Hot for more than one reason.

It wasn't anything super dramatic like my mother abused me orshe cheated on my father.

In fact, looking back, my mother had always been a soft-spoken, kind person. Things weren't

perfect between her and my father, but she was kind to Yuki and me. She would shower me

with praise whenever I did well in whatever I was learning outside of school, and she would

even bake us sweets from time to time. Any regular person would probably think she was a

good mother. My sister and I loved her as well.

…It all began because of something so small—something that would make any ordinary

person say, "Wait. That's it?" Honestly, thinking back, it really was not a big deal at all.

But one day…my mother suddenly stopped looking me in the eye. She used to always look

into my eyes, pat me on the head, and praise me as a kid. "Good job. You must have worked

really hard on that" and "Wow, that's amazing," she would say…until one day, she started

to avoid eye contact. Her once sweet smile became awkward, and that was when I realized

she was forcing herself to act this way. I thought maybe I wasn't doing enough. I had to work

harder. If I did better, then surely she would be genuinely happy for me from the bottom of

her heart.

Hey, Mom. Look. My flower arrangement teacher said I did a really good job. I got my

black belt in karate, too. I've already studied ahead with these books that middle schoolers

use, and I know you like piano, so I—

"Stop! Just stop!"

…That look in her eyes. That wasn't what I wanted to see. All I wanted was to—

"Mmm…" Masachika groaned, feeling abnormally hot all over.

"Oh…"

He stirred in his bed, and just that slight movement made his entire body and head ache.

He was miserable. He'd had a bad feeling last night, and it turned out his gut was right. He

had a cold. A sore throat was the least of his problems because he felt like a sack of potatoes.

He definitely had a fever. That was when the alarm by his bedside started to ring,so he turned

it off by dropping his heavy arm onto it. He grabbed his phone, which was lying there as

well, then rolled onto his right side. A sharp pain shot through his arm and shoulder, but it

was still far better than having to lift his arm.

"This isn't going to work…"

After turning on his phone, he decided to call school to tell them he was going to be

absent today, but he didn't know the school's phone number. He felt like he wrote it down

somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. I guess I'll just search for it online, he thought,

but even that became far too aggravating to handle right then.

"Takeshi… No, Hikaru."

He thought about which of his friends he could ask to relay the message to their

homeroom teacher and decided he could trust Hikaru more for some reason. He imagined

Takeshi screaming, "What the hell, man?!" But he didn't care. He didn't have enough energy

to care.

"…Hello? Masachika?"

"Hey… Sorry about the random call. I caught a cold."

"What? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, but I can't make it to school today. Do you think you could tell our

homeroom teacher for me?"

"Sure, no problem. How about I stop by your place after school? You're the only one

home these days, right?"

"Don't worry about it. I already have someone else who can stop by to check up on me."

"If you say so. Take care and rest well."

"Thanks."

After hanging up, he used what little energy he had left to text Yuki.

> Sorry. I caught a cold.

> Do you think you could ask Ayano to get me some medicine?

Right after he sent the second message, he feebly dropped his phone before rolling onto

his back.

"Sigh…"

He would kill for a glass of water at the very least, but even getting out of bed was too

much work. Fortunately, however, he still felt tired, so he decided to go back to sleep.

…I feel like I was having a terrible dream before waking up a second ago.

Perhaps it had something to do with running into his mother the previous day for the

first time in forever. He felt as if he'd had an old recurring dream that he'd chosen to repress.

Now that I think about it, I've been remembering a lot of old things lately.

The memories of when he was Masachika Suou were something he wanted to seal away

and forget forever. Remembering all the bad things and sadness he endured tore at his heart.

Maybe it's actually because I'm trying not to remember any of it.

He tried to never think about the details of what happened in the past. He stopped himself

whenever he almost did, in fact. But the truth was, they weren't all bad memories. At least,

that's what he believed. But if he tried to remember the good things, his mind would remind

him of when he said good-bye to his mother…and what happened with that little girl that

day. That was why he had to seal away all his memories in the darkest recesses of his heart.

Eventually, the past = bad in his mind, and that belief only grew stronger every time he tried

to look away from it.

They say anger and hate slowly fade with time, but they don't completely go away.

If anything, he still felt deep sadness and pain from his past, despite his memories slowly

dissipating. Nevertheless, he no longer knew where the pain and sadness came from. Even

now, whenever he tried to remember the past, his brain wouldn't let him. The fear of facing

whatever happened to him prevented him from so much as putting a hand on the lid sealing

away his memories.

Sigh… Whatever.

Even using his brain became tiring, so he forced himself to stop thinking. There was no

reason to do something that was going to make you more depressed, especially when you

were already sick. He simply happened to run into his mother the previous day. He wasn't

planning on facing her now or ever. The past wasn't worth remembering, for the memories

of Masachika Suou were of no use to Masachika Kuze. That was what he told himself as

he fell back asleep.

Ding-dong.

"Mmm…?"

Masachika woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. Although his mind was hazy, he

figured it was either Yuki or Ayano at the door, but then he realized that Yuki had a key

to the house. She and Ayano wouldn't need to ring the doorbell. Plus, if he wasn't hearing

things, then maybe that wasn't the doorbell to his house. It sounded more like the buzzer at

the entrance to the apartment building. Even if Yuki rang the doorbell to tell him she was

here, why would she be trying to get him to buzz her in at the entrance?

