The next day, because of her fever the previous day, Mizuha was absent. Shimizu looked at Mizuha's seat from her place, worried about her condition. Meanwhile, in Hikaru's classroom, Hikaru wondered what had happened to Takeru.
Yesterday, he skipped all classes after lunch break, and today he's also absent. Where did he go? Hikaru wondered. Is he blaming himself for what happened to Mizuha yesterday?
Back in Mizuha's class, the teacher asked for a volunteer to deliver Mizuha's homework.
"Can someone deliver this printout to Yuki-san, who is absent today?" the teacher said.
Shimizu volunteered, raising her hand. "Sensei, I will deliver it to Yuki-san this evening."
"Oh, Toyama, thanks for your help. Please deliver it to her, okay?" the teacher said.
The classmates were curious about why Mizuha was absent. Some of them had seen Hikaru carry an unconscious Mizuha the previous day.
"Hey, did you hear that? I heard Yuki-san passed out suddenly yesterday," one of her classmates said.
"I heard that too. I also saw Hikaru carrying her like a princess, rushing to the nurse's office yesterday with Toyama-san," another classmate said.
They approached Shimizu to ask the reason. At that moment, they could speak to Shimizu without hesitation. They were no longer afraid of talking to her and no longer saw her as a delinquent, contrary to the rumors.
"Um, Toyama-san, what happened to Yuki-san yesterday? We heard she passed out suddenly during lunch break," her classmate said.
Shimizu told them not to worry about Mizuha and explained that she just had a high fever. The classmates were relieved and thanked Shimizu for the update.
Hikaru messaged Shimizu, saying that they didn't need to eat on the school rooftop as usual and could eat in their respective classrooms. They all agreed. Suddenly, Shimizu received a message from her editor, requesting an urgent meeting. Ugh, why is this happening suddenly? Shimizu thought. She needed to change her plan for delivering the homework and decided to ask Elly to take her place.
"Elly, can you deliver this to Mizuha? I have an urgent plan suddenly this evening," Shimizu said.
"Shimizu-chan, instead of asking me to deliver it, why not give it to Hikaru? He looked so worried about Mizuha yesterday," Elly suggested.
"That's a good idea. I wonder why I didn't think of that," Shimizu said.
Shimizu then went to Class 1B to meet Hikaru. "Excuse me, is Takumi-san here?" she asked.
One of the male classmates responded, "Hey, Hikaru, that tomboy girl is calling for you."
Shimizu was angered by the comment. "What did you call me? I'll deal with you later," she said.
The classmate was shocked, and Hikaru laughed at the scene.
Hikaru approached Shimizu. "Hey, Shimizu. What's up? Do you need something from me?"
"Here, take this," Shimizu said.
"What is this?" Hikaru asked.
"This is Mizuha's homework. I want you to deliver it to her."
"Why me? You're her classmate, right?" Hikaru asked.
"If you want to see her, why not use this as an excuse?" Shimizu suggested.
"But..." Hikaru felt hesitant to take it.
"Alright, I'll deliver it this evening," Hikaru said.
"By the way, what happened to Takeru? I haven't seen him since Mizuha passed out," Shimizu said.
"Oh, Takeru skipped all classes yesterday, and today he's absent too," Hikaru said.
"I see. I think he's blaming himself for what happened yesterday," Shimizu said.
"Yeah, I think so too," Hikaru replied.
"Okay, I'm counting on you for this, Hikaru. Go see your girlfriend," Shimizu said.
"Hey, she's not my girlfriend," Hikaru protested.
"But you like her, right?" Shimizu asked.
"Haha, you can't hide it from me. I counted it for you, Hikaru," Shimizu teased as she ran back to her class.
"You, Shimizu," Hikaru said, with anger and a blush on his face.
"Wow, you're so tough, Hikaru. You can talk casually with the famous tomboyish girl like that? We wouldn't dare talk to her like that," his classmate said.
"What? Her? Haha. Why are you guys afraid of her? She's not as bad as people say. Just because her appearance is a bit tomboyish doesn't mean she's a delinquent. You guys have been misled all this time. If you were friends with her, you'd see she's a great friend," Hikaru said, trying to dispel the bad rumors about Shimizu.
Akemi was shocked to see Hikaru blush when Shimizu mentioned that Hikaru liked Mizuha. Akemi fell silent. When her friend asked what was wrong, she replied with a fake smile, "Nothing happened."
Meanwhile, Mizuha was still in a weak condition, lying on her bed in her room.
"Mizuha, I'm going out for now. Do you need anything?" her mom said, opening her room door.
"I'm fine; I don't need anything for now," Mizuha said.
"Let me take a look at your body temperature right now, honey," her mother said.
