Chapter 415

When I saw Miyuki that evening, both her cheeks were flushed a deep red.

With the frail expression typical of someone battling a fever, she gave off such an innocent, pitiful aura that I just wanted to pull her into a tight hug.

"How are you feeling?"

"Heavy."

"You haven't taken your medicine, have you?"

"No. Not yet."

"Do you have a cough?"

"A little?"

"They say only idiots catch summer colds. You always call me the idiot, but look who got punished."

"Yeah..."

Miyuki offered a faint smile and pulled the blanket up just enough to cover her chin.

Sitting beside her, I fished a bottle of liquid cold medicine out of the plastic bag, popped the cap, and held it out.

"Drink this."

"What is it?"

"Cold medicine. It'll help with the cough."

I slid a hand behind her back and gently pushed, helping her sit up at a sluggish pace.

When I brought the mouth of the bottle to her face, she puckered her lips as if going in for a kiss.

She kept glancing up at me as she took tiny sips, her eyebrows twitching at the bitter taste. She looked incredibly pretty.

It made me feel sorry for her, seeing all the energy drained out of her when just this morning she had been so lively she climaxed from a simple touch. But at the same time, it turned me on.

Taking care of a sickly, beautiful girl was definitely stirring something in me, but I needed to hold back.

"Doesn't sipping it like that just make it taste worse?"

I flashed a helpless smile at her snail's pace, but Miyuki just shook her head.

Why did Miyuki look so exceptionally cute today?

Combined with that nasally, congested voice of hers... I had the sudden urge to cover her entire face in kisses.

Once she finished the medicine, I gently laid her head back down on the pillow and asked,

"Should I run to the ramen shop and pick something up?"

"Hm? That shop?"

"Yeah. That one."

"But it's not raining."

"We aren't eating outside, so does it really need to be raining? Besides, it's supposed to rain tonight."

"You checked the forecast?"

"Yeah."

"Then we can just go together tonight..."

"You think you can even step outside when you're lying in bed sick?"

"It's not like I'm on my deathbed, idiot."

"You're the idiot."

"True enough."

Bouncing that idle banter back and forth and exchanging warm glances made a fresh affection swell in my chest.

I gently stroked her cheek with my thumb as she lay there, then pressed a deep kiss to the crown of her head.

Then, I spoke softly.

"Don't be sick."

"...Yeah."

My sudden earnestness must have severely embarrassed her, because Miyuki pulled the blanket up even higher.

I had to hold back a chuckle at the way she stared up at me with bright, round eyes from behind the covers.

I rested my palm against her forehead to check her temperature, but she suddenly wriggled over like a caterpillar and laid her head on my lap.

She was being incredibly affectionate today. Brushing her bangs up out of her eyes, I didn't try to hide my fond smile as I spoke.

"You like that?"

"Yeah. But what if I give you my cold?"

"Then I catch it. It's fine."

"Are you sure? Don't you have a tournament coming up soon?"

"I'm just going to cheer. Plus, I won't catch it as long as I wash my hands."

"Are you saying I got sick because I didn't wash my hands?"

"Could be."

"I do too."

"Whatever you say."

Maybe my gentle tone made her want to act spoiled?

Miyuki flipped up the hem of my T-shirt and shoved her face inside.

She pressed her lips to the thin skin of my lower abdomen and gave it a hard suck.

She was blatantly trying to leave a mark.

I let out a breathless chuckle at her attempt to brand me as hers, scolding her.

"Ouch. Cut it out."

Instead of listening, Miyuki buried her face even deeper into my shirt, continuing to suck at my skin.

Her lips had traveled down until they were hovering right above my groin. The stimulation was intense, making me rapidly harden.

Noticing that, Miyuki slipped a hand up the leg of my shorts, slowly sliding it higher.

It wasn't long before her fingers lightly brushed against the base of my shaft.

My hips jerked at the contact. Miyuki slowly turned her head sideways, peering up at me with one eye to spy on my reaction.

"What are you looking at?"

My blunt tone must have annoyed her, because her eyes narrowed into slits.

She shoved her head right back under my shirt.

Instantly, a wet, ticklish sensation spread across my lower abdomen.

She was licking me.

My core tightened and my knee reflexively hitched up at the soft slide of her tongue against my bare skin.

Clearly satisfied with that reaction, Miyuki began to work her hand and tongue at an agonizingly slow pace.

Radiating pure cuteness and raw seduction at the exact same time... she was a total minx.

How could Miyuki be this perfect?

From her looks to her personality, there wasn't a single flaw to be found.

It made me wonder if that was why Tetsuya still couldn't let go of his lingering feelings, even knowing she was with me.

I hated to admit it, but I could sort of understand him.

Tap.

