Vol 4 Chapter 8 (1/2)

And then, the next day…

I collapsed

“It’s the su yourself”

That was the doctor’s clear and sinosis He had come to our dorm for my check up

“Be sure to get plenty of rest and nutrition It’s the only way to cure this Resting for three or four days in your futon should be enough”

After giving these instructions, he prescribed some medication for me and left

Oha sturdy body, and I hadn’t had to see a doctor in years The stress fro with manuscript deadlines had unexpectedly piled up in a short time My body couldn’t handle it

Well, now that it’s come to this, it can’t be helped I’ll take a break from work and school while I try to recover

I thought just lying in a futon for days would be boring, but I could only resign rateful

…Yeah, that was my mindset; I didn’t take this seriously However, it was quite different for everyone else

“Now I’ve done it, eh? For me of all people to make such a blunder”

Prez, as usually so cheerful that she irritated h

“So I can’t even look after ma subordinates’ health Guess Nikaidou Arashi+’s still just a kid That was a thorough lesson, jeez…”

“It’s not just you, President I, too, must be held accountable”

Nasuhara-san said with a rare, meek expression

“Now that I think of it, Akkii’s looked rather unhealthy lately Yet I unthinkingly overlooked it because he didn’t say anything, and the changes were trivial”

“If you’re goin’ that far, then it’s also my fault”

And then Ginbei chimed in She looked downcast Like the others, she didn’t bla my own health:

“I’ve boasted about how long I’ve known Akito, but I didn’t even notice anything I can’t believe I called myself his close friend…”

“…………”

As for Akiko, she was hanging her head in silence, co her oorthlessness, she ended up sitting ard expression She didn’t let go of my hand

“Nono Please wait a second, everyone”

I s on the futon:

“I just caught a cold and aloomy? C’mon, be noisy as usual I’d feel more at ease if you said stuff like, ‘You’re an idiot for catching a cold’ ”

“You ht say that, ya see…”

Prez shook her head

“We can’t help feelin’ responsible, ya know? We pushed everythin’ involvin’ the dorerratin’, but we’re the reason yer sufferin’ through this, ya know?”

“That’s definitely an exaggeration To begin with, you’re busier than me, Prez And it’s the saht? And yet I’m the only one who ended up in this sorry state It’s obviously uilty about”

“Before we knew it, we ended up dependin’ on ya, or, put another e started givin’ ya s to do, and then you suddenly ended up doin’ pretty …”

“I didn’t expect things to pile up, that’s for sure Anyhow, I did say that it was taking a toll on me, but I didn’t think I’d actually collapse It can’t be helped”

“Yer voice is already gettin’ hoarse and small”

“Well, I’ve got a cold and I’ down It’s natural that it’s hard for me to talk”

“Yer coood either It ain’t different from someone who’s about to die”

“Well, I’h If I looked fine, then I’d probably be pretending to be sick Or rather, don’t say so so ominous in front of a sick person— like I’!”

“S-Sorry ’bout that My tongue slipped Please forgive me”

“Ah, no If you’re that apologetic, it starts to worry me”

I quickly responded to Prez, who had curled herself up I was hoping to s a lot, but that wasn’t enough to get through to her

“However, ya…”

Prez raised her head again

“Wouldn’t it be better to go to the hospital? Ya were coo with only a doctor visit, but…”

“I won’t go to a hospital It’s a simple cold”

“Don’t’cha say simple when ya collapsed so heavily The doctor said ya were overworked too, and couldn’t there be co, we should be tyin’ your hands and feet up and takin’ you to the hospital by force”

“That’s why I’ I wouldn’t be able to talk to you guys like I ahospitalized for overwork and a cold To say nothing of ould happen if the Takanoood would come out of it”

“That’s, well, true… Probably”

“Yeah For those reasons, please keep this a secret, okay? Pleaseup and deceive them while I’m absent”

“I understand that reasonin’ I swear it by the name of Nikaidou Arashi+ But…”

“It’s really because Akito’s scared of doctors, right…?”

Ginbei sighed from the side

“It’s been like this since the old days, you know? To begin with, he never caught a cold and he didn’t get hurt, so he didn’t have the chance to be hospitalized He also refused to attend his annual checkups Why do you hate doctors so much, Akito…”

“Even if you ask me why… I hate what I hate I can’t help it, you know?”