That morning, my body felt heavy from the moment I woke up.

My head was fuzzy, and I felt a little warm. It didn’t seem serious enough to stay home, so I put on my uniform as usual.

I managed to get through the first period, English.

But during the second period, math, the words on the blackboard looked blurry in my textbook. Sweat was slowly spreading across my back, and a dull ache throbbed inside my head.

“Sensei, can I go to the nurse’s office?”

When I raised my hand and said that, the classroom buzzed.

“Eh, are you okay?”

“Your face is so red…!”

“I’ll go with you!”

Voices of concern came from all directions. Everyone’s eyes were on me; it had turned into a small scene.

“I’m fine. I can go by myself.”

I stood up. At that moment, I heard the chair next to me move.

“I’ll go with you, too.”

It was Wakana standing beside me.

“No, but…”

“I’m the health committee member.”

She looked at the teacher. The teacher nodded without objection.

The other girls went back to their seats. Wakana was a health committee member, and she didn’t make things awkward.

We walked down the hallway together. Wakana peeked at my face.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy?”

“Yeah, a little.”

I answered. Wakana frowned slightly.

“Ren seemed a little off this morning. You’d normally be slouched on your desk during homeroom, but today you just stared straight ahead.”

“You really notice things.”

“I didn’t just notice… it caught my eye. You were different from usual.”

In the nurse’s office, my temperature was taken. It was 38.2°C.

“You should probably go home. I’ll contact your parents.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I can go home by myself.”

“But—”

“Really, I’m fine. My house is just nearby.”

The nurse placed her hand under her chin and nodded slightly.

“Alright. I’ll tell your homeroom teacher. Saotome-kun, don’t push yourself. Take it easy and rest.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go get your things from the classroom.”

Wakana stood next to me and said quickly.

Her words were calm as usual, but somehow kind.

“…Thank you, Wakana.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Just rest properly.”

Encouraged by her words, I left the school behind.

✩ ✩ ✩

When I got home, I collapsed onto the bed still in my uniform.

My body felt as heavy as lead, and I didn’t want to do anything.

I took some medicine and closed my eyes. Sleep came quickly.

I don’t know how long I had been asleep, but the sound of the front door woke me.

“I’m home!”

It was Ruka.

There was a soft knock on my door.

“Big brother, are you awake?”

“Yeah, I just woke up.”

Ruka came in and looked worried.

“Are you okay? I heard you left school early.”

“Yeah, it looks like a cold.”

“I see. Please wait a moment.”

She quickly prepared an ice pack for me.

A little while later, Ruka came back carrying a tray.

“Some rice porridge. Please try to eat a little.”

“Thank you, Ruka.”

While I ate, Ruka sat quietly in the corner of the room.

“Um, it’s kind of awkward if you stare at me too much.”

“Ah, I'm sorry. Just seeing big brother like this is rare, so I can’t help it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I’ve never seen big brother sick before.”

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t been sick since we became siblings.”

Ruka rubbed her hands together nervously and muttered quietly to herself.

“It might be weird, but seeing big brother like this makes me want to protect you.”

“It’s kind of embarrassing to have my little sister feel protective of me.”

“That’s not true! I think it’s fine for you to show weakness. You always seem like you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

Her words made my chest feel a little strange, like a flutter I couldn’t quite explain.

“Really?”

“Yes. Oh, I’m probably in the way, right? If anything happens, just tell me. I’ll come running right away!”

“Mm, thank you.”

“Well then, rest properly.”

Hearing Ruka’s gentle voice, I laid my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes again.

✩ ✩ ✩

I woke up when the sky had already turned dark.

I wasn’t fully recovered yet, but the heavy feeling in my body was gone, and I could get up normally.

When I went down to the living room, Ruka was in the kitchen.

“Oh, big brother. How are you feeling?”

“Thanks to you, I’m feeling much better.”

“That’s good. I thought you’d be waking up soon, so I made egg porridge. It’ll be ready in a little bit, so please wait.”

“Alright, thank you.”

I sat down. A steaming bowl was placed in front of me. The smell hit me strangely, in a good way.

“By the way, Wakana came by earlier.”

“Really?”

“She brought your class notes, jelly, and a sports drink.”

“…I need to thank her later.”

Ruka just said, “Yeah,” and turned back to the kitchen.

For a while, only the sound of the pot gently boiling filled the living room.

Chapter 6: "I Got Sick and My Stepsister Took Care of Me"