"Did I order something…?"

He tried to roll his sluggish body out of bed, but he depleted every bit of energy he had

the moment he rolled onto his side. The thought of pretending not to be home crossed his

mind, but the bell immediately rang once more.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm coming…"

Masachika fired himself up and managed to slide out of bed, figuring he should probably

get up and walk around at least once that day. However, every step was like taking a hit to

the head, making him grimace as he made his way to the intercom…but when he saw who

was on the screen, he honestly believed he was seeing things.

"Huh?!"

But there was no way to mistake that silver hair, those blue eyes, and that otherworldly

beauty. Alisa, dressed casually, was standing at the entrance to the apartment complex.

"…Huh? Why is she…?"

Masachika couldn't recall ever telling her his address. Of course, he had never invited

her to his house, either. Questions flitted through his mind, but he had only a few seconds to

buzz her in before running out of time, so he pushed the answer button.

"…Alya?"

"Oh, Kuze? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Wait… Did Yuki tell you what happened?"

"She told me you had a fever and couldn't get out of bed, so she asked me if I could

bring you some medicine…"

"Oh, all right… Let me buzz you in."

"Okay. Thanks."

He pressed the unlock button and watched until Alisa safely stepped inside the apartment

complex. After returning to his room, he grabbed his smartphone off the bed, turned it on,

and saw a message from Yuki pop up on the screen… He instantly tossed the phone back

on the bed.

> Hey, what's the problem? A silver-haired maiden's about to

nurse you back to health. You're welcome.

The message was accompanied by a grinning emoji.

"You could have at least told me before she got here… Gaaah…!" shouted Masachika

weakly, taking his frustrations out on Yuki as he threw himself facedown onto the bed. While

he honestly just wanted to stay like that for the rest of the day, he felt he had to at least wash

his hands before Alisa came inside, so he mustered up every last bit of strength he had and

headed to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he'd just begun to wash his hands when the

doorbell rang, so he clung to the wall and dragged his feet to the front door. He was wearing

pajamas and had bedhead so messy it was a surprise no birds had made a nest in it yet, but

he was far past caring anymore. It is what it is, he thought.

"Coming…"

He had slid his feet into his slippers and was reaching for the doorknob when he realized

he probably should wear a mask.

Wait… Where'd I put my mask?

Nevertheless, his hesitation quickly passed because he couldn't make Alisa wait any

longer, so he unlocked the door before modestly cracking it open.

"Alya…? Thanks…for taking time out of your day…to do this for me…"

He peeked through the crack in the door, using it as a shield, but even holding the door

slightly open like this honestly felt like heavy labor to him. He had to bear with it for her

sake, though. Alisa's eyes, however, fluttered in what seemed to be surprise, which might

have been Masachika's fault for showing his face at all.

"Yeah, it's…it's fine. You look worse than I was expecting, though."

"…I bet you were thinking, 'Even an idiot can catch a cold, huh?'"

"Not at all."

Alisa softly sighed because he was still cracking jokes, even at a time like this. She then

gestured to the bag in her hands.

"Can I come in for a little bit?"

"Huh? Oh, you shouldn't. I'll just take the medicine and…"

"…Yuki asked me to stay with you for a while and take care of you," admitted Alisa

almost reluctantly as she slightly pouted.

My dear, dear sister… I do not mind that you have the brain of an otaku, but I wish you

would keep other people out of your schemes…

Masachika instinctively began complaining to Yuki in his mind.

"<Sorry. That was a lie.>"

Oh. Apologies, Yuki. Looks like you were framed.

Alisa glanced at him, fidgeting with her hands as he inwardly apologized to his sister.

Yuki was used as a scapegoat so Alisa could hide her embarrassment.

"But really, I should be fine. All I need is to take some medicine and get some sleep."

"You still need to eat something, right? Are you telling me you're feeling good enough

to cook for yourself?"

"Oh, right… I don't want you to catch my cold, though."

"Don't worry. I brought a mask."

She took a mask out of the bag and put it on, but Masachika had mixed feelings about

how thoroughly prepared she was. She was perfect, even at a time like this.

I mean, she's right. She's doing the right thing, but…

What was this feeling of disappointment? It felt as if his body had become a filthy

pathogen, and his thrilling fantasy of being pampered by a sexy nurse had transformed into

something more innocent and medical.

I was a fool for ever believing the most beautiful girl in class would pamper me!

Masachika stared off into space, once again realizing that fantasies born from 2D worlds

were nothing like reality.

"Besides, I brought a lot with me, and I'd rather not have to lug it all back," argued Alisa,

lifting the bag filled to bursting with various items. It looked like she had brought food in

addition to medicine. Telling her to go home after carrying all this here on a hot day would

be a sin, regardless of whether Masachika had asked her to or not.

"All right… I guess I could use a little help if that's okay with you…"

He gave up and welcomed her inside, since he was both physically and mentally at his

breaking point.

"Thanks."

But right as Alisa stepped inside and the door shut, Masachika suddenly couldn't relax

anymore. The chirping of the cicadas outside receded until the inside of his house was

drowning in palpable silence. The fact that he was home alone with a girl was really sinking

in, and even something as innocent as locking the door started to feel wrong.

