Yotsuba Lying on the Bed

"I'll end the call now, and in a moment, I'll call Itsuki. No need to bother you."

After a calm and distant tone, the video call ended, and the middle-aged zombie-like man's face disappeared.

Shinichi looked at the phone returning to the chat interface and put it back in his pocket.

"Never become a father like that in the future."

It was evident that the other party cared for his daughter in every action he took, but due to his expressionless demeanor and reserved words, Nino and others thought Maruo was indifferent to them.

Maybe this was his unique way of taking care of his daughter.

But when facing him, he was ruthlessly cold. Even separated by the phone, Shinichi still felt prolonged fear.

When it came to his daughter, the other party was cold, but when it came to men, did he hit hard?

"Looks like I need to make some preparations before talking to him next time."

Different incidents require different approaches, and contemporary language couldn't always be continued. If he didn't think about his words before responding, he might anger the quintuplets' father.

It felt like a death sentence. Shinichi sighed, checked the time, and planned to walk slowly back to the resting area.

Yotsuba's 200-meter race should have ended, and Nino's relay race was about to start in approximately 20 minutes. Besides, he still had to give Itsuki time to take a detour to catch up with him and cover up the fact that she was following. He walked slowly around the school, occasionally greeting students who knew him.

The fact proved that the majority of students didn't pay attention to strange rumors and had a good impression of him based on his abilities and interactions. This didn't distinguish between pure high schools and mixed ones. The reactions from teachers were mostly positive.

Simply put, he was well-liked as the student council president, and there were no incidents he imagined before the election.

Feeling relieved, Shinichi stopped and spoke to the middle-aged man with deep wrinkles who was looking around the field:

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Hm?"

The middle-aged man turned, his slightly haggard and decadent face scrutinizing Shinichi. He stared at him and contemplated for half a second before speaking:

"Excuse me, where is the rest area for second-year Class B?"

Shinichi was slightly surprised: "Are you a parent of a student in our class?"

The man opened his eyes slightly.

"Who are you..."

"This is our first meeting. I am the student council president of this school and a second-year Class B student. My family name is Asada."

Shinichi smiled politely and introduced himself with a gentle voice.

"Do you need me to guide you? Or take you to the broadcasting room for a lost person announcement?"

The man looked him up and down, shook his head, and turned, "No, no need, I'll find it somewhere else." Then, as if escaping, he turned and quickly left his sight.

"... Suspicious man."

Shinichi's smile gradually faded, not daring to stare at the other person's back casually, and at the same time, he took out the walkie-talkie hanging on his waist.

"Contact the Discipline Committee, this is the Student Council President. A tall, thin man around forty, unshaven, and wearing a dark suit appeared. He's acting very suspiciously, walking along the path between the teaching buildings. He has already asked about the location of Second-Year Class B. I'm not sure if he's a student's parent... If you still have manpower, please send someone to keep an eye on him."

Soon after, the intercom started buzzing.

[Received. This will be the nearest Discipline Committee's attention.]

"Thank you for your hard work."

Shinichi took back his walkie-talkie.

Even though he was just an ordinary high school male student now, when it came to school safety, everyone had a responsibility to prevent issues before they happened. This had nothing to do with whether he was the student council president.

Though only Student Council members could hold walkie-talkies to communicate with various departments.

After resolving this incident, Shinichi returned to the Class B resting area, only to find that except for Fuutarou, Nino and Fumino were no longer in their seats, and Itsuki had not returned with Ichika.

"What happened?"

He didn't disturb Fuutarou, who was studying intensely; he took out his phone to contact them but saw several unread messages.

"..."

Shortly after, Shinichi hurried to the medical service station.

△

"This situation is quite serious. It's already very painful. You should rest well."

In the medical service room, the frog-faced doctor stood next to the hospital bed, rubbing his chin.

"No matter how good your health is, I can't ignore the fact that you keep attacking your weak points. It's like sleeping naked without a blanket and turning on the AC when you have a cold. I think it's amazing that you've managed to endure until now without fainting from pain."

"Little girl, take care of your body. Is there another competition? If so, leave it to someone else. Painkiller effects aren't as strong as you think."

"This is not good!"

When Yotsuba heard those words, she immediately sat up and was about to say something, but Miku extended her index finger expressionlessly and poked Yotsuba's stomach.

