Chapter 13: The Protagonists Go to Take Care of the TS Girl

"Apparently Akegami Yuri is absent today because she’s sick."

"Huh, really? Did she maybe get soaked in the rain yesterday?"

After school, we gathered together, wondering why Akegami-san hadn’t shown up. It turned out she’d caught a cold.

It felt like there were still a lot of things she understood that I didn’t, so I wanted to ask her a few things.

Or rather… I probably just wanted to ask about her. She’s always clinging to me, so I never really get the chance.

I glanced at my bandaged hand. That reminded me of when she grabbed it—how warm she felt. …Wait, doesn’t that make me sound like a creep?

Yeah, not good. Let’s forget that.

Kisa-san’s situation reminded me why I became a Connector in the first place—the desire to help girls who are hurting.

Whenever I look at Akegami-san, I can’t help but feel like she might be one of them too.

Maybe it’s because of that dream… but I want to find out if that’s really true.

…Though with how hard she is to read, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.

"What’s wrong, Shinozaki-kun?"

Kisa-san suddenly leaned in close, peering into my face.

"Nothing. I was just spacing out."

"Hmm. Hey, are we doing it again today? That Connect Link thing with Reina?"

"…Not sure."

…Ever since that incident, Kisa-san somehow feels closer. Or maybe it’s just that the wall that used to be between us is gone.

She even stopped calling me “Connector-kun” and switched to “Shinozaki-kun.” I guess that means she’s letting me in.

"…Are we doing it again today?"

"You sound like you really don’t want to. Shinozaki-kun might cry, you know?"

"Haha…"

"I’m just not good with men. It can’t be helped."

"I think my trauma runs deeper, though?"

"That’s a hard response to react to…"

I’d been trying to at least reach the point where I could casually touch Kototsuka-san and activate the Connect Link naturally, but every time I tried, she’d get suspicious and it just wouldn’t work.

This might be a deeply rooted issue on her side too. It can’t be helped, but it hurts every time we try. I wish there were another way.

—rattle rattle—

The sound of the door sliding open echoed through the room. Akegami-san wasn’t supposed to come today… so who was it?

"Hmm, is this Akegami’s team?"

A girl with messy brown hair stepped inside.

Maybe she knows Akegami-san.

"Akegami-san is off today."

"Hmm, that’s fine. I was invited to this team—do you know anything about that?"

"Uh… by who?"

"Akegami."

"…Can I at least get your name?"

"Shishiba Honoka. Don’t bother remembering it."

She spat the words out coldly.

…What’s going on? Did Akegami-san invite her without telling us?

Sure, Curse Seekers teams can have up to five members, but normally you’d discuss it first—and inform the school too.

I guess they must know each other.

…Still, something about the way she talks feels sharp. Like she’s wary of us.

We exchanged glances. The other two shook their heads—they didn’t know either.

"Sorry, I’ll ask Akegami-san about it later."

"Hmm, figures. She’s always been careless. Thanks—I’ll check with her too."

She scratched her head roughly. Maybe they really are acquaintances.

"Still, bad timing. Showing up when Akegami Yuri is absent."

"Yeah… since we’re here, should we go visit Yuri?"

"That might be nice."

As we chatted, the messy-haired girl—who had been about to leave—suddenly spun around and stared at us with wide eyes.

Huh? Did we say something weird?

"No way, no way, no way… wait, it’s already that far? Ughhh, this is worse than I thought…"

She muttered to herself, clutching her head.

…Is she okay?

"Ah, sorry. That’s just my side of things. I went to the same middle school as Akegami, so if you want to know anything about back then, feel free to ask. Actually, no—I’ve got something to do right now, so not now… ah, whatever. Here, this is my contact info! See you!"

Before we could respond, she shoved a slip of paper with her contact information into my hand and rushed out.

…What was that about?

"She was like a storm."

"Akegami Yuri’s middle school days, huh. Not something we should pry into without permission."

…Honestly, I am curious. There might be something there—something that explains who she really is.

But yeah… it’s not something we should ask about behind her back.

"Should we go visit Akegami-san?"

"…Yeah."

"I’m in!"

