People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

As the last bit of porridge in the bowl was swallowed, the drowsiness and chills brought on by the fever were dispelled considerably.

"Thank you... for the hospitality..."

Nagasaki Motoyo put down her spoon, turned her head away, and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost indistinguishable from the air, her fingers unconsciously fiddling under the table.

I don't usually eat this much...

Although I hate to admit it, Ishikawa-kun is indeed very good at taking care of people.

This thought made her even more uncomfortable. Nagasaki Motoyo almost immediately stood up, trying to cover up her embarrassment with her actions.

"As for the bowls and chopsticks, I'll take care of them..."

"Relax."

Ishikawa Mayu was clearly more agile than a patient; in the instant she stood up, she had almost stacked all the empty plates on the table together and picked them up steadily.

"I wouldn't ask a patient to wash dishes; if their condition relapses, I'd have to spend time taking care of them."

Seeing his back that left no room for negotiation, Su Shi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and she could only reluctantly withdraw it.

What's with the way you talk, as if I'm just a nuisance...

Her gaze swept around the kitchen before finally settling on the dishcloth hanging to the side.

Okay, if washing dishes isn't an option, wiping the table should be fine too.

Although the table wasn't dirty, after all, how dirty could it get after eating porridge and steamed egg custard?

But Nagasaki Motoyo still picked up a rag and vigorously wiped the clean tabletop, as if she wanted to wipe away the unease in her heart, a mixture of gratitude and awkwardness.

The sound of rushing water and Ishikawa Mayu's particularly relaxed and carefree humming drifted vaguely from inside the kitchen through the frosted glass door.

Her voice is clear and gentle, and the melody is simple and pleasant, carrying a sense of home comfort.

Nagasaki Motoyo's movements gradually slowed down, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the slightly damp rag, a sour feeling quietly creeping into her heart.

Before my parents divorced, my mother hadn't become a senior executive in her company, and the house wasn't this big.

But back then, Mom wasn't as busy as she is now, and her relationship with Dad was still harmonious. Dad would always spoil Mom, like taking on the most troublesome chore, washing the dishes; and Mom would do things just like she does now, carefully wiping the grime off the table with a rag...

"Clap."

The humming in the kitchen stopped, replaced by a soft sound, like dishes being gently placed on a drainer.

Then came the sound of Ishikawa's footsteps, as if he was about to come out.

The slight noise interrupted Su Shi's thoughts, which were immersed in memories, and she snapped back to reality.

etc--!

If you think like that, aren't you comparing yourself and Ishikawa to your parents?

The intense shame instantly wiped away all the sadness she had felt before. Nagasaki Motoyo threw the rag in her hand aside as if she had been burned.

"crash"

The glass door to the kitchen was pushed open.

Ishikawa Mayu walked out of the kitchen with her head down, subconsciously wiping her still-wet hands on the hem of her school uniform jacket.

He looked up, about to say something, when his gaze suddenly met that of Nagasaki Motoyo, who was standing frozen by the dining table, her cheeks flushed red, the blush spreading to her ears, her eyes darting around in a panic, unsure of where to look, and the dishcloth she had tossed on the corner of the table.

No, why would wiping a table make me blush like this? Could it be that my illness has relapsed?

"Um... Su Shi, are you feeling unwell right now?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ishikawa Mayu reached out her hand to try to measure Nagasaki Motoyo's temperature.

"I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine! My fever has gone down!"

Nagasaki Motoyo shrank back like a startled rabbit, her voice rising in panic and even cracking slightly.

The outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

This overreaction startled Ishikawa Mayu. Although touching his forehead was indeed a bit presumptuous, this defensive posture was far too exaggerated, as if he were about to do something heinous.

His gaze fell on Nagasaki Motoyo's flushed cheeks, the color so vibrant it didn't resemble a feverish flush at all, but rather something like extreme embarrassment.

Is she... shy?

Although he couldn't understand why wiping a table could be something to be so shy about, he wisely chose not to delve into it further.

It's quite normal for patients to be a little sensitive and behave strangely; forcibly probing them might just make things more complicated.

"It seems the fever has indeed subsided."

He picked up where he left off, as if the little incident had never happened. "Well... you should be fine on your own, right? I'll head back now."

"Um...no problem. Thank you so much for today." Su Shi nodded, her voice still carrying a hint of awkwardness, but it had regained its usual gentleness.

"Remember to take your medicine on time. There's a first-aid kit under the TV cabinet. Get some rest." Ishikawa Mayu said as she walked towards the entrance.

Just as he was about to change his shoes, he seemed to suddenly remember something.

"By the way, we don't have LINE, right?"

"……Yes."

Nagasaki Motoyo recalled that before today, the two of them had basically had no interaction.

It was either a chance encounter in the elevator, or a casual greeting when visiting my mother.

Ishikawa Mayu nodded and took out her phone.

"Let's exchange LINE numbers first? If you feel unwell in the middle of the night, you can contact me anytime."

Upon hearing this, Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes darted around.

"Taking advantage of a girl's illness to ask for her LINE ID is a bit like taking advantage of her vulnerability."

"Oh."

Ishikawa Mayu reached out to take back her phone.

He felt this was just a precautionary measure, and since the other person's fever had subsided and they seemed to be fine, adding another LINE contact was not necessary.

