Chapter 60: Rainy season- cold

The rain continued to fall, a steady, rhythmic drumming against the windows.

As soon as I arrived home, I kicked off my soaked loafers and opened the shoe cabinet, carefully placing them inside. My socks were also completely drenched. “…Sigh…” I peeled them off, then noticed… my left shoulder was also soaked, while the rest of me was relatively dry. Strange, considering how heavy the rain had been.

‘Ah, that’s right…’ I remembered walking with Aya.

She’d tilted the umbrella towards me, shielding me from the rain. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but now… it was clear. She’d pulled me closer, her hand on my left shoulder, when I’d tried to move away. That must have been why my left shoulder was soaked.

“Hmm…” I covered my cheeks with my hands, my face burning. Aya had been so nonchalant, so casual, while I…

And… while we were walking, I’d instinctively walked on the left side, a habit from my past life as a Korean. But Aya had deliberately tried to walk on the right. So, I ended up on the inside, and she was on the outside. In Japan, the man usually walked on the outside, and the woman on the inside…

‘…Wait a minute.’ I froze, realizing the implications.

“…” The lingering warmth on my right hand, the gentle pressure of the promise ring against my skin as I’d held Aya’s hand…

‘Was I… completely taking the “protected” (female) role…?!’ My mind reeled. I shouldn’t be thinking about these “roles,” but knowing that the positions were reversed in Japan…

“Uwaaaaah…!” I clutched my head, groaning.

But… it had felt so natural, so right, for Aya to be walking on the outside, protecting me from the rain. And I’d… liked it. “…Aaaaaah!!!” I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought. Don’t overthink it!

But the memory of Aya’s gentle touch, the warmth under the shared umbrella, her scent so close… it made my heart pound.

“…No.” I needed to shower and go to bed. I couldn’t think about this anymore. I hurried to the bathroom, peeling off my damp clothes and turning on the hot water, the warmth chasing away the chill.

‘I don’t even flinch when I see myself in the mirror anymore,’ I thought. In the beginning, I’d been startled every time I saw my reflection in the shower… but now, I was used to it. This body, Kurosawa Rina’s body… it was mine now. ‘I’m finally… used to it.’

But… there was one thing I couldn’t get used to. The way my heart raced whenever I thought about Aya.

“Aaaaaaaah!!!” I shook my head again, ignoring the splashing water, trying to forget the lingering embarrassment. But the memory of sharing that umbrella with Aya, the warmth of her body so close… my face burned.

****

The next morning, I woke up feeling… heavy.

No, not heavy… hot.

“Ugh… uh…?” I tried to sit up, but collapsed back onto the bed. I had a cold, a bad one.

‘The rain yesterday…’ I’d shared an umbrella with Aya, but my left shoulder had gotten soaked. And I’d showered and gone to bed without drying it properly. I should have known better. ‘But I didn’t expect it to be this bad…’

I fumbled for my phone and checked the time. I was late for school. There was no way I could go, not in this state. ‘No choice…’

I closed my eyes, my head pounding, and then, my mother rushed in. “Rina, you’re going to be late! Get up!”

“M-Mom…”

“Oh my, Rina, are you sick?”

“Yeah…”

“Then rest. Call your teacher. I have to go to work.”

“Okay…”

“I won’t be home, but there’s medicine in the drawer. Take it and get some rest. I’ll be back tonight. If your fever gets worse, go to the hospital.”

So… I’d be home alone today. I called my homeroom teacher.

“Oh, Kurosawa? What’s up?”

“Sensei, I’m sorry, but I think I have a bad cold. I’m going to be absent today.”

“Alright, get some rest. And go to the hospital if it gets worse.”

‘That was easy.’

After calling my teacher, I burrowed back under the covers. I’d be fine after some sleep… I didn’t even have the energy to check my LINE messages.

****

Ding-dong—

“…Huh?” I heard the doorbell. A delivery? I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled towards the door, opening it to see… Aya, in her uniform.

“…Aya?” I blinked, wondering if I was dreaming, my head still foggy with fever. But Aya just looked at me, her expression calm, as always. “Rina, are you alright?”

“…What are you doing here?”

She held up a plastic bag filled with sports drinks, porridge, cold medicine, and… iced tea. “I heard from your teacher that you were sick.”

“Huh? My teacher told you?”

“Yes. He said, ‘Rina is absent today due to a cold,’ during attendance.”

“Oh…” Aya would definitely do something like this. I hadn’t expected her to come to my house, though… “Aya, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“It’s P.E. class, and it’s almost lunchtime.” She calmly took off her shoes and entered my house. “Are your parents home?”

“No, they both work…”

Aya headed towards the kitchen and started preparing the porridge. I watched her, dumbfounded.

‘This is… a nursing event…?!’ I was supposed to be sick in bed, but my heart was racing.

“Rina,” she called out.

“Y-Yes…?”

“Go back to bed. You’ll get even sicker if you stay up.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, and I nodded weakly, returning to my bed and pulling the covers over me. My face burned, but it wasn’t just from the fever.

Aya returned with a bowl of warm porridge. And then… she held out a spoon. “Want me to feed you?”

“—!” I instinctively recoiled, clutching my pillow. Aya’s tone was casual, but…! “N-No! I’m fine! I can eat by myself!!”

Aya smiled and handed me the bowl. “Okay.”

I took a spoonful of porridge, the warmth spreading through me.

“Rina.”

“Yes?”

Aya placed her hand on my forehead. “…You have a high fever.”

“W-Well, I have a cold…”

“You need to rest, so you don’t get worse,” she said, her face still calm, but her voice laced with concern.

‘This is totally a nursing scene from a romantic comedy…!’ My face burned even hotter. But in romantic comedies, it was usually the guy who took care of the sick girl! So I should be… ah… my fever-addled brain was making it difficult to think straight.

Aya continued to fuss over me, my body growing increasingly heavy with fatigue and… something else. After finishing the porridge, I felt… drowsy.

“Rina.”

“Mmm…?”

“You’ll feel better after some more sleep.”

“Yeah…”

Aya gently stroked my hair, the touch so comforting, I closed my eyes. ‘Aya’s touch… so warm…’

And with the feeling of her presence beside me, I drifted off to sleep.

****

The room was quiet, Rina sleeping soundly.

Aya sat at Rina’s desk, watching her. The sound of rain against the windowpane filled the quiet room, the air warm and still.

‘She has a fever…’ Aya dipped a handkerchief in cool water and placed it on Rina’s forehead.

Her face, still flushed with fever, her soft, even breathing… Watching Rina sleep so peacefully filled Aya with a strange warmth.

‘This is… odd.’ It wasn’t the first time she’d seen Rina sleeping. Normally, she’d just think, ‘She’s resting because she’s sick.’

But now…

Aya gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Rina’s face, the soft texture lingering on her fingertips. Rina stirred in her sleep, mumbling softly, then, as if soothed by Aya’s touch, her expression relaxed again. “…” It was a strange feeling, a protectiveness, a tenderness… different from simple concern.

‘…Ah, class.’ Aya glanced at her watch. Lunch break was over, and afternoon classes were about to start. She hadn’t intended to stay this long, but watching Rina sleep…

She stood up quietly and wrote a short note, leaving it on Rina’s desk.

Rina,
Rest a bit longer, and make sure you take your medicine tonight.
I hope you feel better tomorrow.

Yukikawa Aya

Aya quietly opened the door, then looked back at Rina one last time. “…” It was just a cold, yet… she felt strangely… reluctant to leave.

Aya took a deep breath and closed the door. The quiet room, filled with Rina’s soft breathing and the small note on her desk, was still and peaceful.