Chapter 67: Being alone

Inside the infirmary, Suzuki Yuu gently laid Shiina Chisa onto the bed.

His forehead was slick with sweat, and his arms felt a little sore.

After all, he had carried her all the way here.

Normally, in this kind of emergency, the first thing to do would be to have a checkup at the school’s medical camp.

However, Shiina Chisa had whispered in his ear, insisting on coming to the infirmary as soon as he picked her up.

At that moment, the young lady had suddenly become willful, repeating over and over that the infirmary had better equipment and that he absolutely had to bring her here—or else she would refuse to cooperate.

She was acting completely unlike her usual self. Of course, only he could hear her say such things.

Suzuki Yuu caught his breath and instinctively glanced around.

Chisa wasn’t wrong about one thing: at Aoyama Saint Academy, the infirmary’s equipment was extremely advanced, and the medicine well-stocked. Rather than a school nurse’s office, it felt more like a private clinic.

He just didn’t know why, but the doctor who was supposed to be here had suddenly disappeared.

There were no other students passing by either.

Is everyone busy with the sports festival? When did our school get so short-handed?

“You sit tight. I’ll get an ice pack and some bandages.” After thinking it over, Suzuki Yuu suppressed his doubts and headed to the supply cabinet. Whatever her reasons, he needed to treat her ankle first.

He handed her the supplies and was about to leave to call a doctor, but at that moment, Shiina Chisa grabbed his arm.

“Help me.”

She extended her left foot, her white tennis sock-clad foot dangling off the bed, the ankle visibly swollen and puffed up.

“Uh…” Suzuki Yuu immediately sensed trouble. He crab-walked toward the door, explaining, “We really should get a professional doctor for something like this.”

“It’s already been too long. If I don’t get immediate first aid, I might have to lean on you for the rest of my life.”

She intentionally exaggerated her condition, making Suzuki Yuu twitch at the corner of his mouth.

If that’s the case, you should be treated at the medical camp.

He thought so, but didn’t dare say it out loud.

Suzuki Yuu walked back to Shiina Chisa’s side, grabbed a lower stool, and sat, gently lifting her ankle.

Yeah, this is Chisa’s request, definitely not just me wanting to look.

He gave himself an excuse, took a deep breath:

“Excuse me.”

His fingers touched her shoelaces first, gently untying them. Supporting her heel with one hand, he carefully slipped off her white tennis shoe.

The thin tennis sock proved even trickier.

The sock was already damp with sweat, clinging tightly to her reddened, swollen skin.

Suzuki Yuu didn’t dare pull too hard. Holding his breath, he pinched the sock’s opening and slowly, bit by bit, rolled it down.

Inevitably, his fingertips brushed against her soft skin.

Shiina Chisa’s body tensed, her toes unconsciously curling.

Finally, the sock came off completely, revealing a slender, delicate foot before him.

The top of her foot was so pale it was almost translucent, the graceful shape of her leg catching Suzuki Yuu’s wandering thoughts.

Of course, he had managed to resist worse temptations, so what was this compared to that?

Thinking so, he focused on her injury, wrapping a clean gauze around an ice pack, and gently, precisely pressed it to her swollen ankle.

“Nn!”

The cold sent a shiver through Shiina Chisa, but she only bit her lower lip, gripping the sheets tightly with both hands.

It really must hurt.

Suzuki Yuu tried to massage her ankle to ease the pain.

Shiina Chisa lay quietly on the bed, letting Suzuki Yuu tend to her.

The two of them were silent for quite a while.

“About what happened with Ayaha today, thank you. How did you figure out there was something wrong with their water?”

The awkward silence was too much, so Suzuki Yuu broke it with a question.

“I studied chemistry before. When that girl handed over the drink, sunlight was coming in from behind the bottle, and I noticed a strange dispersion of colors…”

Shiina Chisa began to explain using chemistry terms, but Suzuki Yuu couldn’t really follow.

Still, he listened all the way through, nodding as if he’d learned something new, then tried to joke:

“You didn’t study chemistry just to mess with me, did you?”

“It started as research for my family’s products, but after that, I studied for your sake.”

Hearing this, Suzuki Yuu’s hands paused.

Great, should’ve known not to ask.

Hearing her say that sent a chill down his spine.

Maybe I should study chemistry too? Otherwise, it could get dangerous…

Realizing he shouldn’t pursue this topic, Suzuki Yuu quickly changed the subject:

“In today’s match, you looked like you were having a lot of fun out there.”

Suzuki Yuu’s words were like flipping a switch.

“Really? I thought you weren’t watching me at all, since my opponent was such a cute girl.”

There was a note of jealousy in Shiina Chisa’s tone.

“How could I not watch such an exciting match? Besides, we have an agreement, I have to keep my eyes on you…”

“You’re lying.” Shiina Chisa interrupted, “Sixty percent of the time, your eyes were on the audience. Thirty percent on Shiraishi Ayaha. Only the remaining ten percent were on me.”

Suzuki Yuu sucked in a breath, staring at her in disbelief. “You… You were calculating that while playing?”

“Just the first game.” She turned her face away, seemingly unwilling to admit she’d been distracted. “She was tougher than I expected. After that, I had to focus.”

“Then—then I watched the rest of the match, really!” Suzuki Yuu quickly raised his hand in defense.

“But your attention wasn’t on me, right? Let’s be honest. Almost all the spectators—including you—were rooting for her.”

“Hmm… I think people just like to see an underdog story.”

Suzuki Yuu tried to explain, but before he finished, his collar was suddenly yanked by her hand.

With the force, he fell heavily onto the bed beside her.

The infirmary mattress was soft; Suzuki Yuu sank into it, half his body pressing into the bedding. The space between them nearly vanished.

He was now face-to-face with the girl, her exquisite features on full display.

He could even hear her gentle breathing.

“Eh?” Suzuki Yuu was confused, clearly unfamiliar with this situation.

Just then, Shiina Chisa rested her hand on him, her voice softer than ever:

“I’ve been the wicked dragon for so long,” she murmured, curled up in his arms, “just for now… can I be the princess?”

Suzuki Yuu’s breath caught. “…What?”

“I’m tired,” her voice dropped even lower, heavy with weariness, “I don’t want to think about anything now… I just want to sleep for a while.”

She curled up, cat-like, rubbing her cheek against his chest, searching for the spot where she felt safest.

“Yuu… can you hold me? Just for a little while. Even if it’s just because of our agreement.”

Suzuki Yuu froze.

Shiina Chisa was completely defenseless with him; he could feel her steady breathing. He swallowed hard, mind and heart at war. Logic told him to push her away at once, but the sudden softness left him paralyzed.

After a long silence, he finally gave in. He slowly lifted his hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently wrapped his arm around her.