Ai Haibara lay on the bed in her room, wrapped in a pink quilt. A white towel soaked in water rested on her forehead beneath her chestnut bangs. Her face was flushed red, and with her high temperature, every heavy breath she exhaled seemed like foul air.
Her head felt muddled, but her mind remained clear.
She had always been somewhat puzzled as to why her body was so frail.
She was prone to heatstroke after merely spending time in the sun, and getting caught in rain or snow easily gave her a fever and cold. Even if a little girl was physically weak, she should not have been this weak, right?
Ai Haibara felt rather miserable. They had both shrunk, so why was Kudo Shinichi's body as sturdy as a husky's? Even after getting beaten senseless, he was back on his feet in just a few days as though nothing had happened.
Could it be a lingering problem from catching a cold in the rain after I shrank?
Ai Haibara suddenly recalled the night she had escaped. Combining it with the traditional Chinese medicine theories Fujino had mentioned, she quietly began to speculate.
"Xiao Ai, how are you feeling?"
Akemi Miyano sat by the bed, watching her worriedly.
Xiao Ai catching a cold was a top-priority matter in the Fujino household.
It was not yet time for Snow King Ice City to close, but Akemi had shut the shop straight away and rushed upstairs to care for Ai Haibara.
The Shimo-Kasa Sisters were in the kitchen making porridge.
"Cough, cough... It's only an ordinary cold."
Ai Haibara coughed twice and replied weakly, "I've already taken cold medicine. I should be fine after a while, so you don't need to stay gathered around me."
She had long since gotten used