"Kuze."

"Y-yeah?"

"Here, put on a mask."

"Oh… Right…"

Despite feeling somewhat nervous, his expression turned dead serious the moment she

handed him a mask. It felt like she was saying, "Put on a mask, you filthy scum." Of course,

Alisa would never really think something like that. At any rate, he still felt that masks were

the enemy of romantic comedy scenes.

You can't kiss if you're wearing a mask… Now that I think about it, having half your

face covered basically kills any chance of a game or movie even being a romantic comedy…

Wait. There have been some heroines as of late who have had their entire faces hidden behind

masks. But even then, these heroines are cute because anime and comics can use effects and

whatnot to make them expressive, even when you can't see their faces, but it'd be terrifying to

actually see an expressive mask in real life. Anyway, if you're going to cover your face, then

I definitely prefer a blindfold over the eyes more than a mask over the mouth. If Alisa were

actually blindfolded, I'd look and feel like a criminal, and I don't even want to talk about the

fanfics that would be written about her, and what am I even thinking about anymore?

Masachika's nerdy imagination ran wild as he put his mask on, standing in a bit of a

daze and swaying slightly.

"Kuze? Are you okay?" she asked with a worried expression.

"Now I get it… You get a sense of guilty pleasure because it seems bad. It's the thrill

of doing wrong. I guess that's just another thing that makes blindfolded heroines better."

"…You're definitely not okay."

"…I agree."

Feeling embarrassed by her pitying gaze, Masachika decided it was best to take Alisa to

the living room before he said anything worse.

"This is the sink, and this is the toilet. And that…don't go in there. That room over there

is my room… And this is the living room. Just put your stuff down wherever you want. Oh,

and there's some water and barley tea in the fridge if you're thirsty. Grab a cup and help

yourself. Any questions?"

"I'll let you know if I have any. Anyway, you really should lie down and get some rest."

"Yeah, I think I'll take you up on that offer…"

He was quick to agree, since simply standing was hard enough for him, and he headed

back to his room. After collapsing onto his bed, he reached to move his smartphone out of

the way…and it suddenly started vibrating. Another text message from Yuki popped up on

the screen.

> Stop imagining Alya in a blindfold.

"What the hell? Is she psychic?" muttered Masachika, wondering how her timing could

have been so perfect, unless she really could read minds. His phone suddenly vibrated once

more.

> This isn't mind reading. It's just love.

"How do you say something like that without dying of embarrassment?"

> How do you complain to a phone like that without dying of

embarrassment?

"You little…! There's no way you're not reading my mind! Damn esper!" barked

Masachika, straining his throat and immediately coughing.

> Your throat must be hurting. Don't scream too much, okay?

"…"

> By the way, only a nerd would use the word esper. Most

people probably don't even know what that is.

Masachika tossed his phone somewhat roughly toward the bedside, not even in the mood

to argue with an inanimate object anymore, and pretended to not see a message that suddenly

popped up saying, Ouch! She was far too good at knowing what her older brother was

thinking, and they weren't even twins.

I need to check my room for hidden cameras and bugs later…

He rolled onto his back with that decision in mind.

"Kuze? Can I come in?"

"Hmm? …Sure," he replied after taking a sweeping glance of his room and checking if

there was anything embarrassing lying around.

I should be fine. I don't keep dirty magazines under my bed like they do in comics for

boys, and I don't have any picture framessuggestively placed facedown like they do in comics

for girls.

If someone searched his closet, they might find something that suggested he used to be

a part of the Suou family, but there was nothing like that in plain sight, since Masachika

himself obviously didn't want to be reminded.

"Okay. I'm coming in."

Alisa was holding an unfamiliar water bottle when she hesitantly stepped into the room,

and she held it out to him after she had a hard time finding a place to put it.

"Here. I brought you some tea with honey if you want it."

"Oh, thanks. Sorry, but do you think you could pull out that thing with a knob on my

desk? Looks like a shelf. It turns into a side table…"

She pulled the shelf on wheels out of the study desk, then rolled the side table next to

the bed before placing the water bottle on it.

"So, uh… Do you want anything to eat? If you are feeling well enough to eat, of course."

"Yeah, sure. You don't have to be so nervous, by the way."

"I'm not nervous… I'm just feeling a little restless," she claimed, her eyes wandering.

"<And it smells like teenage boy in here, too…,>" she added in a whisper.

That's notsomething you should whisper! And don't act bashful aftersaying that, either!

Alisa began to anxiously play with her hair while glancing at Masachika, making him

feel uncomfortable as their interaction morphed into a rom-com.

"So, uh… Which do you prefer? Porridge or borscht?" she asked shyly.

"Nobody has ever asked me that before," joked Masachika with a straight face, taken

aback by the bizarre, seemingly mismatched options. Alisa pouted somewhat and rambled:

"Borscht is really good for you, you know? You boil the vegetables until they're really

soft, so it's really easy to eat, even if you're sick. Plus, it has garlic and onions, which can

boost your immune system. And beets are great for your digestive system, so—"

"All right, all right. I get it. You're starting to sound like some little old lady from the

countryside."