"37.9°C. Your body temperature is still high. If it gets worse, we'll go to the hospital, okay? Just get some rest, okay?" her mother said.
"Alright, I will rest," Mizuha said.
"Then, I'm going for now. Please call my phone if your condition gets worse, okay?" her mother said, kissing her forehead.
"I'm leaving," her mother said.
"See you later," Mizuha replied.
At the family restaurant, Shimizu was having a meeting with her editor about the novel.
"Umm, this is a very nice script. I'm waiting for the upcoming chapter, Yamamizu-sensei," her editor said.
"Thank you very much," Shimizu said.
Her editor then left right after they finished their meeting.
Huh, I'm so exhausted today. Better I rest here for a while, Shimizu thought. She took out her phone and started messaging Mizuha, "Mizuha, how about your condition?" She typed the message and sent it to Mizuha. Mizuha had not read the message yet. Hmm, she hasn't read it yet. I think she is sleeping, Shimizu thought.
Suddenly, she noticed Mizuha's mother entering the restaurant. That's Mizuha's mother. What is she doing here? She looked in the direction Mizuha's mom went and, unexpectedly, someone she knew was waiting for her.
Is... that... Takeru? What is he doing here with Mizuha's mother? Shimizu thought, confused as they were meeting with each other.
"Tak-kun, sorry I'm a bit late. I was taking care of Mizuha before coming here," Mizuha's mother said.
"Ah, don't worry, Mrs. Yuki. I also just arrived here a few minutes ago," Takeru replied.
"How about her, Mrs. Yuki? Is she recovering?" Takeru asked, worried about Mizuha's condition.
"Not yet. Her body temperature is still high. That worries me so much, so let's finish this as soon as possible," her mother said.
"Okay, back to the topic that I promised to tell you yesterday. I will tell you right now," her mother continued.
"Go ahead, Mrs. Yuki," Takeru said, ready to hear the story from Mizuha's mother.
What are they talking about? I cannot hear what they're saying, Shimizu thought.
Shimizu then noticed Mizuha's mother suddenly drop a tear while talking, and Takeru's face turned pale upon hearing what Mizuha's mother was talking about. What are they talking about? I can see Mizuha's mother suddenly crying, and Takeru was a little shocked, Shimizu thought, frustrated because she was curious about it.
"I can't believe it. Is that right, Mrs. Yuki?" Takeru said, his face turning pale with shock after hearing it from Mizuha's mother.
"Yes, Tak-kun, that's why she didn't recognize you yesterday," Mizuha's mother said.
"Tak-kun, please hear me out. This is a secret between us only. Only the two of us and my husband know about this. I beg you, please don't tell Mizuha herself or even her close friends about this until the right time to tell them. Also, from now on, don't use the name Tak-kun when you are with Mizuha. Promise me, okay?" Mizuha's mother said with a serious face.
"Understood. I promise you; I will not tell anyone about this," Takeru said.
"Then I am leaving now. There are things I need to buy at the supermarket after this," Mizuha's mom said as she prepared to leave immediately.
"Ah, sorry to take your time for this. Thanks for telling me. I really appreciate it," Takeru said, expressing gratitude to Mizuha's mother.
Mizuha's mom then left immediately after that.
Mizuha's mom is rushing out of here. I bet she's worried about Mizuha's condition, Takeru thought. But I can't believe that happened to Mizuha after I moved. I... I'm sorry, Mizuha, he thought as he suddenly began crying for Mizuha.
As Mizuha's mother hurriedly left the restaurant, Shimizu watched from a corner of the room, carefully keeping her distance. She saw Takeru seated at a table, emotional after his conversation with Mizuha's mother.
Determined to avoid any interaction, Shimizu acted quickly. She gathered her belongings and stood up, moving with purpose toward the exit. Her eyes were fixed on the door, and she made sure not to make any unnecessary noise or draw attention to herself.
With a final, resolute glance toward the door, Shimizu slipped out of the restaurant without looking back. The door closed softly behind her, leaving no trace of her departure.
About 30 minutes after Mizuha's mother left, Mizuha woke up suddenly, feeling an intense thirst. She noticed that the water jugs her mother had left were empty. It's empty already. I don't have a choice; I need to go downstairs to refill it, Mizuha thought. Despite her weakened condition and blurry vision, she forced herself out of bed and started to make her way downstairs.
At the same time, Hikaru arrived in front of Mizuha's house. I'm finally here, he thought to himself, holding a bag containing sports drinks and medicine he'd picked up at a convenience store on the way. He checked his phone and noticed Mizuha hadn't read his message about his visit. Just then, Mizuha's mother returned from her errands.
"Yes? Can I help you? Do you need something from our house?" Mizuha's mother asked as she approached Hikaru.
