Utaha struggled to open her still-blurry eyes, feeling confused and heavy-headed.
Something smelled different.
As air moved in and out of her lungs, she realized the scent was wrong—it seemed to be… a man's scent.
As if doused in icy water, she jolted, instantly becoming more alert.
Her unfocused wine-red eyes slowly came into focus, and she finally saw her current situation clearly.
She was tightly hugging a man's arm, her face pressed close in an intimate posture. The man, meanwhile, was half-leaning against the bed, eyes closed as he rested. That posture didn't look comfortable at all.
Utaha felt a trace of emotion stir in her heart, but it was precisely this gentleness Haizaki displayed that made her feel even more stifled.
Seeing that Haizaki was still resting, she carefully withdrew her arm, afraid of waking him.
"Awake?"
The movement of his arm woke Haizaki.
He had actually fallen asleep—he must have been quite tired.
Haizaki shook his head and stood up.
"Kasumigaoka-san, how are you feeling now…?"
"Much better. I'm not as foggy anymore."
"That's good. It's not even nine yet. I'll get you something to eat."
As Haizaki stood up, he turned on the desk lamp. The yellow-white light illuminated the dim room.
Utaha instinctively squinted, adjusting to the sudden brightness.
"Wait here for a bit."
Haizaki ran downstairs with a series of quick steps.
He truly cared about her now and hoped she would recover. But more than that, Utaha wished she could receive this same gentleness from Haizaki in everyday moments as well.
Unfortunately…
That guy Haizaki seemed unwilling. There was still a hurdle in his heart that he couldn't get past.
Before long, Haizaki came back upstairs carrying chicken soup and thin porridge, along with a small serving of pickled vegetables for seasoning.
"Try some…"
He placed the tray on a chair, then held a small bowl of chicken soup in his left hand and handed it to the girl.
The golden-orange soup gave off a fragrant aroma that whetted the appetite.
Having endured hunger for so long, Utaha wanted nothing more than to eat her fill. Still, she knew that her sick body couldn't handle overeating.
Everything had to be in moderation.
"I can feed you if you want."
In his memory, patients liked being fed—especially girls.
She was the patient; she had the final say. Haizaki didn't mind such a small thing.
"Who wants you to feed me…"
Utaha retorted, then reached out her hand.
"How does it taste?"
After a moment, seeing her drink the soup steadily, Haizaki asked.
"So-so."
Alright—just "so-so."
Haizaki felt inexplicably dejected.
After all, this was a dish he had put a lot of effort into.
Though, to be fair, this really was his first time stewing chicken. It was normal if the taste wasn't perfect.
"The soup is so-so, but the chicken tastes very good…"
Probably trying to comfort him, Haizaki thought.
"There's a clear difference compared to the frozen chicken we had before. You really put effort into it this time."
After eating frozen meat for so long, even Utaha had grown tired of it.
But there was no choice—where else in the world could one find fresh meat now?
She would never eat the chickens, ducks, or geese she raised herself.
But as for the bowl in front of her, Utaha pursed her lips and couldn't help taking a few more sips. The light, refreshing chicken soup lingered pleasantly.
The taste was good.
"There's more downstairs. No need to rush."
Haizaki wanted to say that this wasn't frozen meat, but seeing how much she was enjoying it, he decided it was better to wait until she finished eating.
"This is porridge. If you want other side dishes, I can get them."
"No, the pickles are enough. Thank you…"
She lowered her head slightly as she thanked him, taking the bowl of plain porridge.
"It's nothing. Maybe one day I'll get sick and need you to take care of me."
"Alright. When that time comes, I'll take responsibility for taking care of you."
Had yesterday's incident already passed?
Facing the girl's direct reply, Haizaki couldn't help thinking that way.
If so, that was good news for him.
"After some time, let's go to the seaside."
Utaha's right hand holding the spoon froze, a flash of joy crossing her eyes.
She hadn't expected Haizaki to suggest going to the beach. But when she thought about the journey, her heart sank.
The risk was quite high.
"August would be just right for a seaside vacation. It's been almost five months—there should be seafood in the ocean by then."
Fish had shorter growth cycles than chickens, and even smaller ones could still be eaten.
"By plane?"
"Yes. The Army Aviation Corps has brand-new armed helicopters."
New as they were, all necessary inspections still had to be done.
"Blue skies, the sea, and sandy beaches—I really like the ocean."
"Shouldn't what you like most be bikinis?"
For men, weren't sexy bikinis the most attractive thing about beaches?
Unless he wasn't…
Utaha's gaze dropped slightly.
"Aren't there no bikinis to look at anymore?"
Haizaki pretended to sigh regretfully and shook his head.
"Blonde hair, blue eyes, an exquisitely beautiful face, an S-shaped figure with perfect curves, wearing a sexy black bikini, her stunning silhouette faintly visible… that really is a visual feast."
"You really don't hide your true nature at all."
The first two descriptors were obviously meant for her.
But how could she believe that?
Neither Yukinoshita Yukino nor Isshiki Iroha were blonde or blue-eyed, and as for their figures—she was certain those two couldn't compare.
Utaha concluded that Haizaki was just brushing her off with empty words.
"There's no need to hide it."
That was true. Haizaki was certain that he liked beautiful women, liked pretty and sexy girls. But liking them was one thing—what he could and couldn't do was something he understood very clearly.
"If you're really not hiding anything, then why do you have absolutely no thoughts about a delicate, lovely girl like me?"
Yesterday, she had acted on impulse, exploding without first understanding Haizaki's true feelings.
"Facing a beautiful girl within arm's reach and still having no intention of making a move—Yusuke-kun, are you even… a man?"
This already touched on a man's dignity.
If it were another man, he would definitely retort with something like, 'Whether I'm a man or not—you can find out yourself,' and then charge forward.
But Haizaki was different.
He knew very well that this was a sweet trap Utaha had set for him.
"Huh, it's not hot. Did today's high fever burn your brain and make you unable to tell my gender?"
Haizaki spoke with a puzzled expression as he touched Utaha's forehead.
Utaha nearly spat blood.
When this man played dumb, he was incredibly good at it.
…