"…"

Although that was a pretty rude thing to say to a young lady her age, Alisa fell silent

as if she was at a loss for words. Perhaps she really did learn all that from her grandmother

in Russia.

"So? Which is it going to be?"

"Well, it's not often I get offered borscht, so let's go with that…"

"…Okay. It should be ready in four hours, so—"

"You're asking me to wait four hours? Four whole hours?" he exclaimed after hearing

what he thought must have been a joke, but she frowned as though she was dead serious.

"I mean, a lot of ingredients go into making borscht… I could make it quicker if I used

a pressure cooker, but that's sacrilege."

"Yeah, I wouldn't even know the difference. Anyway, if that's the case, I'm fine with

regular ol' porridge. Oh, sorry. I mean, as long as you don't mind making it, because I feel

really guilty about asking you to cook for me…"

Even speaking started to hurt, his voice gradually weakening before he collapsed

lethargically back down onto the bed.

"All right. I'm going to use your kitchen to make you some porridge, okay?"

"Thanks…," he muttered somewhat lifelessly, watching Alisa open the door to hisroom,

take out her phone, and type something. He followed the movement of her fingers…and

narrowed his eyes, pulling his lips back.

"She is legit looking up how to make porridge…," said Masachika unenthusiastically

after Alisa left.

All you do is cook rice in water or soup stock, then add some salt, right? Surely there's

no way you could mess that up.

At least, that's what Masachika thought.

"Ohhh… You flavor it with salt, not sugar? I guess that makes sense. This isn't kasha,

after all," Alisa mused to herself.

Okay, she could definitely mess it up. Big-time. Kasha is one of Russia's versions of

porridge, where oatmeal or buckwheat groats are used instead of rice, milk instead of soup

stock, and sugar instead of salt. Therefore, Alisa made the right choice looking up how to

make Japanese porridge. One mistake could have led to a truly bizarre conversation.

"Blech! You used sugar instead of salt!"

"Yes. Of course I did. So what?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Hmm… So if I use one of these microwavable rice packets…can I just dump it into the

pot? …Wait. I should probably microwave it first."

With a smartphone in one hand, Alisa placed one of the rice packets she bought into

the microwave.

"'With plenty of water'? How many liters is 'plenty'?" she muttered in annoyance at the

vague instructions, referencing a few different recipes and filling the pot with water.

"Oh, the rice is done… Ouch, ouch, ouch! That's hot! Ow, ow, ow!"

Not only was she startled by how hot the rice packet was, but the instant she peeled off

the top, she was hit with a gust of hot steam, startling her once more. She managed to bring

the rice packet over to the pot by holding the edges, but she was in such a fluster to rid herself

of the hot food that she tilted it too far sideways, causing the entire pack of rice to fall into

the pot as if it were a giant rice ball, splashing water into the air. And because she held the

pack right in front of herself, some water splashed onto her stomach as well.

"…"

Drops of water splattered about the kitchen, and her clothes were wet enough that she

would have trouble brushing off any suspicion if Masachika asked her what happened. She

looked hard at herself, frozen in place…until she eventually lifted her head slowly and wiped

her clothes and the kitchen dry with a handkerchief.

"I'm fine. I just need to put on an apron, and problem solved."

Alisa pulled an apron out of her bag, swiftly slipped into it, and began cooking once

more as though nothing had happened. "How did that solve anything?" one might wonder,

but perhaps she was referring to saving her dignity, because Masachika wouldn't be able to

tell that she had spilled water on herself now.

"…How much water did I lose from that?"

Once again, she found herself worried about the amount of water in the pot. Only after

adding what appeared to be an adequate amount back did she turn on the stove.

"…"

She put the lid on the pot, waiting for it to cook. Waiting. Waiting.

"…Is this really all I had to do? I feel like I'm forgetting something…"

Alisa started to grow somewhat anxious with nothing to do but wait, so she decided to

remove the lid and stir the pot again for no particular reason, then began to go over the recipe

once more to make sure she didn't miss anything.

"'Until it thickens'? Thickens how much? They could have at least been more specific,

like, 'Until there's no liquid left.'"

She continued to mumble to herself until she eventually finished cooking the porridge.

"This looks about right…I guess?"

After pouring the porridge into a bowl, she topped it off with long onions (which took

her an entire five minutes to dice), then grabbed a spoon and the saltshaker so Masachika

could make it as salty as he wanted.

Why is there a dent here?

But when she arrived in front of his room, she wondered why there was a small dent

underneath the doorknob before stepping inside.

"Kuze, I brought you some porridge."

"Oh… Thanks."

Masachika was lying limply over the bed, his voice slightly hoarse and eyes somewhat

hazy. He was uncharacteristically showing Alisa his weaker side. And because of that…

I want to rub his head until he falls asleep…

Her maternal instincts kicked in, but she immediately trashed that idea, crushing it into a

million pieces before they drifted off into the dark depths of her mind. And during that time,

Masachika slowly raised his right hand and gave her a thumbs-up.

"An apron, huh? …Nice."

"…Sounds like you're feeling better already," barked Alisa with disgust, thankful that

her mask was covering her lips and cheeks as she walked over to his bedside… Little did she

know, her ears, which weren't hidden behind a mask, were completely red as well. Masachika

obviously noticed.

