Chapter 74

Яεαⅾ ​ｏｎ​ ḰаṫṚеａԁｉｎǵСａϝ​е

**[Interlude] I Hope It’s Nothing Serious…**

“Oh, Natsu’s asleep.”

After coming home, I sat in Yeoreum’s chair and gamed with Inari for a bit.

But then I noticed Yeoreum had stopped moving while watching us. I turned my head and saw her peacefully asleep, breathing softly.

Was she really that exhausted?

It _was_ her usual bedtime, but she’d streamed longer on other days before, so I thought she might stay up a bit longer.

“Kids really are cutest when they’re sleeping~”

“Hey, we’re the same age as Natsu, you know?”

“Oh, right.”

> –“Oh, right” my butt wwwwww
> –I want to see sleeping Nacchan too.
> –She must’ve been _really_ tired from hanging out with Inari 草
> –Honestly, if I were Nacchan, I’d be wiped too ww

As I watched Yeoreum sleep, I remembered the earlier scene.

That business card the CEO gave me.

The hospital address written on it.

I let out a small sigh as I recalled the child I saw there—who looked just like Yeoreum. Or rather, a child who _was_ a spitting image of her.

I was more than halfway certain, but to be sure, we’d need to run a DNA test.

Of course, not in secret. I’d have to explain the whole situation to Yeoreum first.

“Should we call it a day?”

“Didn’t Natsu say she wouldn’t end the stream until she cleared the game?”

“Uh, w-well… _Nacchan_ made that promise, not me!”

> –Inari doesn’t want to play this game anymore…
> –Looks like she lost interest after reaching her goal ww
> –Maybe if the _reward_ for clearing the game was casual speech, she’d be more motivated 草
> –Are you really gonna make Nacchan break her promise, dumb fox?!
> –草

Judging by Inari’s face, she seemed pretty tired too.

To be fair, the controls _were_ pretty frustrating for a lighthearted game.

Just picking up an item took several key presses…

With the difficulty steadily ramping up, there was no way we were finishing this in one day.

“And with that, we’ll end today’s stream.”

> –Ahh.
> –Still didn’t want it to end yet!
> –Toya just got here—can’t he stay a bit longer?
> –Maybe they’ll go longer tomorrow ww
> –I believe in Totomo-chan making a guest appearance on Toya’s stream tomorrow 草
> –Bye-bye~
> –See you tomorrow, Toya~

**[Stream Ended]**

—

After the stream, I suggested Inari stay the night, but she said she was fine and headed home.

Lately she’s been over so much that she must’ve gotten used to the area. Seeing someone who usually gets lost say she’s heading home—it was honestly kind of impressive.

Ah, come to think of it, didn’t Yeoreum say she dropped honorifics with Inari?

Inari had been speaking casually from the start, but I never expected _Yeoreum_ to speak informally to _her_ first.

“Mm…”

“Oh, you’re awake? You can go back to sleep.”

“…I dozed off.”

“It’s fine. You looked tired.”

Yeoreum, lying in bed, groaned softly and opened her eyes.

Not a groan of pain—just the kind you make when you’re trying to wake up.

Her sleepy eyes blinked slowly, and I reached out to gently stroke her hair.

That child… they didn’t look well.

_Yeoreum’s_ health isn’t great either, but…

For a moment, I shook my head, trying to forget the image of Yeoreum hooked up to oxygen and an IV.

I may have _seen_ it with my own eyes, but that kid wasn’t Yeoreum.

Still, one thing had become certain.

If Yeoreum ever ends up in that kind of condition, I’ll do _whatever_ it takes to stay by her side.

“Mm, I’ll stay up a bit longer before I sleep.”

“Why? You want to hear what happened today?”

“…Yeah.”

Yeoreum always liked hearing about what I did when I came home.

A small, adorable obsession.

And I never really had a reason _not_ to tell her, so I always did—but…

Should I tell her what happened today?

The thought floated through my mind, but faded soon after.

“I saw someone today who looked just like you.”

“…”

“A kid Ragu-sensei’s taking care of. At first, I really thought you were in the hospital.”

“…”

“…She’s asleep.”