I lay there enjoying her caresses for a while, until the sound of something hitting the window frame caught my attention.

Raindrops were dotting the glass pane.

I rested a hand on her small head and gave it a gentle shake.

"Come out. I need to go buy that ramen."

"Is it raining?"

"Yeah. Four bowls should be enough, right?"

"Why four?"

"For you, Kanna, and your parents."

"What about yours, Matsuda-kun?"

"I'll just steal some of yours."

"No way. Sharing food is how you actually catch a cold."

"And what you were just doing won't?"

"That... that's fine as long as you wash up right away."

"And how do you know that?"

"I just do."

Her stubborn lack of logic reminded me a little of Hiyori.

With that thought, I helped Miyuki lie comfortably against the pillows before climbing out of bed.

"I'll be right back."

"Okay."

I called the order in before leaving her house. The timing was perfect; the takeout bags were ready the moment I walked into the ramen shop, and I immediately headed back.

Midori, Kanna, and Wataru thoroughly enjoyed the ramen I brought back.

They even asked where I'd managed to find such an amazing spot.

I figured it would be fine to introduce the shop to those two, leaving Wataru out of the loop.

After dinner, I hung out in Miyuki's room for a while longer. Once night fell, I glanced toward the door, signaling that it was time for me to head home.

Catching my drift, Miyuki gave me a look like she had something she wanted to say.

She clearly wanted to ask me to stay the night.

But considering her cold—and the fact that she hadn't run it by her parents—dropping a sudden sleepover request would probably startle everyone, so she kept her mouth shut.

I stopped her when she tried to follow me out to say goodbye, and voiced the thought she'd been holding back.

"I'll sleep over next time."

Her eyes went round with surprise before she offered a slow nod.

"Yeah. You have to stay over next time."

"Will do."

"Bye."

She shyly waved her hand.

It felt like the early days of a new romance. Flashing my teeth, I shot her a wide grin.

"See ya."

...

When I woke up at home the next day, the very first thing I did was take stock of how my body felt.

I needed to check if I had caught Miyuki's cold.

I tested my throat with a few raspy "Ah, ah" sounds and checked for any heaviness in my head, before letting out a helpless laugh.

Given how close I'd been to her yesterday, I'd fully expected to wake up sick, but I felt absolutely fine.

I decided to wait until the afternoon to be sure. If I still felt fine by then, I'd go meet up with Hiyori.

After washing my face, I gave Miyuki a call.

"Yeah..."

Her voice came through the line sounding incredibly heavy.

It wasn't just the cold; she was clearly dead to the world, half-asleep.

She wasn't deathly ill or anything, but she still needed to rest. I told her to take it easy for the day, hung up, and pulled up my messages with Hiyori.

[What are you up to?]

A reply came through almost instantly.

[I'm downtown right now.]

[Are you outside literally every single time I text you?]

[I'm just an active person. What do you want me to do?]

[Amazing. Are you hanging out with friends?]

[Yeah. We're at a cafe.]

[Is that so? Have fun.]

[That's it?]

[That's it.]

[Why? Didn't you text me because you wanted to hang out?]

[You said you were with your friends.]

[We were actually just about to head our separate ways.]

[It's way too early for you guys to be splitting up. Are you lying just so you can see me?]

[What lie? We only planned to grab a quick coffee anyway. Do you think I have some terminal illness that'll kill me if I don't see you, sunbae?]

Wasn't that the truth?

She was the one showing up at my house unannounced and trying to flirt with me every chance she got.

She really wasn't an honest person.

[Was I being a little arrogant?]

[Incredibly arrogant.]

From the way she was acting, she was clearly trying to wipe the memory of our last encounter from her mind.

In that case, it was only my duty to jog her memory, right?

I had the sudden urge to drag her into a private room at a multi-entertainment cafe and get a little hands-on with her.

[Then do you want to wait downtown? Let's grab food.]

[Okay. Buy me some Suichu on your way here.]

[Buy it yourself. I'm sure there are plenty of convenience stores around you.]

[Sigh.]

[What's with the sigh?]

[I'm just acting cute.]

[You really just say whatever comes to mind, don't you? Send me your location and wait.]

[Where are we going?]

[I don't know. We'll just walk around and pop in wherever looks good.]

[Got it.]

Her location pin arrived almost simultaneously with her reply.

She wasn't right around the corner, but she was still fairly close.

She'd been hanging out with her friends around that area quite a bit lately... Had she been purposely making plans around here just so she could meet up with me at a moment's notice?

There was certainly enough evidence to suspect it.

Whatever the case, it didn't really matter to me. Pushing those idle thoughts aside, I stepped into the bathroom for a quick shower.

After getting ready, I packed a change of clothes for Hiyori and headed out the door.