"Are you well enough to eat?"

"Yeah… I think."

He shuffled his body until he could sit up and dangle his legs off the side of the bed.

After tiresomely ripping the mask off his face, he grabbed the spoon next to the porridge.

"…You're not going to blow on my porridge to cool it down for me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"…I was joking," said Masachika awkwardly before thanking her one more time and

taking a bite of his meal.

"…It's good," he softly muttered to Alisa, who was sitting in his chair watching him.

"Good."

She didn't really know what made rice porridge good or bad or if there even was such a

thing as good porridge. Nevertheless,she was glad he didn'tsay it tasted awful. She continued

to watch him eat for the next few minutes until she realized how uncomfortable it must be to

be stared at while eating. She shifted her gaze and focus to his room.

"…"

The first thing she noticed was how (surprisingly) clean his room was. He didn't have

much stuff, to be more precise. Despite always claiming to be a nerd, he didn't have a huge

bookshelf stuffed with comics and light novels, nor did he have anime figures on his desk.

In fact, there was almost nothing like that in sight, save for a few comics stacked on his

study desk.

"…All my nerdy stuff is in another room," interjected Masachika as if he knew exactly

what she was thinking.

"O-oh."

Alisa awkwardly looked forward and promptly tried to change the subject.

"So… Where are your parents?"

It was a question that had been on her mind for a while now.

"My dad's at work, and I don't have a mother."

"Huh…?"

"Oh, it's not like it's a secret or anything, but it's just me and my dad here," he casually

added.

"Oh… I had no idea…"

She seemed to be shaken up a little, but Masachika sluggishly continued to talk as if it

wasn't a big deal.

"It's not like she's dead. My parents are divorced, just like plenty of people nowadays."

"Yeah…"

Despite probably feeling awful due to hisfever, he stillspoke of his mother asthough she

was a pain in his ass, and it made Alisa feelsomewhatsad. Only now had she realized why his

grandfather came to the parent-teacher conference the day before, and she was disappointed

in herself because she believed she was sharper than that. And at the very same time, she was

shocked because she suddenly realized she didn't know Masachika that well, after all.

I didn't know when his birthday was until the other day, now that I think about it…

She hadn't known his birthday, even after sitting next to him for over a year, and she'd

never thought about his family situation until he brought it up. Coming to this harsh reality

only made Alisa more disappointed in herself. And seeing that it wasn't a secret, it would be

safe to assume his childhood friends Yuki and Ayano already knew. Just the thought of them

celebrating his birthday in this lonely house while she was left in the dark filled her with

frustration, but perhaps she would have never known about Masachika's family situation if

Yuki hadn't asked her to check up on him. So perhaps she should be grateful and thank Yuki

instead…as much as she didn't want to.

Once Kuze gets better, I'm going to start talking to him more to get to know him better.

Right when she secretly came to that decision, Masachika finished his porridge.

"Masha made that tea, by the way, so I'll pass along your appreciation."

"Thanks."

"Now for your medicine. Oh, wait. Maybe you should change first?" she suggested after

noticing how sweaty and messy his pajamas were.

"Come on, Alya. What kind of fan service would this be if you weren't the one

undressing me and wiping the sweat off my body?" jested Masachika.

"Stop joking around and get changed already. I'll go get you a glass of water and your

medicine."

"…Yes, ma'am."

"Do you need a towel and some hot water?"

"Nah, I'll just use these pajamas to wipe off the sweat."

"Okay… Oh, where do you keep your thermometer, by the way?"

"It's…"

After learning where they kept the thermometer, Alisa took his empty bowl and spoon

to the kitchen sink, where she washed them, but right when she was going to put them on

the rack to dry…

"Oh…"

She found the mug she gave him for his birthday.

He's actually using it…

It warmed her heart. Her hand naturally grabbed the cup as she grinned bashfully from

ear to ear. An entire ten seconds went by before she suddenly came back to her senses and

put the cup back down quickly. Her eyes darted to her left, then right, confirming that no

one had seen her. After clearing her throat for no good reason and calming herself down,

she filled a glass with water and grabbed the medicine along with a few other items before

heading back to his room.

"Can I come in?"

"…Come in."

When she stepped inside the room, Masachika had already changed into a different pair

of pajamas and was waiting for her, sitting on the edge of the bed. The freshly stripped

pajamas he had been wearing were nowhere in sight, but perhaps he hid them in fear that

she'd see such an embarrassing monstrosity.

"Here, this is your medicine, and this is one of those cooling patches you put on your

forehead… And here's your thermometer."

"Thanks."

Masachika placed the thermometer under his armpit, then washed down the medicine

with a glass of water. After a few seconds went by, the thermometer beeped, so he reached

to pull it out…and a mischievous smirk suddenly curled his lips.

"Want to take a guess at my temperature?"

"Just show me the thermometer."

"Mmm… Fine. I'll guess! Let's go with…38.4 degrees Celsius!"

"…"

"Ugh! I was so close! Looks like I've got a 38.6-degree fever. Cough! Hack!"

"Stop playing around and get some sleep."

"Cough! Ngh… Fine."

