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"Here, your drink."
Kurenai had come back into the room.
"Oh, thanks."
"You ate it all."
"It was good. You're really a great cook, you know that?"
"It's just rice porridge. Not exactly flattering."
"I mean, sure, but still..."
"More importantly, you still look pale. You should sleep."
She said it curtly, then promptly cleared away the dishes and headed for the kitchen.
"H-hey, I can at least do that much later."
"It's fine. Just focus on getting better."
"...Why are you so worried about me?"
Given the timing, she must have left school early to come here.
I don't know if it was just a coincidence or because I skipped without telling anyone.
But why would she go out of her way to take care of me like this?
When I asked, she looked a little embarrassed.
"...If you don't get better, we can't... do it, right?"
"W-well, yeah, I guess."
"D-don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I'm... pent up or anything. I just don't want you to pass your cold on to me in that state."
"...I mean, I can't exactly do much in this condition."
"Even if you begged, I'd pass. Now come on, go to sleep."
"...Fine."
Something about her putting on a tough front put me strangely at ease.
I quietly lay back down on the bed.
As I closed my eyes, the only sound was the hurried clatter of her tidying up.
Right now, that sound felt oddly comforting.
And just like that, my consciousness drifted away.
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After about an hour of sleep, I woke up to find Kurenai gone.
I glanced at the clock immediately and jolted upright.
Today was my shift at work.
But I was barely over being sick, and I definitely didn't have the energy to walk all the way there.
I felt bad calling in at the last minute, but doing a half-hearted job seemed worse, so I dialed the manager.
"...Uh, hello? This is Aoyama."
"Oh, Aoyama-kun! What's up?"
"I'm really sorry for the short notice, but I've had a fever since this morning."
"Are you alright?"
"Well, I'm feeling a lot better now, actually."
"I see. But honestly, it's super slow here today. Go ahead and rest. More importantly, you live alone, right? Are you managing okay with food and everything?"
"Yes, I'm fine on that front."
"Good. Take care of yourself, okay?"
There was a buzz of noise in the background, and the manager hurriedly hung up.
He's probably busy.
But he lied and said it was slow just so I wouldn't feel bad about calling in.
I want to learn how to tell thoughtful little lies like that.
With that thought in mind, I slowly stood up and looked around the room.
It seems... cleaner than I remember.
Maybe Kurenai did some tidying up while I was asleep.
...If you don't get better, we can't do it.
I found myself wishing that was a lie, too.
I just stood there, gazing absently at the quiet room.