This must be Mizuha's mother, Hikaru thought, recognizing her voice. "Yes, I'm a friend of your daughter, Mizuha. My name is Hikaru. I came to deliver her homework and some things I bought for her," Hikaru explained, pulling out the printout and the bag from his school bag.
"So, you're Hikaru-kun! The one who always walks home with Mizuha after school. She talks about you often. Thank you for being such a good friend to her," Mizuha's mother said with a warm smile.
"I'm glad to be her friend too," Hikaru replied, feeling a bit shy.
"Thank you for bringing these," Mizuha's mother said as she took the items from Hikaru.
"How is she doing?" Hikaru asked, his concern evident.
"She hasn't fully recovered yet. She needs more rest," her mother replied.
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering and something collapsing echoed from inside the house. Both Hikaru and Mizuha's mother froze.
"What was that?" Hikaru exclaimed, alarmed.
"It can't be... Mizuha!?" her mother gasped, rushing into the house with Hikaru close behind. They hurried to the kitchen, where they found Mizuha collapsed on the floor, surrounded by broken glass.
"Mizuha!" her mother cried, rushing to her daughter's side and carefully moving her away from the shattered glass.
"Hey, Mizuha, are you okay?" Hikaru asked, kneeling beside her.
Mizuha, still disoriented, looked up at her mother. "Mom, you're back already? Welcome home," she mumbled before noticing Hikaru. "Huh? Why are you here, Hikaru?"
"We can talk about that later. Are you hurt? Did you step on the broken glass?" Hikaru asked, his worry deepening.
"I'm fine. None of the glass touched me," Mizuha reassured him weakly.
"Hikaru-kun, could you carry her back to her room upstairs? I need to clean up this mess," her mother requested.
"Mizuha, can you walk?" Hikaru asked.
"I can walk... I think," Mizuha insisted, trying to stand up.
It can't be helped, Hikaru thought to himself. Without warning, he scooped Mizuha up into his arms, carrying her like a princess—just as he had done the previous day when she collapsed at school.
"Hikaru, what are you doing? I can still walk. Please put me down; this is so embarrassing," Mizuha protested, her cheeks turning bright red.
"Don't worry about it. Just leave it to me," Hikaru said firmly as he carried her up the stairs.
Mizuha's mother chuckled softly at the sight, appreciating Hikaru's care for her daughter.
Hikaru's arms feel so warm, Mizuha thought.
When they reached Mizuha's room, Hikaru was relieved to find the door slightly open, making it easy for him to enter without having to juggle Mizuha in his arms. He gently laid her down on her bed, making sure she was comfortable.
"Hikaru, thanks for carrying me," Mizuha said softly. "And... after I collapsed yesterday, you were the one who carried me to the nurse's office, right? I'm sorry for causing you trouble twice."
"How did you know? You were passed out," Hikaru asked, blushing slightly.
"I just guessed," Mizuha chuckled weakly. "But seriously, thank you."
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't any trouble at all," Hikaru replied, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Mizuha, for now, just rest in bed. Don't force yourself to get up. It's dangerous. If you need anything, just call your mother, like she said," Hikaru advised gently.
"But... I... I don't want to trouble... her any more. She's already done so much for me since yesterday," Mizuha said, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Please don't cry, Mizuha," Hikaru said, handing her a tissue from a nearby tissue box. "I know you don't want to be a burden, but your mom does all this because she loves you."
"I bet she always takes care of you. She seems to love her daughter so much, so don't blame yourself," Hikaru added.
"You're right... Thanks, Hikaru," Mizuha said, feeling a bit calmer.
"By the way, Hikaru, why did you come here?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, right! I brought your homework. Shimizu asked me to bring it because she had an urgent meeting," Hikaru explained, handing her the papers.
So, it was from Shimizu... that girl, I figured she was meeting with her editor, Mizuha thought.
"Also, I brought these," Hikaru said, handing her the sports drinks and medicine.
"These are for me? Thanks, Hikaru," Mizuha said gratefully.
Just then, Mizuha's mother called from downstairs. "Hikaru-kun, can you come here for a moment?"
"I'll be right back," Hikaru said, stepping out of the room.
Downstairs, Mizuha's mother handed him a bowl of porridge. "Could you bring this to her? Be careful; it's still hot."
"Leave it to me," Hikaru replied, carefully taking the bowl and heading back to Mizuha's room.
"Mizuha, I brought you porridge from your mother," Hikaru said.
"Oh, my mother made porridge?" Mizuha asked.
"But be careful, it's a bit hot," Hikaru warned.
"Umm, Hikaru... could... you... feed... that to me?" Mizuha asked, blushing as she made her request.
