"Feeling better?"
"...Ugh, still a bit uncomfortable."
"Just lie down and rest for now. We'll see what the doctor says when they get here."
"Okay..."
Isshiki obediently lay on the bed, blinking as she looked at Hachiman sitting beside her.
At the moment.
Hachiman sat next to the bed, pulling a book out of his bag to read.
However, the little devil kept staring at him, which made him feel uneasy.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"I was thinking... what would have happened if Senpai had really... done that to me?" Isshiki asked curiously.
In the end, Hachiman hadn't resorted to any special treatment methods for Isshiki. Instead, he had given her normal fever medicine.
Hachiman calmly replied:
"You'd just recover faster."
"Huh?"
Isshiki said irritably:
"Senpai, don't you have any sense of shame? I'm a girl, you know. If... if you had really done that, wouldn't you... wouldn't you have had some strange thoughts?"
"Nope."
"Huh?"
Seeing how blunt Hachiman's response was, Isshiki pouted:
"Senpai~ What's with that? I'm a super beautiful girl, you know!"
"Isshiki-san."
At this, Hachiman straightened up and said calmly:
"What are you trying to say? Are you trying to seduce me? Ah, sorry, sorry, but I already have a girlfriend, so..."
"Ugh! Stop stealing my lines!" Isshiki cut him off, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
Hachiman ignored her and quietly continued reading.
Isshiki also fell silent.
Gradually.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward.
Seeing Hachiman keep his eyes glued to the book without looking up, Isshiki pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask:
"Senpai, is this... really okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you staying here with me like this..." Isshiki's expression shifted slightly as she cautiously inquired.
"What, are you falling for me?"
"N-No way!!"
Her heart skipped a beat, and Isshiki quickly retorted:
"You're just a Senpai! Why would I fall for you? I already have someone I like."
"Oh."
Hachiman responded indifferently.
Isshiki gritted her teeth in frustration.
In the past, she had always been the one teasing Hachiman, always the one in control.
But now?
She was the one being controlled by Hachiman?!
How could she tolerate this!!
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Isshiki smiled and said:
"Senpai, what I meant earlier was... what would Yukino-senpai think if she knew you were staying here with me like this? Hehe, girls are creatures who get jealous very easily, you know~"
"She won't mind."
"Huh?"
"After all, she knows I only see you as a little sister."
"Wha—??"
Hearing this, Isshiki frowned:
"Seeing me as a sister? A replacement for Komachi?"
"Not a replacement. You're you, and Komachi is Komachi."
Hachiman's tone remained calm as he continued reading.
"..."
Isshiki fell silent.
But inside, she was seething with frustration.
"So, you don't see me as a woman at all, Senpai?"
"I only see you as a little sister."
Hachiman repeated calmly.
"What?! A little sister's..."
Isshiki bit her lip, growing increasingly annoyed. She couldn't help but blurt out:
"I see you as a man, though!"
"Huh? Isshiki, you..."
Hachiman looked at the little devil in surprise, her face now inexplicably red.
Just then.
Two voices came from outside the infirmary.
"I wonder how Isshiki is doing."
"Yukinon, let's go in and check."
"!!"
Isshiki's expression changed in surprise:
"That voice is..."
"Actually, I sent Yukinoshita a message earlier," Hachiman explained with a sigh.
"Huh?"
Isshiki opened her mouth, about to say something, when the two girls walked in.
"Ugh, Iroha-chan, are you okay?"
As Yui entered the room and saw Isshiki lying on the bed, she quickly walked over, concern evident in her voice.
Behind Yui was Yukinoshita.
"Yui-senpai, and... Yukino-senpai."
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Isshiki forced a smile:
"Why are you both here?"
"Hikki said you were sick, so we came to check on you."
As Yui explained, she stared at Isshiki's face with concern:
"Your face is so red. You must have a high fever."
"Uh... cough."
Isshiki continued to force a smile:
"Thanks to Senpai's help, I've already taken some medicine. Thank you, Yui-senpai and Yukino-senpai, for your concern."
Yukinoshita nodded:
"The duties of the student council president are indeed heavy, but you still need to take care of yourself. Don't overwork yourself."
"Mm, I understand."
Isshiki nodded obediently.
The girls chatted for a while.
A few minutes later.
The doctor still hadn't returned.
Yukinoshita slowly stood up and looked at Hachiman:
"Yui and I are going to the mall to buy some things later. I'll leave Isshiki in your care."
"?"
Hachiman frowned slightly.
Isshiki couldn't help but say:
"Yukino-senpai, is... is that really okay?"
"Is there a problem?" Yukinoshita smiled.
"Uh..."
Isshiki glanced at Hachiman, then at the kind-looking Yukinoshita, before lowering her head in embarrassment:
"Senpai is Yukino-senpai's boyfriend, after all. It might not be appropriate for me to take up his time like this..."
"It's fine."
Yukinoshita shook her head generously, then sighed:
"I don't mind. In fact, I'm more worried about whether you'll mind. After all, Hikigaya-kun is really... sigh."
"No, no, I wouldn't mind Senpai taking care of me. Senpai is really nice."
Isshiki quickly shook her head.
"Good, then."
Yukinoshita smiled and nodded, then looked up at Hachiman, who was silently reading:
"I'll leave Isshiki to you. Take good care of her, and oh... be gentle with her, okay? Don't bully her. Understood?"
"Huh?"
Hachiman's mouth twitched.
Who's bullying who here?
Hachiman sighed and nodded:
"Got it."
"After this, make sure to take her home safely."
"...Alright."
Seeing that Hachiman had agreed, Yukinoshita nodded in satisfaction.
A few minutes later.
The infirmary was once again occupied by just the two of them.
As for Yukinoshita, she walked away from the infirmary side by side with Yui.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and Yukinoshita felt a sense of anticipation.
Iroha-chan!
I hope you can spark some romantic chemistry with my Hikigaya-kun. Don't disappoint me like Yui did, okay?
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P@treon/GodDragcell