"It feels a bit tight around the chest."
Haruno tugged at the borrowed outfit, her gaze drifting unconsciously toward Mio.
Unfortunately, the envious look she'd been hoping to provoke never materialized. Instead, Mio's eyes held something else entirely—a strange gleam she couldn't quite place.
Seeming to realize her stare was a tad too brazen, Mio cleared her throat twice and said, "Just bear with it for now, senpai. You'll be home soon enough."
With that, she handed Haruno a bento she'd already prepared. Since Haruno had been watching the entire cooking process, Mio hadn't been able to shape it into a heart—which she found a little regrettable.
Then again, even if she had tried something like that, Haruno was sharp enough that it probably wouldn't have had much effect.
"Thanks. Sure you don't want my driver to give you a ride on the way?"
"No need. It's not far."
"Alright then. I'll return your clothes after I've washed them. Unless you prefer them unwashed?"
"Senpai, do I look like a perverted stalker to you?"
Haruno made a show of studying Mio carefully, then shook her head. "On the surface, no. But who knows what kind of beast lurks beneath that innocent exterior?"
Feeling Mio's gently menacing gaze, Haruno chuckled softly, gave her a little wave, and turned to leave.
The moment she stepped outside the apartment, she spotted the car waiting for her.
After settling into the back seat, the driver remarked, "You seem to be in quite a good mood today, Ojou-sama."
Hearing that, Haruno rubbed her cheeks and murmured, "Is it that obvious? Must be because I actually got a decent night's sleep for once."
"Hm?"
Walking into the classroom, Mio felt like something was off.
She scanned the room and realized what it was—Yui hadn't arrived yet.
There were only five minutes until class. Had she overslept?
Sitting down at her desk, Mio pulled out her phone and texted Yui, asking how much longer she'd be—class was about to start.
But even after the bell rang, Yui still hadn't shown up. Her message remained unread.
Hiratsuka-sensei stepped into the classroom and announced before the lesson began, "Yuigahama isn't feeling well and is taking the day off."
Hearing that Yui had called in sick, Mio immediately connected the dots to last night. If she had to guess, Yui had caught a cold while waiting for her outside in the wind.
She hoped it wasn't too serious.
For once, Mio—who normally spent class time slacking off—switched into serious mode, diligently taking notes throughout the day.
By the time the final afternoon class ended, Mio looked at the pages of dense notes she'd accumulated, closed the notebook, and slipped it into her bag. The moment the teacher dismissed them, she was the first one out the door.
She was heading to Yui's place to check on her.
And to drop off the notes while she was at it.
She'd already texted Chihiro-sensei that morning, asking her to bring Mashiro home after school.
Before long, Mio arrived at Yui's front door.
She pressed the doorbell, and after a moment, the door swung open.
Mama Yuigahama greeted her with a warm smile. "Oh my, if it isn't Mio-chan! Here to see Yui?"
Mio nodded. "How is she?"
"Oh, she's fine, really. Just a small fever. A good night's sleep and she'll be back to normal by tomorrow." Mama Yuigahama seemed to recall something and added, "She actually just woke up. Why don't you go see her? I'll get some tea."
"Thank you."
Mio navigated the familiar route to Yui's bedroom and knocked.
From inside, Yui's weak voice called out, "Come in."
She'd been expecting her mom. But when the door opened, it was Mio standing there instead.
The moment she saw Mio, Yui's instinct was to burrow under the covers.
She already looked frail enough as it was, but on top of that, she was a total mess—not exactly in any state to be seen. Or rather, not in any state to be seen by a certain someone.
Watching Yui's retreat, Mio tilted her head and walked to the bedside. "Yui?"
After a long pause, Yui took a deep breath, poked half her head out from under the blanket, and said in a muffled voice, "Mio, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"I wanted to surprise you~" Mio said cheerfully, leaning in close.
Caught off guard by the sudden proximity, Yui froze. She was still trying to figure out what Mio was doing when she felt their foreheads press together.
With Mio's face mere inches away, Yui could feel her own heartbeat accelerate dramatically.
Mercifully, Mio pulled back after checking her temperature and sat up straight. Yui breathed a sigh of relief—tinged with the tiniest bit of disappointment.
Wait, what am I disappointed about?!
"You still feel a bit warm. Have you taken your medicine?"
"Already took it," Yui said obediently.
"Good. And no more standing outside in freezing weather, okay?"
The mention of last night made Yui even more embarrassed, though her fever-flushed cheeks conveniently hid it.
She forced a calm expression and muttered, "I go out for walks all the time and I'm usually fine. Who knew this would happen?"
At least she hadn't gotten sick on the weekend. Otherwise, her plan to spend time alone with Mio would've gone up in smoke.
"Yui, have you heard of a certain folk remedy for colds?"
Seeing the mischievous grin plastered across Mio's face, Yui immediately caught on to what she was suggesting. Her eyes darted to the bag of get-well gifts Mio had brought, which happened to contain a big green onion.
She had every reason to believe Mio had done that on purpose.
The old her might have been too flustered to respond. But now...
"I've never heard of that one, and I have no interest in trying it. But there is another remedy I've heard about. If Mio would be willing to cooperate, I'd love to give it a shot~"
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