Yeoreum didn’t get to hear any of it.

She must’ve dozed off while I was talking.

Alright then. I’ll just tell her in the morning.

As I gently brushed her hair, I glanced at the glowing screen of my phone.

**[Ragu-sensei]**

“…What could it be at this hour?”

I tilted my head and picked up the phone. A small vibration tickled my hand.

Why does this feel so… ominous?

**[Sorry, Toya. I know it’s late, but… could you come to the hospital? Just this once?]**

“…Ragu-sensei? What do you mean all of a sudden—”

**[No, never mind. You don’t have to come. Just… no, never mind. Haaah…]**

From the other end of the call, I could hear confusion in Ragu-sensei’s voice. Or rather, she sounded half out of her mind.

A voice full of unease.

As I hesitated, unsure how to respond, I heard her sigh.

A long, heavy sigh, full of worry—like she was about to ask for something she really didn’t want to say out loud.

**[Sorry for calling so suddenly, Toya. I’ll tell you later. When Natsu wakes up.]**

“…Yes, Sensei.”

_Beep—_

I lowered the phone as the dial tone echoed in my ear.

There was no way this wasn’t about _something_ serious.

Ragu-sensei’s voice was just _too_ desperate.

But I couldn’t force the answer out of her.

“I really hope it’s nothing serious…”

I muttered under my breath as I swept my hand over Yeoreum’s especially warm forehead.

—

**[Ichinose Natsu Break Notice]**

**[(Ichinose Natsu Break Notice.JPG)
She’s caught a cold and will be resting for a while.]**

> –What kind of cold takes a whole week to recover from?
> –She’s fragile—apparently her colds don’t go away easily.
> –How does someone who never leaves the house _get_ sick?
> –The weather’s been all over the place lately. Maybe she didn’t use the heater during the day and caught a chill at night?
> –That would make sense…
> –Isn’t a cold dangerous for someone with asthma? If she’s _resting_ for it, it must be serious.
> –Could be that her asthma flared up because of the cold.
> –Feels like we’re doing remote care for a fragile little girl or something. It’s kinda sad.
> –She sounded like she was dying when she coughed last time.
> –I hope it’s not _too_ bad…

**[Natsu’s cold <— This is Inari’s fault, isn’t it?]** **[She didn’t get sick while living with Toya, but the moment she collabs off-stream with Inari? Totally sus…]** > –Stop slandering Inari lol
> –Inari: truly the Plague Fox Goddess 😂
> –She was freaking out on Wisup, saying it might be her fault lol
> –She even said she should’ve washed her hands right after arriving at Toya’s house 😂
> –What is this, a neonatal ICU? lol
> –(Inari: It’s not my fault… Kon)
> –Honestly, I kinda think it _is_ her fault tho…
> –Stop reaching!
> –What’s next, she’s gonna be streaming from a sterile clean room? 😂

**[Did Natsu post a Wisup voice update?]**

**[(Natsu’s half-dead sick voice post.MP3)
She _does_ sound really bad. Doesn’t she need to be hospitalized or something?]**

> –Info) She _is_ hospitalized
> –They said her fever wasn’t _too_ bad, so she should recover soon, but just in case, they admitted her.
> –Isn’t that overkill for a cold?
> –She was hospitalized for nearly a month over a cold once. No choice.
> –Just listen to her voice. That’s not normal lol
> –For us, it might be a mild cold. For _Natsu_, it’s like getting hit with COVID.
> –What if she _does_ catch COVID?
> –Technology’s good these days. She’ll survive.
> –My niece sounded exactly like that when she had COVID. Normally a little brat, but suddenly she sounded so weak, it made me tear up.

**[Ichinose Natsu KON Stickers Released!]**

**[(Natsu is really sick… KON)
(Natsu the Fox Exterminator KON)
(Natsu: I’ll kill whoever made me sick KON)
Please show lots of love~]**

> –How do they _always_ make stickers like this lol
> –(Natsu the Fox Exterminator KON)
> –(Inari: It’s not my fault KON)
> –(Natsu: I’ll kill whoever made me sick KON)
> –LOOOL
> –Might as well make more while you’re at it.

Fables