Shikime Natsu first returned to his own dormitory to pick up the fruit, and then took the elevator together with Yamamura Miki and Morishita Ai, heading towards Kamuro Masumi's room.
Standing at the door, Shikime Natsu took out his phone and sent a message to Kamuro Masumi.
[We are outside.]
Not long after, the sound of the lock turning rang out.
The door slowly opened.
Kamuro Masumi was wearing a set of loose beige cotton pajamas. Her usually tied-up long purple hair was now scattered casually over her shoulders. She wore a white mask on her face, revealing only a pair of slightly misty eyes.
Even through the mask, one could faintly see the unnatural flush on her cheeks. Her gaze was also somewhat glazed; clearly, she was still running a fever.
"You guys..."
Kamuro Masumi's voice was a bit hoarse. Being sick was indeed a very uncomfortable thing.
"We came to visit you," Shikime Natsu said with a smile, shaking the bag of fruit in his hand.
Kamuro Masumi nodded and turned her body sideways, making room for them to enter.
"Come in."
Shikime Natsu was the first to walk into the room.
It was about the same as he had imagined; Kamuro Masumi's room style was very simple. After all, Shikime Natsu couldn't imagine his little deskmate living in a room filled with pink.
The girl's room was very tidy, and a faint fragrance permeated the air.
Shikime Natsu placed the fruit and notebook on the table to the side, then turned to look at Kamuro Masumi.
"How is your body feeling? Still have a fever?"
"Mn... I rested for a day, it's much better than this morning."
Kamuro Masumi closed the door and walked somewhat weakly to the bedside to sit down.
"That's good."
Shikime Natsu nodded, then asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
Kamuro Masumi shook her head slightly. The range of motion was very small; it seemed even shaking her head would make her dizzy.
"No appetite... and no energy to make anything."
"That won't do. You need to replenish nutrition even more when you're sick," Shikime Natsu said. "I'll prepare something for you that patients can eat."
He shook his head inwardly. If he had come alone, there wouldn't be a need for all this trouble.
He could have just used the Skill Card: God-Tier Massage Technique directly to unblock her meridians and regulate her Qi and blood. A cold and fever like this could be fixed in minutes, guaranteeing she'd be jumping around lively again.
But...
Shikime Natsu glanced calmly at Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki beside him.
Especially that Morishita Ai, who had just been imagining that he would take advantage of someone in a precarious position.
If he were to perform a full-body massage on Kamuro Masumi right in front of these two... he probably wouldn't be able to clear his name.
Morishita Ai would definitely think he was a pervert taking advantage under the guise of medical treatment.
Kamuro Masumi spoke with some difficulty, "In my refrigerator... there aren't really any ingredients."
Speaking of this, she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Usually, for meals, she either solved it at the school cafeteria or mooched food and drink at Shikime Natsu's dormitory. For her, the refrigerator was just a container used to store beverages and mineral water; she had never thought about stocking up on ingredients.
In contrast, Shikime Natsu, a boy, was more domestic. His 'girl power' was simply off the charts.
This made her feel a burst of inexplicable shame.
"It doesn't matter."
Shikime Natsu seemed to have expected this. He smiled and said, "Then I'll go back to my dorm to get ingredients, and bring them over to cook for you."
Originally, he had thought about cooking directly in his own dorm and bringing it over.
But after thinking about it, he decided against it.
After all, with his culinary skills, the food he made—even if it was just a simple meal for the sick—would be overflowing with fragrance, capable of evoking people's most primal appetite.
If he walked through the corridor and elevator carrying something so fragrant, it would likely attract quite a few troublesome onlookers.
It was safer to bring the ingredients over and cook on-site.
"You two sit here for a while first," Shikime Natsu instructed the other two, then turned and left the room.
...
With the closing of the door, the room fell into silence.
Only Kamuro Masumi, Morishita Ai, and Yamamura Miki were left looking at each other.
The air seemed to have solidified.
Yamamura Miki twisted her fingers somewhat uneasily. she was already not good at this kind of occasion, not to mention the atmosphere now was truly a bit awkward.
She stole a glance at Kamuro Masumi and found that the other party was leaning against the headboard with her eyes closed, resting. She seemed very exhausted.
"Umm... Kamuro-san," Yamamura Miki plucked up her courage and asked in a low voice. "Is there anything you need my help with? By the way, I'll go pour you a glass of water."
Kamuro Masumi opened her eyes and shook her head gently.
"No need, thank you."
Silence again.
After a while, Kamuro Masumi seemed to feel that giving the cold shoulder to guests like this wasn't good, so she took the initiative to speak.
