73.体調不良とインターホン - I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me

"Seriously..." The morning after deciding to participate in the competition at Toudou's invitation, I found myself staring at the thermometer with a sigh. ──38.2 degrees Celsius. Clearly, I wasn't feeling well. As soon as I acknowledged it, a wave of discomfort multiple times worse than before washed over me. I had a bad feeling even before the alarm rang. Yesterday, I binge-watched the latest trending anime on demand and went to bed at around 3 AM. Waking up at 7 was unusual for someone like me who demands more sleep. Struggling to keep my dizzy head vertical, I glanced at the clock. The time was 7:20. My lecture today starts in the second period, so I have about two hours before I need to leave the house. "Seriously, you're supposed to just sleep, this can't be helped..." Muttering a weak retort to my own thoughts, I collapsed back into bed. I had three introductory lectures scheduled today, but clearly, I wouldn't make it. With this fever, attending university tomorrow is also in question. Thankfully, there aren’t many classes that require attendance points in the first week after spring break. The registration period for students isn’t over yet, which contributes to this fact. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I won't be able to take notes. Just as I was getting into the swing of attending class regularly as a newly promoted third-year, now I'm down with poor health. Feeling unlucky, I typed a quick message to Ayaka on my smartphone. "Sorry, got a fever. Can you take notes for me, please?" ... I sent it, but will she believe me? Just a text doesn’t convey the seriousness of my fever; she might just think I'm trying to sleep in as usual. Given my usual behavior, it’s a consequence I must bear, but I hope she gives me the benefit of the doubt. Placing the phone beside my pillow, I slowly lay back into bed. Once you’re aware of your fever and lie down, it feels as if gravity has multiplied several times over. Living alone has many perks and suits me quite well. But everything changes when I'm unwell. "This is awful..." My own voice, raspy and unfamiliar, echoed in my ears. ── Getting sick in spring, this might be the first time. Reflecting on such thoughts with a foggy mind, I drifted out of consciousness. ◇◆ When I woke up, in addition to the fatigue, a headache had set in. It wasn't severe, but the discomfort had definitely increased. In need of quenching my dry throat, I slowly sat up. Though I wanted to lie back down due to fatigue, hydration is a critical issue for someone with a fever. Slowly, I made my way to the refrigerator, managing to open it with some effort. "You've got to be kidding me..." Inside the fridge, there was a single two-liter bottle. But it only had a few mouthfuls of water left. I spotted some cans of beer in the back, but with my condition, alcohol was out of the question. I could just drink tap water, but boiling it or chilling it for better taste required effort. Going to the nearest convenience store to buy some was a daunting task given my current state. ... In the end, drinking straight from the tap was the easiest solution. I had avoided tap water due to vague concerns over hygiene, but now wasn't the time to be picky. I poured some water into a glass and brought it to my lips. The taste wasn’t as bad as feared, and the tepid water soothed my throat. ... Still, it was hard not to notice how inferior it felt compared to chilled water. ── I can't afford to be picky now, though. After checking the freezer, I sighed deeply. There wasn’t much food that I could prepare quickly, which meant I would need to shop for groceries in the evening. A daunting prospect given my condition. Just then, Ding dong. I reacted to the sound of the intercom, glancing towards the entrance. Shinohara had mentioned attending a common course for all departments this morning. I hadn’t ordered any deliveries either. If it turned out to be a salesman or something, I wasn't sure what I’d do. With that uneasy thought, I headed to the door on sluggish feet. When I opened the door with weakened hands, I recoiled in shock. "Morning. That's quite the reaction." Standing at the door was Ayaka, frowning at my response. "What are you doing here?" "You're the one who said you had a fever, right?" Ayaka showed me the grocery bags she had on her elbow. Inside were some groceries, jelly, water, and the like. "Can you let me in? These are heavier than they look." "Oh, yeah. Wait a sec, the place might be a mess──" I turned back after saying that. The times Ayaka had visited my place could be counted on one hand. Even those times had been at the entrance or were pre-planned visits, so she’d only seen the place when I’d made it presentable. Though I’d kept it decently clean of late, a part of me still wanted to put on airs and show a tidy room, so I went to check at least once. "Oh, you've kept it clean, I see." "Whoa!?" A voice came from right behind, and I bent my body reflexively. In that moment, my foot caught, and I leaned over. "Hey!" Ayaka tried to prevent my fall, supporting my neck with her arm. However, given the weight difference between a man and a woman, we both ended up falling onto the bed. With me on the bottom, Ayaka on top. How the forces of gravity created such a position remained a mystery. I found it bewilderingly inexplicable. "Isn't this usually the other way around?" "Yeah, you'd think. That's what I was just thinking." From an observer's perspective, it might look like she'd pinned me down. My mouth twitched with the awkwardness of it. Being face-to-face with Ayaka this close wasn't something I'd experienced much. Her long eyelashes seemed to glisten, creating an illusory shimmer that made my heart skip a beat. "You're staring too much." With those words, Ayaka got up off me. "It’s impossible not to stare from that close." "True enough." Agreeing with that, Ayaka headed toward the kitchen. She opened the overhead cabinet and peeked inside. Even from just her back, Ayaka's figure speaks of her good posture. But given my current state of health, I didn’t entertain any stray thoughts like during our hot spring trip. Instead, I felt a comforting relief at having Ayaka around in my weakened state. Though chances to invite her here had been almost none, those feelings stem from our shared history. "Thanks for coming." As I murmured those words, Ayaka turned around. Tying her hair back with a band, she offered a gentle smile. "You could’ve said that from the start." ... She’s right. Opening with "What are you doing here" isn't a great way to greet someone; dissatisfied looks are a given after that. With Ayaka's sounds of cooking as my backdrop, I quietly closed my eyes.