Ch.121Equipment Shutdown (4)

“There would have been a lot of people at the convenience store in the dorm after dinner, but you managed to come back quickly.”

“I left right after eating because I thought it would get crowded.”

“Indeed, all that time I made you run Zero Lime errands during school paid off? I always thought you had potential.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why, I meant your athletic potential. You’re good at running.”

“…Oh, oh. That’s what you meant. I thought…”

“Anyway, come sit down. Let’s eat together.”

“I’m really fine, I already had dinner.”

“How inconsiderate. You’re going to leave a patient to eat alone?”

Snacking as a meal replacement becomes particularly pitiful when done alone.

This was something I’d experienced firsthand multiple times during frequent overtime work, or when my wallet was in a sorry state before payday.

Already sad about skipping a proper meal,

Having neither the time nor money to eat properly,

And replacing it with snacks and bread instead.

Beyond taste or fullness,

What kind of luxurious life am I trying to live that I have to do this?

Such thoughts tend to invade my mind.

Even for someone who loves snacks and bread,

It’s not an experience they’d want to have every day.

At least when two or more people gather,

That pitiful snacking can be disguised

Under the name of a snack party or gathering.

“Sit here. If you’re too full to eat, at least wait beside me until I finish.”

And so, in place of the dinner I’d missed while lying in my isolation room,

I ended up having a snack party with Doha-min who had come to see me.

The absence of Zero Lime at this snack party was seriously grounds for dereliction of duty,

But I decided to accept that this must be how things work in this country.

Even without Zero Lime, at least there was regular cola.

“Phew, this is the first time I’ve had regular cola, not Zero Lime, since drinking it at the hospital where that bastard Lee Jeong-gyu was admitted.”

“I’m not sure if cola is appropriate for someone with a cold, it might irritate your throat…”

“Hey, if I say it’s fine, what’s the problem? If Doha-min brought the cola, I should drink it even if you’ve already taken a sip.”

“Y-you want to play those kinds of jokes even in this situation?”

“Hehe.”

I took out the cola from the bag Doha-min had brought.

There weren’t any cups around to pour it into, and my throat was particularly dry since I’d just run out of water,

So as soon as I opened the cap, I put it directly to my lips and forced the harsh carbonation down my swollen throat.

“Puhi-ha-! This is sex, what else could be sex!”

“D-don’t use such weird expressions while eating!”

“Sorry.”

Perhaps it was because my head was half-foggy from the cold and medication.

When I was in a good mood, whatever I thought in my head would just fly straight out of my mouth.

“Not bad. It feels similar to drinking it after kendo class.”

“Sigh… Then that’s good. Just bear with it today instead of your usual Zero Lime.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I was actually thinking that today, regular cola might be better than Zero Lime.”

“…Huh? Why’s that?”

“…Hehe, want to know?”

-Swish

I slightly lifted the blanket I was under and showed it to Doha-min.

“Gasp…!”

Doha-min quickly turned his head away as I lifted the blanket,

Which was soaked with sweat that I had shed while sleeping under the thick blanket after taking medicine.

“Since I sweated this much, I need to properly replenish my calories, right?”

“Ah, okay, I get it. Cover up quickly. You’ll cough again if you catch a draft.”

Doha-min, unable to meet my eyes, pulled the blanket back over me.

Seeing how quickly he turned his head away before I lifted the blanket, he must have anticipated what kind of prank I was going to pull.

“Tsk, you’re quick.”

He probably noticed from the moment I grabbed the edge of the blanket with my fingers.

Is it time to leave? Is Doha-min now figuring out my patterns?

This might make things a bit difficult for Miss Ban Do-young who would fall for the grown-up Doha-min and try to tease him later.

Because I’ve raised the bar quite high.

“Not bad, Doha-min. Have you adapted to this level of pattern now?”

“E-enough, try this too.”

Doha-min naturally changed the subject and pushed a bag emanating a cool aura toward me.

White vapor was rising from it, but judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like food that had been in the freezer.

“What’s this?”

“Ice cream. I noticed you were coughing a lot earlier, and ice cream might be better than cola for a swollen throat.”

“Hey, are you telling me to betray my longtime comrade Cola and side with Ice Master? No matter how good ice might be for reducing swelling, I’m not such a treacherous—”

“Fortunately, I bought lime flavor.”

“Thank you, I’ll gratefully enjoy it.”

When your throat is swollen from a cold, ice cream is indeed the way to go.

There was no place for cola, not even Zero Lime.

“Mmm… sweet and tangy lime sorbet. This is much better than I expected.”

