Although Nozomi lamented his own meanness and shamelessness, the soft warmth in his arms made it all seem worth it.
"Sayu, don't go..." he whispered again, tightening his embrace.
Warm and delicate, a presence that felt almost ethereal. But the person in his arms wasn't Ogihara Sayu.
It was the angel he had always thought of—Shiina Mahiru.
As a normal teenage boy, Nozomi naturally had a physiological reaction. But he justified it internally.
This was merely a passive reaction! It wasn't like he had any impure thoughts or was intentionally taking advantage of the situation. Right? Right...
Shiina Mahiru, on the other hand, was frozen in place, her face burning hotter than a midsummer festival. Panic flickered across her usually calm and composed features.
She wanted to push him away, to tell him that she wasn't Sayu, that he was making a mistake, that he couldn't just hug her like this.
But his grip was too firm.
And...
She hesitated.
After all, he had caught a fever because of her—because he had given her his umbrella and walked home in the pouring rain.
Maybe... just maybe... she could allow this. Just for a little while. As compensation.
Besides...
This warmth...
Is this what Sayu always gets to experience?
She felt a twinge of jealousy.
But...
Wait, why is he getting hotter and hotter?! And why is this starting to feel dangerous?!
Nozomi, meanwhile, wasn't planning on taking things too far. This moment was carefully orchestrated—a small act of deception to create unexpected intimacy. If he pushed too much, she'd realize he was faking and immediately reject him. That would be a devastating loss.
So, instead, he murmured sleepily, "Sayu... no matter why you ran away from home, Sakurasou will always be your home..."
And then, as if his strength had left him, he released the girl from his embrace.
Shiina Mahiru blinked in surprise, then quickly pulled herself out of his arms, her heartbeat erratic.
Instinctively, she reached out and touched his forehead. The heat was intense.
"He's burning up again..." she muttered, brows knitting together in concern.
Even in his fevered state, he still thought about comforting Sayu. They must be really close...
The thought made her chest feel tight, a feeling she didn't quite understand.
Shaking it off, she quickly left the room, retrieved some fever medicine from the first-aid box, and returned. Gently, she coaxed the pill between his lips, helping him swallow it with a sip of water.
Then, without hesitation, she began wiping the sweat from his forehead and neck.
Meanwhile, Nozomi struggled to maintain the illusion of his fever.
Pretending to be sick was an art—one that required finesse, endurance, and an incredible amount of self-control.
Maintaining a constant body heat, forcing himself to sweat, and looking appropriately vulnerable—it was all part of the act.
But this...
This was getting way too stimulating.
He needed to calm himself down before Mahiru started noticing certain... improper reactions.
Shiina Mahiru, red-faced, did her best to ignore any potential awkwardness. Still, she found herself glancing at him occasionally, unable to help but feel amazed at how utterly defenseless he looked in sleep.
Even though he was frustrating, irritating, and sometimes a complete idiot...
Right now, he looked so peaceful.
And despite herself, she couldn't help but think...
He's kind of... cute like this.
An hour passed.
Shiina Mahiru watched as Nozomi's fever finally subsided, his breathing steady and relaxed.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, feeling an odd sense of accomplishment.
But then...
She glanced toward the door and hesitated.
This should have been Sayu's job, right?
So why had she ended up taking care of him instead?
Her mind replayed his feverish words from earlier:
Sayu, don't leave... No matter why you ran away from home, Sakurasou will always be your home...
So, Sayu was actually running away from home?
She looked so cheerful, so mischievous—almost like a playful kitten. But in reality, she had been carrying such a heavy burden?
She was probably around the same age as me, Mahiru realized.
Taking in a runaway high school girl like this... wasn't it illegal?
And yet, Nozomi had done it without hesitation.
So he really does care about her...
A strange, unfamiliar feeling settled in Mahiru's chest, something that made her feel slightly uncomfortable.
Is Sayu preparing to leave?
