Side Story: Catching a Cold

—A cold, huh?

Standing in line for the roller coaster for the third time, I found myself replaying Haruto’s words in my head. Every time my face flushed, he’d say the same thing—but did he actually believe it?

—Lovesickness.

The term bubbled up unbidden, and I immediately scowled. Wh-what kind of nonsense is that? Probably Hoshiko’s fault for forcing me to read those shoujo manga.

Way too girly. I could feel my entire face burning. To an outsider, I must’ve looked like a tomato.

Come to think of it, Haruto had been absent once before due to illness…

The place Yoshihiro-kun and I visited was—well, to put it bluntly, a dilapidated shack that somehow hadn’t collapsed yet.

"This is the right place… right?"

"Should be…?"

I nervously double-checked the address our teacher had given us on my phone. Yep, no mistake. This was Haruto’s house.

We’d come to visit our absent classmate.

—Muffled voices drifted out. A man’s, followed by a woman’s.

Haruto’s family? But I’d heard he didn’t have any…

"Helloooo? Anyone home?"

No doorbell, unsurprisingly. I shouted as loud as I could. I knew it was rude if he was sleeping, but since he hadn’t replied to my texts, this was basic courtesy.

—CLATTER-BANG!

A panicked noise erupted inside, then silence. Yoshihiro-kun and I exchanged glances.

"Wh-what was that?"

"Burglars? …Wait, who’d bother robbing this dump?"

"…Let’s hurry."

Unable to shake our unease, we stepped inside.

"Youta and Hagino…? What’s up?"

"We texted about visiting. Didn’t you see?"

Haruto lay on a futon in a tiny four-and-a-half-tatami room, his face flushed crimson. He hadn’t even taken his temperature.

"Was sleeping until… someone woke me up."

"Huh? Who?"

He lived alone. Maybe our shouting had disturbed him? Haruto bit his lip, as if regretting his words.

"…Rats. They’ve infested the place. Annoying."

"Eww! But, like… that noise earlier was them?"

"Probably."

Yoshihiro-kun looked genuinely disgusted as Haruto nodded. He hated rodents and roaches—not that many people liked them, unless they were hamsters or something.

…Those voices earlier must’ve been our imagination. Maybe a TV? Except there wasn’t one in sight.

"So, what’s this ‘visit’ about?"

"Uh… helping you recover?"

"Haruto, you’ve never had someone do this for you? Damn, that’s sad."

I discreetly kicked Yoshihiro-kun’s shin. Some topics were off-limits—Haruto’s parents were dead.

"Ah, crap… forgot for a sec."

"Don’t worry. …Just means I need more training."

"Pretty sure that’s not the issue…"

The table held only cup ramen containers and vitamin supplements. No wonder he’d gotten sick.

…But one thing stood out: a supermarket bag.

"Mind if I look inside?"

"Go ahead."

Peaches in syrup—a classic sickbed treat. Still sealed, though. Useless without a can opener.

"Haruto, you gonna eat these?"

"…Got them as a gift, but I don’t own a can opener."

"Right."

Yoshihiro-kun and I sighed in unison. Haruto’s place wasn’t just old—it felt hollow. A space for eating and sleeping, nothing more.

Probably a neighbor’s goodwill gesture.

"Oh! We brought ice cream. Want some?"

"If not now, we can put it in your fridge."

I’d almost forgotten. We’d grabbed it from a convenience store after school. Even with no appetite, the cool sweetness should go down easy.

"Don’t have a fridge either."

"Seriously…?"

Even Yoshihiro-kun was dumbfounded now. I couldn’t help but marvel at how Haruto managed to live like this.

"Let’s eat it before it melts!"

"Yeah!"

The convenience store was a fair distance away, and despite the chilly weather, the ice cream had already started to soften. As we frantically unpacked the treats, Haruto blinked at us in confusion.

"Why the rush?"

"It’s ice cream. It’ll melt, dumbass."

"...Is that how it works?"

Under normal circumstances, his reaction would’ve been bizarre—but by now, the pieces were falling into place. Unless, of course, he was just delirious from fever.

"...Haruto, don’t tell me you’ve never had ice cream either?"

"First time."

—Yoshihiro-kun and I locked eyes, then sighed in unison.

Haruto murmured in awe as he tasted his first-ever ice cream. His complexion had improved dramatically.

"...His fever was nearly 38°C (100.4°F) an hour ago."

"The hell? Are you a monster?"

We’d brought a thermometer (since his house lacked even that), and now it showed a normal temperature. As we gaped, Haruto shrugged.

"At this level, it’s nothing."

"Bullshit! People die from neglect with fevers like that!"

"If no one’d checked on you, you could’ve croaked!"

Yoshihiro-kun’s outburst was justified. A simple cold could turn deadly if ignored.

"I’ll probably be back in class tomorrow."

"Don’t push it. Relapses are nasty."

Yoshihiro-kun chided him as Haruto tested his mobility. For all his rough edges, he was oddly dependable—and Haruto seemed to respect that, nodding solemnly.

"We should head out. Don’t wanna overstay."

The clock read past 6 PM. We’d arrived late due to classes, but we’d still lingered too long. Even if he was recovering, a sick person needed rest.

"Class is boring without you. Hurry back."

"Yeah, but don’t force yourself. You’re part of our group, Haruto."

"...Right."

As we turned to leave—

For some reason, Haruto’s profile looked unbearably lonely to me.