Although Kanade was feeling much better compared to the day before, his body wasn't fully recovered yet. He decided to take another day to rest before returning to school, ensuring he was fully healed before resuming his routine.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Kanade found himself zoning out.
As he thought about it, this was the first time he had shown his "just-woken-up, no-prep" appearance to a girl. His hair was a bit of a mess from sleeping and didn't look presentable at all.
He ruffled his hair with his fingers, smoothing it down and fixing the parts he couldn't see in the mirror. After a bit of effort, he managed to get everything in place.
Although Kanade wasn't particularly concerned about his appearance, he had developed a habit of maintaining a "clean and fresh" image in front of girls. It was almost subconscious at this point.
After washing up, he made his way to the living room, where Mahiru was just removing her apron. She greeted him with a warm smile.
"All done? Perfect timing—the food is ready," she said gently.
"…Yeah." Kanade nodded with a slightly complicated expression.
He couldn't help but feel like this moment resembled the life of newlyweds. The diligent wife waking up early to prepare breakfast for her husband, sharing a meal together, and then seeing him off to work with a loving goodbye kiss at the door… Of course, that was just his imagination. Their actual relationship wasn't anything like that.
And, well, he wasn't heading out anywhere today.
"I'll dig in now," Kanade said, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat with gratitude.
Mahiru had thoughtfully prepared all his favorite dishes, demonstrating once again her attention to the smallest details about him. Each time Kanade noticed these little gestures, his heart swelled with gratitude, and he found himself becoming increasingly reliant on her care.
"I'm planning to take the whole day off," Kanade mentioned casually during their meal. "You, though—you should probably head back to class. My health is nothing to worry about now, but for you, it's definitely better to be in school, don't you think?"
Knowing Mahiru's diligent nature, it was hard to imagine her skipping school just for him. Plus, he couldn't ignore the potential for rumors—both of them missing class on the same day would undoubtedly raise suspicions. He didn't care much about gossip personally, but he didn't want any unfounded rumors to affect Mahiru or their current dynamic. He was content with how things were between them.
"…" Mahiru paused for a moment, her expression dimming with an uncharacteristic hint of sadness. "Kanade… you don't want me to stay here?"
"Of course not!" Kanade raised his voice slightly to emphasize his point. "If anything, having you here makes things a lot easier for me. And, well, isn't there that saying? 'When a guy is feeling weak, he'll want a gentle girl by his side to comfort him.' Even if my 'weakness' is a little different, the sentiment still holds. You get what I mean, right?"
"…" Mahiru blinked, then smiled brightly, her mood visibly lifting.
It wasn't just his words—it was the part where he'd described her as "gentle" that made her especially happy.
"But… are you really okay without me here?" Mahiru asked hesitantly. The state he'd been in yesterday had left her deeply worried, to the point that she'd even had a nightmare about it last night.
"I'm fine, really. I'm not some fragile rabbit or anything," Kanade said, waving his hand dismissively before adding, "Even if I did feel lonely, it's not like I'd die from it. Besides, I can always play some games or something…"
"You just started recovering! You shouldn't even be thinking about playing games right now," Mahiru scolded, her brows furrowing adorably. She followed up with another serious reminder. "Even if you feel a little better now, things could worsen if you're not careful. This is the time to rest properly, okay?"
"Ugh, how boring…" Kanade slumped his head in disappointment. What was he supposed to do all day? He didn't feel like watching movies nonstop either.
He didn't want to lie to Mahiru, so if he promised not to play games, he'd genuinely stick to it. Even though she couldn't see him from afar, he didn't want to betray her trust.
Seeing his dejected expression, Mahiru gave a small, resigned laugh before trying to keep a stern face.
"Well… if I supervise you, it should be fine," she said.
"…Supervise?" Kanade tilted his head in confusion.
"I mean," Mahiru clarified, "you can play a little after resting for a while. But I'll stay next to you and make sure you don't overdo it."
To Kanade, her "supervision" sounded suspiciously like an invitation to play games together.
She mentioned "a little," but anyone who's ever played games knows that "a little" can easily stretch into hours. For him, it was nearly impossible to stop playing without reaching some kind of satisfying milestone.
If Mahiru was serious about supervising him, though, Kanade figured the best course of action was to involve her in the games. Picking a two-player game would naturally pull her attention away from monitoring him, and they'd both have fun in the process. This plan aligned perfectly with something Kanade had been wanting—he'd been waiting for a chance to play games with Mahiru.
One title came to mind immediately: It Takes Two. He'd bought the game a while back but hadn't played it yet, hoping to experience it with her.
Previously, Mahiru had been hesitant to play due to the opening scene involving a couple arguing about divorce. To ease her concerns, Kanade had told her about the game's heartwarming ending, where the couple reconciles and repairs their relationship. With her reservations addressed, she'd finally agreed to give it a try.
Playing the game was an adventure in itself. Since Mahiru rarely played video games, Kanade spent a good amount of time teaching her the controls. She frequently had to glance down to check the buttons on the controller, a typical behavior for beginners. Her clumsy but determined attempts were so endearing that Kanade found himself thoroughly enjoying the experience.
