This was the first time I was going to enter a girl's room, not to mention someone of my age.
I pulled her along and entered the apartment. Her apartment was the same as mine. It had a similar spacious living room and the arrangement of the bedroom and the kitchen were identical. There was just one major difference between her room and mine.
It was messy. Not my, but her room was messy. I hadn't imagined that the girl with such a charm and air around her had a messy room like this. Her clothes were scattered on the floor. I could also see her black undergarments. Dust pecks everywhere. It seemed that she hadn't cleaned her room for quite some time.
I carefully made my way towards her bedroom.
The bedroom was no exception. Clothes were lying on her bed, unorganized. On the floor, were several books. The pages were open and some lines were highlighted using different colored highlighters.
I searched around the pile of clothes and finally found what I had been looking for.
She was still somewhat conscious and voices like "Nnn…nng" were escaping from her mouth.
I brought the towel to her and asked her, "Hey. Can you wipe your body with this towel before lying on the bed?"
No reply came. Judging by her red face, she had a fever. Lying down on the bed with wet clothes wasn't going to be good. So, I had no choice but to do it myself.
I unbuttoned her shirt and started wiping her body. She didn't resist. Of course, she didn't, because she wasn't fully conscious of the situation she was in. I took off her shirt, tights, and skirt as well. For a moment, I was drawn to her beautiful pale white skin. I snapped out of it quickly and again searched under the pile of clothes to find something wearable. I then changed her into a white t-shirt and blue jean pants.
I was being careful to not touch her bare body much. But a soft sensation ran through my fingers when I touched her thighs for a moment.
I hurriedly put the pant on and made her lie on the bed. I covered her with a yellow blanket and made my way out of her bedroom. I quickened my pace.
"Ah."
I nearly tripped on her black bra. Somehow I managed to get out of her room. I closed the door and stood with my back to the door.
I heaved a sigh and said, "That was dangerous."
I looked at my right hand which still remembered the soft sensation of her thighs.
I went to my room. I was equally soaked. So, I dried myself and changed into casual outfits.
"She's sick and there's no one else to take care of her. That means I also have to make something to eat for her."
Then, I realized something. Her room was messy and it seemed that it hadn't been cleaned for a while now. And there were no signs of any other person living.
This girl, she is living alone? But why? She was a high school girl of mere 17 years. I couldn't think of a reason why this girl was living alone.
"She must have some reason."
I said to nobody in particular.
I was also a high school boy of the same age and I was also living alone due to some circumstances. So, I convinced myself that circumstances must have forced her to live alone.
Taking an umbrella, I headed to the nearby convenience store. My purpose was to get some ingredients I can use to make something for her but I also bought some instant foods and drinks for myself.
When I again went to her room, she was sound asleep.
I went to her kitchen.
"Wow."
All the spaces of her room were messy, except for the kitchen. The kitchen was neat and the utensils and the ingredients were neatly arranged in a drawer. Judging by the look around the kitchen, it seemed like she at least cooked on regular basis. I made what I had in mind and did other necessary things.
Then I returned to her bedroom and checked her temperature. It showed 38.3 degrees.
"That's quite high."
*
After about two hours, she opened her heavy eyelids and looked at me, still not able to make sense of the situation. I was sitting beside her bed reading a novel.
She slowly propped herself up. She lifted her hand and pressed it to her forehead. When she did, her fingers registered a slightly starchy sensation, like cloth.
I had stuck a cooling sheet to her forehead after checking her temperature earlier. I offered her a sports drink. Although she was visibly confused, she accepted it and brought it to her lips drinking it gracefully. After drinking all that, she was finally able to look around her surroundings. Then, it dawned on her.
"Huuhhhh?! Why are you here?! How did you get in here?! What happened?! Why am I here?!"
She started to scream at the top of her lungs. And it was natural given the situation.
"I will explain. But first, calm down."
When I raised my voice and said that, she stopped screaming. But she still had her hands clutched in front of her chest and she was still glaring at me.
Then she looked down. She checked her attire and noticed that she wasn't in her school uniform. Then she came into a sudden realization and looked at me.
When she looked at me, I nodded hesitantly and she started screaming again.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-You. Why, you?!"
Her screaming was louder than before. She picked up the pillow beside her and threw it at me, straight at my face.
"You pervert! You dare touch me!"
She started accusing me with all her might. I was getting a bit annoyed by her shouting and shrieking.
"Pipe down, you idiot!"
When I said that in an annoyed tone, she stopped throwing her tantrum. But she still looked like she was on verge of tears.
After she calmed down, I explained everything to her, in detail.
"You really didn't do anything weird, did you?"
"No. I swear."
"For now, I have bought you the medicine that was on top of your desk. It's better if you take it with something in your stomach. Do you have an appetite?"
"Huh?"
"I asked, are you hungry?"
"I guess, I am."
She replied while clutching the same pillow which she had thrown at me a while ago.
I went to the kitchen and placed the rice porridge I had made in a bowl and brought it to her in a tray.
Upon seeing me with a dish in a hand, her eyes widened.
"Did you make that yourself?"
I placed the tray on a side table and opened the lid. While she was staring at the porridge, I ladled some into a smaller bowl.
"Yes," I replied to her previous question and handed the bowl to her.
She didn't start eating immediately. She kept staring at the porridge while her spoon hovered over it.
"What? Do you want me to feed you? Sorry, but I don't plan on doing any more than this."
"Nobody asked you that, okay?!"
She retorted almost immediately.
"Then, what?"
"I was just thinking, that you can cook as well."
"It's not that I don't cook food because I am bad at it. It's just that I'm lazy."
"Seems so."
She scoffed up some of the porridge and stuffed the spoon into her mouth.
She just remained silent while the spoon was still in her mouth.
When I was just about to ask what happened, a single streak of tear ran down her cheek.
"Oye. I know that I'm not a very good cook but I know that I am pretty decent. I think it's not that much bad that you need to cry."
I retorted. I knew that I hadn't done cooking for a while but I was confident in my skills that it wasn't inedible. I knew it tasted pretty much decent because I had tasted it before bringing it to her.
"Oh. No. It's not bad. It's good actually."
She replied while clumsily wiping her tears with the sleeves of her t-shirt.
"Then, why are you crying?"
"Because.."
"Because?"
"It's the first time that someone other than my nanny has cooked for me...…..Thank you."
She smiled.
Her smile was so beautiful that I couldn't help but stare. I hadn't seen a smile so beautiful and pure before. That smile of hers was burned in my memory.
I quickly regained myself and sat down beside her.
Something about her previous statement bugged me. She had said 'someone other than my nanny', not my mother or father. I wanted to ask her but decided it would better if didn't meddle into other's private life too much. After that, she shoveled spoonful after spoonful of porridge into her mouth. Watching her enjoying a dish that I made, made me smile.
After she finished eating, I took the tray away and put it in the kitchen.
When I returned, she was again lying down on her bed.
"Hey. You rest for today and replenish your energy. If you need water to drink, I have boiled it and kept it at the side table. And if you feel hungry there's a little porridge leftover. Warm it a little before eating."
With that, I prepared to leave when she suddenly stopped me.
"Wait. There's something I want to ask you?"
"What?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Huh?"
"Today you helped reach school. You also prepared food for me and looked after me the whole time. Why are you doing this? It's not like we have known each other for a long time. We barely know each other. So, why?"
"Because my conscience would never let me rest if I left you alone like this, even to sleep," I replied bluntly.
"Is that so?"
After hearing my answer she pulled her blanket up and covered her face.
I thought she was about to sleep so, I quietly closed the door to her bedroom and left her apartment.