"Whoa!"

After letting out a dying cry, Yotsuba lay weakly on the bed, with cold sweat on her forehead and her lips slightly turning white.

"Miku, if you don't work there, you'll die..."

"It's a punishment for the idiot who made the family worry." Hiding concern and hardship in her eyes, Miku bit her lower lip, her innocent voice becoming rough.

"I'll take care of you from now on. You mustn't run!"

Nino and Fumino, surrounding the bed, nodded in agreement.

As for the frog-faced doctor, he returned to his seat long before they started talking and continued to watch the special nurse costume.

"I... I'll rest! Thirty minutes are enough. Please allow me to participate in the final competition!"

Yotsuba clapped her hands, lying on the bed with her hands lowered to her chest, pleading earnestly.

"Please, this is very important to me!"

"Impossible." Nino stared at her coldly, without a forgiving tone. "You're just a sickly fish now, and you still want to chase and jump around on the ground? Just lie on the chopping board, be good. After the sports festival is over, I'll ask Dad to take you home."

"Hmm~~"

Yotsuba grabbed her hair tie sadly, her entire small face wrinkling into a plum.

Facing Nino's concern, she was very happy and didn't want to refuse, but who would entrust her to lead the red team to become the first champion?

In the dilemma, looking at the scoreboard where the scores of the red and white teams were getting closer, Yotsuba felt both anxious and uncomfortable. Even her lower abdomen, covered with a hot water bottle and a blanket, gradually felt more pain, and she couldn't endure the cold sensation throughout her body.

Fumino was acutely aware that something was amiss. She took out a handkerchief to gently wipe the sweat off her forehead, then patted Yotsuba's tense shoulder, saying softly:

"Yotsuba, take a half-hour break. It's best to take a nap to regain your strength. Otherwise, you won't be able to showcase your power with a body like that, right?"

"So let's talk about the match after the break, okay?"

"Fumino!"

Thinking that Fumino was pampering Yotsuba, Nina frowned in dissatisfaction. However, Fumino winked at her, conveying the message "Listen to me explaining later" with her eyes, then looked at Yotsuba inquisitively, revealing her sweaty hair.

"...I'll rejuvenate my body in this half-hour!"

Yotsuba nodded and assured them, pulling a blanket to cover half of her face, only revealing a pair of less energetic blue eyes.

"We'll wake you up in twenty-five minutes so you can sleep soundly."

Fumino let down her hair, patted the bedspread, and smiled gently, like an older sister caring for her younger sister.

Yotsuba stared at her briefly, said nothing, slowly closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually stabilized.

"Miku, Yotsuba, I leave it to you."

After bidding Miku farewell, Fumino pulled Nino out of the medical room. As they reached a place where it was okay to speak aloud, Nino couldn't contain her doubt any longer:

"Fumino, do you really want her to keep playing for half an hour?"

"Of course... not." Fumino winked mischievously but smiled slightly sheepishly.

"So, I just lied to her. Let her miss the match for now and don't give her a chance to show off. After she wakes up, I'll apologize to her properly."

"Then... forgive me; I lied to your sister!"

Nino looked at her earnestly with folded hands and a bowed head.

"Why are you apologizing to me? It's better to say I want to thank you, whether for supporting both of us or for comforting Yotsuba just now."

"Thank you for everything, Fumino."

"Let me apologize later. Anyway, Yotsuba is my sister, and you said that for her own good."

Fumino waved her hand quickly. "Don't worry too much. At worst, both of us will apologize together, so Yotsuba will..."

Before they could finish, they both saw Itsuki running towards them with a phone in hand, panic and worry on her face.

"Fumino, Nino, how's Yotsuba?!"

Ichika was slightly mesmerized by her screen but followed along and spoke.

"What happened when she was taken to the medical center? Was she injured while running?"

Rizi, who was running closer, also joined them, wanting to go directly to the medical post to check on Yotsuba.

"I got a notification from the group. Is Yotsuba okay?"

Finally, unlike the two girls walking with a ball and swinging up and down, their short hair disheveled, and their thin sports clothes clinging to tight chest muscles.

Shinichi glanced at the medical station, stopped in front of the door like them, and spoke with a slightly serious expression.

"Can you tell me the specific situation?"