◇◇◇

We knew where Akegami-san lived because, when I asked how she was doing over social media, she somehow just sent me her address.

Her sense of caution is way too low.

"I think she only told you because it’s you, Shinozaki-kun. Yuri’s actually pretty guarded."

"She’s way too defenseless in front of her Connector."

"Could you phrase that a little better?"

Now that I think about it, Kototsuka-san got really into preparing for the visit. She’s surprisingly caring. At first, she gave off this “I hate people” vibe.

We arrived at Akegami-san’s apartment. It’s rare for a student to live somewhere other than a dorm or their family home.

Ding-dong.

When I rang the intercom, a voice responded.

"Okaaay."

"Whoa, it’s everyone."

The door clicked open, and Akegami-san appeared. She leaned forward unsteadily, swaying slightly. Her pale skin made the redness of her flushed face stand out even more.

"Waaah, Nagisa-kun is here. Are there three of you?"

"That’s bad… she’s seriously sick."

"I feel kinda floaty… all warm and fuzzy… and before I know it, I just collapse."

"That’s really bad!? Whoa—!?"

As she stumbled forward, I instinctively caught Akegami-san before she could fall. She was burning up—seriously, is she okay???

"...This won’t do. We should get her inside and force her to rest. That’s fine, right?"

"Waaah, it’s been so long since I’ve had people over."

"This isn’t the time to be happy about that. Yeah, she’s not okay. Connector, let’s get inside."

"Y-Yeah…"

Supporting her—almost carrying her—I helped her inside. Sorry for touching you without asking!

The room was dimly lit, and things were scattered everywhere. It was surprisingly messy. I always thought Akegami-san would be more put-together in that regard.

For now, we laid her down on the bed. …I didn’t expect it to be this bad. Did she go home soaked in the rain yesterday?

"Yuri, are you okay?"

"Nnnh… Kisa? Waaah, it’s Kisa…"

She slipped right out from under the blanket and clung to Kisa-san. Kisa-san’s body froze instantly.

Compared to her usual self, it’s like all her sharpness is gone… or something like that.

"What do we do, Shinozaki-kun? Yuri’s turned into a little kid. This is totally ‘loli mode.’"

"What are you even saying???"

Kisa-san’s losing it too.

"She feels hot. Maybe we should cool her down a little."

Kototsuka-san placed her hand on Akegami-san’s forehead. She’s probably trying to cool her down using a skill… though technically, personal use of skills isn’t really allowed.

"S’cold… feels nice…"

Akegami-san smiled lazily, and Kototsuka-san froze mid-motion.

"Connector… this is bad."

"Huh? What is?"

"Akegami Yuri… is adorable."

"Kototsuka-san???"

No good—Kototsuka-san’s fallen too. Still clinging to Kisa-san, Akegami-san rubbed her face against Kototsuka-san’s hand.

Both of them completely froze.

…The destructive power of a sick Akegami-san is unreal.

I mean… yeah, the gap from her usual self is huge, so I kinda get it. …Honestly, she is cute.

But this is more like how you’d find a small child or a little animal cute… yeah. …Who am I even trying to justify this to?

"...Sleepy…"

She let out a big yawn.

"Yeah, you should go back to bed."

"Mm, you really need to rest, Yuri."

Good, it looks like the two of them are back to normal.

"Should we all sleep together?"

"We’ll sleep."

"Let’s sleep."

…Nope. They’re not back to normal at all. And that bed is only meant for one person—there’s no way three people can fit.

Thankfully, we managed to avoid that option and got Akegami-san properly back into bed.

"I can finally sleep again…"

In her hazy state, she burrowed into the blanket. This might be beyond the point of just a simple visit.

“Finally”… does that mean she hasn’t been sleeping much lately? Staying up too late or something?

…Still, I don’t like the idea of just leaving her like this. But there’s not much I can do. Taking care of a girl like this is… a bit much.

Grab.

Suddenly, I felt a tug. A hand reached out from under the blanket and grabbed my sleeve.

"Yuuuri…"

A small voice called out. It’s rare for someone to say their own name like that.

Well… it’s not like I can just leave now anyway. I decided to stay a little longer and watch over her.

Akegami-san’s sleeping face looked just like that of a girl her age.