Sick?

Hoshinomiya's footsteps were heavy.

The fatigue from his low-grade fever still weighed on him. Every step he took felt exceptionally burdensome.

Hirata was not far away, quietly talking with several Class D students.

During a pause in the conversation, he noticed Hoshinomiya beside him and briefly glanced over.

But Hoshinomiya's eyelids were heavy, and he barely had the strength to look up in response.

He did his best to steady his steps, but his body still swayed faintly, almost imperceptibly.

He had no interest in joining Class D's antics. All he wanted was to reach the vending machine below the dormitory building, buy a cold drink, and suppress the feverish heat surging through his body.

Only a few steps away from the vending machine, he was stopped by a woman's reproachful voice.

"Hoshinomiya, weren't you with Classmate Sakayanagi?"

Was that... Kamuro's voice?

Hoshinomiya Rinyu turned around, his vision somewhat blurred.

He could no longer make out the face of the person before him and could only identify her from the rough outline of her figure.

"Oh... I... forgot."

"Huh!?"

The sharp cry cleared his head a little.

But before he could open his eyes again, he lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes once more, he found himself lying on his dorm bed.

Sakayanagi sat by the bed, gently placing a towel soaked in cold water over his forehead. Kamuro Masumi had set the items she had brought on the table beside them and stood quietly nearby.

"My, Hoshinomiya-kun, you're awake." Sakayanagi Arisu spoke in a lightly teasing tone, though a trace of concern hid in her eyes.

"How do you feel? Your fever has only just gone down, so your throat is probably dry. Would you like some water?" Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on his face, the worry in her eyes not yet entirely gone.

Before Hoshinomiya Rinyu could respond, Kamuro Masumi in the living room brought over two cups of warm water, faint steam rising from them.

Sakayanagi Arisu did not thank her, merely accepting one with a natural smile.

"Hoshinomiya-kun, open your mouth. Ah~" She held the cup to Hoshinomiya's lips, her face full of mischievous amusement.

Only then did Hoshinomiya Rinyu come back to his senses.

Looking at the faint curve of the girl's lips, he did not take the cup. Instead, he turned his head and took small sips of warm water from the rim of the cup in her hand.

"Thanks, Mom... Arisu."

His high fever had only just subsided, and his mind was still a little muddled. He had nearly called her the wrong thing, and even he froze slightly after the words left his mouth.

The smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's lips deepened, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh~? I heard that one perfectly clearly. It sounded like 'Mom.'"

Hoshinomiya Rinyu hurriedly interrupted her before she could continue. This girl who only ever thought of teasing people was the very definition of a bratty little girl.

He avoided Sakayanagi Arisu's interested gaze, his face burning.

Kamuro, standing some distance away, deliberately turned her head and looked elsewhere, pretending not to have heard their conversation.

Kamuro, standing some distance away, deliberately turned her head and looked elsewhere, pretending not to have heard their conversation.

Seeing how embarrassed he looked, Sakayanagi Arisu covered her lips and chuckled softly, finally reining in her desire to tease him.

"Hehe, seeing Hoshinomiya-kun like this, I almost don't have the heart to keep making fun of you."

She handed the empty cup to Kamuro Masumi, then turned her gaze back to Hoshinomiya Rinyu lying on the bed. Her tone was calm, carrying a hint of matter-of-factness.

"You should not push yourself right now. I have already submitted a leave request to the school for your classes over the next two days. Rest here peacefully, and return to the classroom once you have fully recovered."

Hoshinomiya Rinyu was slightly stunned. He had not expected her to have thoughtfully arranged even these minor matters in advance.

Once the fever subsided, the lingering exhaustion swept over his entire body. He had no strength to argue further, and he slowly closed his eyes, sinking into a brief rest.

The room fell quiet, yet the struggle beneath the surface at Advanced Nurturing High School had never ceased.

"Hoshinomiya, you're here?"

Katsuragi Kohei spoke as he looked at Hoshinomiya Rinyu, who had just recovered from a serious illness and now looked as normal as ever.

As soon as Hoshinomiya Rinyu entered the Class A classroom, quite a few students came forward to greet him.

Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kamuro Masumi, Morishita Ai, and even the usually taciturn Kito Hayato gave him slight nods.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu found it somewhat strange. He had very few social connections in the class, limited to only the people around him.

Oh, right. There had also been the study session last time. Quite a few students he had tutored admired him greatly.

Hoshinomiya did not dwell on it and returned to his seat.

"Good morning, Hoshinomiya-kun. Are you feeling better?" Sakayanagi Arisu arrived in the classroom.

She still carried herself with the same elegant, dignified bearing, as though the girl who had gone to his dormitory yesterday and shown concern for him had not been her at all.

"I'm fine now. Thank you for taking care of me yesterday."

Hearing that, Sakayanagi Arisu lightly waved her hand, smiling as though she wished to brush it off.

"It was only a small effort. There is no need to take it to heart." Her tone was indifferent, as though the concern she had shown in the dormitory that day had merely been kindness between classmates.

"Hmph~"

Kamuro Masumi, standing behind Sakayanagi Arisu, snorted softly and mercilessly exposed her act.

"You make it sound so casual, but when she heard you had fainted yesterday, Arisu was quite worried. She even rushed over to your dormitory specifically to check on you."

Sakayanagi Arisu's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. She turned to glare at the overly talkative Kamuro, a faint blush crossing her cheeks, though she maintained her composure in her words.

"Masumi, there is no need to keep bringing up such a trivial matter."

Hoshinomiya Rinyu's gaze fell on Sakayanagi Arisu's slightly reddened profile, and understanding flickered in his eyes.

"So that was it." His tone was calm, revealing little emotion. "Then I should thank you all the more for your concern."

Sakayanagi Arisu lightly clenched her skirt with her fingertips, quickly concealing her momentary loss of composure and putting on a faint smile again as she subtly changed the subject.

"It is good that you are unharmed, after all, our agreement..."

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The class bell rang, and they stopped talking, each returning to their seats.

July quietly arrived, and the heat of midsummer enveloped the entire campus. With the first semester's final exams drawing ever closer, students clutching textbooks and reviewing could be seen everywhere.

Yet amid this atmosphere of exam preparation, a notice disrupted the mood among the first-years.

During Class A's homeroom period, Teacher Mashima stood at the podium and spoke flatly, his voice reaching every corner of the classroom.

"There is something I need to inform you all of. Because a fight recently occurred among the first-years and the school is still investigating it, this month's personal points for the entire year will be temporarily withheld. They will be issued only after the matter has received a final resolution."

Quiet murmurs rose in the classroom, though they were not particularly intense.

After witnessing this school's harsh rules, many Class A students had already consciously saved up some points. Even with the delay, they would not find themselves in immediate difficulty. Still, being dragged into another class's dispute for no reason left many of them looking dissatisfied and helpless.

"It must have been those defective products from Class D again!"

A voice rang out from the crowd.

P.S. I went singing today, but I was also thinking about an outline while I sang, so the update was just a little late. Sorry, everyone. Thank you all for your support, dear readers. The author is getting ready to sign a contract too, hehe.