LMLCG – Episode 34 – Lap Pillow
by akachaTakanashi-san began to snore in his sleep.
It seems he’s finally able to relax a little.
I’ve heard that a 15-minute nap is good for you.
There’s still plenty of time for lunch after he wakes up, so I’ll let him sleep just a bit longer like this.
For him to fall asleep so quickly, he must’ve been mentally exhausted.
Is he feeling that bad…?
I placed my hand on his forehead… It doesn’t seem like he has a fever.
“…Takanashi-kun wasn’t feeling well? I didn’t notice at all… Sara, you realized it right away?”
Since Takanashi-san is sleeping, Natsumi spoke in a whisper.
“Eh? I could tell at a glance… It was obvious he was trying to tough it out.”
Was it really that hard to notice?
I picked up on it immediately…
“No, I didn’t notice at all. You probably realized because you’re always paying close attention to Takanashi-kun. That’s amazing, really…”
…I don’t think I did anything particularly special…
“But I wonder what caused it? Maybe it’s because of what happened this morning?”
“He doesn’t seem to have a fever. No runny nose or coughing either, so I don’t think it’s a cold…”
…When I stroke Takanashi-san’s head, his expression seems to relax just a bit. It’s adorable… fufu.
“Sara, I know you’re happy, but remember, Takanashi-kun’s not feeling well, okay?”
…You’re right. Takanashi-san is not feeling well, how thoughtless of me…
“Takanashi-san… It’s time to wake up now…”
Such a gentle voice…
The hand stroking my head feels so comforting that I instinctively leaned into it.
“Fufufu… Oh, Takanashi-san…”
“Hey, Sara, don’t get all happy, wake him up already.”
Sara…? …Sara-senpai…???!!!
“Wha!?”
I snapped awake and immediately realized the situation I was in.
Damn, I fell asleep… What the heck did I just do!?
“I-I’m so sorry, Sara-senpai!!”
I tried to get up quickly, but Sara-senpai gently held me down.
“You mustn’t stand up so suddenly. Takanashi-san, It seems your condition isn’t great, so please get up slowly.”
“S-sorry, I’ll sit up.”
I slowly lifted myself up.
My headache seems to have subsided. I guess the medicine and the nap really helped.
“How are you feeling?”
“Yes, the headache seems to be gone. Thank you very much.”
“It was a headache then… You must have endured quite a lot.”
“The medicine didn’t quite kick in right away, so it was pretty tough… but sleeping helped a lot. Thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Do you think you can eat?”
Yeah, I think I can eat now. Earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything.
“I’ll be fine. Sorry for worrying you too, Natsumi-senpai.”
“No worries, though honestly, I didn’t even notice Takanashi-kun wasn’t feeling well… Sara did it all herself, so thank her instead.”
“Yes… Thank you very much, Sara-senpai.”
“It’s nothing. Why don’t we eat our lunch now?”
We took a bit more time than usual to eat, and once we’d settled down, we resumed our conversation.
“Once again, thank you very much, Sara-senpai.”
“I’m just glad I could help. So it was a headache?”
“Yes, I’ve had migraines for a while now, and on days with bad weather like today, the pain gets worse. Then we had P.E. on top of that, so all the movement made it worse…”
If it hadn’t been for P.E., it might’ve been more manageable.
“I see… In that case, you should’ve taken the day off from P.E.”
“Oh… Right, I could’ve talked to the teacher about it. I didn’t even think of that…”
“If it’s a good enough reason, the teacher might be understanding. You should try next time.”
Natsumi-senpai chimed in.
She’s right. I’ll keep that in mind next time…
“But good thing Sara noticed. Takanashi-kun, you weren’t going to say anything and were planning to just tough it out, right?”
Honestly, I didn’t want to cause any concern… but I ended up troubling them anyway.
“I really caused a lot of trouble for you, Sara-senpai…”
“I don’t consider it troubling or a bother though.”
Sara-senpai spoke as if it was the most natural thing.
“Rather, it would trouble me more if you kept it hidden. Please don’t worry about me and let me know.”
I figured she’d say something like that, but still…
“Sara, I get what you’re feeling, but Takanashi-kun was trying not to make you worry. Even if you truly don’t mind, you should forgive him for that.”
As expected, Natsumi-senpai gives me some support.
I really appreciate it.
“…Understood. In that case, from now on, I’ll make sure to notice. If it’s hard for you to say, I’ll just catch on like I did this time.”
“Uh… thank you? I guess?”
“No, this is simply my declaration of intent.”
“Wow… how do I put it… you two are so close. It’s kind of sweet… and hilarious.”
I mean, saying something like “I’m not feeling well today~” just sounds like whining… I couldn’t say it out loud no matter what…
“There’s still a bit of time left, so why don’t we relax a little? Ah, Takanashi-san, would you like to lie down again? I can offer you a lap pillow on the sofa again…”
“No! That’s way too much, I can’t impose like that again.”
“Muu… I wouldn’t think of it as a bother if it’s you, Takanashi-san. If you ever want a lap pillow again, please let me know anytime.”
Ugh… My reason is slipping away…
Natsumi-senpai is the only one who looks like she’s genuinely enjoying all of this.
After that, my headache didn’t return for the rest of the day.
I was truly saved.
Oh, I’d completely forgotten about my shirt, but the next day, it came back freshly ironed.
…It didn’t smell like usual. It smelled like Sara-senpai’s. A truly wonderful shirt…