“Really? I bought two, should I try one too?”

“No way, I’m eating both.”

“Ah, but you just invited me to eat together…?”

“Zero Lime-less cola is fine to share. Since I just put my lips on it, Doha-min would be happy to drink it, right?”

“N-no, I won’t…!”

Tsk, I said I would happily drink it.

“By the way, you really do like lime. I’m glad you like it though. I thought you’d be bedridden with a high fever, but you’ve regained your energy quickly.”

“Yeah, even I was practically half-dead until you showed up with that convenience store bag.”

I was almost startled by how my condition could flip like turning a palm.

When I was alone, I didn’t want to think about anything, just repeating to myself that I was sick, bored, lonely, lamenting my situation as if the world was ending.

But strangely, my mind became clearer after Doha-min arrived.

Even though I’d long exceeded my quota of teasing, new pranks to play on Doha-min kept popping into my head.

Maybe the medicine Teacher Miso brought was finally taking effect,

Or perhaps I was unconsciously feeling better because I was happy Doha-min had come to see me.

“If it’s the latter, I guess I like Doha-min more than I thought.”

“…Huh? What did you just say?”

“…Tsk. The cold is acting up again.”

Oh no, another thought escaped my mouth without permission.

“Nothing, forget it. More importantly, do you want this melt-in-your-mouth lime sorbet that badly?”

“I don’t know why I have to hear this when I’m the one who bought it… but I would like to taste it. I want to know what flavors you like, Do-young.”

“Kid, now you’re even answering like a protagonist. Alright then…”

I scooped a large spoonful with the wooden spoon and offered it to Doha-min.

“If you really want to eat it, I’ll give you one bite. Come on, open your mouth.”

“W-wait… I’ll scoop it myself. There’s another spoon.”

Doha-min hurriedly took out a second spoon and the lime sorbet from the bag.

“I-I’ll just take one bite and close the lid. You can have the rest…”

“Ahhh!”

Just as Doha-min opened the lid of the ice cream and scooped a bite,

I quickly lunged forward and caught the sorbet on his spoon with my mouth.

“W-what are you doing!”

“Thanks, now we’ve achieved the ‘sharing food like a couple’ event.”

I had always been the one feeding him.

We never had an event where we fed each other.

I was glad I could complete one more achievement before leaving.

Though I’m not sure if achievements even exist in this world.

“Ugh… it’s covered in saliva.”

“Lime naturally makes you salivate even after just one bite.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“What will you do now? The result will be the same no matter which spoon you use.”

I offered him the ice cream that was still on my spoon.

“Here, if it’s all the same anyway, wouldn’t it be better if I feed you?”

“…”

“Come on, don’t be shy, eat it while I’m offering. It’s not like it’s your first time, right? You ate the eel and rolled eggs just fine.”

“A-at least then the spoon wasn’t covered in saliva like this…”

“You don’t like that it has my saliva on it…?”

“Ah, fine… I’ll eat it, I said I’ll eat it.”

“Hehe, that’s more like it.”

Only then did Doha-min reluctantly lean his head forward.

Actually enjoying it, this sly one.

“Eat quickly. It’s already melting and about to drip.”

“I said okay…”

And just as the spoon that had touched Miss Ban Do-young’s lips entered Doha-min’s mouth,

-Slide!

“Do-young! Sorry I’m late!”

“Waaah!”

“Eeeek!”

With the sound of the outer door opening, Teacher Miso’s voice was heard.

“It’s Teacher Miso…! Doha-min, hide quickly!”

“H-hide? Suddenly? Besides, even if you tell me to hide, there’s nowhere to…”

“…You’re still smaller than me, right?”

“Yes…?”

“Come here!”

“W-wait!”

.

.

.

“I’m really sorry, Do-young. After supervising the students’ dinner, I went to the kitchen to get you at least a rice ball to eat.”

“I-I see. I thought you had forgotten about me.”

“How could I forget about my precious student? Did you get any sleep? Has your fever gone down at all… D-Do-young?”

“W-why are you looking at me like that, Teacher Miso?”

“My goodness… Do-young. Your face is extremely red.”

“Th-that’s because of the cold.”

“And you’re sweating even more than before…”

“That’s also… because of the cold.”

“And somehow your body under the blanket seems to have gotten bigger…”

“That too… is because of the cold.”

“Oof…”

“Hm? What was that sound just now? A strange noise from inside the pillow…”

“It’s my stomach… making hungry noises.”

-Huff

I pressed down harder on Doha-min beneath me.