---
Morning ca, but I didn’t feel it.
My eyes refused to open. My body felt like molten lead—too heavy to move, too hot to breathe. My thoughts swam sowhere between dreams and the thick haze of fever.
I knew I should get up.
I knew the girls would be downstairs, probably wondering where I was.
But I couldn’t.
Every limb ached, every breath stung like fire in my lungs. I curled tighter into the blanket, even as sweat soaked through it. It was like the world was dimming around , soundless and slow.
I heard a knock, faint and distant.
"Ren?"
Elira’s voice.
I couldn’t answer. My throat was dry, like sandpaper scraping against itself. The door creaked open, and a mont later, I felt a hand on my forehead.
"Oh my god—Ren?!"
She rushed. Water. Cloth. Her cool hand on my burning skin. She didn’t yell, didn’t panic—she just stayed. I couldn’t see her clearly, but I felt her.
I don’t know how much ti passed. Hours? A whole day?
Voices drifted in and out. The others.
"Where’s Ren?" I heard i ask distantly.
"He didn’t co down for breakfast," Akane said.
"I haven’t heard from him either," Sora added.
I wanted to call out. To say sothing. To apologize—for last night, for not choosing, for making everything worse. But nothing ca.
When they finally entered, the room filled with gasps and guilt.
"He’s been like this since morning," Elira’s voice cracked, but she didn’t move from my side. "You didn’t notice?"
Silence.
Then footsteps. Soone pacing. A shaky breath.
"I’ll call a doctor," Akane said.
After that, everything was warmth. Not from the fever—but from their presence. Cold towels, shifting shadows on the wall, whispered words I couldn’t quite catch. They were all here.
Even if I was too weak to open my eyes, I knew:
I wasn’t alone anymore.
---
I don’t rember falling asleep. One minute the world was spinning, and the next—I was staring at Elira’s face hovering over like so fever-induced angel of death.
"You’re awake?" she whispered, eyes wide with concern.
I blinked. "Sorta..." My voice ca out hoarse, like a broken cello. "Are you... Elira or Akane?"
She frowned. "Elira."
"You sure?" I croaked, genuinely unsure if my mind was ssing with or if she’d just morphed faces again. "You sll like soup."
"I brought soup," she deadpanned, but there was a smile tucked at the edge of her lips.
The next hour was a blur of weird-tasting porridge, a cold towel to the forehead, and her scolding for not resting properly. Then she left. Then Sora ca in.
I blinked again.
"Akane... you look taller," I muttered.
Sora raised an eyebrow. "I’m not Akane."
"Right... you’re... Elira?"
"Try again, dying boy."
"S-Sora...! I knew that. Definitely."
She snorted, pressing a thermoter into my armpit way harder than necessary. "You’re delusional."
I wanted to protest, but the thermoter beeped and she muttered, "You might actually be cooked."
---
Later that day...
i ca in next. She tiptoed around the room like a spy infiltrating enemy territory, which, to be fair, was accurate considering the tension since my whole "I can’t choose one of you" disaster.
"Hey, Ren," she said softly.
"Akane, you’ve changed," I mumbled.
She blinked. "I’m i."
"Oh." I blinked again. "Then who’s Akane?"
She sat down on the floor with a sigh. "Soone you’re clearly in love with."
"What? No. Wait—did I say that out loud?"
"No. But your fever dreams did."
I turned red, and not from the fever.
"Anyway," she said quickly, "I brought you... rice crackers. The good kind. You always finish them before I can even open the pack."
I smiled weakly. "Thanks. Sorry... about last night."
She waved it off, her smile tight. "You’re sick. You get a pass. Temporarily."
I watched her quietly as she settled beside the bed, and despite myself, I felt safer.
---
Next Shift: Akane
Akane ca in like a soldier reporting for duty.
"Water. Towel. Soup. Vitamins."
She placed each item like sacred offerings at a shrine.
"You okay?" I asked, surprised by how gentle she looked.
She nodded once. "Your body temperature’s at 39.6. Not life-threatening, but not acceptable."
"Y-You’re tracking my temperature like a stats spreadsheet?"
"Health is data. Data is survival," she said sternly, but then she blinked. "Also, I... was worried."
That last part ca out like it was dragged from her by force. I smiled.
"Thanks, Akane."
She didn’t reply, just turned to fluff my pillow with slightly more force than necessary.
---
Night Shift: Back to Elira
The lights were low. I was slipping in and out of sleep.
"Ren," Elira whispered, placing a hand on my chest.
I blinked up at her. "...Sora?"
She pinched my cheek. Hard.
"Ow! Okay, okay! Elira! ELIRA!"
"Thank you," she muttered, but I saw her smile as she dabbed at my forehead again.
"You guys are being too nice," I said.
"You almost boiled to death. We figured a little kindness wouldn’t hurt."
I laughed weakly. "Not sure if that was kindness or revenge by misidentification."
"Bit of both."
---
Later...
Sowhere in the dead of night, I heard whispering.
"He’s asleep."
"He looks better."
"His fever’s going down."
I didn’t have the energy to open my eyes. I felt a body sit beside on the bed. Then a hand on mine. I grabbed it instinctively. Comfort.
Warmth.
Whoever it was didn’t pull away.
I shifted, curling slightly—and sohow, my arm wrapped around her waist. Her breath hitched.
Then I dozed off again.
---
When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the softness in my arms. Warm. Breathing.
The second thing I noticed... was the silence.
I slowly opened my eyes—and t a pair of wide, very awake, very close eyes.
It was Sora.
In my bed.
In my arms.
My hand was definitely sowhere questionable.
We both scread.
I rolled out of bed like I was on fire, smacked my head against the nightstand, and groaned in pain.
That’s when I noticed the others. Standing in the doorway.
Arms crossed.
Eyebrows raised.
Judgnt. Pure, concentrated judgnt.
Akane: "So... this is what you ant by not choosing anyone."
i: "Seducing by fever-induced hugs. Bold."
Elira: "Tsk tsk."
Sora: still bright red, looking like she wanted to vanish into mist.
I raised both hands weakly. "I was sick! I thought she was a body pillow!"
They didn’t look convinced.
---
System Alert:
> Emotional Fallout Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sora’s heart rate: 120 bpm
i’s passive-aggressive aura: Intensifying
Akane’s smile: Legally considered a weapon
Elira’s curiosity: Awakened
Next Mission: Survive breakfast without being excommunicated from your own house.
Bonus Objective: Explain to Sora why your arm was there.
---
Reviews
All reviews (0)