After Alisa combed back his bangs, she stuck a cooling gel sheet on his forehead, and he

collapsed onto the bed with a thud. He squirmed around for a bit to get comfortable, pulled

the mask back over his nose, then relaxed every muscle in his body.

"…I really appreciate everything you're doing for me today. Seriously. I'll pay you back

once I get better. Just leave the receipts on my desk."

"Don't worry about it."

"No, I need to pay you back. Please."

"Okay, okay. Whatever you want."

"Thanks. Now…I should get some sleep. You can go home now. The key should be…"

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be in the living room studying."

"What? You don't need to stay here anymore. You—"

"You're sick. Stop worrying about me and get some sleep."

"Okay…"

She turned off the lights, and Masachika closed his eyes in resignation, but after a few

moments went by, he heard what sounded to be Alisa's footsteps walking back to his room.

She probably came back for the cup and thermometer…

Or so he thought, up until the moment he heard a chair squeak nearby, contrary to his

expectations, and it was followed by a hand gently patting his chest in a rhythmic manner,

like a mother trying to soothe her child to sleep.

"…Alya?"

"What?"

"This is kind of embarrassing," was what he wanted to say after instinctively opening

his eyes, but he held his tongue the moment he saw her piercing gaze.

"Thank you…for so much. That's all."

"It's the least I can do… You're always helping me, after all…"

"Not as much as you help me."

He closed his eyes once more after adding, "Like when I forget my textbooks," and

instantly felt the land of dreams rapidly pulling him into another world, perhaps thanks to

Alisa's hand gently tapping his chest.

"That's nothing compared to how much you have helped me with the election… And

that's far from the only time you've been there for me. You—"

"You don't need to thank me… I only do these things…because I want to," he whispered,

almost completely out of it. That was the end of the conversation. It was time to sleep,

believed Masachika, but Alisa was still saying something, much to his surprise.

"Because you want to? What does that mean?"

"Hmm? What…?"

"Why do you always help me?"

"That's because…I…"

"…Kuze?"

"…"

Alisa was asking him a question he knew he had to answer, but he couldn't overcome

the sandman dragging him down, so he let go of his consciousness. But right as he was about

to pass out, he heard these words:

"Good night…Kuze."

"Nngh…"

When Masachika finally awoke, it was pitch-black outside.

"Ah…"

He felt a lot better already, perhaps thanks to the medicine. While his senses were still

slightly dulled and his mind foggy, it might have been because he slept too much. When he

looked up at the clock, it was already past eight, which meant he had been in dreamland for

over five hours. It became clear to him that he had snoozed way too long after he added in

the hours he had already slept that morning.

Alya must have already gone home…right?

But before he left his room to check, he grabbed his phone out of habit and curiously

raised an eyebrow. There were two messages from Yuki displayed on his lock screen: Did

you order a maid? and Sent you a ticking time bomb. BOOM! ☆

Masachika instantly started to worry. His gut twisted as he opened the door to his

room…and he immediately imagined himself in a different world in an attempt to escape

reality…because two beautiful young women were quietly…oh so quietly glaring at each

other in the living room.

I see… So this is what a cold war is like. I had no idea Russia and Japan were about

to go at it again.

Only his absurd imagination was keeping him from breaking down, but he was too loud

when he opened the door. The two girls in the living room looked over in his direction and

greeted him, dragging him back to reality whether he liked it or not.

"Kuze, are you sure you had enough rest?"

"How do you feel, Sir Masachika?"

One was Alisa, and the other was a young lady who usually always had her hair down

sloppily covering her face at school but now had it neatly tied up, exposing her face, and

was fully equipped (?) in a maid uniform: Ayano. Incidentally, her maid uniform was frilly,

like one of those so-called maid uniforms you would see in Akihabara, but this wasn't the

Suou family staff's official uniform. This was something she wore because Yuki wanted her

to. The Suou family staff's official uniform was far simpler. They didn't even wear those

frilly headbands. Ayano only ended up with this outfit because Yuki went straight to her

grandfather and demanded, "Young women should wear cuter clothes!" Her grandfather

reluctantly agreed but only if Yuki promised Ayano would not dress like that when they had

guests over. Therefore, Ayano's maid uniform was something Yuki fought for. That was

how much it meant to her.

It is a cute uniform, but there's a time and a place for it…and that place isn't here or

now.

Masachika's eyes unfocused, staring into the distance after seeing Ayano dressed as

a maid for the first time in a long time. Meanwhile, Ayano, who was sitting across from

Alisa, stood swiftly and silently from her chair and slipped under his arm like some sort of

teleporting wizard.

"Allow me to lend my shoulder."

She was under his right armpit before he realized it, with her left arm wrapped around

his waist and her right hand on his chest.

"Come on, now. I can walk on my own."

"I do not want you overdoing it."

He tried to walk away, but Ayano immediately tightened her arm around him, stiffly

pressing herself against his right side.

"You need to relax, Ayano. You're making me feel like some underground syndicate's

boss who sexually harasses his slaves."

"You're the one who needs to relax, Kuze… Ahem. Let go of him already."

"I will not. It is my duty as a maid to take care of him."

"You're Yuki's maid, not his."

Ayano immediately froze…allowing Masachika to softly slip away. However…

"Lady Yuki gave me orders to take care of Sir Masachika, so it has become my duty

to take care of him."

