Chapter 27: CH 27

You should go on a date with me sometime.

Translated by Dawn

Edited by Dawn

You should go on a date with me sometime.

After taking Mizutani inside the house.

“Aizawa, you have a cold. Go back to bed,” she said in a strong tone, and I was currently in bed.

Where did Mizutani go? She was in my room, too.

In other words, I was now alone with Mizutani in my room.

Mizutani was sitting on the cushion I had given her, wearing her school uniform.

Her white legs peeking out from her skirt looked more sensational than ever, and I hurriedly looked away. Mizutani was silently rummaging through the contents of a plastic bag she had brought with her.

“Here, I bought you this.”

Mizutani then pulled out an apple and a fruit knife from a plastic bag.

Next, she took out a paper plate and placed the apple on it.

Holding the knife, she began scrutinizing the apple with a difficult look on her face.

“…Are you trying to peel the apple, by any chance?”

“…that’s right, but”

Mizutani looked up from her apple.

“You told me before that you’re not allowed to use knives because it would interfere with your piano lessons.”

“…I might have said that. But that’s okay. There’s no one else here right now who can peel an apple.”

“No, I’m here.”

“You have a cold, no, Aizawa?”

“I had been sleeping until a while ago. I’ve already gotten over it.”

“…What’s with the hand?”

Mizutani stared at the hand I held out to her as if she were an irreconcilable enemy.

“What do you mean, give me the knife. I’ll do the rest.”

“No. You’re a sick patient. You should be sleeping.”

“I told you, the cold’s gone—”

“Since you said that, did you measure your body temperature properly?”

Mizutani half-looked at me and pointed at the thermometer on the table beside me.

I look away from Mizutani.

“I haven’t measured it since I woke up.”

“Then, you’ll have to wait until you measure. Until then, I’ll be peeling the apple.”

I took a thermometer and began to maturely insert it into my side and measure my body temperature.

Meanwhile, I sneakily peeked at Mizutani.

While watching a video of how to peel an apple that she had found on her phone, Mizutani inserted the blade of a knife into the edge of the apple.

But an apple for a cold patient was another classic.

I didn’t think someone tell her that, and she probably bought it herself.

Mizutani began to peel the apple silently.

It was a rough peeling, a far cry from her delicate, thin hands.

The apples were shaved down to the fruit. She was very skillful.

“…Um, could you please not stare at me so much? It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“…!? Oh, sorry.”

Mizutani’s words brought me back to reality, and I shifted my attention to the thermometer.

The LCD screen showed analog numbers, currently hovering in the low 38s.

Eventually, the thermometer beeped at 38.3 degrees.

“That temperature looks like you still have a cold any way you look at it.”

When I showed her the numbers on the thermometer, Mizutani looked victorious.

Did she really want to peel the apple that badly? I didn’t understand.

“…yes, yes. Then please take care of the apples.”

“Why didn’t you just say so from the beginning.”

Mizutani said as she peeled the apple while I decided to close my eyes quietly.

The sound of apple peeling echoed in the room.

“…Hey, about earlier.”

When I asked, Mizutani responded, “Hm, what?”

“What do you mean you’re angry after all? Was it that thing on Sunday, as I thought?”

“…No, it’s not that. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry about Sunday, too. …Aizawa, you lied to me yesterday, didn’t you?”

“…Am I?”

“You try to play stupid again. …umbrella, you actually lent it to me even though it was the only one you had. That’s why you caught a cold today.”

“…..”

I knew she noticed.

I had thought that she might have known when she brought out my folding umbrella.

I heard Mizutani’s huffing sound.

When I lifted myself up, Mizutani stopped peeling the skin.

“I like that about you, Aizawa. But I want you to take better care of yourself. Do you know how worried…I was when you didn’t show up at our usual station today?”

“…Sorry.”

“I was really worried. The first thing I thought was that you might have had an accident, and you didn’t respond at all when I sent a message through LIME, and when I got to school the teacher said you had a cold…”

Did she send me a message?

I didn’t realize it at all.

I didn’t think she was that worried about me.

“Sorry,” I said in a mumbled voice.

Mizutani continued as if she didn’t hear me.

“But I’m worse than you, Aizawa. I hate it when you get hurt by being kind to me. On the other hand, I also rely on your kindness, but I don’t like it when you are kind to other people, Aizawa…”

“…you think too much, Mizutani. You are too kind.”

“…No, I’m not. Aizawa, you are rather too kind to me. Because the truth is, you think I’m a hindrance, but he hides it so well—”

“Wait a minute. …You’re a hindrance? What are you talking about?”

When I hurriedly stop the conversation, Mizutani looked at me with a puzzled look on her face.

“Because, Aizawa, you liked Satomi, didn’t you? Then, continuing to pretend to be my boyfriend would only be a hindrance.”

“…Ah that.”

I knew something wasn’t quite right with the conversation as of yesterday, but I understood now.

But Mizutani wasn’t wrong.

If you believed the rumors, it would be understandable to think so.

“Mizutani. This is going to be a bit of a long story, but will you listen?”

I told Mizutani, who nodded fearfully, everything that had happened on Sunday.

After hearing my story, Mizutani opened her mouth.

“What.”

“What, what?”

“So I’m not being a nuisance.”

“Of course. You’re not.”

“…thank god.”

Perhaps relieved, Mizutani’s shoulders slump.

“I see. So, you were studying even though you had a cold.”

“…I never said that.”

“There’s a very clear trace of it on your desk.”

Mizutani pointed her chin toward the study desk, and I was caught and looked there.

There were notebooks and textbooks left open.

Mizutani’s attack had been so unexpected that I had forgotten to put them away.

Mizutani continued, looking somewhat proud of herself.

“If you’re going to trick me, you’re going to have to do better than that. I’ve learned far more about Aizawa in the past month than most people.”

“…You were perfectly fooled yesterday.”

“That was…I don’t think Aizawa was stupid enough to lend an umbrella to other people, even though you only had one umbrella.”

“…I’m sorry for being an idiot.”

“Un, and I want you to be sorry for what you did. Don’t do that kind of thing again.”

“…yes.”

Maybe Mizutani was worried about me, but I couldn’t help but feel itchy.

I guess my nature wasn’t straight enough to accept someone’s concern.

Scratching my cheek, I continued.

“Well, anyway…. For the most part, it’s still my fault.”

Mizutani smiled softly.

“Maybe.”

“Hey.”

When I jokingly quip, Mizutani smiled.

—Cute.

That was what I thought, and I quickly looked away.

“I mean, I was supposed to be your boyfriend, and you were supposed to return the favor, right? The reason I’m being nice to you, Mizutani, is that it’s my strategy to get you to owe me a favor and then eventually ask you to do me a huge favor.”

“That strategy will be meaningless if you talk about it in front of me, you know?”

The details are not important. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that Mizutani doesn’t need to feel any guilt now that you asked me to play the role of your boyfriend, as long as I get a return favor.”

After a short pause, Mizutani asked me looking me up and down.

“…So you’re saying this whole thing is Aizawa’s fault?”

“Well, I suppose so.”

“Then, of course, you’re going to do something to apologize, right?”

“…As much as I can, if that’s possible.”

I had a bad feeling about this, so I answered cautiously.

Mizutani said in a cheerful voice.

“Then…You should go on a date with me sometime.”