Although he was much better than yesterday, Natsukawa Kanade still wasn't fully recovered. His fever had subsided, the body aches had dulled, and his strength was slowly returning—but he wasn't quite there yet. So, deciding not to push it, he planned to take one more day off and return to school once he was truly back to normal.
Standing before the bathroom mirror, toothbrush in hand, Kanade stared blankly at his own reflection.
"…Tch." He lightly clicked his tongue.
It was the first time, he realized, that he'd shown his bare face to a girl. His just-woken-up hair stuck out at odd angles like rebellious antennae, his eyes were still hazy from sleep, and his expression? Totally not ready to face the world. Even if he didn't usually care much about his appearance, in front of Mahiru, he found himself becoming unexpectedly self-conscious.
He fumbled with his hair a little, trying to smooth it down with wet fingers. It was a half-hearted effort, but it made him feel a little better. Even if it was just the illusion of control, it was better than nothing.
"Right… gotta at least look decent."
After washing up, he made his way to the living room—where a faint aroma of miso soup and grilled fish wafted gently through the air. The sight that greeted him made his heart skip a beat.
Shiina Mahiru, the so-called angel of their school, was just removing her apron. Her movements were graceful as ever, like a well-rehearsed scene from a slice-of-life anime. When she noticed him, she turned and smiled gently, her expression warm enough to melt winter snow.
"Ohayou, Kanade-kun. Are you ready? Breakfast's done."
"…Un." Kanade gave a small nod, still a little dazed by the domestic aura that radiated from her.
He couldn't help but feel like this was the life of a newlywed couple. The image popped into his head all too easily: the gentle wife getting up early to prepare breakfast, waking her sleepy husband with a kiss, eating together in a peaceful morning light, and then seeing him off at the door. He chuckled awkwardly—ma, that's way too delusional.
They weren't in that kind of relationship.
Not yet.
And he wasn't even going out today.
"I'll dig in," he muttered, slightly embarrassed, and sat down with a soft sigh.
Mahiru had made everything with him in mind—he could tell. His favorite rolled omelet, light miso soup with tofu and seaweed, and even a touch of ginger in the grilled fish to help with recovery. She really paid attention to the little things, didn't she? Every time he noticed something like that, his heart softened even more. How was he supposed to go back to eating convenience store meals after this?
While eating, he brought up something that had been bugging him a little.
"I'm planning to take the afternoon off too. Still a bit tired," he said casually, picking at his rice. "But what about you? Shouldn't you head back to class? You're already pushing it."
Shiina Mahiru paused with her chopsticks in midair.
After all, she was the model student—always punctual, always present, and definitely not the kind of girl to skip school without a serious reason. Kanade worried not for himself, but for her. With how gossip tended to spread like wildfire at school, the two of them being absent at the same time was bound to stir up dumb rumors.
He didn't mind much—but he didn't want her to get caught in that mess. Things were finally going well between them, and he'd rather not risk that peace.
But instead of agreeing, Mahiru's expression suddenly darkened. Her gaze dropped to the table, and her voice was unusually quiet.
"…Kanade-kun doesn't want me to stay?"
"Eh? No way!" he said quickly, nearly dropping his chopsticks. "It's not like that at all!"
He leaned forward, speaking faster now to clarify. "I mean, I want you to stay! It's just... I figured you'd be more comfortable not risking your attendance record for me, you know? Honestly, I'm super grateful you're here. Like… there's that saying, right? When a guy's down, what he really needs is a gentle girl by his side. That's basically what I meant!"
Shiina blinked in surprise. Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and the gloom from earlier seemed to vanish. Her lips curled into a small smile.
"…Gentle, huh," she whispered under her breath, clearly pleased.
"But really," she added softly, "are you sure you'll be okay without me here?"
Kanade gave a little shrug and waved one hand nonchalantly. "I'm not a bunny or anything. I won't just drop dead from loneliness, y'know? If I get bored, I'll just play some games or something."
"No games!" she said sharply, frowning in that way she did when she was half-serious, half-worried. "You just started recovering. Don't push yourself. If your fever spikes again, it won't be because of the flu—it'll be because you were being dumb."
"Ehh… why does this feel like I just got grounded…" Kanade slumped a bit, clearly disappointed.
He wasn't even itching to game that badly. It was more the idea of doing something to pass the time that didn't involve lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.
