The next day.
“Your fever’s gone down, so that’s a relief.”
“…Yes.”
For some reason, Arisa replied while hiding half her face under the blanket.
She’d been like this all morning.
Most likely… she was embarrassed.
Her ears, after all, were bright red.
As for what she was embarrassed about—
Yuzuru had a pretty good idea.
Arisa had been acting a little strange the other day.
She’d been unusually affectionate with him.
Or perhaps… she was always like that deep down, just usually holding herself back.
“…I’m sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday.”
Still hiding her face, Arisa spoke.
She kept glancing at him, as if checking his reaction.
The gesture was undeniably cute—
But it only made Yuzuru feel self-conscious as well.
“I don’t mind, so don’t worry.”
“…If you say so.”
Even as she said that, she continued to sneak glances at him.
She still seemed bothered by something.
“What is it? …If you need anything, I’ll do it.”
“…Yuzuru-san, you idiot.”
With that, she pulled the blanket over herself completely.
No matter how embarrassed she was, calling him an idiot seemed a bit much.
Yuzuru couldn’t help but smile wryly.
The following Monday.
When Yuzuru arrived at school, Arisa was already in the classroom.
Her fever had gone down by Sunday morning, and thankfully, it hadn’t returned.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Arisa gave him a small smile.
Then, as Yuzuru sat down, his phone buzzed.
It was a message from Arisa.
Thank you for the other day—
It read, accompanied by a cute sticker
Since she’d gone to the trouble, Yuzuru replied—
Don’t push yourself, alright?
The reply came almost instantly.
I’ll count on you again if I collapse.
With another cute sticker attached, it seemed like she was joking.
Leave it to me. Should I carry you to the infirmary next time?
If we’re going that far, all the way home, please.
Princess carry?
That’s fine, but do you have the strength for it?
Are you that heavy?
That’s rude.
An angry sticker followed.
Yuzuru nearly laughed and had to cover his mouth.
If he grinned here, he’d just look like some creep smiling at his phone.
I’ll do my best for you.
‘Do my best’ makes it sound like I’m heavy…
Even that answer didn’t seem to satisfy her.
As for Arisa’s weight—she wasn’t heavy at all, but neither was she feather-light.
Without going into specifics, she had just the right amount of softness where it mattered.
And she seemed to stay active, so it wasn’t as though she lacked muscle either.
In other words—she had a healthy, natural weight.
You weren’t heavy.
How would you know?
I carried you the other day, remember?
After that message, there was a pause before her reply came.
Ah…
Yuzuru found himself wondering what kind of expression she had right now.
But if he looked, it might give away that they were messaging each other.
Reluctantly, he held back.
How was it?
The next message was a question—asking for his impression.
How exactly was he supposed to answer that?
He paused to think.
(…Well, she was soft.)
That was the first thing he’d felt when he carried her.
Even if it couldn’t be helped, he’d touched various places—and she’d been unmistakably soft, very much like a girl.
And—
(She was cute…)
The way she clung to his clothes, looking up at him with teary eyes—
It had been adorable. Precious.
She’d been physically and emotionally vulnerable, relying on him completely.
It stirred something in him—a mix of protectiveness and something more possessive.
A desire to protect her.
Arrogant as it might be, that feeling had welled up inside him.
But of course, he couldn’t just say that.
And considering the flow of conversation, she was probably asking about her weight.
I think it was a nice weight.
That’s harassment.
The reply came immediately.
She’d been the one to bring up his strength in the first place—and kept the topic going.
He couldn’t help but feel it was a bit unfair.
So, partly as payback, he decided to turn the question back on her.
And what about you?
If she was asking for his impression, it was only fair she answered too.
As expected, she seemed to hesitate.
The message was marked as read, but no reply came for a while.
Yuzuru waited, feeling slightly restless.
But time passed, and it was almost time for homeroom—
Just as he began to worry he might’ve upset her, a reply finally came.
………
I felt a flutter.
………
Yuzuru felt his own heart skip.
His chest pounded loudly.
He suddenly had the urge to see what expression she’d had while typing that.
Then another message followed.
Could I ask you again sometime? …When I’m sick.
Somehow, it felt like the first part was her true feeling—
And the latter part, just an excuse.
Yuzuru immediately replied.
Anytime. Princess.
………
…Isn’t that embarrassing?
It is, now that you’ve pointed it out. Please stop.