"Thank you both for coming to see me. If I sleep again tonight, I estimate I can recover by tomorrow."
"Is that so..." Yamamura Miki breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a smile. "That really is great."
Kamuro Masumi nodded, but her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the other person.
Morishita Ai.
Since entering the door, this fellow had been standing there, staring straight at her.
That gaze didn't hold any malice, but Kamuro Masumi wasn't used to being stared at like this.
Except by Shikime Natsu.
Actually, Kamuro Masumi and Morishita Ai had crossed paths a bit.
After all, sometimes when Shikime Natsu wasn't around and she was alone, she would occasionally encounter Morishita Ai, who was also alone or with Yamamura Miki.
But it was limited to being nodding acquaintances, or a few simple pleasantries.
After all, Kamuro Masumi wasn't the type of person who could liven up the atmosphere, and Morishita Ai's thought process was too bizarre; Kamuro Masumi often couldn't keep up with her rhythm.
So... when the three were together, it was basically Morishita Ai spacing out alone.
Therefore, the fact that Morishita Ai came to visit her today was purely unexpected.
No, to be accurate, even Yamamura Miki coming was unexpected.
In her imagination, only Shikime Natsu would come.
"Morishita-san," Kamuro Masumi finally couldn't help but ask. "Is there something the matter?"
"No, oh," Morishita Ai shook her head, maintaining a fairly calm expression. "Ah, simply here to look at Kamuro Masumi."
"..."
Kamuro Masumi was stunned.
Simply... here to look?
Could it be that the so-called 'visit' was really just staring with her eyes?
Yamamura Miki at the side was somewhat at a loss. Speaking of which, this was also her first time visiting a sick friend. Because in the past, Yamamura Miki basically had no friends she could visit, nor friends who would visit her...
So, facing the current situation, Yamamura Miki was a little nervous, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would cause trouble for the patient.
If only Shikime-san were still here... she thought silently in her heart.
Kamuro Masumi looked at Morishita Ai's lively eyes.
She seemed to have something she wanted to say, yet said nothing.
Kamuro Masumi truly didn't understand.
If she didn't say it directly, Masumi couldn't understand what Morishita Ai was thinking at all.
Or rather, if Morishita Ai didn't take the initiative to explain, presumably no one in this world could understand what she was thinking.
After all, this was a 'denpa' (electromagnetic wave/eccentric) beautiful girl.
Just when Kamuro Masumi was preparing to give up thinking, Morishita Ai suddenly spoke.
"Morishita Ai is a person with meticulous thoughts."
She said such a sentence out of nowhere.
Then, she took a step forward, leaned in a bit closer, looked into Kamuro Masumi's eyes, and spoke seriously.
"Hesitation leads to defeat, oh."
"...Hah?"
Kamuro Masumi was completely confused.
What did that mean? What hesitation? What defeat? What were they talking about?
However, Morishita Ai had no intention of explaining.
She turned around and said to the bewildered Yamamura Miki, "Visit complete. We will leave first."
"? Leaving already?"
Yamamura Miki froze for a moment, but reacted quickly.
After all, Shikime Natsu had gone to get ingredients. Next would be cooking and taking care of the patient; them staying here wouldn't be of any help and might instead disturb Kamuro Masumi's rest.
"Then... Kamuro-san, rest well. We'll leave first."
Yamamura Miki hurriedly said goodbye to Kamuro Masumi.
Kamuro Masumi nodded. Although her heart was full of question marks, she still said, "Mn, take care."
Just as the two walked out the door, they happened to run into Shikime Natsu, who had returned carrying a bag of ingredients.
"Mn?"
Shikime Natsu looked at the two, somewhat surprised. "Leaving so soon?"
"The things that should be entrusted have been entrusted. Next is Shikime Natsu's task," Morishita Ai said with her hands behind her back, putting on a profound and unfathomable appearance.
She thought silently in her heart:
As expected, Morishita Ai is a person with meticulous thoughts and has seen through everything.
What Kamuro Masumi needs is fundamentally not other people's inquiries about her health, nor any hypocritical polite remarks.
What she needs is merely Shikime Natsu's consolation and company alone.
Superfluous people staying there would only be third wheels.
"Goodbye, Shikime Natsu."
Morishita Ai waved her hand and left first.
Yamamura Miki also nodded to Shikime Natsu and trotted to follow her.
Looking at the backs of the two departing, Shikime Natsu shrugged.
In Kamuro Masumi's room now, finally, only he and Kamuro Masumi remained.
"Alright."
Shikime Natsu closed the door and walked into the room. "You stay in bed and rest at ease. I'll go make you something to eat."