But above all else, he didn't want to lie to her. If he promised he wouldn't game, he wouldn't—even if she left. That's just the kind of promise he wouldn't break.
Seeing the way he sulked, Mahiru smiled, her eyes softening. She reached out and patted his head lightly—then quickly tried to look stern again.
"…But if I'm supervising, that's a different story."
Kanade blinked. "Supervising?"
"Yes. You can play a little," she said, placing a firm emphasis on the word. "Only after you eat and rest. And I'll be watching, so don't think you can sneak in extra time."
To Kanade, though, that sounded less like supervision and more like an invitation to "play games together."
He tilted his head. "Wait, wait, that sounds like we're gonna end up playing co-op, doesn't it?"
"E-Eh!? N-No, that's not what I meant!" Mahiru looked flustered, but she didn't deny it either.
Sure, she'd said "for a while," but come on—what even is "a while" in the world of gaming? Once you start a co-op game, there's no escaping until at least one boss is beaten. At least, that's the law Kanade lived by.
Still, Mahiru looked pretty confident about keeping him in check, so he couldn't exactly say no. His solution? Drag her into the game herself.
And he knew exactly the game to play: It Takes Two.
He'd bought it a while ago with the dream of playing it alongside the angel herself—but up until now, that dream hadn't come true. Mostly because the opening of the game, with a married couple arguing and planning to divorce, had turned Mahiru off immediately. It felt too awkward, too close to something she couldn't quite name.
But Kanade, ever the strategist, had prepped this time. He gently spoiled the ending for her, saying: "Don't worry, the couple ends up working through their problems together—it's actually really heartwarming."
Mahiru blinked once, and then smiled softly. "Is that so... then I guess it's okay."
Yatta.
And just like that, the game began.
The process, naturally, was slow—Mahiru had almost no experience with video games. She'd often glance down at the controller just to remember which button was which. Left stick? Right stick? L2? Her brow would furrow each time, lips pursed in focus.
But to Kanade, her confused expressions were moe overload.
The little frustrated sounds she made, the way she tilted her head when she got something wrong—it was all ridiculously cute.
Sure, they didn't progress much. Her awkward controls made things tricky, and since It Takes Two relies heavily on cooperation, Kanade was constantly slowed down. But was he annoyed? Of course not.
In fact, he was having the time of his life.
This wasn't about winning or losing, not today. Playing together with someone you liked—offline, side by side—that was the real joy. And not just anyone… but Shiina Mahiru.
In the anime world of his mind, this was the rarest SSR drop of all: a cute girl, playing a co-op game with you, in your own room.
Ultimate win.
Of course, Mahiru, who'd initially said she'd "supervise" him, quickly forgot her mission. She became absorbed in the gameplay herself, caught up in the puzzles and teamwork, laughing when they failed in ridiculous ways and cheering when they finally passed a tricky part.
Before they realized it, the entire morning had flown by.
"Ah! We almost missed the time to cook lunch..."
"W-We're speedrunning lunch now?"
Even lunch became another team activity.
After eating, Mahiru reluctantly said goodbye, heading back to her own apartment. Kanade, now left alone, sank into the sofa, still feeling the warm presence she'd left behind.
He didn't bother turning the TV to anything specific, just letting the background noise drone softly. Normally, he'd be doing something—reading, checking updates online, grinding in a game. But recently, he found himself just... zoning out more and more.
Not really thinking. Not really not thinking either.
His mind would blank out, his vision would lose focus, and he'd just sit there. Like his soul had temporarily gone out to grab some coffee.
He wondered if it was because of the strange dreams he'd been having lately.
Dreams that felt... too real.
He hadn't told Mahiru about them. He wasn't even sure he could explain them properly.
Anyway, after a good stretch of spacing out, he gave up on the TV and decided to lie down again.
A short nap. Just a little rest...
By the time he opened his eyes again, it was already evening.
His room was dimly lit, and standing by his bed was the angel herself.
"Ara~, you're finally awake," Mahiru said with a smile that practically sparkled in the soft light.
Her presence gave off the gentle aura of a caring older sister from a slice-of-life anime.
"Did you sleep well? How's your body feeling now?"
Kanade stretched slightly, letting out a small yawn before nodding. "Much better, I think. Pretty much back to normal."
He blinked. "Wait—school's already over?"
Mahiru nodded, removing a plastic bag from her wrist. "Hai. I stopped by the supermarket too. There was a sale on your favorite drink."
