Ch.193IF Side Story – And the Two Lived Happily (47)

Even if you do nothing, time flows on.

On a certain day, not long after June ended and July began.

“Huaaah……”

The weather had now surpassed the level of merely “hot.”

It was murderous heat, as if someone had lit a fire right beside you.

Surrendering to nature’s wrath, we had been lounging at home with the air conditioner running constantly for the past two weeks.

“Hueee….”

It’s hot.

No, actually it’s not hot.

The air is already cool thanks to the air conditioner.

The reason I feel hot is because the cool breeze that was pouring out has disappeared.

The reason for that…

“Nyeeeh… Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?”

It’s because Aila is blocking the wind with her entire body, her arms spread wide in front of the air vent.

“Aila, move. Don’t block the air.”

“I’m hot too, you know.”

“So am I.”

“Can’t you compromise a little? I compromise a lot at night, don’t I?”

“……”

That’s strange.

Has the dictionary definition of “compromise” changed without my knowledge?

I’m pretty sure she enjoyed herself too.

“Isn’t that mutual agreement rather than compromise?”

“So if I say no from now on, you won’t do it…?”

“…No, forget it.”

What’s a little breeze anyway?

It’s not like I’ll die from the heat without it. I should be the one to endure.

“And if I say it’s a compromise, then it’s a compromise.”

“On what grounds?”

“My tears are the evidence.”

“…You’re learning all the wrong things from the internet.”

I should never have bought that computer.

She just lounges around at home learning weird things.

…But when will they arrive?

It should be about time—

-Knock knock

Are they here?

“Just a moment~!”

A breeze blew.

When the cool air hit my slightly sweaty skin, I felt a momentary chill.

“Who is it?”

I followed behind Aila as she went to open the door.

The breeze was too cold to keep standing in it.

“Unni~!!”

The door opened, and a loud voice mixed with the hot outside air came in.

“…Ms. Sekyung? And Ms. Suna too?”

“Let’s go out together! I got some coupons that can be used for up to four people for dinner, and we don’t have anything to do until then, right? So I was thinking we could all go shopping—”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Aila made a bewildered expression at the sudden flood of information.

“Let’s go out together~! We helped you out last time when you asked, didn’t we!”

“W-wait! That’s…!”

“Ah……”

Her eyes moved slightly.

Meeting my gaze, I nodded to indicate that it was okay.

“So, unni, will you come with us? Last time we couldn’t have a girls’ day out because your boyfriend was there.”

“Umm….”

Aila hesitated.

I could sense that she wasn’t particularly eager to go.

Sekyung seemed to notice this too, as her expression changed slightly.

“…Do you have something important to do?”

“…No, not really….”

“Then let’s hang out together~!”

At the whining voice, Aila’s gaze turned to me.

A look that seemed to ask what she should do.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Huh?”

I nodded.

It was a kind of signal… something like that.

“…Aila, even if it’s just for today, won’t you come hang out with us?”

“S-Suna too…?”

Perhaps it was difficult to refuse requests from two people.

Hesitantly, with a trembling voice, her answer was:

“…Well, if we’re just having dinner and coming right back……”

Naturally, it was affirmative.

“Then let’s go! It might be hot outside, but the department store will be cool!”

“Wait, let me just get ready—”

“Oh, unni, you’re pretty even without dressing up, so it’s fine!!!”

“Huh? Huuuh?!”

SLAM!

“…Have a good time.”

The door closed.

It all happened in an instant.

“Phew.”

That was harder than I expected.

Who knew getting that homebody out of the house would be such a difficult task.

Well, now I can take care of the urgent matter.

What exactly was so important that I needed to separate from Aila?

The answer is simple.

Tomorrow is July 4th.

It’s Aila’s birthday.

I want to prepare at least a small event for her, if not a grand surprise party.

But planning that with the person in question right beside me presents some difficulties.

“…First, I need to make a restaurant reservation……”

If she eats dinner and plays around a bit before coming home, it should be around 8 o’clock…

If nothing goes wrong, I should be able to finish everything.

Come to think of it, the research results should be coming in soon too…

“…Nothing will go wrong, right?”

Surely not.

What could possibly happen?

***

The sizzling smell of meat.

She cut a large piece of meat placed on the hot plate and immediately put it in her mouth.

Though one might think it would be too hot, Lee Sekyung’s body, which used fire-based magic, could withstand that level of heat.

Her jaw moved a few times, her eyes closed briefly, then opened wide as she trembled.