Ayano squeezed him in her arms once more as if to say, "I won't let you escape!" Alisa's

eyebrow suddenly twitched.

"Therefore, I will be taking over from here. You may go now. It is late, so I will have

the Suou family driver take you home."

Ack! I know she probably means well, but the way she said that sounds like she's trying

to start a fight!

"It's getting late, so you should probably go home and get some sleep. I can handle the

rest," was what Ayano probably meant, but thanks to her detached tone and the fact that she

was holding Masachika tightly in her arms, you could also interpret her words as, "You're

of no use now that I'm here. The driver's already waiting for you outside, so hurry up and

get out of here."

Alisa raised her eyebrows sharply before fixing Ayano with a fierce glare, but Ayano

stared right back at her without blinking.

Wait… Ayano did mean well when she said that…right?

Wouldn'tshe look more confused ifshe meant well? You wouldn't glare back atsomeone

like this, right? Hold on… Is there going to be a bloodbath? Did I walk into a battle zone?

Right asthe suspicionsstarted popping into Masachika's mind, he suddenly remembered

the second message Yuki had sent him: Sent you a ticking time bomb. BOOM! ☆

Were the chills running down his spine caused by his cold…or was it something else?

"Besides, shouldn't you be preparing for tomorrow?" added Ayano.

"…"

Alisa's eyebrow twitched again…but Masachika had no idea what Ayano was talking

about.

"Tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow?"

"Nothing. It's a school day. That's all," replied Alisa quickly, talking over him, but her

answer didn't really make him less concerned. However…

"Kuze, who do you want to stay here to take care of you?"

A small question instantly came to mind.

What kind of question is that?!

It was a question that led nowhere good, and it made Masachika inwardly scream.

I'm more used to Ayano taking care of me, and I feel guilty for keeping Alya this long

already, so my answer is Ayano…but that's not what kind of question this is, is it?

This wasn't about logic or reasoning. Women want to hear how you really feel about

them when they ask you questions like this, and Masachika knew that.

How do I really feel? What do I want?

He spaced out somewhat, as if his fever was slowly returning, and he asked his heart

what it wanted—what it desired. Whom did he want to stay with him? That answer was

simple and naturally rolled off his tongue.

"I want a harem."

Dammit! I forgot I was human garbage! recalled Masachika suddenly as the light in

Alisa's eyes vanished.

"Oh, uh. No. What I meant was, uh…"

"…"

"Very well. Shall I call for Lady Yuki?"

"No!"

"Lady Alisa, could you support Masachika's left side for me?"

"I don't need anyone supporting anything."

"You do not need to be embarrassed. We understand that all men desire to impregnate

as many women as possible."

Ayano's eyes were crystal clear, a complete reverse of Alisa's.

"I know your heart'sin the right place, but do you think you could stop making me sound

even worse than I already do?!"

His painful shout was met with Alisa's deep sigh, which tickled his ear and made him

jump.

"I suppose there's nothing to worry about if you're feeling good enough to scream that

much."

"Huh? Alya?"

"I'm going home. I made you some borscht, so feel free to help yourself whenever you

get hungry."

"B-borscht? Oh, is that what that smell is?"

Masachika looked around the living room as an aroma filled the air. Alisa quietly nodded,

then picked up her belongings and started to walk out.

"A-Ayano? I'm having a hard time walking with you holding me like that, so do you

think you could let go?"

"…Very well."

After finally managing to break free from Ayano, he followed Alisa before stopping at

the front door and apologizing.

"I'm really sorry, especially since you came all the way here to help me… Anyway, I

really appreciate what you did for me today. Thanks."

Her expression softened.

"It's fine… I helped you…because I wanted to, too."

"Hmm? 'Too'?"

"…Don't worry about it."

She shifted her gaze away from his curious expression and locked eyes with Ayano, who

was standing diagonally behind him.

"Take good care of Kuze for me."

"I will."

She bowed slightly to Ayano before looking at Masachika again.

"…?"

Alisa's eyes. Her eyes harbored a strong will, as if she was determined to do something

—something unknown to him.

"Alya?"

"Good night, Kuze."

"Y-yeah… Good night."

But she smoothly turned on her heel, pushed the front door open, and left without

responding to his call. He watched, feeling like something was off, but his worries were

pushed aside the moment Ayano locked the front door after quietly slipping past him.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to lend you my shoulder?"

"No, I'm fine. Really."

Ayano took a step closer to him, but he retreated.

"Hold on. Something has been stabbing me in the leg. Do you have something in your

pocket?" he whined, painfully rubbing the outside of his thigh. She froze for a moment and

tilted her head before blinking hard as if she had just realized something.

"Oh, that's…"

Out of nowhere, she grabbed her skirt and confidently lifted it in one quick swoop.

"What the…?!"

Ayano's white knee-high socks were revealed in all their glory before Masachika's

wondering gaze, including her…bare thighs…?

"…Ayano. What're those?"

Something inside him died when he saw what was wrapped around her thighs: two black

bands on each leg holding what appeared to be silver pens.

"Weapons."

"They're what?!" shouted Masachika in an almost shrill voice. Ayano suddenly swung

her right arm, slapping her skirt and causing it to flutter, just barely covering the secrets to

the universe. No man could resist staring in anticipation, Masachika included. She then thrust

a palm forward but stopped before his eyes.

