When I reunited with my arrogant childhood friend, she had become a talented and beautiful girl – Even though she has probably forgotten about me and I don’t want to be toyed with, for some reason she keeps getting involved with me!?

Hiyori Furuhashi.

Beautiful and academically excellent. Yet, she remains humble and never arrogant. The popular Holy Lady of the school turned out to be my next-door neighbour.

But she’s just a neighbour. She’s changing from being a total stranger to a familiar one, that’s all.

To me, who supports Akane, who aims for the position of student council president, she’s somewhat like an enemy. Getting involved with her carelessly now could lead to trouble later on.

Without saying anything to her, I try to insert my key into the keyhole above the doorknob.

Click! Click! Click!

“…Why won’t it fit properly… Could it be broken?”

…What is she saying while trying to put the key into a doorknob without a keyhole?

No, there’s a keyhole above it. Why is she trying to put it into the doorknob?

“Ah, above the doorknob…”

That’s right… She finally noticed… Huh?

I suddenly noticed that Furuhashi’s cheeks were red.

Her expression seemed somewhat listless, and her gaze was somewhat vacant.

Could it be…

“…Are you feeling unwell?”

“…It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry about it.”

I inadvertently spoke to Furuhashi, but she answered without looking at me.

Her expression became tense, but her hollow eyes and red cheeks remained.

Does she not have the composure to look at me? Is she being cautious because a stranger she doesn’t know has spoken to her?

No, it’s both.

But why? I felt a sense of nostalgia somewhere.

“Do you… have a fever?”

As I said that, Furuhashi’s face tensed up noticeably.

It was just a guess, but it seemed to be accurate. How can I put it? She’s easy to read, like someone I know.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s… it’s fine.”

No, your pained expression is not convincing at all. She’s somewhat like…

“You’re bad at lying.”

“…Eh?”

For the first time, Hiyori Furuhashi looked at me.

I couldn’t help but think how beautiful her face was. Her skin was so smooth and transparent, her large eyes and lovely appearance captivating.

The moment Hiyori Furuhashi saw my face, her eyes widened.

Then, with a frighteningly serious expression, she stared intently at my face as if trying to bore holes into it.

“Uh, is there something on my face?”

“N-no… Ah.”

Furuhashi stumbled and dropped her key.

Thinking it would be hard for her to bend down in her current condition, I picked up the fallen key.

“…You dropped your key… huh!?”

Whether it was due to her strength leaving her or exhaustion, Furuhashi fell towards me, and I caught her.

Her consciousness seemed hazy, and her breath was heavy and hot. Her forehead was clearly hot to the touch.

Looking at her shopping bags, I saw cooling gel sheets and sports drinks.

I looked at the key I had picked up earlier.

It’s an emergency, so it can’t be helped… right?

Hoping that it wouldn’t lead to any trouble later, I supported Furuhashi’s body and unlocked her room.

“Phew. I guess this should do for now.”

A few dozen minutes later, I had done everything I could.

I used the cooling gel sheets and an ice pillow I brought from my house and covered her with a blanket.

I removed her blazer, and loosened her ribbon and the first button of her shirt.

I placed the sports drink and fever reducer on the table. I guess this is about all I can do in terms of first aid for now.

I checked on Hiyori, who was now lying in her bed, looking a bit more comfortable. Her breathing had become steadier, but her fever was still high. I couldn’t help but worry about her.

“Hiyori, if you need anything, just let me know, okay?”

She looked at me with a weak smile and nodded. It seemed like she was trying to tell me not to worry too much.

I took a deep breath and decided to leave her room. I made sure to lock the door behind me and handed her the key.

“Get some rest, and I hope you feel better soon.”

“Thank you… for your help.”

Her voice was barely a whisper, but I could feel her gratitude. I nodded and headed back to my own apartment, hoping that she would recover quickly.

As I settled down in my own apartment, I couldn’t help but think about Hiyori. We had been neighbours but practically strangers, and now our relationship had changed. I couldn’t shake the feeling that fate had brought us together for a reason.

Even though she was in a way my rival, I found myself caring for her wellbeing. I hoped that this unexpected encounter wouldn’t lead to any complications in the future. For now, all I could do was wait and see how things would unfold.

I would like to say that all I have to do is leave now, but if I do, the key to this house will be locked inside and inaccessible. However, taking the key with me is out of the question, so for now, I have no choice but to wait for Hiiragi to wake up. I watch her peaceful sleeping face as she breathes quietly.

Ah, that’s right. The reason why I felt a sense of familiarity is because she resembled “that girl.” I used to call her “Sakura.”

The name came from the fact that we met on Sakura Hill.

I met Sakura when I was still Kento Kamitou. She had a lonely expression that seemed to want someone to notice her, like an abandoned puppy standing still in front of Sakura Hill. So I ended up calling out to her. Her tone was a little rough, and her appearance was a little intimidating, like a delinquent, but she was actually a good girl at heart. I taught her how to study for about a month, but she never told me her name.

Maybe my approach was wrong, or maybe she just didn’t open up to anyone. In any case, she disappeared without a word, so it was natural.

“…I wonder how she’s doing now.”

I muttered to myself. No, I can’t think about that now. I need to focus on Hiiragi. I’ll make sure she can take her medicine as soon as she wakes up. Just in case, I brought some fever-reducing medicine and an ice pillow from my own home, but Hiiragi’s own medicine should suffice.

…Huh? Wait, this is…!!

A, a suppository! What? Really? A suppository? Well, I guess everyone has their own medicine of choice, so it’s not that strange. But still, a saint using a suppository… it feels kind of… eww!! Stop thinking about it!

But speaking of which, suppositories have this shape… Hmm, I wonder if they really work?…I kind of want to try it now.

As I thought that, I suddenly looked over at the bed and saw Hiiragi’s eyes open, looking at me sleepily to confirm her situation. Hmm, for Hiiragi, she was inexplicably asleep in her bed, and in front of her was a male high school student she didn’t know, who had taken out a suppository and was staring at it intently. Is it three outs already?

“Good morning.”

Well, I should at least greet her. (Escaping reality)