As he had hoped, Mahiru got caught up in the game, completely forgetting her original goal of "supervising" him. The morning flew by in a blur of gaming fun, and they only stopped when they realized they were nearly too late to start preparing lunch.
Progress in the game was minimal due to Mahiru's slow learning curve, but Kanade didn't mind at all. He found her adorable struggles part of the joy. After all, the true fun of gaming came from sharing the experience with someone special.
After lunch, Kanade said goodbye to Mahiru and, for the first time in a while, sat on the sofa in a rare moment of calm. The TV played softly in the background as he stared off into space, lost in thought.
Although Kanade had been making a good recovery compared to the day before, his mind remained somewhat fatigued. Recently, he'd developed the habit of zoning out more often, slipping into a state of total mental stillness. It wasn't like he was pondering anything—his brain simply blanked out.
He suspected this had something to do with the vivid dreams he'd been having lately. The dreams were unnervingly realistic, so much so that he sometimes doubted they weren't the product of deliberate imagination. His restless nights left him subconsciously seeking moments of mental reprieve during the day.
After spacing out for a while, Kanade switched on the TV to see if anything interesting was on. Unfortunately, the programming offered little entertainment, and with a sigh, he turned it off, opting instead to return to bed for another nap.
When Kanade woke again—or more accurately, became aware of his surroundings—it was already evening.
Mahiru was standing by his bedside once more, her face adorned with a pleased smile that seemed to say, Good job resting properly.
"Awake? How are you feeling now?" she asked, always prioritizing his well-being.
"…" Kanade took a moment to assess himself. He felt mostly recovered and figured he'd have no issue returning to school tomorrow.
"Did school let out already?"
"Mm-hmm." Mahiru nodded. "I stopped by the supermarket to pick up some things before coming back."
"I see… So, um, how's school?" Kanade asked, suddenly curious. After all, their simultaneous absence in the same class had likely drawn attention.
"School?" Mahiru tilted her head slightly, puzzled by his sudden inquiry. "Hmm… nothing unusual happened."
"…"
"But I did notice," Mahiru added with a faintly ambiguous expression, "a lot of people seemed concerned about you. Even though I was also absent, hardly anyone asked about me…"
Her tone wasn't bitter—far from it. She wasn't the type to care about drawing attention from others. All Mahiru wanted was one person's undivided attention, and seeing Kanade so well-regarded by his classmates genuinely made her happy. Though, she couldn't deny the mild concern it raised about the competition she might face.
What she did find strange, however, was that people had approached her for updates on Kanade's condition. It didn't make much sense to her since they were both absent. Regardless, she had deflected their questions with vague answers, ensuring nothing would seem suspicious.
"I bought some fruit. Would you like some?"
"Yeah, I'll get up…" Kanade began to reply but was interrupted by the sound of a sharp doorbell chime.
"…"
"…"
Their eyes met instantly, and both had the same thought: Are we busted?
Naturally, the "exposure" they worried about was the perception of their relationship, which, from an outsider's view, might seem a bit too close.
But after a moment's reflection, Kanade dismissed the thought. Even if someone had seen Mahiru entering his apartment, it wasn't an inherently suspicious act. They might assume it was her own home or chalk it up to a coincidence.
Still, the door had to be answered, and Kanade quickly moved to check the peephole after throwing on some presentable clothes.
"What… It's them?" Kanade murmured in surprise.
Standing outside were the members of the student council, every single one of them, including Kaguya.
Kanade sighed in relief. It appeared they'd simply come to visit him after hearing about his illness, likely coordinating after school to check in. Their timing happened to align with Mahiru's return from the supermarket. It was all just a coincidence.
But now came the real problem—how could he explain Mahiru's presence in his apartment?
Claiming she was visiting as a friend would raise questions. Why wasn't she wearing her school uniform like the others? Her casual outfit screamed "at home," which might spark further suspicions. On top of that, there were far too many traces of shared daily life scattered around the apartment.
"W-What do we do now?" Mahiru whispered, visibly flustered. She clearly hadn't anticipated being discovered, much less under circumstances that could reveal how close they lived.
"Calm down," Kanade said, trying to reassure her as he rapidly brainstormed. "Here's the plan—let's hide anything too obvious. You can go into my room and stay there for now…"
Before they could act, Kanade's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Chika Fujiwara calling him—from just outside the door.
"…"
Does she not realize I might be resting right now? Kanade thought in exasperation.
To make matters worse, the ringing seemed to have caught the attention of the group outside.
"Moshi moshi? President? I think I heard your phone! Come on, open up—we're here to visit you!" Chika's cheerful voice rang out from beyond the door.
"…"
Kanade had no choice but to raise his voice and call out, "Hold on! I'm just putting on some clothes!"
As he shouted his excuse, he helped Mahiru hastily tidy up the most conspicuous signs of their shared time. Once they were done, he gently urged her to retreat into his bedroom.
He scanned the room one last time to ensure nothing incriminating was left out. Feeling as prepared as he could be, Kanade took a deep breath and moved toward the door, attempting to steady his nerves.
"…"
He reached for the handle and opened the door.
Notes-Read all chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X