"Mn."
Kamuro Masumi nodded.
She lay back on the bed, pulled up the quilt to cover her body, then turned sideways. Her gaze passed through the room, landing on that back busy in the simple kitchenette.
The sound of chopping vegetables, the sound of running water, and the aroma of food gradually spreading out.
It really is quite a strange feeling...
Clearly, she was just sick, yet it felt as if there was a kind of... reassuring feeling of being treated specially.
Not long after, Shikime Natsu walked over carrying a bowl of steaming hot porridge.
That was a specially made health porridge. Not only was it easy to digest, but it also contained ingredients that could dispel cold and warm the stomach. The fragrance assailed the nostrils, making one's index finger move in anticipation.
Kamuro Masumi smelled the fragrance, and her stomach let out a cry of disappointment.
Face slightly red, she tried to prop up her body, reaching out to take the bowl in Shikime Natsu's hand.
"I'll do it."
"No need."
Shikime Natsu avoided her hand and said with a smile, "Let me feed you. After all, you are a patient; enjoying some privileges is only right."
"..."
Kamuro Masumi froze for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm already mostly better. My hands aren't broken; I can eat by myself."
"Really?"
Shikime Natsu placed the bowl on the bedside table, then suddenly leaned in closer.
"Your face still looks very red."
Before Kamuro Masumi could react, Shikime Natsu's forehead had already gently pressed against hers.
"Wu!"
In that instant, Kamuro Masumi froze completely.
The warm touch transmitted from his forehead, carrying the breath belonging to the boy, instantly invaded her senses.
Her pupils contracted slightly. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, and immediately began to beat frantically.
Thump, thump, thump.
The girl's face became even redder, and she felt as if her whole being was burning.
The face close at hand... those bright eyes reflected her flustered appearance.
At this moment, the girl was both surprised and shy. She had completely not expected that this guy would suddenly make such an intimate move.
Shikime Natsu maintained this posture for a few seconds, feeling the temperature of her forehead, and then slowly pulled away.
Looking at Kamuro Masumi's earlobes which had already turned thoroughly red, he chuckled and said, "Looks like you still have a bit of a fever. The temperature isn't low."
"So... you still need to rest well. You don't need to think about refusing anymore. Be good and open your mouth."
"Ah~"
"..."
Kamuro Masumi was still immersed in that intimate forehead-to-forehead action just now; her brain was a paste.
Just now, the two of them...
Hearing Shikime Natsu's words, she nodded subconsciously.
"Ah—"
Shikime Natsu scooped up a spoonful of porridge, waited for it to cool a little, and sent it to her mouth.
Kamuro Masumi opened her mouth mechanically and swallowed.
Warm, sweet.
It was a delicious taste she had never tasted before.
Just like that, one spoonful after another.
Kamuro Masumi felt her heart was inexplicably messy, like a tangled ball of flax.
But... she was also somewhat happy.
That feeling of being surrounded by gentleness... she really didn't want it to end.
After finishing eating, Shikime Natsu stood up and washed the bowl and utensils.
After doing all this, he returned to the bedside, looking at Kamuro Masumi who had recovered some spirit.
"Masumi, do you need me to give you a massage?" he suddenly proposed.
Kamuro Masumi naturally knew of Shikime Natsu's miraculous massage technique. After experiencing it before, Kamuro Masumi felt all the fatigue in her body disappear, and her condition became quite good.
If he gave her a massage again, perhaps it could really restore her to health directly.
But...
Kamuro Masumi looked at Shikime Natsu, hesitated for a moment, and still shook her head.
"No need."
"Mn?"
Shikime Natsu was somewhat surprised.
"Really no need? You'll feel much more comfortable, you know."
"Compared to that..."
Kamuro Masumi buried her face in the blanket, revealing only a pair of eyes. Her voice came out muffled.
"Can you... stay here and accompany me a little longer?"
Only when she was sick... would the time Shikime Natsu belonged to her be a little more. If he cured her, Shikime Natsu would definitely go back to his room.
Then... it would be Horikita Suzune again, or Kushida Kikyou again.
She now only hoped... that before she fell asleep, Shikime Natsu could stay by her side.
Hearing these words, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.
That Kamuro Masumi, who was always tsundere and awkward, and always had "I don't need it" on her lips... would actually take the initiative to say such words?
It seemed this illness had forced out that little bit of fragility and dependence in her heart.
"Of course I can."
Shikime Natsu smiled gently.
He pulled over a chair and sat down by Kamuro Masumi's bed.
"I'll accompany you right here. I won't go anywhere."
____
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