Is that why she was fine with me taking care of Nozomi?
Was she trying to make sure that someone else would be around to take care of him when she was gone?
Shiina Mahiru didn't like the thought.
She didn't want to be some replacement.
And yet...
Her mind drifted back to that moment in the rain—when Nozomi had rushed to find her, when he had given her his umbrella, when he had been so desperate to make sure she was okay.
She thought about the warmth she had felt in his embrace.
And suddenly, her emotions were all over the place.
With a sigh, she placed the now-damp towel back into the basin, then quietly stepped out of the room.
She needed to clear her head.
Shiina Mahiru stepped into the living room, her thoughts still a whirlwind from what had just happened. She spotted Ogiwara Sayu lounging on the sofa, resting after finishing the household chores.
Sayu looked up and immediately asked, "How's Nozomi?"
Mahiru hesitated briefly before replying, "He had a fever again earlier, but it's gone down now."
Sayu's body tensed at the mention of his fever but quickly relaxed upon hearing the latter part. "That idiot... Even sick, he still causes trouble."
Mahiru watched her closely, debating whether to speak her mind. After a moment's hesitation, she finally asked, "Sayu… did you run away from home?"
Sayu's eyes widened slightly in surprise before narrowing in suspicion. "Eh? How did you know?"
Mahiru sat down beside her, her fingers idly twisting the hem of her sleeve. "Nozomi was talking in his sleep just now… I overheard. He asked you not to leave. He said Sakurasou will always be your home."
Sayu blinked, then a small, almost melancholic smile curled at her lips. "That guy... I won't leave. This is my home now."
Mahiru frowned slightly. "But you do realize it's illegal for a minor to be taken in like this, right? What if your family comes looking for you?"
At that, Sayu's expression darkened. "They won't. If they cared, they would've come for me already."
Mahiru hesitated. "Sayu... why did you run away?"
Sayu stared at the ceiling for a long moment before sighing. "I guess… I should tell you. But only if you promise not to tell Nozomi. I'm not ready for that yet."
Mahiru nodded. "Then in exchange, I'll tell you my story. But you have to promise not to tell him either."
Sayu's eyes widened slightly in surprise before softening. "Deal."
And so, the two girls shared their stories, unraveling their pasts piece by piece.
Sayu spoke first. Her voice trembled at times, but she pushed forward. She told Mahiru about her best friend's betrayal—how the one person she had trusted the most had turned her back on her. She described the guilt, the weight of carrying someone else's mistakes, and the horror of witnessing her best friend's suicide right in front of her. Then came her mother's cold indifference, the cruel words that cut deeper than any blade. The final straw had been her brother. Instead of comforting her, he had handed her a wad of cash—300,000 yen—and told her to "go have fun and relax."
"As if money could fix anything," Sayu muttered bitterly.
Mahiru listened quietly, her heart aching at Sayu's pain. And then, it was her turn.
She started with her seemingly perfect life—the good grades, the many "friends," the admiration she received from others. But beneath it all, there was a painful truth. Her mother had never wanted her. She was nothing but an inconvenience, a mistake that had forced two people to stay together in a marriage they despised. Her parents had already decided that once she finished high school and became independent, they would divorce and cut ties with her completely.
"To them, I'm just an unwanted obligation," Mahiru whispered, her voice breaking.
The weight of her words sank into the silence. And then, without thinking, Sayu pulled Mahiru into a tight embrace.
Tears welled in Mahiru's eyes before spilling over, soaking into Sayu's shoulder. Sayu held her close, her own tears falling freely. They cried together—messily, painfully, but also cathartically.
For the first time in a long time, Mahiru felt heard. Understood. Recognized.
And for the first time, Sayu felt like she wasn't alone.
The pain hadn't disappeared, but somehow, sharing it made it a little more bearable.
***************
Did you know that there are over 50 advanced chapters on my Patre0n for this story?
Link is in the description.