People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

She blinked sluggishly, then subconsciously raised her somewhat weak hand and touched the slightly damp towel that had been carefully folded and applied to her forehead.

This is……?

The high fever seemed to have subsided a bit, but her mind still felt like a lump of mush, working incredibly slowly. She remembered that she couldn't hold on any longer in the afternoon, so she collapsed onto the bed to rest, and then... she drifted into a hazy sleep, during which she seemed to have many bizarre dreams, and it seemed... she even dreamed that her mother came back, held her hand, and said she would always be with her?

Oh, Mom...

Just as her thoughts were still in a daze, a very slight noise came faintly from the direction of the kitchen.

It sounded like... someone gently moving kitchen utensils? And... the bubbling sound of something cooking?

My initially bewildered heart was like a lake surface tossed with a pebble, instantly rippling with a sense of "anticipation".

Was it Mom? Did Mom worry and ultimately take leave to rush back?

This thought, like a warm current, instantly dispelled the physical discomfort and the fog in my mind, bringing an indescribable feeling of gratitude and peace of mind.

She almost forgot her weakness, suddenly threw off the covers, and without even looking for slippers, stepped barefoot onto the cool floor, eagerly running towards the kitchen.

"Mother--!"

Her voice was hoarse from illness, and the elegant and dignified tone she usually maintained had faded away.

She pushed open the frosted glass door to the kitchen, her expectant gaze instantly falling on the busy figure with his back to her in front of the stove.

Then, in the next second, the figure turned around at the sound.

It wasn't the gentle, smiling face I had imagined.

A slightly bewildered, handsome face belonging to a young boy came into Su Shi's view; it was Ishikawa Mayu from upstairs.

He was holding a soup spoon in his hand and wearing the school uniform of Haneoka High School, which was nearby. His bangs slightly covered his eyebrows and eyes. He was looking at me, who had suddenly barged in, barefoot and with an abnormal blush on his face, with a bit of a bewilderment.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

The smile on Nagasaki Motoyo's face, a mixture of emotion and joy, froze instantly, and her body, which had been leaning slightly forward in her eagerness, also stopped in place.

Shock and immense embarrassment poured over her like ice water, instantly sobering her up considerably.

"You...!" she blurted out, her voice rising in shock, yet still hoarse from illness, "Ishikawa-kun? Why... are you here?!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized her loss of composure—barefoot, wearing a nightgown, with disheveled hair, and that unguarded "Mom" just now…

A surge of heat rushed to her cheeks, even more intense than when she had a fever. She instinctively tried to maintain her usual polite and courteous demeanor, but when she opened her mouth, she found that her facade had already crumbled in the face of her weakness from the initial fever and her immense embarrassment. So she simply gave up in despair and glared at him with her eyes, which were moist from her illness and tinged with a hint of annoyance.

Hearing the sound, Ishikawa Mayu, who was standing in front of the stove, turned her head. Her face did not show much surprise. She just glanced at her calmly while gently stirring the soup in the pot with the ladle in her hand.

"Aunt Nagasaki heard that you were sick and specially asked me to take care of you."

His gaze naturally shifted downwards, landing on Nagasaki Motoyo's feet, which were so white they were almost transparent.

The pale blue veins were faintly visible. Due to the sudden contact with the cold air and the ground, the toes were slightly curled up uncomfortably, and the rounded nails had a faint pink tinge. The slender ankles outlined soft lines, but at this moment they appeared somewhat fragile because of the owner's tension.

"You still have a fever. Go back to your room and put on your slippers, or your condition will worsen, and Auntie will blame me."

Ishikawa Mayu's gaze shifted from her reddened toes back to her face, which was filled with embarrassment.

As soon as he finished speaking, Nagasaki Motoyo seemed to be awakened and suddenly looked down at her bare feet.

The impulse to confirm "mother's return" was instantly replaced by the cold reality and shame. My toes curled up even tighter, as if I wanted to hide myself in the cracks of the floor.

"Ah...! I'm so sorry! I was rude!"

She blurted it out almost without thinking, her voice filled with obvious panic.

His cheeks were burning hot, and even the tips of his ears were red. His temperature felt even higher than when he had a fever before.

No longer caring about anything else, she turned around abruptly as if fleeing, her steps unsteady and staggering as she rushed back to the bedroom, as if something terrifying was chasing her.

Even after the door slammed shut with a soft bang, and I leaned against the cold door panel, the overwhelming sense of shame still washed over me like waves.

Ruined……

The carefully maintained image... is completely ruined...

Running out like that in front of the neighbors, barefoot... what will Ishikawa-kun think of me...?

