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Volume 9, Chapter 6: “Something Vague” Part 2

I got home that evening later than I anticipated, so I wasn’t able to meet up with the Ayanokōji Group.

When I had gotten back to my room just before seven, I found that a paper bag had been placed right in front of my door.

I took a peek inside the bag and found two differently packaged boxes. One was square while the other was a circle, and they each came with a first name written on the front. They were Valentine’s Day chocolates from Haruka and Airi.

Based on what was being talked about in the group chat, Akito and Keisei had gotten the same things.

I went into my room and lined up all of the chocolates on my desk.

“I never expected to get five of them…”

Kei, Airi, Haruka, Hiyori, and… one more.

It was a box of chocolates all wrapped up with a lovely pink ribbon.

Later that night, just after ten, I went back out into the hallway wearing a hoodie over some of my casual clothing and got onto the elevator.

The surveillance camera inside the elevator shouldn’t have been able to catch my face.

It was a pre-emptive measure just in case something went wrong. In the first place, it would’ve been ideal for us to meet up somewhere else, but nothing could be done about it if she really did have to recuperate from an illness.

Given that, it wouldn’t even be strange for her to be sleeping at this time of night. To check for this, I had Horikita let me know how to get in contact with Ichinose ahead of time. I had already sent her a text message and confirmed that she was still awake, so I moved forward with my plan.

However, I still hadn’t told Ichinose that I would be going to her room.

I got off the elevator on Ichinose’s floor and went to her door. I rang the doorbell and waited. Ten seconds passed. Then twenty seconds.

I didn’t hear anything from inside the room, so I rang the doorbell once again.

It was only natural for Ichinose to be confused about a visit this late at night.

After about thirty more seconds, I decided to call out to her.

“Ichinose, it’s me. Ayanokōji.”

It would’ve been a problem for me to linger around on her floor after curfew had already set in.

Ichinose should’ve understood this as well.

She wouldn’t be alright with carelessly exposing somebody else to a dangerous situation like that.

“…Ayanokōji… kun. Whatsa matter?”

I could hear Ichinose’s voice from the other side of the door. As far as the tone of her voice was concerned, she sounded weak.

Immediately after she spoke, coughing resounded from within the room. It was difficult for me to discern whether or not she was truly sick based solely on how her voice and cough sounded.

“Something important has come up. I was hoping I could speak with you about it in person, is that alright?”

“Well… Uh…”

“To be honest, it seems like things might get troublesome if I’m seen by another girl right now.”

I pressured her a little more forcefully.

“Hold on a second, alright?”

She responded with that, and after a short wait, I heard the sound of the lock disengaging from inside the room.

Ichinose opened the door. I could see that she was in unbelievably low spirits.

“Nyaha, that was a bit pushy there, Ayanokouji-kun…”

She was wearing a mask and seemed to truly be in bad shape.

It looks like she wasn’t feigning an illness after all.

“Sorry. I definitely got a bit forceful. You don’t look like you’re doing very well.”

“Yeah… I’m just a little spent is all.”

“I apologize for coming by at such a bad time.”

“It’s alright. The fever is already almost gone. How should I put it, instead of feeling icky from the fever, I feel more hungry due to oversleeping, y’know? Oh, I’m sorry, but could I also get you to put on this mask?”

So as to not have me catch her cold, Ichinose presented me with another mask.

My immune system was much stronger than average, but nobody is absolutely safe when it comes to things like this. If I was to recklessly refuse her offer and then get sick later, Ichinose would probably end up regretting it. I accepted her offer without a moment’s hesitation and put on the mask.

“So, have you been to the infirmary?”

“I went earlier this week.”

Many students were thinking that Ichinose faked her illness to avoid the rumors that had been spreading about her, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

There was no mistaking it. She had really been sick after all.

“You were probably worried that I was absent because of all of these rumors lately. Thank you for your concern.”

“No…”

Did she manage to see through my intentions?

“You’re the first person I’ve met up with face to face since I got sick.”

“Is that so?”

“There were a bunch of students who came to visit me while my fever was worse, but I was having a hard time so I had to turn them all away. Since then, some of my friends have been giving me space, thinking I’m depressed.”

I had come to see her so much later than everyone else, yet I was ironically the first person to actually meet with her.

In reality, Ichinose had taken a day off to recuperate from her illness. However, given how she had handled herself so far, it was obvious that she was also the type that attentively makes sure she’s staying healthy. Given how quickly the end-of-year exams were coming up, Ichinose should’ve wanted to avoid getting sick as much as possible. There was no mistaking that this cold of hers came as a result of her recent mental trauma and the weakening of her own immune system.

“I’m not going to skip out on school just because of those rumors.”

Well, Ichinose herself wasn’t going to admit to that part of it.

“How resilient of you.”

“Resilient, you say…? Ah, sorry, but could you shut the front door behind you? I was airing out the room earlier, but it’s a bit cold now. Please also remember to wash your hands thoroughly after you go back.”

“Yeah.”

She had a humidifier running in her room to prevent the air from getting too dry. The cold virus is one that thrives in cold, dry air. These conditions directly increase how much of the virus is floating in the air. Due to that, it is important to increase the humidity of the room to easily create an environment where the virus would become inactive. Neglecting these precautions could lead to prolonged colds and even increase the odds of infecting any visitors. In fact, the main reason why colds tend to drag on during the winter months is because of the dryness of the air.

Though, a lot of girls have been coming over to my room lately, and I have been going over to a lot of the girls’ rooms as well. It was strange how none of those visits have had anything to do with love affairs thus far.

“What’s the matter…?”

Ichinose looked at me with a strange expression as I stood there staring at the humidifier.

“I really am sorry to intrude while you’re resting.”

“No, it really is fine. It’s definitely safer not to meet up with anyone face to face right now, but it’s probably for the better to let somebody else know that I’ve actually caught something.”

Ichinose was well aware that speculation about the legitimacy of her illness had already begun to spread.

Ichinose showed me her cell phone, as if trying to prove it to me.

There was evidence of several exchanges she had been engaged in with Horikita.

It seemed like Horikita had been worried about Ichinose in her own way.

The two of us didn’t talk for long. I took my leave as soon as the right time presented itself.

(Part 2 End)