Chapter 13: Sick Day and Strange Guest

I woke up feeling like I’d been isekai'ed by truck-kun, then got throw back over for good measure.

My throat hurt, my nose was stuffed, and I couldn’t even lift my arms properly.
Somewhere between the overnight library session and walking home half-asleep, my body had betrayed me.

I groaned into my futon.

“Ugh... dead... I’m dead.”

Mom knocked gently and peeked in. “You’re staying home today. I already called the school.”

“Thanks…” I said.

She placed a small bowl of soup on the nightstand. “Get some rest. I’ll be back later. And if anyone comes to visit—”

I blinked. “Wait, visit?”

She smiled mysteriously. “Well, you’re quite the popular boy lately.”

I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I nodded and flopped back down.

Most of the day passed in a sleepiness. I drifted in and out of naps, half watched daytime TV, and coughed into approximately one hundred tissues.
My phone buzzed occasionally with messages from Daiki:
(“Bro. Did you die? Send ghost emoji if yes.”)
and Kenta:
(“Rumor is you were cursed by pudding spirits.”).

At some point, I managed to eat a few spoonfuls of instant porridge, but it tasted like cardboard. I missed actual food.

Around 5 p.m., I heard the front door open.

“Yuuji-kun?”

I sat up sleepily.

That's... Usagi's or Airi’s voice, And footsteps.

My door creaked open. She stood there in her casual clothes skirt, light cardigan, and of course, her trademark hairpin.

“I, um… I texted your mom. She said I could stop by.”

She held a plastic bag in one hand and a DVD case in the other.

“I made porridge,” she said softly. “And brought… anime. The frog one.”

I blinked. “Kerotan Warriors?”

She nodded shyly.

“You remembered.”

She gave me a small smile and walked over to the desk, placing the food down. The porridge smelled… like actual food. Way better than the powdery stuff I’d eaten earlier.

She looked at my floor awkwardly. “Um… may I sit?”

“Yeah, of course. You can sit anywhere.”

She chose the edge of the bed.

“I just… I was worried,” she said, looking down at her lap. “You looked tired yesterday, and I thought… maybe you pushed yourself too hard.”

I gave a weak chuckle. “It was worth it. You almost confessed.”

Her face went beet red. “I-I did not!”

“Doubt that.”

She pouted, then spooned some porridge into a bowl and handed it to me.

“…Eat. While it’s still warm.”

It was surprisingly good. Comforting, with a hint of ginger.

“You’re really good at this,” I said between bites.

She fidgeted. “It’s my mom’s recipe. I just… followed instructions.”

We watched an episode of Kerotan Warriors while I ate. She even laughed at the bad jokes.

When the episode ended, she looked over.

“You should rest a bit more. I’ll… I’ll stay until you fall asleep, if that’s okay.”

“Yeah,” I said, surprised at how warm that made me feel. “I’d like that.”

When I woke up again, the sky outside was dark.

I turned over and saw the empty porridge bowl stacked neatly with the DVDs. A note lay beside them:

“Rest well, Yuuji-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow. –Usagi”

I smiled.

Then I heard something.

A creak.

from... my window?

“…You’re such a weakling,” a voice muttered.

I sat up groggily.

Airi was halfway through climbing into my room like some kind of smug raccoon.

Her hairpin was gone. Her grin was smug.

“I heard you were sick,” she said, dusting herself off. “Figured I’d come check if the rumors were true. Also, I brought snacks.”

She tossed me a sports drink and a bag of salty crackers.

“You broke into my room to bring crackers?”

“I broke in to laugh at you, Crackers were just bonus.”

She flopped into my desk chair.

I squinted. “How’d you even know I was sick?”

“I overheard Mika telling Hina, who told me to ‘respect your privacy,’ so naturally, I didn’t.”

She grabbed the remote.

“…Kerotan? Really?”

“I like frogs,” I said hoarsely.

She rolled her eyes and pulled out her own DVD case.

Zombie Detective Academy.

“You brought that?” I asked.

“Of course. You need quality media to heal faster.”

She popped it in and started the episode.

We didn’t make it far. I was coughing too much.

She paused it and leaned over.

“You okay?”

I nodded.

She watched me for a moment, then said, “You don’t get sick much, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Then… lucky me.”

I blinked. “What does that mean?”

“Means I get to annoy you while you can't fight back.”

I snorted. Then coughed again.

She stood and started poking around my room.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for secrets. Where do you keep your embarrassing manga?”

“There's no—”

“Found them.”

She held up one of my old romance volumes with a sparkle in her eye.

“You really are a softie.”

“Put that back.”

She tossed it on the bed. “It’s cute. Don’t worry. Usagi probably likes that stuff too.”

I gave her a tired look. “You really came here just to bully me while I’m sick, huh?”

She smirked. “Half. The other half is because…”

She hesitated, Then changed the subject.

“Let’s play something.”

“You brought a game?”

“Switch, Mario Kart. Loser writes a love letter.”

I stared. “To who?”

She smirked. “You decide.”

We played a couple rounds before I got too dizzy to keep going. She let me win once, I think? Just once.

Eventually, she stood up.

“I should go. If you get worse, I’m blaming the frog show.”

She opened the window.

“Do you have to use the window?”

“Yes. I’m committed to the bit.”

She stepped onto the sill, then glanced back.

“There’s something in your school bag. Don’t ignore it.”

And she was gone.

Later that night, when I checked my bag, I found a folded paper envelope tucked inside.

No name. Just a small sticker: a pink bunny.

I didn’t open it.

Not yet.

But I smiled.

Even when I was sick...

They both still showed up.

Yuuji's Mental Diary: Sick Day Edition

Usagi made porridge and stayed till I fell asleep.

Airi broke in like a ninja and mocked my frog DVD.

They both left something behind.

One of them left a letter.

Being sick was supposed to be miserable.

But I think I felt warmer than ever (for the most part)