Chapter 165: Miura Yumiko Comes to Visit!
"Ugh… hm?"
The first thing Luke felt upon waking was a sharp pain in his throat. Then came the dry heat inside his nose, an intense thirst, and a heavy, foggy feeling in his head.
His body felt nothing like its usual energetic self, and even his field of vision seemed strangely narrow. When his sight finally cleared, he found himself staring at the ceiling from a rather unfortunate angle.
'Did I move around in my sleep and fall off the bed?'
Luke slowly pushed himself up. It seemed the damage to his soul had eventually affected his physical body after all.
'What a pain.'
Sunlight streamed through the window, and it was not particularly late. Judging by the time, school had probably just ended and club activities were beginning.
It had been a long time since Luke felt this miserable.
He rubbed his aching head and pulled out the [Book of Strength] from his spatial storage.
Mm.
That restored at least a little of his strength.
The maids probably would not be home for a while, so Luke walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and poured himself a glass of ice-cold cola.
Before going to bed, he had used something that restored mental energy.
Medicine?
No…
'Substance' was probably a better word.
Just remembering what that stuff was made of killed his appetite, though it had definitely worked.
Luke still felt terrible, but he was at least capable of taking care of himself now. Holding the glass, he slowly sipped his cola.
When someone felt mentally exhausted, drinking a favorite carbonated beverage could help lift their spirits.
Alcohol, however, definitely did not count.
Click.
While Luke was spacing out, the front door suddenly opened with a key.
Insert key, unlock door, open—All in one smooth motion.
"Mm? You're back early."
Luke greeted Mikasa and Annie when he saw them still wearing their school uniforms.
"Mm. We heard you were sick, so we came back early…"
Seeing that Luke merely looked exhausted and listless, without any obvious physical injuries, both girls visibly relaxed.
Master: Battle-Damaged Version—Mentally Exhausted.
Rarity: Common.
Still—
"How did you two know I was hurt?"
Luke looked at them suspiciously.
He distinctly remembered not telling them anything because he did not want either girl skipping class just to come home.
"Mm."
Mikasa gestured toward the entrance with her chin.
"Aren't you coming in?"
Annie also called toward the doorway.
'Hm?'
Luke looked over.
After a moment, Miura Yumiko awkwardly shuffled inside, repeatedly tugging at the ends of her blonde hair at unusually high speed.
Once she saw that Luke merely looked about as worn-out as he did when sleeping through class, she also released a breath of relief.
"Um… well, I heard from… Hiratsuka-sensei that you were sick."
"Hiratsuka-sensei told you?"
Luke's expression gradually became strange.
He remembered requesting personal leave, didn't he?
He pulled out his phone. The screen was packed with missed calls and messages, so he cleared them all at once before opening his email.
He still did not understand why requesting one day off required sending an email.
[From: Luke]
[To: Hiratsuka Shizuka]
[Leave Type: Personal Leave]
[Reason: Saving the world.]
[>> Reason rejected. Rewrite.]
[Leave Type: Sick Leave]
[Reason: Fever.]
"…"
So it really had become sick leave.
"Anyway, come inside."
"Oh."
Yumiko took the slippers Mikasa had prepared for her, lifted one foot, and slipped off her polished black leather shoe.
'Wait...She's actually wearing black thigh-high stockings today?'
'I knew it. For a girl with such a great figure and fair skin, black stockings are definitely the best way to show off her legs.'
"Are we eating now?"
"Later. I'm still a little dizzy."
"Then go back to your room and rest?"
"Mm."
Luke answered Annie, then motioned for Yumiko to follow him into his bedroom.
"Yui said she wanted to bring Yukinoshita along to visit you too, but Hiratsuka-sensei asked them to help with something."
Yumiko sat awkwardly in the chair beside his bed.
"So visiting you was completely entrusted to me."
'Wow.'
That adult had actually done something good for once!
'Thank you, great and glorious Hiratsuka-sensei.'
Luke remained expressionless despite his gratitude.
Then again, his face looked so pale that he probably could not display much expression anyway.
"My body's fine. I only used sick leave because it was easier to get approved."
"Hmph. You suddenly skipped school without saying anything, then ignored your phone."
Yumiko tightly tugged at her hair.
"I was worried about you, okay? Seriously…"
Given how often she pulled at it, Luke figured Yumiko would never have to worry about thinning hair in the future.
"…Sorry. Next time, I'll tell you when I'm taking a day off too."
There was nothing else he could say, so he obediently apologized.
Strangely, seeing Yumiko genuinely worried about him made Luke feel a little happy.
"Ah, right…"
Perhaps realizing she had spoken too openly, Yumiko fell silent for a moment.
Then she suddenly remembered something, swung her school bag around, unzipped it, and pulled out a paper bag.
"Here. A get-well gift."
"Thanks."
"I just picked something randomly~"
Yumiko looked away, then secretly glanced toward him.
"But it should taste pretty good. It was kind of expensive."
Luke pulled out an ornate purple-and-gold cake box that had obviously been carefully chosen.
When he opened it, he found several varieties of small cakes inside.
Not bad.
When his body felt like this, sweets were perfect for replenishing some energy.
There was just one small flaw.
"You know, this is exactly when a homemade cake would be best. Right now, I'd much rather eat one you made yourself."
"Hey! Do you seriously think I'm that kind of person?"
Yumiko immediately protested, then hesitated.
"I-I mean… I'm still not very good at handmade stuff yet!"
Under Luke's teasing gaze, her face turned red as she quietly changed her answer.
It was unexpectedly cute.
"No, no."
Luke wagged one finger and reused the same argument he had once used to comfort Yuigahama Yui.
"You've got it wrong. Someone clumsily trying their hardest and producing a disastrous cake—that's what makes the feelings behind it truly wonderful."
"If you don't want this one, then don't eat it! And what do you mean 'clumsy' and 'disastrous'?! Seriously!"
Flustered and annoyed, Yumiko snatched the cake box away.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop teasing you. Give me one."
"Hmph. No."
"Then… how about a lap pillow? Like last time."
"No!"
"Then give me the cake."
"…Hmph."
After teasing Yumiko for a while, Luke noticed that his headache had strangely eased a little.
In the end, she still handed the cake box back to him.
Luke picked up a piece of chocolate cake, held the lid beneath it as a makeshift plate, and slowly ate in small bites.
Watching him eat, Yumiko took a deep breath. The embarrassment on her face faded, replaced by a serious expression.
"So what exactly did you go do that left you like this?"
"I just ran into a fairly powerful evil spirit."
Luke gave her a brief answer.
Yumiko exhaled slowly.
"So you're not planning to explain anything beyond that?"
"We're dating, aren't we? I-I want to know too."
Luke turned toward her.
Her brows were drawn together with dissatisfaction, and there was unmistakable hurt across her face.
'I just didn't want you worrying.'
He had not even managed to say it before Yumiko continued.
"I don't really like things that make you suffer this much."
She kept staring at him with that wounded expression.
"Is that so…"
That phrasing was unfair.
Luke still had plenty of excuses he could use to brush the matter aside, yet for some reason he suddenly could not think of anything worth saying.
Maybe it was because he was injured.
Being spoken to in that tone made the tension leave his body almost on its own.
"Fine."
Luke sighed softly.
"I'm always telling other people to express their feelings honestly, but when it's my turn, it really is harder than it sounds."
"But all right. I'll tell you."
And so Luke explained everything that had happened with the Mountain God, including how Miko had become involved.
Without realizing it, his own voice gradually softened as he spoke.
Soft enough that even Luke himself noticed.
...
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