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"Do you have a hair dryer at home?" Blake stood up. "If not, I can go grab mine."
"I do," Mahiru Shiina replied, lifting her gaze. "It's in the bathroom cabinet. You'll see it when you open it."
"I'll go get it."
Blake turned and headed for the bathroom.
The moment he stepped inside, a faint scent of body wash drifted into his nose. The floor was still a little damp, the steam not fully gone.
His eyes swept the room out of habit—then, inevitably, landed on the laundry basket.
Inside were the clothes the "angel" had taken off before her bath.
Usually, people take off their outerwear first… then their underwear.
So…
"White… teddy bear?"
Right on top of the pile was a piece of soft cotton fabric embroidered with a cartoon bear—something that looked like it belonged to an elementary school kid.
"Phew…"
Watching Blake disappear into the bathroom, Mahiru clutched her chest and quietly let out a breath.
"This is so strange… Normally, I would never agree to this…"
Her eyes wavered with embarrassment.
"It must be because I have a fever… I'm all out of it, so I just went along with it, right?"
"Calm down…"
"He already helped me walk earlier… letting him dry my hair isn't a big deal, right?"
Just as she was trying to reassure herself, her eyes suddenly widened as a horrifying realization struck her. She almost yelped.
"M-my clothes…!"
Only now did Mahiru realize—after her bath, because she felt so awful, she hadn't tossed her clothes into the washing machine like she usually did.
Which meant…
"M-my panties… did he see them?"
"No, no, no…"
"Please don't let him have seen them…!"
…
The bathroom door opened.
Blake stepped out, holding the hair dryer, his expression completely normal.
"His face looks normal…" Mahiru snuck a glance at him, trying to read his expression through her embarrassment. "So he probably didn't see anything, right?"
If Blake could hear her thoughts, he'd definitely complain.
With something that childish, there was no way it could mess with anyone's moral compass.
"I've got the dryer." He plugged it in and walked behind her. "Shall I start?"
"Please…"
Mahiru's cheeks flushed red as she lowered her head, staring at her toes, too shy to look up.
The dryer roared softly, warm air flowing out.
Blake removed the towel from her head and began drying her hair.
"Mmm…"
As the warmth brushed over her scalp, Mahiru instinctively narrowed her eyes. It felt like the heat was spreading through her whole body.
"So comfortable…"
Time slipped by quietly.
Seeing that she didn't feel like talking, Blake stayed silent, simply focusing on drying her hair.
Her hair was smooth and silky—clearly well cared for—and carried a pleasant fragrance.
After quite a while, by the time his arms were starting to ache, her hair was finally dry.
"No wonder girls take so long to shower… long hair really is a hassle…"
He grumbled to himself, switching off the dryer. Without thinking, he reached out and ruffled her head.
"All done."
Mahiru was small to begin with, and from behind she looked even smaller—almost like something irresistibly cute. And people have a hard time resisting cute things. Like when you see a stray cat on the street—you just want to pet it.
So that head pat had been completely instinctive.
"Sorry." Feeling her body tense up, Blake quickly pulled his hand back and apologized sincerely. "That was just a reflex. I didn't mean to."
Mahiru didn't turn around. After a few seconds of silence, her soft voice came out:
"…It's fine."
Blake let out a quiet breath of relief and set the dryer on the table.
"Want some water?"
"A little… I'm kind of thirsty."
"I'll get it."
…
Watching him head into the kitchen, Mahiru raised her hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Her face looked calm as ever—but if you looked closely, the tips of her ears had already turned red.
"So this is what it feels like… to have someone pat your head…"
She lightly pressed her lips together.
Even though he hadn't asked for permission, for some reason she didn't feel any dislike at all.
If anything, it felt… strangely comforting.
There wasn't much more to say after that.
As her temperature went down, the discomfort faded away. The medicine also had a mild sedative effect, and soon drowsiness crept in. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she couldn't keep them open.
"She fell asleep just like that?"
Blake had just put the dryer away when he came back out and saw Mahiru already asleep on the sofa. Curled up slightly, even in sleep her brows were faintly furrowed, making her look so delicate it stirred something in his chest.
"You really just fall asleep anywhere… at least have some sense of caution…"
He muttered as he grabbed a blanket and gently covered her.
After tidying up, he sat there quietly for a while, then checked her temperature again.
"Good. It's back to normal. She should be fine now…"
Relieved, Blake tore off a sticky note and left a message. He poured her a glass of water, placed the note underneath it, and quietly left.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning—
"Mmm…"
Mahiru slowly opened her eyes, still hazy from sleep.
"Huh… why am I on the sofa…?"
After a few seconds of blankness, her memories from last night came rushing back.
"I took medicine, and then… I just fell asleep?!"
She quickly sat up and checked herself—no pain, no discomfort, her pajamas still perfectly in place. Only then did she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Her cold was basically gone. Her body felt light and full of energy.
Her gaze fell on the phone beside her. She picked it up—and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Seven in the morning already?"
"I actually slept the whole night… unbelievable…"
Her eyes shifted, landing on the glass of water nearby. She picked it up, then noticed the note underneath.
"I've gone back. Doors, windows, water, and electricity are all checked, so don't worry. After you wake up, check your temperature again. If it goes up, don't hesitate—message me right away."
She read the note several times, her soft lips curving into a small smile. Carefully folding it, she took a sip of water.
It was just plain water, but for some reason, it tasted faintly sweet.
Mahiru looked up at the window. Outside, the sky was a clear, calming blue—but in her mind, a certain boy's figure kept surfacing.
They had only known each other for a few days, but she had already noticed so many of his good qualities—patient, attentive, steady… someone you could rely on.
Sure, he teased people sometimes, but it never made anyone dislike him.
And when he helped purify magical power, he could have asked for something in return—but he never did. He never took advantage of anyone.
"What is Blake doing right now? Why can he purify magic? Did he go home really late last night?"
A sentence suddenly surfaced in her mind—
Curiosity is the beginning of falling.
But still…
She couldn't help wanting to know him better.
"....."