A mix of shame and remorse nearly overwhelmed her. Subconsciously, she muttered a silent complaint about her mother: "Mom, really… if you're going to ask someone else to take care of me, at least… at least tell me beforehand… then I wouldn't be in this situation…"

She found her phone, turned on the screen, and the LINE icon clearly showed the red number of unread messages.

My fingertips trembled slightly as I tapped the app, and the contact at the very top stood out—"Mom."

Below were several unread messages, their sending times clearly showing they were sent several hours ago, probably while she was asleep...

[Su Shi, your teacher told me you have a fever, why didn't you tell your mom?]

How are you feeling? Little Zhenyu will go see you for Mommy. Be a good girl, okay?

Shouldn't we thank them properly? (^_-)

The last message even included a gentle heart emoji.

Nagasaki Motoyo looked at the few messages that had been lying quietly in her inbox, the light from the screen illuminating her blushing face.

So... Mom had already told me.

She was delirious with fever and didn't notice the notification sound on her phone, thus missing the only opportunity to prepare herself mentally in advance.

The last bit of minor resentment, meant to mask embarrassment and divert attention, vanished like a balloon punctured by a needle. Even this small act of "misplaced anger" lost its basis, leaving only a more unsettling, pure embarrassment and a trace of... helplessness towards her mother's meticulous arrangements.

Holding her burning-hot phone, she slowly slid down to sit on the cool floor, burying her burning cheeks in her knees, letting out a very faint, frustrated, almost sobbing sigh.

Now... there's no reason left to complain...

Chapter Ten Dinner

As Ishikawa Mayu watched the girl's almost clumsy, hasty retreat disappear behind the bedroom door, the corners of his mouth finally couldn't help but curl upwards slightly, revealing a smile that even he himself didn't realize.

He shook his head and turned back to the stove.

But the images of my previous encounters with this Nagasaki classmate in the elevator kept flashing through my mind.

Always wearing a neatly ironed school uniform, with an upright posture, and speaking softly. Her attitude seems friendly, but in reality, she always carries an unconscious sense of aloofness that keeps people at a distance.

This is why she has a good relationship with Aunt Nagasaki, but feels more distant from girls her age like Suze.

I never expected that once I fell ill, my impeccable composure would crumble so quickly and completely.

That unexpected, hoarse, and dependent "Mommy" from her, and the way she ran out barefoot in a panic, was actually quite adorable!

He set out a light bowl of porridge, a smooth steamed egg custard, and bright green stir-fried vegetables on the table before walking to the bedroom door and gently knocking on it with his fingers.

"Su Shi?" His voice came through the door, calm and steady. "Dinner is ready."

There was silence inside the room for a few seconds before a muffled voice, as if coming from under the covers, came out: "...Mmm."

"Can you get up?" He paused, then added, "Put your clothes on before you come out, so you don't catch a cold again."

"...Understood." The voice inside was still muffled, but seemed calmer.

After a while, the bedroom door was carefully opened. Nagasaki Motoyo had changed into a soft and comfortable light gray long-sleeved pajamas, and her hair had been combed and was now draped smoothly over her shoulders.

Although the blush on her cheeks had not completely faded, and her eyes were still somewhat unfocused, avoiding eye contact, she had at least regained basic decorum.

"Thank you for your help..." she said softly, her voice more steady than before, but still hoarse from illness and with a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment.

"It's nothing." Ishikawa Mayu stepped aside, gesturing towards the dining table. "Eat it while it's hot."

Nagasaki Motoyo sat down silently at the table, her gaze falling on the seemingly simple yet exceptionally well-prepared meal before her—a perfectly smooth steamed egg custard, bright green and glossy stir-fried vegetables, and a simple bowl of white porridge.

The portion size is clearly more than one serving.

Holding the spoon, she hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but look up, her eyes filled with genuine surprise, and asked softly, "Did Ishikawa-kun make all of this?"

"As a reward for taking care of you, it's not too much to ask for a meal, is it?"

Ishikawa Mayu said matter-of-factly, "The aunt just told me there are ingredients in the refrigerator, which is an implication that I can handle it myself."

"Ahem..." Nagasaki Motoyo coughed lightly, choked by this self-righteous declaration of "mooching a meal," and rolled her eyes at him with no real harm. "Ishikawa-kun is really going too far. He knows perfectly well that I'm not such a stingy person."

She puffed out her cheeks slightly, complaining with a touch of the spoiled nausea unique to those who are ill, but her tone was much more natural than before: "I was just a little surprised that you could cook, and it looks... quite delicious."

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Ishikawa Mayu straightened her back considerably, and her smugness was practically overflowing.

"Going to school during the day is tough enough. If you don't cook something nice for yourself at night, wouldn't that be too unfair to yourself?"

