"Haha," Chikage Tomozawa couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, amused by his innocent reaction.
At that moment, the doctor stepped out of Hayashi Shuichi's hospital room.
Chikage led Narumi back toward the group, only to find the three girls practically glowing with relief. Despite already knowing the answer, she asked playfully, "Well? What's the verdict?"
"The doctor said Onii-chan is fine! He can be discharged immediately," Reiko announced, her voice bubbling with joy. "His sudden fainting spell yesterday was just because he's been working too hard lately. His body reached its absolute limit, and he simply collapsed from exhaustion."
"I see," Chikage nodded understandingly. "And here I thought you might stay and keep us company in the hospital for a day or two. I didn't expect you to be discharged quite so soon."
"The hospital is no place to linger," Shuichi said with a smile. "Once you're discharged, I'll treat you to a proper meal at the izakaya."
Chikage gave a non-committal nod before suddenly shifting the topic. "By the way, has a red-haired girl been visiting the izakaya lately? That's not exactly a common hair color, is it?"
"Cough—hack, hack!" The abruptness of her question nearly made Shuichi choke on his own breath.
He had noticed Chikage taking Narumi aside earlier. From the underlying meaning in her words, it was clear she had learned exactly what Narumi had witnessed the previous night.
"Red hair? That must be that annoying Akane Koizumi," Reiko huffed, crossing her arms. "She's Onii-chan's classmate."
Eri Kisaki glanced at her childhood friend, noticing his reaction was visibly off. She then turned a puzzled look toward Chikage. "How do you know about her?"
"I just have a vague memory of someone mentioning her," Chikage replied, casting a meaningful look at Shuichi. A mischievous, sly smile played across her red lips. "Though, I can't quite recall who it was at the moment."
Seeing that she didn't intend to expose him, Shuichi breathed a silent sigh of relief. He quickly jumped in to help the explanation along. "It was probably me, or maybe one of the others mentioned her before, and Chikage just happened to remember the name."
"Is that so?" Eri frowned slightly, tapping her chin with a finger as she tried to recall the events of the previous night.
Unfortunately, because she had been so consumed with worry over Shuichi's collapse, her memory of everything else was a blur. After thinking for a while and coming up empty, she let the matter drop.
After saying their goodbyes to Chikage and Narumi, Shuichi finished the discharge paperwork.
Just as the group stepped out of the hospital, they saw a gasping, panting Kogoro Mori running toward them.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his shirt collar was damp from the exertion. He had clearly sprinted the entire way.
Upon seeing Shuichi standing safely at the hospital entrance, Kogoro rushed forward and threw an arm around his friend's shoulder, his voice thick with emotion. "Shuichi! You scared the life out of me last night! I didn't sleep a wink, I was so worried about you."
To emphasize his point, he pointed dramatically at his own eyes.
"I'm telling the truth! If you don't believe me, look—don't I have massive dark circles?"
Shuichi took a close look. Indeed, there was a distinct bluish tint around Kogoro's eyes. "Are you sure that's from worrying about me? Or is it because you stayed up all night looking at swimsuit gravure magazines?"
"Hmph, ever since I got a girlfriend, I stopped looking at those magazines ages ago," Kogoro whispered, winking suggestively with a lecherous grin. "Why look at pictures when the real thing is so much more interesting?"
"You two!" Eri glared at them, her eyes flashing with irritation. "Have you no shame, talking about such things in front of a hospital?"
"Senior!" Midori Orikasa added a reproachful note, her hands quickly covering Reiko's ears. She was clearly worried that these two degenerates would corrupt the young girl's mind.
"After I fainted last night, how was business at the shop...?" Shuichi asked, wisely changing the subject.
"It was fine. The few people left were all regulars," Kogoro said, wiping sweat from his brow. "When they saw the ambulance take you away, they didn't complain. They just left quietly. Before they went, they even told me to make sure you take better care of yourself. Oh, and since my mother isn't in the best health, I haven't told her about what happened yet."
"There's no need to worry her," Shuichi smiled. "I'm fine. I was just overextended last night and fell into a deep sleep."
Even though the doctor had given him a clean bill of health, Eri and Reiko remained firm: Shuichi was not allowed to go to school today.
Neither of them went to school either. Eri asked Kogoro to stop by the school to file a leave of absence for her, while Reiko called her teacher directly.
Seeing that Shuichi was in the capable hands of Eri and Reiko, Midori Orikasa bid them farewell once they returned to the izakaya.
As the three of them entered the second-floor apartment, Wangcai the dog came bounding up to them with joy. He circled Shuichi incessantly, his tail wagging like a high-speed motor while his wet nose nudged his master's hand.
"Wangcai was worried sick when he saw you collapse last night, Onii-chan," Reiko said with a laugh, patting the dog's head. The silly dog squinted his eyes in bliss and let out a soft whimper of contentment.
After soothing Wangcai, Shuichi intended to make breakfast for the girls, but they immediately blocked his path.
"Onii-chan, just rest," Reiko said, dragging her brother to the sofa and stuffing a cushion behind his back. "Today, I'm the one taking care of you."
Although Eri suspected that Shuichi might have woken up much earlier the previous night, the fact that he had lost consciousness was still real. After insisting he rest, she volunteered to help Reiko in the kitchen.
The moment the siblings heard her offer, their faces fell in unison.
They exchanged a knowing, terrified glance. Reiko's small face crinkled up like a worried bun.
"Um, Eri, I'm actually craving meat buns," Shuichi suggested with a forced, dry laugh. "How about you head to the supermarket and pick some up for me?"
"That's right!" Reiko nodded vigorously, pressing her hands together in a prayer-like gesture. "Eri-san, please! It would be such a big help."
"You guys... Hmph!"
Eri wasn't stupid; she knew exactly why they were trying to get rid of her. They just thought her cooking was terrible! But she had been practicing in secret lately, and her skills had clearly improved by leaps and bounds!
In the past, anything she made ended up as a charred, blackened mass—it wasn't just inedible; it was an eyesore. But lately, her creations at least looked like food.
That was progress, wasn't it?!
Having been robbed of her chance to show off, an indignant Eri left the apartment to buy meat buns at the supermarket.
Reiko, meanwhile, began busying herself in the kitchen. Since she often hung around her brother, her culinary skills were significantly better than Eri's—or at least, her food wouldn't result in food poisoning.
Before long, a pot of fragrant rice porridge and several golden, crispy fried eggs were ready.
The aroma of food wafted through the apartment. Wangcai lay at the entrance of the dining area, staring longingly at the fried eggs on the table.
"She's taking a long time," Reiko muttered, glancing at the clock on the wall. Her lip pouted slightly. "Eri-san has been gone for over half an hour. The convenience store is just on the corner; why is she taking so long?"
"Maybe she ran into something?"
Shuichi felt a flicker of concern. He stood up and walked to the window, looking out toward the corner convenience store. He saw a large crowd gathered there, and beside them, several police cars were parked, their emergency lights flashing rhythmically...
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