After driving home, Ichin went straight to take a bath.
When he came out and dried his hair, he felt much better.
Pouring himself a glass of water, he took a sip and smiled as he looked at Peppy and George, who were rolling yarn balls across the floor.
He reached over to pat their furry heads and gave them a few snacks.
His phone buzzed—it was a message from Utaha.
"Ichin, how are you feeling? We're having our late-night meal now, we'll be back soon."
Along with the message came a photo: Utaha, Kō Yagami, Rin Toyama, and Haruno sitting together at a restaurant.
Seeing that, Ichin felt reassured and replied:
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just finished my bath—going to sleep soon."
After playing with the cats for a while, he returned to his bedroom, hoping a good night's rest would push back the oncoming cold.
Once he crawled under the blanket, he quickly drifted off.
Half-asleep, Ichin vaguely heard the sound of the door opening—and felt Utaha's hand lightly touch his forehead.
But his body felt so heavy he couldn't move at all, and he soon sank back into sleep.
When he finally opened his eyes again, it was already past nine in the morning.
His head was foggy, his throat dry and sore.
There was no doubt—he'd caught a bad cold, and he was running a slight fever too.
Glancing around, he realized Utaha wasn't there. It looked like she hadn't slept beside him last night either.
That made sense. She must've noticed he was sick when she got home, and if she'd stayed beside him, she'd probably have caught it too.
Just as he was thinking about getting up to grab some water, the bedroom door opened.
Ichin turned his head and saw Yukino walking in.
She'd opened the door carefully at first, but the moment she saw him awake, she pushed it wide open and hurried over.
"Big brother, you're awake! How are you feeling?"
"Yukino? Why are you here—where's Utaha?"
"Utaha-senpai has classes today, so she asked me to come take care of you."
Sitting down by the bed, Yukino smiled gently. "If I remember right, this might be the first time I've ever seen you sick."
Ichin nodded, his voice hoarse. "Yeah… ever since high school, I've barely been sick at all. Even after moving to Japan, it's been the same. Guess I got careless this time."
Yukino gave a small laugh. "That's what they call 'illness strikes like a mountain falling.' People who rarely get sick tend to have it worse when they finally do catch something."
After her comment, she picked up the thermometer from the bedside table and handed it to him.
"Let's check your temperature first. Are you hungry? I made some porridge."
Ichin tucked the thermometer under his arm and said, "Porridge sounds good. I am a bit hungry—but I'd like some water first. My mouth's so dry."
Yukino nodded quickly, went out, and came back with a cup of warm water.
She helped Ichin sit up and gently held the cup to his lips as he drank half of it.
The warm water soothed his throat and mouth noticeably.
Lying back down again, Ichin looked at Yukino and smiled faintly.
"Thanks, Yukino. You're really taking care of me today."
Yukino set the blanket back down and said softly, "It's fine. I only have one class this afternoon, so I've got plenty of time. By the time I head to campus, Utaha-senpai should be back, so we can switch shifts."
Hearing her words, Ichin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Getting sick really was troublesome—not just for himself, but for everyone around him.
With the weather getting colder and colder, he'd definitely have to start being more careful.
A few minutes later, Yukino checked the thermometer.
"Thirty-eight point seven degrees… yep, you've got a fever. Let's get some food in you first, then take your medicine."
She went out briefly and came back carrying a small clay pot of porridge on a tray, setting it on Ichin's lap after helping him sit up.
After another sip of water, Ichin felt a bit better—enough to eat something.
Yukino had made vegetable porridge, which was perfect for him right now.
Given his cold, anything too flavorful like meat porridge wouldn't taste like much anyway.
The small pot was just enough; Ichin finished it quickly. His appetite wasn't great, but it was enough to fill him.
After taking the dishes out to wash, Yukino returned and gently urged, "Big brother, take your medicine and get some more sleep."
"It's a bit hot…" Ichin mumbled, then glanced at her as she sat down with a book. "If you're bored, you can go to the living room. You don't have to stay here the whole time."
Yukino smiled and shook her head. "It's all right. I can read here. You're a patient now, after all—someone has to keep an eye on you. I promised Utaha-senpai I'd take care of you."
"It's just a cold, you know. You don't have to exaggerate."
Even so, seeing the firm look on her face, Ichin knew there was no talking her out of it. So he simply closed his eyes and focused on resting, hoping his body would recover quickly.
The medicine soon took effect, and drowsiness crept over him. Before long, Ichin was fast asleep.
Once his breathing settled into a steady rhythm, Yukino looked up from her book and observed him quietly for a moment.
Confirming that he was truly asleep, she checked the time on her phone and quietly stepped out of the bedroom to make a call—to Utaha, who had just finished her class.
"Yukino? How's Ichin doing?" Utaha asked immediately after picking up.
"He still has a bit of a fever, but he ate some food and took his medicine. He's sleeping again now."
"That's good."
Hearing that, Utaha finally felt relieved.
This was actually the first time she'd ever seen Ichin sick. When she came home last night and found him burning up, she had immediately gone to her mother for help, then spent most of the night tending to him with cool towels to bring down his temperature.
By morning, his condition had already improved compared to the night before—something Ichin himself probably hadn't noticed.
According to her mother, Ichin's body was very strong. With medicine and a full day of rest, he'd likely be fine by tomorrow.
"Thank you for taking care of him today, Yukino. After your class this afternoon, come over to our place for dinner."
"Mm, I will."
After hanging up, Yukino went back into the bedroom and resumed her post on the chair beside Ichin's bed.
But once she opened her book again, she found she couldn't concentrate.
No matter how hard she tried, her focus kept drifting from the page to the sleeping Ichin on the bed… and then back to the book again.
She told herself to stop looking—but she couldn't help it.
After a long moment of thought, Yukino realized that this might be one of the very few times she'd ever been alone with Ichin.
Her thoughts began to wander in a strange direction, and flustered, she quickly shook her head, grabbed her book, and hurried out of the room—choosing instead to distract herself by playing with the cats.
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