Episode 34: Lap Pillow

Takanashi-san has started breathing evenly in his sleep.

It looks like he’s finally settled down.

I’ve heard that a fifteen-minute nap can do wonders for a person.

There is plenty of time to eat after Takanashi-san wakes up, so I’ll let him sleep a little longer.

Falling asleep so quickly like this means he must have been mentally exhausted.

I wonder if he’s feeling really unwell…?

When I place my hand on his forehead… it doesn’t seem like he has a fever.

「…Takanashi-kun was feeling out of it? I didn’t notice at all… how did you know, Sara?」

Since Takanashi-san is sleeping, Natsumi whispered to me.

「Eh? It was obvious at a glance… he was clearly enduring something.」

Was it that hard to tell?

I noticed it immediately, though…

「No, I didn’t notice a thing. I guess you only caught it because you’re always watching Takanashi-kun so closely. That’s pretty impressive…」

…I don’t feel like I’m doing anything particularly special…

「But what happened? Do you think it was because of this morning?」

「For now, it doesn’t seem like a fever. He doesn’t have a runny nose or a cough, so it doesn’t feel like he’s sick with a cold, but…」

…As I stroke Takanashi-san’s head, it’s cute how his expression seems to relax as if he’s at peace… fufu.

「Sara, I know you’re happy, but Takanashi-kun is actually unwell, okay?」

…That’s true. Takanashi-san is in poor health, so that was inappropriate of me…

「Takanashi-san… it’s time to wake up…」

I hear a very gentle voice…

The hand stroking my head feels so good that I instinctively lean into it.

「Fufufu… oh, Takanashi-san.」

「Hey, Sara, don’t just stand there enjoying it, wake him up.」

Sara? ……Sara-senpai………！！！？？？

「Ha!?」

I snap wide awake and realize exactly what’s going on.

Crap, I fell asleep… wait, what did I just do!?

「S-Sorry, Sara-senpai!!」

I try to scramble up, but Sara-senpai gently holds me down.

「You mustn’t. You shouldn’t stand up so suddenly. Since you aren’t feeling well, Takanashi-san, please try getting up slowly.」

「Sorry, I’ll get up now.」

I slowly sit up.

The headache seems to have settled. Taking the meds and getting some sleep must have worked.

「How are you feeling?」

「I’m okay, the headache seems to be gone. Thank you very much.」

「So it was a headache…. You were holding it in quite a bit, weren’t you?」

「The medicine didn’t fully kill it, so it was a little rough… but sleeping on it seems to have fixed things. Thank you.」

「I’m glad to hear that. Do you feel like you can eat?」

I think I can eat now. Just a while ago, there was no way.

「I’m fine. Natsumi-senpai, sorry for the scene.」

「No, honestly, I didn’t even realize you were struggling… Sara did everything on her own, so you should thank her.」

「Yes, Sara-senpai, I’m sorry.」

「No, let’s just finish our bento for now.」

We took a little longer than usual to eat, and once things settled down, we picked up the conversation.

「Again, Sara-senpai, thank you.」

「I’m glad if I was able to be of help. You mentioned it was a headache?」

「Yeah, I’ve always had migraines, and when the weather is bad like today, they tend to flair up. Since I had PE today, moving around made it even worse…」

If I hadn’t had PE, it probably would have been more manageable.

「I see… in that case, you should have sat out of PE.」

「Ah… right, I could have talked to the teacher. I didn’t even think of that…」

「The teacher might be understanding if that’s the reason, so maybe try asking next time.」

Natsumi-senpai added.

She’s right. I’ll ask next time…

「But it’s a good thing, Takanashi-kun. Sara noticed because she’s always watching you, but you were planning to just suck it up without saying anything, weren’t you?」

Honestly, I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary worry, but I ended up being a burden anyway…

「I’m really sorry for all the trouble, Sara-senpai…」

「? I don’t consider it trouble or a burden at all, you know?」

Sara-senpai started speaking with a perfectly neutral expression.

「In fact, it’s more problematic if you hide the fact that you’re unwell. Please don’t worry about me and make sure to tell me.」

I figured she’d say that, but still…

「Sara, I get how you feel, but Takanashi-kun was holding it in because he didn’t want to worry you. I know you mean what you’re saying from the bottom of your heart, but give him a pass on that.」

Natsumi-senpai followed up with her usual perfect support.

I’m so grateful.

「…Understood. In that case, I will make sure to notice from now on. If it’s hard for Takanashi-san to say it, then I just have to be the one to notice, like this time.」

「Um… what should I even say to that, thank you… I guess?」

「No, this is my declaration of intent.」

「Man, how do I put it… you guys are close. It makes me happy to see… (amusingly).」

There’s no way I could be honest and act like a spoiled brat saying「I’m feeling sick today~」…

「We still have a little time, so shall we relax? Oh, Takanashi-san, would you like to lie down a bit more? If so, I can give you a lap pillow on the sofa again…」

「No! I can’t keep bothering you like that.」

「Muu… if it’s you, Takanashi-san, I don’t think of it as a bother. If you want a lap pillow, please feel free to ask anytime.」

Ugh… my self-restraint is being chipped away…

Only Natsumi-senpai looked like she was enjoying this from the bottom of her heart.

The headache didn’t come back for the rest of the day.

It really saved me.

By the way, I had forgotten my shirt, but it came back the next day perfectly ironed.

…It didn’t smell like my place; it was a wonderful shirt that smelled like Sara-senpai…