"They're weapons."

"…What are you doing?"

Wedged between her fingers were three extremely pointy metal pens. With enough force,

a hit to the throat with one of these could easily kill someone, but…why was she hiding

something like this under her skirt?

"Lady Yuki told me it 'wouldn't be right' without these."

"Yep. Figured."

"She told me that a maid dress was a type of combat uniform, so I had to be prepared

for battle at all times."

"Huh, I wonder who she plans on fighting."

Masachika returned to the living room, not even in the mood to comment on it anymore.

"Are you hungry? There is borscht in the kitchen, as you know."

"Oh, right. Do you think you could get me a bowl?"

"Very well. I will be back shortly."

Long after sitting down in a chair and checking his temperature, a wonderful aroma

wafted by.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. What was your temperature?"

"According to this thermometer, it's 37.4 degrees Celsius, so way better already."

"I am glad to hear that. Here, I reheated it for you."

"Thanks."

When he grabbed the spoon and peeked into the bowl, he found exactly what one would

expect to see with borscht: a dark-crimson soup. Alisa apparently didn't put any meat in it

and only went with thoroughly boiled vegetables, probably due to him being sick.

"So… Let's see how it tastes."

He scooped a spoonful into his mouth, nearly wincing at the soup's acidity, but the

sweetnessfrom the vegetables almost immediately followed. Masachika could feel his dulled

senses rapidly awaken.

"This is delicious…"

His appetite returned in the blink of an eye, and he scooped up a large helping of

vegetables next, each one perfectly boiled, melting in his mouth without him even having to

chew. The cabbage and onions were sweet, and the beets didn't have much of an earthiness

to them, either.

I really wasn't a fan of the earthy beets in Grandpa's borscht back in the day… He

always laughed and said they wouldn't be beets without the flavor, but I prefer these beets

way more.

He continued fervently eating in a daze until he realized his bowl was completely empty.

"There is still some borscht in the pot if you would like seconds."

"…Yeah, I could go for a little more."

He ended up finishing off the pot after that. Even Masachika was kind of surprised he

could eat that much.

"That was delicious… I really owe Alya one."

She'd said something like it takes four or so hours to make borscht, and Masachika felt

nothing but gratitude for someone who spent that long doing something for him.

"Phew…"

His head started to feel a little fuzzy again after eating. It could have been because he

was stuffed, but maybe his fever was returning, too.

"I brought you your medicine."

"Oh, thanks."

He took his medicine once more, then stood up so he could go lie down. After stopping

Ayano from helping, he sluggishly dragged his legs back to his room and crashed onto his

bed.

"Hff…"

"Would you like me to draw a bath for you?"

"Hmm… I think I'm good for today."

"Then at least allow me to wipe your body for you."

"I think I'm gonna go hop in the shower."

He immediately reversed his first decision when he saw the glowing determination in

Ayano's eyes and her clenched fists. His gut told him thatsomething really bad would happen

if he allowed her to help when he was in such a weakened state.

"Then allow me to wash your back—"

"No. I'm fine."

"There is no need to worry. I will put a blindfold on."

"Huh, I was wondering when the blindfold setup was going to show. Anyway,

blindfolded body washing? Sounds dangerous."

"Then I will not put on a blindfold."

"Sounds dirty."

"You can feel comfortable around me. As your maid, I promise not to look at your nude

body sexually."

"What kind of declaration is that? Like, who declares something like that?"

"And if I break that promise, you can do whatever you want to my—"

"Okay, okay, okay. I've heard enough."

After his shower, Masachika continued to do whatever he could to keep Ayano from

trying to help him do every little thing, and by the time he was ready to go to bed, he was

utterly exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Sleep well."

"Yeah… Good night." He waved, pretending not to notice how restless she was acting.

"Perhaps I should sleep by your side and—"

"No. I don't want you catching my cold."

"Then how about a lullaby?"

"No thanks."

It was as if she were saying, "Really? Are you sure?" as she refused to completely close

the door to his room, peeking inside through the crack.

"Ayano." Masachika sighed softly and narrowed his eyes.

"…! Yes? What can I do for you? You do need me, don't you? You want me to sing you

a lullaby, don't you?" said her glittering eyes as she opened the door.

"This is an order. Go to Yuki's room and go to bed," he sternly demanded.

"…! Very well. Good night."

The instant he uttered the word order, she sprang into the air, and she promptly bowed

before withdrawing from the room.

"I should have said that an hour ago…," said Masachika with an exasperated smile, and

he grabbed his phone to check it before going to sleep, discovering yet another message from

Yuki displayed on the screen: Ayano VS Alya—Match 1: Ayano wins.

"You make itsound like there's gonna be a second match," he joked in a whisper, placing

his phone down before rolling over. Although he figured it'd be hours before he could fall

asleep after sleeping so long that day, the urge to get some shut-eye came quickly, so he

surrendered himself to the force, and he slowly fell asleep.

…Yes, he fell asleep without even revisiting what was bothering him about Alisa's

attitude when she left…and without thinking deeply about what Yuki said in her texts. But

by the time he realized that, it was already over. It was all too late.