What's with that, Mizuha... suddenly wanting to be pampered, Hikaru thought, also blushing.
Suddenly, Hikaru remembered that Mizuha had wanted to feed him a few days ago but was interrupted. Ah, that day, she seemed like she wanted to feed me her homemade tamagoyaki but didn't get the chance, Hikaru thought. She had looked disappointed after it didn't work out.
I'll do that. I'll do the same thing you couldn't do that day, Hikaru decided.
"Alright, Mizuha, I'll feed you, but let me cool it down for a moment," Hikaru said as he blew on the porridge on the spoon before feeding it to Mizuha.
"How is it? Is it delicious?" Hikaru asked.
"Umm, it's very delicious," Mizuha said, smiling.
Even though she always looks cheerful at school, somehow, she wants to be spoiled like a child, Hikaru thought.
"Here's more coming," Hikaru said as he blew on the spoon again to feed her. Hikaru repeated the process many times until Mizuha finished eating the porridge.
"Oh, you managed to finish it all," Hikaru said after emptying the bowl.
"Hehe, it's just like that. I think it's because I hadn't eaten anything since morning—I've been sleeping since morning," Mizuha explained.
"I'm going to take this bowl back to your mother in the kitchen. I'll be back," Hikaru said. "Before that, here, drink this water first and take this medicine after."
"Understood, I'll take them. See you later then," Mizuha replied.
Hikaru made his way to the kitchen downstairs, while Mizuha took the medicine that Hikaru had given her. Suddenly, Hikaru noticed a door in front of Mizuha's room labeled "No entry."
What's with this room, and why is it labeled like that? Also, it's locked, Hikaru thought. Never mind, this must be some private family matter that they don't want anybody to enter, he decided as he headed to the kitchen.
"Oh, you're already back. How did it go? Did she finish the porridge?" Mizuha's mother asked.
"Yes, she finished it already. She ate it very heartily," Hikaru replied.
"Really? That's great. I was worried she wouldn't want to eat. I think it's because you were there with her; it gave her the appetite to eat," her mother said.
"Um, does she become this weak when she's sick?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes, she somehow becomes this weak when she's sick. This has happened since two years ago," her mother replied.
Last two years... does she mean during middle school? Hikaru wondered.
"But you don't need to worry about that. I just need to keep monitoring her health every day to make sure she doesn't get sick," her mother said.
"Ah, before you go back to her, take these Cooling Gel Sheets. Please ask her to put one on her forehead," Mizuha's mother said.
"Understood, I'll give these to her," Hikaru said, turning back to Mizuha's room.
"I'm back... Mizuha," Hikaru said, holding the cooling gel sheets. Mizuha was already asleep when he came inside the room.
She's already sleeping; it can't be helped, Hikaru thought, adjusting her blanket to cover her properly. He placed a cooling gel sheet on her forehead and sat beside her, holding her hand. "Mizuha, I hope you fully recover after this. I'll be waiting for you to come back to school as usual," he said. As Hikaru gently put her hand back down, Mizuha suddenly spoke in her sleep, "Hikaru, thank you..."
"Huh, is she sleep talking?" Hikaru said, a bit shocked. "You're welcome..." he whispered in her ear. I think I'd better go home now, as she's already asleep and I'm done with everything here.
Before leaving, Hikaru took a look around Mizuha's room. Wow, this room is filled with so many drawings. Did she draw all of these? Hikaru wondered, admiring the very attractive artwork.
"I'm leaving now, Mizuha. See you later at school," Hikaru said as he left her room.
As Hikaru arrived at the stairs on the lower floor, Mizuha's mother spoke, "Oh, you're going home already?"
"Yes, Mizuha is already asleep, and I'm done here, so there's no need for me to stay any longer," Hikaru replied.
"Oh, I see. If you say so, it can't be helped," Mizuha's mother said.
"Hikaru-kun, thank you so much for today. You did so much for her," Mizuha's mother said, bowing her head to show gratitude.
"Please raise your head, Mrs. Yuki. I was just helping her as a friend," Hikaru said, with a nervous tone.
"Before you leave, take this. These are some dishes I made for dinner. Share them with your family. Consider it a gift from me for what you did for Mizuha earlier," her mother said.
"Thank you so much. I'll share it with my family," Hikaru said as he took the container.
"Alright, Mrs. Yuki, thanks for having me here. I'm leaving now," Hikaru said.
"Thank you for what you did earlier," she replied.
Hikaru left Mizuha's house after that.
What a great person he is. He even came to see you when you got sick. Good for you, Mizuha, you've got friends who really take care of you now, her mother thought, feeling relieved that her daughter had good friends like Hikaru, Takeru, and the others who genuinely cared for her.
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