Chapter 52
Yuu scooped a bite-sized portion of porridge with the ladle and transferred it to a small dish.
As she brought the dish to Shin's lips and tilted it, just the right amount of saltiness and the subtle tang of pickled plum spread across his tongue.
"...Mmm, perfect."
She lifted the earthenware pot off the stove and placed it on a tray with a trivet, then headed toward Shin's room.
"Shin, I'm coming in."
She knocked before announcing herself, knowing full well he wasn’t in any state to respond. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door and stepped inside.
"Shin, I made you some porridge."
Setting the pot on the bedside table, she took a seat in the chair beside him.
Shin’s face still looked pained, unchanged from when she last saw him. He’d taken his medicine, but it didn’t seem to be helping much yet.
"Shin, say 'ah~'."
"……"
She scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently to cool it down, then held it to his lips. Obediently, he parted them this time.
Earlier, he’d struggled weakly to resist, but now he seemed too exhausted to protest. She couldn’t understand why he’d fought it in the first place—at times like these, she wished he’d just let himself rely on her.
"How is it? Does it taste good?"
"...Yeah."
She’d heard that colds could dull one’s sense of taste, so she’d been a little nervous, but it seemed fine. She wasn’t used to making porridge for sick people—this morning had been her first attempt—so his quiet approval was a relief.
"Ah~"
"……"
Each time she brought the spoon to his mouth, Shin ate without hesitation. His appetite seemed stronger than expected, and before long, he’d finished the entire serving.
After clearing the pot, she prepared his next dose of medicine.
"Your fever… still pretty high."
She pressed her hand to his forehead—still burning. At this rate, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for at least the rest of the day.
...Yeah, I should stay with him.
In this state, even going to the bathroom would be a struggle. If he tried to walk unsteadily and collapsed, it’d be a disaster.
"Guess you’re still not better, huh? I’ve finished the housework, so maybe I’ll stay here with you this afternoon."
"...Huh?"
Shin made a confused noise at that. When she asked why, it turned out he was worried about her catching his cold.
Now that he mentioned it, he had a point. If they both got sick, things would get messy.
...But that’s only if I were a normal human.
"Don’t worry. My body’s not the kind that catches colds."
Her body had been modified to fight monsters from another world. Something that could take hits from ten-meter-tall demons without a scratch wasn’t ordinary enough to succumb to a common cold.
It wasn’t for nothing that everyone she met treated her like a monster. She’d strayed so far from humanity that even she sometimes wondered.
...Ah, but.
She lifted her gaze, which had drifted downward, and looked ahead. There, Shin lay with a pained expression on his face.
...If this detestable body of mine lets me take care of Shin, then maybe I can learn to like it a little. The thought crossed her mind unbidden.
"...Alright, Shin, time to sleep."
"Ah—"
Her eyes stung faintly, so she tucked the blankets around him and stood, gathering the dishes to take to the kitchen.
...Another world, huh?
As she walked, she revisited her earlier thoughts.
Now that she thought about it, she rarely reminisced about that place anymore.
When she’d first returned to this world, she’d seethed at every little reminder. But lately, those memories hardly surfaced at all.
...Is this because of Shin, too?
Being with him made her so happy, she almost forgot the past entirely.
If someone mentioned "travel" now, she’d think of that trip she took with Shin—not the journeys of that other world.
"……"
Lost in thought, she reached the kitchen. For some reason, she wanted to see Shin’s face again, so she washed up faster than usual.
By the time she returned to his room, he’d already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
"...Hehe."
She sat in the chair and watched him. Maybe the medicine was finally working—his expression had softened.
"...Oh."
A thin sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead. Carefully, so as not to wake him, she dabbed it away with a towel.
"...Nn… Yuu…"
"...Hehehe."
A tiny mumble escaped him in his sleep. And the fact that she could be here, watching over him like this—it made her happier than she could say.
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