What If You Spoil a High School Girl Who Looks Like a Landmine? - Volume 1 Chapter 3.5

Seeing What Shouldn’t Be Seen 5

…Cheat day?

What’s that? I think I’ve heard that before. 

“Cheat day is; when you restrict your diet, continuously restraining it can lead to a drop in basic metabolism, making it harder to lose weight, so you designate a day where you can eat whatever you want!”

Ah, right, something like that.

Raihara-san, who has been taking care of athletic younger sisters, must be knowledgeable about this.

“And It’s the same thing! How about considering today a cheat day? Today, you can be spoiled to your heart’s content!”

“No, but that’s…”

I thought it was a bit of a forceful analogy, but I guess I was the one who brought up the diet analogy first.

“…However, to be spoiled would be…uh…”

This is bad; I feel like my fever is genuinely starting to rise.

I feel dizzy, and my body sways.

“…No arguments! I won’t leave you alone!”

“Ra-Raihara-san…”

She, supporting my body, wraps her arm around my shoulder.

“Let’s go… uh, I, um, know where Chifuji-san’s house is…”

Ah right, she probably found out where I live during her period of observing me.

It’s embarrassing, really.

And unavoidably, I become conscious of her, because her body is warm and soft——

Her support provides an amazing sense of stability, and with this body feeling dizzy from the fever, it seems impossible to shake her off.

(Of course, I won’t do that)

She doesn’t engage in sports or anything, and yet her physical talent is apparent.

“It’s good to have talent…”

“Huh?”

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

It’s bad; I really can’t control myself due to the fever.

I’m blurting out whatever I’m thinking.

Having talent is good, I’m envious… No, that’s not it.

I hope I don’t say any more strange things…

And although it’s late, I guess it’s a given that she’s going to take care of me.

“… I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Oh, Chifuji-san should know very well that I don’t find this sort of thing troublesome.”

When she says that, indeed, I have nothing to say.

An old public housing complex on the fifth floor, that’s where I live.

There are several occupancy conditions, but the rent is unbelievably cheap for a 2LDK layout.

“Have you had lunch?”

“Now that you mention it, not yet…”

With my vision getting blurry, I’m now on the bed.

My body feels so heavy doing anything, and while talking to Raihara-san, even just keeping my upper body raised is reaching its limits, so I completely lie down flat.

My head was hot, and I was shivering… then Raihara-san put a blanket over me.

I dimly watch her gently patting the blanket.

I dug around in my head for a memory of someone doing this to me, but I couldn’t find it.

“Before you take your medicine, it’s better to have something in your stomach. Can I use the kitchen and the ingredients?”

“Sorry… I will definitely thank you later…”

“I have already received a lot from you, Chifuji-san.”

With a voice that seems to embody the very concept of gentleness, Raihara-san says so and leaves my bedroom.

Soon, sounds can be heard from the kitchen.

Someone is cooking for me while I’m lying down; I can’t remember the last time I was in such a situation.

“Ah…”

Pull yourself together. Don’t slack off just because you have a fever.

I must be proper…get it together.

I, who lack any talent, must at least be proper and reliable at any given time, or else I can’t survive.

***

“I’ve kept you waiting~”

Entering Chifuji-san’s bedroom with the simple egg porridge I made, he slowly raises his upper body.

“I’m sorry…”

His tone was much softer than usual.

“No-no. Please take your time and try to eat…”

Given he hardly had any lunch and considering he has to take medicine, I want him to have something in his stomach.

“Yes… of course… I wouldn’t let it go to waste after you’ve gone to the trouble…”

“Please, don’t worry about such things.”

These are words typical of him, but I wish he wouldn’t be so uptight at times like this.

… I’ve been accompanying him to practice being ‘spoiled’, but what about him?

I wonder if Chifuji-san would become spoiled with his family.

He’s not living alone, right?

Considering the layout, he must be living with his family.

“Now, here you go.”

I scoop some with a spoon and offer it to feed him.

Chifuji-san stares at it blankly for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“No, I really can’t ask you to do that much for me…”

“Yes? Oh…I… I’m sorry, it was instinctive…!”

…right, it’s not good for a member of the opposite sex of the same age, who is not a lover, to do this!

I never questioned it as it was something I always did when taking care of my family…

“No… your consideration is… very…”

With a soft tone, while accepting the bowl and spoon from me, Chifuji-san begins to eat slowly.

“How embarrassing…”

“Is that so? That’s a relief you can eat it.”

“Thank you, very much…”

While saying this, the movement of Chifuji-san’s hands manipulating the utensils is somewhat precarious.

His body seems lethargic too…

Ah…why am I just blankly watching him look so pained?

I don’t understand, what are these hands attached for?

I want to feed him, I want to feed him, I want to feed him, I want to feed him, I want to feed him!

…Is it really such a bad thing? Doing the ‘aaah.’?

Compared to letting a sick and suffering person eat by themselves, is it really such a terrible thing?

Where does justice lie? Hmm…

“Ah…”

Suddenly, the spoon falls from Chifuji-san’s hand.

I swiftly catch it midair with my right hand as it whirls around.

“I’m sorry… and thank you.”

“Today is…”

“Uh…?”

“…a cheat day, so.”

I don’t return the spoon to his hand.

I snatch the bowl as well, scoop the porridge, and assume the ‘aaah.’ posture.

“Ra-Raihara-san…”

” ….. “

“Uhm…”

” ….. “

Chifuji-san opens and closes his mouth several times, but eventually, perhaps yielding to my silent pressure, he bites the spoon I offer.

I scoop the porridge and offer it——and he eats it.

Time passes in silence like this.

Every time he puts his mouth to the spoon, his bangs sway slowly.

Along with his eyes, blurred from the fever, it makes him appear somewhat innocent.

This contrasts with his usual composed self, reminding me of the flip side of a card.

…Slowly, I can feel sweat forming on my back.

I bring the porridge to his mouth, and he chews and swallows it, over and over.

Somehow, this is…

It feels like I am seeing something I shouldn’t be seeing.

It feels like I am doing something I shouldn’t be doing.

“…!”

It was at that moment when I subconsciously swallowed my own saliva.

“…Chifuji-san?”

” ….. “

“Chifuji-san, uh…, well, does..does it hurt somewhere? Or is there something wrong…”

“..ah?”

For the first time in my life, I see—a man, not a child, crying before my eyes.

” …? “

Chifuji-san himself has a bewildered face, but from his eyes, tears are steadily falling. They won’t stop.

He hasn’t realized that he is crying.

It’s really mismatched.