Nagasaki Motoyo watched as he suddenly straightened his back and accepted the praise with a touch of pride, and couldn't help but smile, her earlier embarrassment dissipating somewhat.

Scooping up a spoonful of porridge and putting it in my mouth, the warm aroma of rice instantly soothes my stomach.

“It really is delicious,” she said, taking another bite of the steamed egg custard, her tone becoming much more sincere. “Is this chawanmushi? It looks delicious.”

Ishikawa Mayu shook her head.

"This is how it's made in Donghuang, and it's called steamed egg custard. It's a bit like chawanmushi here, but the seasoning is simpler, mainly relying on soy sauce and a little sesame oil for flavor. The steaming temperature is also different. It's easier and more casual to make than chawanmushi."

He rarely spoke at such a long length, and it seemed that he was talking more when it came to areas he was familiar with.

After saying that, he seemed to suddenly remember something and picked up his phone, which was placed to the side.

“Oh, right,” he said, as he casually opened the camera app and pointed the lens at the food on the table and Su Shi, who was taking small bites, “I need to take a picture of Aunt Nagasaki and send it to her to prove that you’re not only awake but also eating well. Otherwise, she’ll probably be very restless over there.”

Before Su Shi could fully react, the phone camera had already emitted a slight "click" sound.

"Wait...!" Su Shi instinctively tried to raise her hand to cover herself, but she was clearly a step too late. Watching Ishikawa Mayu skillfully operate her phone with her head down, she couldn't help but protest softly, "At least tell me beforehand... I must look really messy right now..."

“How could this be? Isn’t this great?” Ishikawa Mayu didn’t even look up, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she typed, “You look much better, and the food photos are all very clear. Here, sent successfully.” She tilted her phone screen slightly towards Suze, showing the LINE message sent to Aunt Nagasaki, which was the same photo from earlier, with a line of text attached below:

[Auntie, please don't worry, Su Shi is much better and is having a meal.]

Almost ten seconds after the message was successfully sent, Ishikawa Mayu's phone vibrated slightly, and the screen lit up.

“Aunt Nagasaki replied,” Ishikawa Mayu said, turning her phone screen towards Suze on the other end.

Su Shi subconsciously looked up.

A concise reply was displayed on the screen:

As expected of Xiao Zhenyu, I feel at ease entrusting Su Shi to you.

Su Shi, who was taking small sips of porridge, choked suddenly, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

"W-what do you mean by 'I'm entrusting myself to you'?! My mom, really...!"

Miss Su Shi, who has broken down in her defenses again, is quite interesting.

A barely perceptible smile flickered in Ishikawa Mayu's eyes, but on the surface, she feigned complete incomprehension at Mayu's overreaction, even tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Is there anything wrong? Your aunt really did tell me to take good care of you while you're sick." His tone was calm and matter-of-fact, as if he were simply stating an objective fact.

"you……"

Nagasaki Motoyo was speechless for a moment, choked by his stubborn and unyielding manner. Her cheeks puffed up with anger, and she couldn't tell whether he was genuinely slow-witted or just pretending to be stupid to amuse her.

In the end, all he could do was scoop out a large spoonful of steamed egg custard and stuff it into his mouth in a fit of rage, chewing it forcefully as if he were biting into the flesh of some pretentious guy.

Just then, Ishikawa Mayu's phone vibrated again.

The aunt added, "There are dried plums in the left drawer of the kitchen; you can feed Su Shi some if she doesn't have an appetite."

He paused, then looked up and asked seriously, "Should I go get it now, Su Shi?"

"No, we don't need it!" Nagasaki Motoyo practically spat out those three words through gritted teeth.

"I have a great appetite now!"

"Alright, then please continue your meal, Nagasaki-san, who has a good appetite."

Chapter Eleven: I Didn't Say I Wouldn't Add

This guy is so annoying! How come I never noticed before?!

Nagasaki Motoyo listlessly lowered her head and continued eating. If it weren't for the fact that the other person had been taking care of her diligently and had even prepared such a decent meal for a sick person, she would have politely asked him to leave long ago, given her personality.

After watching Nagasaki Motoyo completely lose all her strength and abilities, Ishikawa Mayu couldn't help but lower her head and secretly laugh from an angle that Motoyo couldn't see.

The frustration of almost suffering a social death due to being implicated by Chihaya Aine during the day has finally dissipated.

Although he knew he wasn't being very ethical, a subtle, extremely naive sense of balance still swept through his mind—it turned out he wasn't the only one caught off guard by this sudden "attention."

Nagasaki Motoyo was naturally unaware of the twisted mentality of the strange person in front of her, but although she said she hated it, she actually enjoyed the lively atmosphere.