"Seriously? You remembered?"
"Of course."
She smiled, then sat at the edge of his bed.
"So… was anything weird at school today?" Kanade asked, a little hesitant. His curiosity had finally caught up to him. After all, both of them being absent on the same day—it had to raise eyebrows, right?
"Hm?" Mahiru tilted her head, genuinely puzzled by the question. "Not really? Why?"
Kanade scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, we're in the same class… and we both missed the same day… I was just wondering if there were any rumors or something."
Mahiru blinked. Then her eyes widened slightly in realization. "Ah... I didn't really hear anything. No one said anything strange, anyway."
"Hmm… sou ka." Kanade let out a quiet sigh of relief.
There was a brief silence, but Mahiru soon continued in a more thoughtful tone.
"But... I did notice that a lot of people seemed worried about you. Even though I didn't go either, almost no one came asking about me."
Her expression shifted slightly—not sulky, but just a bit complicated.
Of course, it wasn't jealousy. Not the childish kind, at least. Mahiru had never cared much about attention from the general crowd. What she wanted was simple—his attention.
Even so, it did feel strange. Why were people coming to her to ask about him? It wasn't like they were some official duo or anything… right?
Still, she had kept her cool. When classmates casually inquired about Kanade's absence, she'd kept her answers vague and light—textbook "perfunctory." No red flags. Probably. Hopefully.
"I picked up some fruit, by the way. Do you want to eat some?" she offered, switching the topic smoothly.
"Yeah, I'll get up in a sec—"
Ding-dong.
A crisp doorbell tone rang through the apartment.
"..."
"..."
Both of them froze. Their gazes locked. The exact same thought echoed in both their minds:
"Exposed?!"
It wasn't like they were doing anything strange—but to outside eyes, Mahiru Shiina appearing casually in Kanade's apartment in the evening? In casual home clothes? On a school day? That wasn't just suspicious. That was flag-raising anime protagonist level suspicious.
But Kanade quickly calmed himself. No, no, think logically. Even if someone had seen her entering earlier, they'd probably just assume this was her apartment. After all, they were neighbors. It wasn't that far-fetched.
Still… better to be safe.
"I'll go check who it is," Kanade muttered, grabbing a hoodie and throwing it over himself. He crept to the door and peeked through the peephole.
And what he saw made him groan internally.
"Haa... it's them."
Standing outside were the full ranks of the student council. Every officer. No absences. Even the vice-president—and yes, even Kaguya.
Kanade let out a small sigh.
They'd probably heard about him being sick and decided, in true student council fashion, to organize an official visit. The kind where they brought snacks, overly formal well-wishes, and an unnecessary number of people.
The timing lined up suspiciously with Mahiru's supermarket trip and return. Meaning—yes, this really was just coincidence. A painfully inconvenient one.
But now, the real crisis:
How to explain Mahiru being here, now, in casual clothes, when they weren't supposed to be... anything?
"W-What should we do?" Mahiru whispered, a rare crack of panic in her voice. Her cheeks were pinker than usual, and she held the fruit bag like it could somehow shield her from social ruin.
"Stay calm..." Kanade said, mentally kicking himself for not installing a teleportation device like in those old-school shoujo manga.
He took a deep breath. "Okay—quick, help me hide the obvious stuff. Put the extra cups away, clean up the fruit, and you... hide in the bedroom, just for now."
Mahiru looked like she wanted to argue, but nodded anyway. "Hai…"
And then—his phone buzzed.
Incoming call. Fujiwara Chika.
Of course. Of course it was her.
"…This girl…" Kanade muttered under his breath. "She has zero concern for timing."
Even worse, his ringtone echoed through the room, confirming to everyone outside that he was very much awake.
"Moshi moshi? Prez~! I heard your voice! Hurry up and open the door already! We're here to visit you!"
"..." Kanade wanted to facepalm but resisted the urge.
He raised his voice just enough to be heard through the door. "O-Oi! Give me a minute, I'm getting dressed!"
While he stalled the invaders, he began speed-cleaning the room. Mahiru moved quickly and quietly, helping put away small items that might look... too couple-y. Then she dashed into his bedroom and gently pulled the sliding door shut.
Kanade scanned the room once more. No obvious signs of domestic harmony. Check.
He exhaled, steadying his nerves. Showtime.
He reached for the door and turned the knob.
"..."
**************
See you next week guys.