Chapter 121 – Yukio’s concern

The group was laughing and talking as they arrived at the pool with slides, eager to dive in for some fun and cooling off.

"Yahoo~!" Ishizaki, ever the dramatic one, attempted a grand leap into the water from the edge but was promptly and "gently" held back by Yukio, making no progress.

"Yukio-san?" Ishizaki looked uncertain, puzzled why his leader suddenly stopped him.

Yukio's smile was disarmingly benevolent: "Ishizaki, have you forgotten something?"

That question sent a chill down Ishizaki's spine. How could he forget! The incident of undermining Yukio in front of Nagumo was still fresh.

Doomed, he thought, wondering what task Yukio would now assign to him!

"What would everyone like to drink?" Yukio surveyed the group, "Just pick whatever, Ishizaki's treating."

"Ah, then I'll have orange juice, less ice, less sugar."

"Yay~ I'll have a Calpis then, one-third sugar." Shiranami and Kobashi, already familiar with Ishizaki from the test of courage event, couldn't help but laugh at his predicament and made their requests.

After triple-checking the orders to make sure he remembered everything, Ishizaki cheerfully went to buy the drinks, feeling this punishment was much lighter than the last.

Once the drinks were bought and they'd found a spot to settle, Ishizaki finally got to perform his high-dive, splashing water everywhere.

In contrast, the girls were much more graceful, sitting by the pool edge before gently sliding their legs into the water and then easing themselves in, a sight pleasing to the eye.

Ichinose happily headed towards the water to join the fun but was again stopped by Yukio grabbing her wrist.

This left Ichinose standing puzzledly in place, turning back with a cute inquiry: "Eh? Do I also need to buy drinks?"

Perhaps Ishizaki's earlier task led Ichinose to this misunderstanding. Yukio almost laughed out loud at her question: "What are you thinking? You didn't undermine me."

"I just think you might as well stay here and watch the drinks. If you're bored, I can sit here and chat with you."

"?" Ichinose blinked in confusion: "But, we're all from the same school, they wouldn't steal our drinks, would they?"

Yukio let go of Ichinose's wrist, his expression playful: "Alright, let's stop beating around the bush. I just think it's not suitable for you to get into the water during your period."

"!" Ichinose's face immediately turned red, like a girl whose secret had been discovered, utterly embarrassed.

How did Yukio-kun know? Right! She almost forgot! During the last deserted island special exam, Yukio-kun handed her a cold drink, and somehow the topic of periods came up, and she ended up telling him it was at the end of the month!

Remembering this, Ichinose felt her cheeks burning, and her eyes shimmered, lacking her usual confident gaze.

Even her voice softened considerably. If Ichinose's usual voice was bright and clear, now it was like a gentle spring breeze brushing through the willows: "How, how do you still remember that?"

Even a sunny and cheerful girl like Ichinose felt a bit uneasy being reminded of such dates by a boy.

Yukio was straightforward, not evading: "The end of the month is easy to remember. Right now, it's the end of summer vacation, August. Anyway, it's not suitable for you to go down there. It's almost the same as staying here and chatting with me."

"Yukio-kun, you're so domineering…" Ichinose muttered softly, half-complaining about his strictness, yet seemingly pleased to have someone care for her this way.

After voicing her thoughts, Ichinose gradually relaxed, her girlish shyness passing, and her expression brightened like a child proud of their achievements: "But it's okay, I know when I shouldn't swim."

"So I took medicine in advance, and now I can get in the water. You don't have to worry, Yukio-kun!" She said, flashing a bright smile, her eyes sparkling, enchantingly beautiful.

Though beautiful, Yukio wasn't in the mood to appreciate it, his expression turning serious: "What medicine did you take? Even if some medications claim to be harmless, they can still cause a shortfall in the body. I'll think about whether you can make up for it next month."

Yukio didn't ask Ichinose why she took medication, nor did he reprimand her with "Do you know this is harmful to your body?" or anything of the sort...

It would have been pointless. How could Ichinose, being as grown up as she is, not understand these principles?

It's the result of the body's natural responses, forcibly delayed by medication, inevitably causing various internal disturbances, severely disrupting internal stability, leading to potential future health issues.

But could Ichinose be unaware of this? No, she must have known the consequences. Knowing the harmful effects yet still choosing to take medication was for the sake of today's outing, wasn't it?

She had plans with her friends and Yukio to enjoy the last days of summer at the large pool. To not disappoint her friends and to keep her promise to Yukio, she reluctantly took medication to delay her cycle.

Half of it was for the promise to her friends, and the other half was for her promise to Yukio.

Therefore, Yukio had no right to criticize Ichinose for knowingly harming herself by taking medication. Doing so would only make Ichinose feel more wronged without serving any practical purpose. The most mature course of action would be to promptly remedy the situation.

Ichinose was at a loss for words. She had thought to casually brush it off. With the school's rare opening of the large pool and both her friends and Yukio-kun coming, wouldn't it be great to just enjoy a happy day together?

Yet, for some reason, under Yukio's serious gaze, she couldn't calm down. A strange feeling began to grow and spread within her, completely against her will. Her rational side wanted to gloss over it, but her emotions compelled her to speak up: "I took medroxyprogesterone..."

"Ah, that's not too bad." As one of the most common medications for adjusting cycles or treating injuries, this drug's harm to the body is minimal. Occasional use shouldn't cause significant issues, but it shouldn't be ignored either.

Yukio sighed in relief, his serious expression softening slightly: "The deficiency caused by this medication is easy to replenish. Just use kale or other coagulating ingredients over the next seven days, they are readily available on campus."

"Okay," Ichinose cheerfully responded: "I'll remember, kale."

With her spirits lifted, she became less ladylike and more enthusiastic, not minding the details as much and gracefully diving into the water.

After getting into the pool, she scooped up a handful of water and playfully splashed it towards Yukio: "Come on, lighten up and have some fun, Yukio-kun~."

***

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