of course, I loved her too.
Since she was important to , it was natural to help her if she was in trouble.
At least, that’s what I thought.
The affection my stepsister held for was different from my familial love; it was closer to romantic love.
Knowing her feelings, I couldn’t stay with her.
It would also cause trouble for my mother, who had finally found happiness.
That’s why I distanced myself from my family.
Waking from the dream, I looked at the ceiling of my own room.
The fever still hadn’t subsided.
Ever since I decided to live alone, I thought I had been careful with my health.
In tis like this when I’m sick, I deeply feel the loneliness of being alone.
The sense of solitude becos overwhelming, weighing heavily on my weakened body and mind.
“………”
I reach for the plastic bottle I had placed by my pillow.
Since I didn’t have any stock, I managed to go out at noon when I woke up and bought only a sports drink from a nearby vending machine.
There isn’t much left in the fridge.
Lacking the energy to even stand in the kitchen, I’ve been getting by on just drinks.
The bottle, which I thought I had held, fell to the floor with a light ‘thud’ sound.
Apparently, I had forgotten that I had already finished it.
Here, there’s no one to bring a drink even if I shout out.
I don’t have the energy to go to the fridge and get a new drink.
Reluctantly, I try to force myself back to sleep by closing my eyes.
“Are you thirsty? I’ll give you sothing to drink.”
I heard a hallucination.
It was the voice of a woman who couldn’t possibly be here.
“Can you open your mouth? Yes, I’ll tilt the bottle.”
As I obeyed the instructions, a cold liquid slowly flowed into my mouth.
The sensation of moisture spreading through my body was comforting.
“Do you want more?”
With a moist throat, I answer ‘I’m fine’ to the questioning voice.
“That’s good. Let know if you want more, Yuunagi-kun.”
“…uh, Sensei?”
After blinking a few tis, the face of Reiyu Tenjō was close by.
My sense of ti was vague after spending the whole day in bed.
The light spilling through the gap in the curtains indicated it was still early in the evening.
At this ti on a weekday, Reiyu Tenjō shouldn’t be in my room.
So, this ans──
“Still a dream…”
“It’s reality. How are you feeling? How high is your fever? Where’s your thermoter?”
She was lively. Her manner of speaking was just like Tenjō-sensei when she was talking seriously at school.
It felt strangely unreal because of that.
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