Tomizawa Chiyo reached behind her back and felt around. "Oh, it was just the bra hook catching on my clothes. No wonder it felt tight."
She frowned as she adjusted the straps. The tight hospital gown shifted slightly with her movements, unintentionally drawing Hayashi Shuichi's gaze.
But before he could look any longer, Kisaki Eri had already stepped in front of him, blocking his view with her hand.
"My clothes are fine too," Orikasa Midori said, lifting her head with a relieved smile. "It looks like Senpai didn't take advantage of us."
"There, you heard them," Hayashi Shuichi quickly said. "I was really wronged."
Reiko finally relaxed, but Kisaki Eri still held onto her earlier suspicion. "Don't try to brush this off. You still haven't answered my question."
"What question?" Hayashi Shuichi looked completely innocent.
"Don't play dumb! Did you wake up last night already?!" Kisaki Eri's face was stern as she repeated herself. "Otherwise, how would you know Reiko was crying the hardest!"
"Reiko is my precious little sister," Hayashi Shuichi said with a smile, reaching out to gently pinch his little cousin's chubby, baby-fat cheeks. "When I woke up in the middle of the night, Reiko was still sobbing even in her sleep. When I collapsed last night, she must have been the saddest of all."
"I was really scared yesterday that Oniichan would never wake up again," Reiko said, pressing her face against her brother's chest and nuzzling like a spoiled kitten.
"Hmph. I still feel like you might have woken up earlier," Kisaki Eri said, side-eyeing her childhood friend. Her plump lips pressed into a thin line. "And you were just lying there watching us make fools of ourselves."
"Eri, I—" Hayashi Shuichi started to explain, but at that moment, the ward door creaked open. Narumi stood there rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Seeing him, Hayashi Shuichi unconsciously pursed his lips, his throat bobbing nervously.
"Eh? Shuichi-oniisan, you're really awake?"
The moment Narumi saw the awakened Hayashi Shuichi, his previously drowsy eyes lit up. He ran happily into the ward.
"I thought that was just a dream I had."
"What dream?" Tomizawa Chiyo asked curiously.
"I dreamed that after I went back, I was worried you guys didn't have blankets and would get cold at night, so I took Chiyo-neesan's blanket to bring over here," Narumi said, tilting his head as he recalled. "But when I opened the door to this ward, I saw—"
"Ahem, cough cough," Hayashi Shuichi suddenly coughed loudly, clutching his chest with a flushed face. "My throat's so dry… it hurts…"
"Here, drink some water," Kisaki Eri said, handing him the cup from the bedside table.
Hayashi Shuichi took it and gulped down two big mouthfuls.
Seeing Narumi about to speak again, he hurriedly cut in first. "Alright, I'm fine now. Let's go handle the discharge procedures. We still have school today."
With that, he made to get out of bed.
"What school are you going to today!" Kisaki Eri rolled her eyes irritably and pressed down on his shoulders. "You're never this enthusiastic about going to class normally."
"Studying is a process of accumulation. Missing even one day makes it easy to fall further and further behind," Hayashi Shuichi said, grabbing his childhood friend's hand and hopping straight off the bed.
"Wait a second," Kisaki Eri frowned worriedly. "I'm going to find the doctor right now and have him check you again!"
Without waiting for Hayashi Shuichi's response, the girl walked out of the ward.
Reiko had always obeyed her brother unquestioningly and was already starting to pack his things.
Orikasa Midori wasn't the type to overthink either; she quietly stepped forward to help organize items.
Only Tomizawa Chiyo looked suspiciously between Hayashi Shuichi and Narumi, feeling that the former's earlier reaction had been off.
Seeing that Reiko and Orikasa Midori's attention was fully on Hayashi Shuichi, Tomizawa Chiyo quietly beckoned Narumi over to the window.
"What happened next in that dream? Keep going."
"I saw—"
Narumi had just started when Hayashi Shuichi loudly interrupted from the other side.
"Right, Chiyo—you've been hospitalized for over a month now. Time to be discharged, yeah?"
He spoke while walking over, his steps noticeably hurried.
"I'll be discharged this weekend," Tomizawa Chiyo said, giving Hayashi Shuichi a glance before gesturing for Narumi to continue.
"By the way, Narumi, how's your body been feeling lately?" Hayashi Shuichi quickly asked.
"Much better," Narumi replied with a smile, revealing two cute little dimples on his cheeks. "The doctor said my recent treatment results have been really good."
"That's great," Hayashi Shuichi nodded. He was just about to find an excuse to pull Narumi over when Kisaki Eri returned with the doctor and began the examination on Hayashi Shuichi.
Kisaki Eri, Reiko, and Orikasa Midori all focused their attention on him. Three pairs of anxious eyes watched the doctor, waiting for his verdict.
Tomizawa Chiyo, however, took the chance to quietly pull Narumi out of the ward.
The smell of disinfectant in the corridor was even stronger than in the room. Tomizawa Chiyo led Narumi to a bench and sat down. "What exactly did you dream about last night?"
"I dreamed of a really pretty older sister with red hair standing next to Shuichi-oniisan's bed. She bent down and kissed him… and it looked like she even stuck her tongue out," Narumi answered honestly. "When I first woke up, I thought it was just a dream, but Chiyo-neesan's blanket was right next to my bed. It was so weird…"
"Stuck her tongue out?" Tomizawa Chiyo twitched her mouth in annoyance, finally understanding why Hayashi Shuichi had interrupted Narumi so many times earlier.
"Chiyo-neesan, why did that older sister stick her tongue out?" Narumi asked innocently, blinking his big eyes. "Could she have wanted to taste what Shuichi-oniisan tastes like? Is she a monster?"
Tomizawa Chiyo looked at the curious little boy and decided—for now—to help Hayashi Shuichi keep this secret.
Later, she could use this as leverage to blackmail him a little.
With that thought, she lowered her voice and pretended to scare the child. "That's right. The girl you saw really was a monster. When she saw your Shuichi-oniisan collapse, she wanted to eat him. That's why she first licked him with her tongue to try the flavor."
Narumi's eyes widened in fright. "W-Why would I have a dream like that?"
"Maybe because you were scared last night too," Tomizawa Chiyo said, patting his shoulder while holding back laughter. "Don't tell anyone else about this dream except me, okay?"
"Why not?" little Narumi asked, puzzled.
"Because it might not have been a dream," Tomizawa Chiyo continued to frighten him. "As far as I know, there are monsters in this world that live inside dreams. If you carelessly talk about her, she'll notice you. Then, when you fall asleep at night, she'll come into your dreams and taste you too."
"I don't want that!" Narumi's face turned pale with fear. His small hands instinctively covered his mouth. "Having a tongue come in sounds so gross."
(End of chapter)
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