"W-what's wrong?" Ryouka asked, thinking she had said something wrong. She quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe Yūma.
"No, it's nothing..."
He thought to himself. He had fainted because his brain was suddenly overwhelmed with information. How did the doctor conclude 'heatstroke'? Or did he get heatstroke at the same time his brain was overwhelmed?
Oh my god… then this body must be really weak.
"Sorry to trouble you, I'll do it myself," he said.
She stood up. She carefully wiped the wet quilt and his chest.
The two of them were very close. He felt that if he got any closer, his nose would brush against her black hair.
"You're welcome."
She lowered her bright eyes, wiping very carefully. "Today, it's all thanks to you. Otherwise, Ayumu and I would have definitely been deceived by Aihara Yamato..."
"Speaking of which, Ayumu... Matsuzono-kun, where is he?"
"Oh, he said he was hungry and went to find something to eat... Is it wet here?" She had already dried the wet spot on his front.
She began to check the area next to the pillow.
"It shouldn't be here..." he had just finished answering.
She touched the mechanism for the adjustable backrest next to the bed.
He had adjusted the backrest to a 45 degree angle to make himself more comfortable
With a touch from her, the backrest immediately went.... thud flat at 180 degrees.
Yūma was fine; he simply fell back and lay down.
"Ah..." But Ryouka let out a surprised gasp, caught off guard, and her entire weight landed on his chest.
Their chests pressed together...
He recalled this familiar sensation. Before he completely lost consciousness, he felt his cheek buried in something soft...
Which meant...
Facial cleanser?
Speaking of which, don't let her tall and slender figure fool you, as if she's naturally at odds with the word 'plump.' But he had seen her full body in 'doujinshi,' and her chest was quite substantial... No wonder she had such a sensation.
"A-are you okay?" he forced himself to prop up his upper body and ask. Damn it... If this continued, his lower body might also get excited.
"Ryouka-chan, what are you doing?"
She hadn't had time to look up and answer.
At the door of the ward, the questioning voice of her 'childhood friend,' Matsuzono Ayumu , came through.
She sprang up like a startled carp, lifting her head and straightening her entire body as if standing at attention.
"N-nothing..." Her snow-white cheeks were flushed, and as if to convince Ayumu, she stared directly at him, then glanced at Yūma with a tiny bit of peripheral vision. The latter, however, remained exceptionally calm.
"Matsuzono-kun, don't overthink it," Yūma said. "I just accidentally... cough, sprayed some water, and she was helping to wipe it clean, then she accidentally touched the bed's lift switch."
He appeared quite composed, but in reality, after she accidentally had some physical contact with him just now, he had already silently recited the holy scripture five times: "One day, with a blade in hand, I shall slay all the cuckolds in the world."
"Th-that's how it is," she said.
"...Oh, I see," Ayumu chuckled. "I thought Ryouka-chan had a secret crush and was throwing herself at him... Don't let her appearance fool you; she actually has quite a 'hero worship' complex."
"Sh-shut up!" she cursed. "Ayumu, if you talk nonsense again... I'll..."
Wow… this guy.
"A-Andō-kun, why are you looking at me as if I'm trash...?" Ayumu felt that Yūma's gaze was unfriendly.
With this attitude, it's no wonder he'd be cuckolded.
And just now, he let his childhood friend be alone with him, and then he comes back and says such things... During the fight earlier, he relied entirely on her for protection.
Honestly, without this burden, he felt that she could have fought and retreated, been in a dilemma, had nowhere to escape, and then won a great victory against those hooligans...
It seems necessary to give him a good talking-to later.
"Although those people ran away this time, there's no guarantee they won't come back for revenge next time. It's better for you to be careful," he reminded.
Ayumu shrunk his neck, then looked hopefully at her: "...Ryouka-chan, what should we do? Should we call the police?"
"Calling the police now is useless. Before, we could use the 'armed assault' reason, but without catching them in the act, the police would at most give them a verbal warning," Yūma said.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you," she chuckled, her expression very firm. "Just like before."
"Ryouka-chan..."
Her combat power was indeed high, but her naive personality made her too easy to deceive. Otherwise, according to the original plot, she wouldn't have fallen for Aihara Yamato's trap.
Yūma pondered.
And as he pondered, she was also considering something.
"If anything happens, just call me—" he had just spoken, when simultaneously said:
"These days, Yūma-kun will come with me—"
Both stopped speaking at the same time.
After stopping, she was the first to explain, "I'm afraid they'll come looking for trouble with Yūma-kun. Why don't you come with me to and from school these days? We can look out for each other..."
As she spoke, she pursed her lips.
She had also heard what he said.
She hadn't expected that he wouldn't immediately consider his own future safety, but rather worry about her and Ayumu.
He seemed frail, but she hadn't expected...
She clenched her fists.
"B-but Ryouka-chan, you can't handle so many people by yourself, can you?" Ayumu asked with some concern.
"Then it depends on whether you can become stronger, Ayumu."
In contrast, Ayumu seemed to only throw troublesome things at her... Although it had been like this since childhood, she was somewhat used to it, but compared to Yūma-kun's sense of responsibility, Ayumu was somewhat disappointing...
She shook her head, casting aside these random thoughts.
"It's fine, just like today, there will always be a way," Yūma said, lifting the covers and trying to get up.
"...Yūma-kun? Aren't you going to lie down a bit longer?" she asked worriedly.
...He wants to be discharged so soon? Although the doctor said there were no major problems, she felt it would be better to observe him for a while longer.
Or was it that Yūma-kun was more inclined to act tough than he appeared?
"Uh..." he scratched the back of his head while getting dressed, saying a little awkwardly, "...The bed fee is quite expensive, isn't it?"
According to the newly added 'orphan' setting, his family was very poor, barely making ends meet with financial support from his aunt working in Hawaii.
He was truly down and out now.
It seems he still needs to find a way to earn some money...