"I didn't say I wouldn't add it."

Nagasaki Motoyo stared at the shoe cabinet next to her, thinking to herself, "This shoe cabinet is really a shoe cabinet."

Ishikawa Mayu didn't say much, but simply turned her phone screen back towards her, where her QR code was still displayed.

This time, Su Shi didn't hesitate and quickly took out her phone to add the contact.

"Okay." She put away her phone, finally shifting her gaze from the shoe cabinet back to the ground.

"Okay." Ishikawa Mayu also checked and confirmed the addition was successful. "I'm leaving. Remember to go to bed early."

He took half a step out the door, then turned back and added, his tone slightly more serious than before:

“Once you feel completely alright, it’s best to move the spare key to a different location.” He pointed to the carpet. “After all, I know where it is now.”

Upon hearing this, Su Shi, who was standing inside the door, gently shook her head. The warm light in the entryway outlined the slightly soft profile of her face.

“…It’s okay,” she said softly, her voice carrying a calm trust. “Just leave it there.”

Chapter Twelve: The Band's Invitation

I returned to the 46th floor via the emergency exit, opened the door, and moved the backpack that I had casually tossed at the door to the entryway.

Ishikawa Mayu walked through the living room and collapsed straight onto the soft sofa.

He buried his face in the cool cushions, let out a long, muffled sigh, and lay motionless for several minutes, as if trying to recover from the excessive social energy he had expended that day and the fatigue brought on by the sudden caregiving work.

Only after his fatigue subsided somewhat did he slowly prop himself up and sit up.

His hair was sticking up in a mess from his earlier movements, but he was too lazy to fix it.

I took out my phone and turned on the screen; the time showed 8:30.

It felt like an eternity had passed, yet it's only this late.

He silently complained to himself.

Although my rational mind tells me I should take advantage of my current mental state and finish today's homework, my body and will are sending strong signals of resistance.

We can talk about homework later.

Speaking of which, didn't Aine just send me a LINE message?

Ishikawa Mayu rubbed her messy hair and decided to put her homework aside for the time being.

He stood up, dragged his feet to the refrigerator, opened the door, and was hit by a blast of cold air. The moment his fingertips touched the dew-covered bottle, the biting chill finally lifted his spirits again.

With an iced cola, Ishikawa Mayu returned to the sofa, sank back into the soft cushions, bent one leg, and settled into the most comfortable position.

"呲-"

The tab was pulled open with a pleasant click. He tilted his head back and took a large gulp from the jar.

The icy, sweet liquid with a strong bubbly sensation instantly washed over his throat, causing him to squint slightly. A refreshing coolness quickly spread from his stomach, as if temporarily suppressing the heat and fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day.

"Phew... I'm finally alive!"

After recovering a little, Ishikawa Mayu's other hand was not idle either. Instead, she skillfully operated her phone and returned to the LINE interface.

Below Aunt Nagasaki are several messages sent by Chihaya Aine earlier.

[Ahem, Mayu-kun~ You probably haven't joined a band yet, right? How about forming a band with me? (?ω?)]

Oh, right! You probably know how to play a musical instrument, right? But even if you don't, it's okay, you can play bass! (Seriously)

This is followed by several cute emojis that have recently become popular.

Ishikawa Mayu's lips twitched slightly.

How come this guy is so skilled at bass jokes?

Fortunately, I'm not a bassist, so I wasn't offended at all.

As soon as his message status changed to "read," a new message popped up instantly, at an astonishing speed:

【Eh?! Does Mayu-kun have time to look at her phone now? (°▽°)】

So, did you get home safely? ~Did you see my message? (ノ>ω<)ノ

LINE's read notification feature once again worked perfectly, allowing Chihaya Aine to accurately pinpoint the time he went online.

This guy... could he be holding his phone the whole time, just waiting for me to come online?

He could even picture Chihaya Aine sitting cross-legged on her own bed or sofa, the light from her phone screen illuminating her focused face, her thumb hovering above the send button, ready to press send as soon as she saw the "read" notification.

Such heavy pressure!

He sighed and tapped the screen with his fingertips.

【arrive.】

[You weren't glued to your phone the whole time, waiting for me to come online, were you? Your replies were frighteningly fast.]

The message was instantly marked as read.

[I wasn't specifically watching over Mayu-kun! (?o?o)??]

[I was just browsing social media and YouTube and happened to see it!]

A rabbit emoji followed, leisurely swinging its legs.

[But why would Mayu think that way? Is she expecting me to wait for her? (?'?`?)]

Ishikawa Mayu almost choked on the cola she hadn't swallowed when she saw the last message.

He hurriedly placed the cold can on the coffee table with a soft "thump," and without even wiping the water from his fingertips, he immediately picked up his phone with both hands and rapidly tapped the screen with his thumbs, trying to deny the speculation as quickly and clearly as possible.

Absolutely not!

Ai Yin's reply popped up immediately, filled with undisguised teasing.

Oh~~~(￣ω￣;)

It was followed by a fox emoji with squinting eyes and a meaningful smile.

Fortunately, Chihaya Aine did not delve too deeply into this extremely dangerous topic, but quickly steered the conversation back to the main point.

So let's get back to the main topic! ('▽`???)