Chapter 3: The Ice Lady and Transparent Teardrop

Fuyuka insisted on going home, however she almost collapsed again as she reached the door, and her stomach rumbled once more, which eventually led her to return to Asahi’s room.

Since she obediently lied down in the bed, she must have known that her body was nearing its limit.

Watching from the side, her poor health was so plainly obvious that it was hard to imagine her going to school in this condition.

“Can I turn around now?”

“…Go ahead”

Waiting for a *beep* sound from a small device before turning around to check.

Fetching the thermometer which I had lent to Fuyuka in order to check on her temperature. It read 38.4 degrees celsius.

It was not urgent enough to rush to the hospital but it still indicated a very high temperature.

You must have a lot of willpower to be able to do things in that condition.

“It’s amazing how you’re able to say that you’re fine with this fever.”

When I threw out a little sarcastic comment, Fuyuka just looked away without saying anything.

Her appearance looked frail, there was no trace of the usual “Ice Lady” on her.

I couldn’t exactly scold her for it, I could only sigh instead of complaining to her.

Asahi wanted to say a few things but held back reluctantly and changed the subject.

“Do you have an appetite? Is porridge good with you? I can make it just fine.”

“…Will you be making it, Kagami-san?”

“Who else is there? Or is it that you can’t trust men to cook?”

“I don’t have that kind of prejudice…”

Regretting his words and how his tone was a bit strong. Asahi forcefully cut off the conversation and left the room, saying, “Lie down and wait.”

‘She knew my name?’

As a student in the same school and a neighbor, it was not surprising that she would remember my name, but it became a different story when it comes to the “Ice Lady”.

It was quite surprising for Asahi to be called by his last name, as he had thought that she would not be interested in other people’s names, given her personality.

However, there was no special meaning to it, so it would be stupid to be so conscious about it.

Trying to complete the dish as quickly as possible, Asahi moved his hands to avoid any distraction.

I knocked on the door twice before entering and there I saw Fuyuka looking much worse than before.

Her cheeks were visibly red, and I could tell by the way she was moving her body that she was in pain.

“I made porridge, can you manage to eat?”

She said she had no allergies or dislikes, so I made the egg porridge for its mild sweetness, but there was no reply when I asked her about it.

She seemed to have the intention to eat as Fuyuka slowly raised her body and held out her hand to me.

“Careful, it’s hot.”

Although I let it cool down a bit to make it easier to eat, steam was still rising from the small bowl of porridge.

When I handed her the bowl after warning her, Fuyuka took it and began to stare at its contents.

“What’s wrong? I didn’t put anything weird in there.”

“…I know”

“Then eat it quickly and nourish your body. It’s the best way to recover your strength.”

“That’s what my grandpa used to say.” adding in the last phrase to end the conversation.
Although her response was still sluggish, she seemed to have taken a note of the advice, and after a few seconds of being still, Fuyuka carefully clasped her hands together.

“…Itadakimasu” [TL: Thank you for the food.]

With a faint voice, Fuyuka reached for the spoon, scooped up the porridge and put it in her small mouth.

Asahi stared at her with a straight face and waited patiently for Fuyuka to finish chewing.

I don’t remember making any mistakes in the cooking process, and I have a lot of confidence in the food itself.

My best friend, who had come to visit me many times with the pretense that living alone must be lonely, assured me that it was only because he really wanted to eat some good home-cooked meals.

However, this was the first time for Asahi to cook for a girl his age, and as such, he was quite nervous.

“…How is it?”

As soon as Fuyuka took her first bite, Asahi asked her what she thought of it.

I tried to keep a straight face as much as I could, but I can’t shake the anxiety that emerges over my face.

If they say it tastes good then naturally I’m happy about it, and if they say it tastes bad then I might get quite shocked.

These two feelings meshed together in my heart, but what Fuyuka said was something I didn’t expect.

“…Eh…why…”

She took her hands off the spoon and wiped her tears however the transparent drops of fluid running down her cheeks showed no sign of stopping.

“…Did it taste that bad?”

When Asahi, who had slumped his shoulders, asked, Fuyuka shook her head, while tears still streamed down her cheeks.

“…No..it’s not like that..”

“Then, why?”

“…It’s just…um…”

―It was nostalgic.

Fuyuka’s almost inaudible words were certainly heard by Asahi.

He didn’t know what she meant, but the situation did not seem like he should ask, so he waited in silence for Fuyuka to stop crying.

In the end, enough time passed before Fuyuka’s tears dried up, and in the meantime, the freshly cooked porridge had completely cooled down.