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Kitahara Makoto felt a slight warmth in his nose and quickly averted his gaze:
"It must have just bitten you; only a little blood came out. Don't worry about it. When you go back, just disinfect it simply with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. If you feel unwell, then go to the hospital, but there won't be any problem."
Leeches actually aren't poisonous; most rural children have been bitten by them, so it's really nothing. They can even be used in medicine. What's truly dangerous are ticks. A bite from one of those can even cost you your life. Don't hesitate, and don't try to handle it yourself; go to the hospital and ask a doctor for help immediately.
"Thank you, Makoto-kun…"
Takamatsu Tomori sat up, her small face red, one hand covering her chest, the other covering her skirt, her eyes shyly flitting about, not daring to look at him.
"Do you want to take off your clothes to dry them?"
Kitahara Makoto asked softly.
"No."
Takamatsu Tomori shook her head quickly.
"If you don't want to take them off, then don't. With the current weather, you shouldn't catch a cold," Kitahara Makoto said quickly, "Tomori-chan, sit here for a while. I'll go get your shoes."
"Please, Makoto-kun…"
Kitahara Makoto waved his hand and turned to walk upstream along the small river.
After walking back about twenty meters, Kitahara Makoto quickly saw two pairs of shoes placed together, which were his and Takamatsu Tomori's shoes.
His gaze fell on Tomori-chan's shoes. Kitahara Makoto hesitated for a moment, then took out her stockings from inside the shoe and quietly slipped them into his pocket.
Tomori-chan said her home was nearby, so she could walk home perfectly fine without stockings.
As for the stockings… it's quite normal for them to be blown away by the wind, isn't it?
A pair of stockings isn't worth much, so Kitahara Makoto naturally felt little burden in taking them. He would buy Tomori-chan two bottles of drinks later as repayment.
Kitahara Makoto picked up both pairs of shoes and returned to Takamatsu Tomori's side: "Tomori-chan, I'm sorry, your stockings are gone."
"Eh?"
Takamatsu Tomori looked up.
Kitahara Makoto said without changing his expression:
"I didn't see the stockings there before; they might have been blown away by the wind."
"Then forget it…" Takamatsu Tomori hugged her knees and replied softly, "I can go home without them."
Good.
The girl's original-scented stockings were successfully acquired.
The two of them sat down on the riverbank, and before they knew it, the sun was setting.
The layers of fiery clouds in the sky were exceptionally brilliant and magnificent.
As night fell, the evening breeze quickly grew chilly.
Looking at Takamatsu Tomori, who was hugging her knees and shivering slightly, Kitahara Makoto asked softly:
"Tomori-chan, do you feel cold?"
"Not cold…"
Takamatsu Tomori hugged her knees, her voice trembling slightly.
Kitahara Makoto: "…"
I didn't realize you had such a stubborn streak. You're already shivering, how could you not be cold!
Although it was early summer, as the sun set, the temperature had quietly dropped. Moreover, Takamatsu Tomori was completely soaked, and now, with the cool breeze on the riverbank, she was gently trembling all over.
"Achoo—"
Takamatsu Tomori covered her mouth and suddenly sneezed.
Then, as if she couldn't stop, she sneezed two or three more times in a row.
Seeing the girl's pale face, Kitahara Makoto frowned slightly: "The temperature has dropped. You're very likely to catch a cold like this."
"Achoo—"
Takamatsu Tomori covered her nose with both hands, her voice already starting to become slightly hoarse:
"It's okay, if I catch a cold, I'll just take medicine."
Kitahara Makoto shook his head and said:
"Medicine can't cure a cold…"
As is well known, the common cold is still considered an 'incurable disease.' Medicine can only alleviate uncomfortable symptoms; ultimately, it relies on the human body to recover on its own. So, once you catch a cold, it usually takes about a week to fully recover.
Kitahara Makoto pondered:
"Tomori-chan, are your parents usually busy with work?"
"Huh?" Takamatsu Tomori tilted her head in confusion and answered honestly, "My dad travels a lot and only comes home once a month. My mom is also often busy with work."
"In that case, it's even more important not to catch a cold," Kitahara Makoto said quickly, "If you catch a cold and get a fever, and your parents aren't around, what will you do by yourself?"
Takamatsu Tomori lowered her eyes, her voice low: "It's okay, I can just tough it out…"
To only think of toughing it out when sick, how pitiful!
Kitahara Makoto hesitated for two seconds, then softly suggested:
"Do you want me to hold Tomori-chan and warm you with my body?"
"..."
Takamatsu Tomori's eyes widened at his words. She looked up at Kitahara Makoto in surprise, then quickly lowered her small head, falling silent.
Kitahara Makoto understood, extended his right hand, and gently put his arm around Tomori-chan's shoulders.
At this time, not refusing clearly meant consent.
"..."
Takamatsu Tomori's body instantly stiffened. Although Kitahara Makoto was only holding her shoulder, it was still an intimacy the girl had never experienced with anyone else.
(Makoto-kun is a friend for life… just holding shoulders, there's no problem…)
Before long, Takamatsu Tomori felt a gentle warmth quietly envelop her, like spring sunshine, exceptionally comfortable. Both her body and spirit warmed up.
"So warm…"
Takamatsu Tomori murmured, unconsciously transforming into a kitten, instinctively rubbing her fair and delicate little face against Kitahara Makoto's shoulder.
Realizing her actions were inappropriate, Takamatsu Tomori quickly stopped her small movements, but the girl's sense of shame couldn't be stopped, and her small face quickly flushed a delicate, vibrant crimson.
"Tomori-chan is really cute."
Kitahara Makoto couldn't help but want to laugh.
But if he were to laugh out loud at this moment, Tomori-chan would definitely run away due to embarrassment.
Sensing the 'little animal' in his arms tense up again, Kitahara Makoto timely changed the subject:
"Tomori-chan, what is that star in the sky?"
As dusk quietly fell, stars began to appear in the night sky one by one.
Takamatsu Tomori looked up, gazing in the direction Kitahara Makoto was pointing, her eyes bright: "That's Venus. It's usually the first to appear in the summer evening, and the last to disappear at dawn, so it's also called the Morning Star."
Kitahara Makoto looked up at the sky, seeing the brilliant expanse of stars, and his entire being felt as if it had broadened: "The stars by the river seem much brighter than in other places."
"That's right," Takamatsu Tomori's voice was light, "That's why I often come to the river alone to watch the stars."
Kitahara Makoto smiled and said:
"Tomori-chan, please tell me where the Big Dipper is?"
"There." Takamatsu Tomori looked up, extending her right hand. The bright cosmos was reflected in the girl's eyes, and she was no longer as silent as before, her voice light and quick, "That's the Big Dipper. It looks very much like a dipper. If you connect the two stars at the head of the dipper and extend the line upwards about five times that distance, that bright star is the North Star."
"Tomori-chan is so amazing."
Kitahara Makoto praised her sincerely.
If you weren't an astronomy enthusiast, you wouldn't know the names of the stars in the sky.
Upon hearing the praise, the girl's rosy lips curved slightly upwards. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly widened her eyes:
"A meteor!"
A faint meteor, trailing a fiery tail, quickly streaked across the night sky.
Takamatsu Tomori clasped her hands together and quickly made a wish.
"Makoto-kun, quickly make a wish."
Making a wish on a meteor, isn't that something only children do?
Kitahara Makoto followed suit, pressing his palms together, momentarily unsure what wish to make, so he casually said, "I hope Tomori-chan is always happy…"
Don't always activate the domain, it's too heavy.
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