"W-what's wrong?" Yotsumoto Ryoka asked, thinking she had said something wrong. She quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe Hayato.
"No, it's nothing..."
Hayato thought to himself, he fainted because his brain was suddenly overwhelmed with information. How did the doctor conclude 'heatstroke'? Or did he get heatstroke at the same time his brain was overwhelmed?
Oh my god, then this body must be really weak...
"Sorry to trouble you, I'll do it myself," Hayato said.
Yotsumoto Ryoka stood up. She carefully wiped the wet quilt and chest area for Hayato.
The two of them were very close. Hayato felt that if he got any closer, his nose would brush against her black hair.
"Thank You."
Yotsumoto Ryoka lowered her bright eyes, wiping very carefully. "Today, it's all thanks to you. Otherwise, Ayumu and I would have definitely been deceived by Aihara Yamato..."
"Speaking of which, Ayumu... Matsuzono, where is he?"
"Oh, he said he was hungry and went to find something to eat... Is it wet here?" Yotsumoto Ryoka had already dried the wet spot on Hayato's front.
She began to check the area next to the pillow.
"It shouldn't be here..." Hayato had just finished answering.
Yotsumoto Ryoka touched the mechanism for the adjustable backrest next to the bed.
Hayato had just adjusted the backrest to a 45-degree angle to make himself more comfortable.
With a touch from Yotsumoto Ryoka, it immediately went... thud, flat at 180 degrees.
Hayato was fine; he simply fell back and lay down.
"Ah..." But Yotsumoto Ryoka let out a surprised gasp, caught off guard, and her entire weight landed on Hayato's chest.
Their chests pressed together...
Hayato recalled this familiar sensation. Before he completely lost consciousness, he felt his cheek buried in something soft... Which meant...
Speaking of which, don't let Yotsumoto Ryoka's tall and slender figure fool you, as if she's naturally at odds with the word 'plump.' But Hayato had seen her full body in 'doujinshi,' and her chest was quite substantial... No wonder she had such a sensation.
"A-are you okay?" Hayato forced himself to prop up his upper body and ask. Damn it... If this continued, his lower body might also get excited.
"...Ryoka, what are you doing?"
Yotsumoto Ryoka hadn't had time to look up and answer.
At the door of the ward, the questioning voice of her 'childhood friend,' Matsuzono Ayumu, came through.
Yotsumoto Ryoka quickly sprang up like a carp, not only lifting her face but also straightening her entire body as if standing at attention, and she stood perfectly straight.
"N-nothing..." Her snow-white cheeks were flushed, and as if to convince Matsuzono, she stared directly at him, then glanced at Hayato with a tiny bit of peripheral vision. The latter, however, remained exceptionally calm.
"Matsuzono, don't overthink it," Hayato said. "I just accidentally... cough, sprayed some water, and Yotsumoto Ryouka was helping to wipe it clean, then she accidentally touched the bed's lift switch."
He appeared quite composed, but in reality, after Yotsumoto Ryoka accidentally had some physical contact with him just now, he had already silently recited the holy scripture five times: "One day, with a blade in hand, I shall slay all the cuckolds in the world."
"Th-that's how it is," Yotsumoto Ryoka said.
"...Oh, I see," Matsuzono Ayumu chuckled. "I thought Ryoka had a secret crush and was throwing herself at him... Don't let Ryoka's appearance fool you; she actually has quite a 'hero worship' complex."
"Sh-shut up!" Yotsumoto Ryoka cursed. "Ayumu, if you talk nonsense again... I'll..."
Wow, you guy...
"H-Hayato, why are you looking at me as if I'm trash...?" Matsuzono Ayumu felt that Hayato's gaze was unfriendly.
With this attitude, it's no wonder he'd be cuckolded.
And just now, he let his childhood friend be alone with him, and then he comes back and says such things... During the fight earlier, he relied entirely on Ryoka for protection.
Honestly, without this burden, Hayato felt that Yotsumoto Ryoka could have fought and retreated, been in a dilemma, had nowhere to escape, and then won a great victory against those hooligans...
It seems necessary to give him a good talking-to later.
"Although those people ran away this time, there's no guarantee they won't come back for revenge next time. It's better for you to be careful," Hayato reminded.
Matsuzono Ayumu shrunk his neck, then looked hopefully at Yotsumoto Ryoka: "...Ryoka, what should we do? Should we call the police?"
"Calling the police now is useless. Before, we could use the 'armed assault' reason, but without catching them in the act, the police would at most give them a verbal warning," Hayato said.
"Don't worry, I'll protect Ayumu," Yotsumoto Ryoka chuckled, her expression very firm. "Just like before."
"Ryoka..."
Yotsumoto Ryoka's combat power was indeed high, but her naive personality made her too easy to deceive. Otherwise, according to the original plot, she wouldn't have fallen for Aihara Yamato's trap.
Hayato pondered.
And as he pondered, Yotsumoto Ryoka was also considering something.
"If anything happens, just call me—" Hayato had just spoken, when Yotsumoto Ryoka simultaneously said:
"These days, Hayato will come with me—"
Both stopped speaking at the same time.
After stopping, Yotsumoto Ryoka was the first to explain, "I'm afraid they'll come looking for trouble with Hayato. Why don't you come with me to and from school these days? We can look out for each other..."
As she spoke, she pursed her lips.
She had also heard what Hayato said.
She hadn't expected that Hayato wouldn't immediately consider his own future safety, but rather worry about her and Ayumu.
Hayato seemed frail, but she hadn't expected...
She clenched her fists.
"B-but Ryoka, you can't handle so many people by yourself, can you?" Matsuzono Ayumu asked with some concern.
"Then it depends on whether you can become stronger, Ayumu."
In contrast, Ayumu seemed to only throw troublesome things at her... Although it had been like this since childhood, Yotsumoto Ryoka was somewhat used to it, but compared to Hayato's sense of responsibility, Ayumu was somewhat disappointing...
Yotsumoto Ryoka shook her head, casting aside these random thoughts.
"It's fine, just like today, there will always be a way," Hayato said, lifting the covers and trying to get up.
"...Hayato-kun? Aren't you going to lie down a bit longer?" Yotsumoto Ryoka asked worriedly.
...He wants to be discharged so soon? Although the doctor said there were no major problems, Yotsumoto Ryoka felt it would be better to observe him for a while longer.
Or was it that Hayato was more inclined to act tough than he appeared?
"Uh..." Hayato scratched the back of his head while getting dressed, saying a little awkwardly, "...The bed fee is quite expensive, isn't it?"
According to the newly added 'orphan' setting, his family was very poor, barely making ends meet with financial support from his aunt working in Hawaii.
He's truly down and out now, folks.
It seems he still needs to find a way to earn some money...