“Mmm~! Chef! This is incredibly delicious!!”

“Yes, yes, eat plenty. Eating is what counts.”

“…It is indeed delicious.”

Lee Sekyung was cutting large pieces of meat and stuffing her cheeks until they bulged.

Next to her sat Kang Suna, cutting the meat into moderate sizes and quickly putting it in her mouth and swallowing.

Across from them sat Lee Jia, who, unlike the two on the opposite side, was cutting and eating the meat with elegance and grace.

“Umm… I suppose so.”

Aila, sitting across from Sekyung, was cutting and eating small pieces of meat.

“……”

“……”

The three people quietly observed Aila.

‘Doesn’t she seem different from usual?’

‘Yeah, she’s eating less.’

‘And her expression doesn’t look good either.’

The three quickly exchanged glances.

And they reached a conclusion.

“…Aila, are you feeling unwell?”

Come to think of it, something had seemed off since lunchtime.

She already had pale skin so they hadn’t noticed, but looking now, her face seemed somewhat pallid…

And while shopping, her energy level had been noticeably low.

What could be wrong?

The first thing that came to mind was a health issue.

Perhaps she had gotten sick while eating lunch, or something like that.

“No…? Not particularly.”

“Really, unni? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I use [Purification], [Regeneration], and [Healing] every morning, so it’s probably not an illness.”

Though it was a bit unsatisfying, the explanation wasn’t unreasonable.

Sekyung was aware of Aila’s abilities, so she could accept it.

“Well, that’s good then…”

“Wait.”

As Sekyung responded, Jia reached out and touched Aila’s forehead.

“…Your temperature seems a bit high?”

“Really?”

Sekyung reached out her hand.

When her hand touched Aila’s forehead, she felt warmth.

“What? You have a fever?”

“Huh?”

“We’d need to take your temperature to be sure…”

“Isn’t your hand just cold?”

“Then why don’t you check yourself, boss?”

“I don’t need to—”

“Here’s your lamb loin steak.”

The conversation was interrupted.

The nicely browned meat was placed on the table, releasing a rich aroma.

‘…Huh?’

And in that brief moment, Suna noticed Aila slightly, almost imperceptibly, wrinkling her face.

Normally, she might have thought she was seeing things and ignored it, but given the conversation they’d just been having, she couldn’t help but pay attention.

“Aila, do you dislike lamb?”

“Ah, no…? I, I don’t dislike it, but……”

Aila paused and looked around.

The three focused their attention on her searching gestures.

“It’s just, the smell is a bit strange, or rather… it makes me feel queasy? That kind of feeling…”

“…Didn’t you used to enjoy lamb skewers? You ate them with your boyfriend before.”

“Yes, I did, but… hmm, has my taste changed…?”

“…Unni, when did this start?”

The sharp interrogation began.

Suddenly being unable to eat food you normally enjoyed suggested there was some problem.

Especially when the person in question was Aila, who usually devoured everything with gusto.

Unable to withstand the barrage of questions, Aila hesitantly began to explain.

“Um, please keep this a secret from Jiwoo……”

The three nodded.

They didn’t know why she wanted it kept secret, but they needed to agree if they wanted Aila to continue.

“Actually, for the past few days… when I ate food that Jiwoo made, I felt nauseous and it tasted bad… I thought it might have gone bad, so I had Jiwoo try it too, but he didn’t have any strange reaction…”

“All food? Or just some?”

“Just some…”

“Then you should have gone to the hospital… Don’t tell me, was there something strange among the food you ate today too?”

“……Yes.”

“What was it?”

“The pasta……”

“Speak up!”

“I, I’m the one who’s strange, I can’t inconvenience others because of—”

While the three were noisily discussing, Jia tapped her plate with her fork, continuing her train of thought.

“…Aila, so this has been happening for several days, right?”

“Huh? …Yes.”

“You feel queasy when you eat, nauseous just from smelling certain foods, your body temperature is higher lately, you feel lethargic… and you’ve been going to the bathroom frequently.”

“H-how did you know that?”

Aila was startled.

She could understand how they knew she was feeling lethargic, but how did they know she’d been going to the bathroom more often?

And seeing Aila’s reaction, Sekyung and Suna pondered Jia’s words.

“…No, wait, it can’t be. Though, they do it every day…”

“…Unni, surely not……”

Jia opened her mouth.

“…Aila.”

“Yes?”

“……Let’s go to the hospital.”