This café is located within a commercial residential building, and it doesn't have a private restroom. If needed, patrons must go to the public restroom on the first floor in the corner.
At the moment, Hoshimi was at the restroom's sink on the first floor, meticulously washing his hands.
After washing up, he didn't rush back to the café. Instead, he calmly dried his hands under the hand dryer and then took out his phone to reply to messages.
Just as he was washing his hands, his phone had vibrated twice. Judging by the time, it was probably a get-well message from Yukino after school.
He looked at his phone and saw two messages.
One was from Yukino, just now:
"Hoshimi, how are you feeling? Do you need me to bring you any medicine?"
The other was from Kotoko, sent around noon:
"Hoshimi, how are you? Feeling any better? Do you need me to come by in the afternoon?"
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Hoshimi was a bit puzzled as to why he hadn't noticed Kotoko's message earlier.
After checking the time Kotoko's message was sent, he recalled that he had been in a men's clothing store trying on clothes at that moment, and his phone had mostly been out of reach, so it made sense he hadn't noticed.
With a wry smile, Hoshimi started replying to Kotoko and Yukino.
"My cold is a bit severe, so I went to the hospital to see a doctor. I just started an IV, and it might take a while before I'm back, but don't worry about me."
He guessed that Kotoko and Yukino were probably both in the Service Club right now, so he sent them both the same reply to avoid any feelings of jealousy.
"Beep—beep—"
Soon after, Kotoko's reply came in:
"Hoshimi, you're on an IV? Is your cold that serious? I'm coming to see you. Which hospital are you in?"
After thinking for a moment, Hoshimi calmly typed out a reply:
"Kotoko, it's better if you don't come. Saliva exchange can spread colds."
"...Hoshimi, what do you think of me? While I am indeed curious about how you look when you're sick, I wasn't planning to get close to you at a time like this."
"Alright, Kotoko, you know exactly what you're up to. I'm not letting you take advantage of my weak state to make a move."
"Eh?! Hoshimi, you're so clever."
"Beep—beep—"
After Hoshimi and Kotoko exchanged a few messages, Yukino's reply finally arrived.
The reason why Yukino's reply took longer wasn't due to aloofness but simply because she was slow at typing.
"Hoshimi, which hospital are you at? Do you need me to come see you? And when did you get up?"
Hoshimi tapped on his phone screen to reply:
"I just got up a little while ago. As soon as I did, I headed to the hospital. Don't worry about me. I'll be back after I'm done with the IV. Is there anything you want? I can bring it to you on my way back."
After replying to Yukino, Hoshimi continued his conversation with Kotoko.
"Kotoko, let's pause your plans for today. Just enjoy your time at the Service Club. You should spend more time with people your age. I'm worried that dealing with spirits all the time is making you a bit odd."
"?! Hoshimi, you're actually worried about me! Am I seeing things? Oh, wait, I am blind in one eye ^_~"
"..."
Hoshimi's fingers paused, momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Could this little brat stop teasing him so much? It was starting to make him feel a bit guilty...
"Sigh~" Hoshimi sighed softly and continued the conversation, carefully avoiding sensitive topics.
Soon, Yukino replied as well, and Hoshimi multitasked, chatting with both of them for a while.
Finally, Hoshimi ended the conversations by claiming he was tired and wanted to take a nap.
"Alright then, Hoshimi, get some rest. Oh, and remember to wake up in time to ask the nurse to change your IV." —Kotoko.
"Hoshimi, don't sleep too deeply. Remember, you're still on an IV. Make sure to ask the nurse to change it on time." —Yukino.
In response to their final words of concern, Hoshimi sent them both the same reply:
"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. I'll monitor the IV progress in my dreams, and I'll wake up when it's time."
After sending off the messages, Hoshimi pocketed his phone and quietly made his way back to the café on the third floor.
…
In the café.
After Hoshimi went to the restroom, Kasumigaoka propped her chin on her hand, gazing idly out the window.
Suddenly, a familiar flash of gold caught her eye at the edge of her vision.
She shifted her gaze to the blonde girl across the street.
The girl was beautiful, with fair skin and smooth, lustrous golden hair neatly draped over her back. Her demeanor was elegant and calm, almost like that of a young lady from a prestigious family.
But to Kasumigaoka, who knew the girl well, this disguise was ineffective, and even somewhat amusing.
She watched the girl, her eyes following her steps as she moved.
Sawamura Spencer Eriri, a half-Japanese, half-British girl. Her father was British, and her mother Japanese. It was said her father was a diplomat, and her family was quite well-off, which explained the refined "young lady" aura she projected.
Unfortunately, that refined aura was just a façade. Beneath it lay a fiery, passionate, obsessive, and easily angered personality.
And what's even more shocking is that this young lady is a "doujinshi" artist—specifically, an artist of dark, humiliating lewd content!
The stark contrast between this young lady's outer appearance and inner self clearly shows just how troublesome she truly is.
"Though she does play the part well..." Kasumigaoka muttered under her breath, watching Eriri smile and greet another student.
"See you tomorrow, Ishimaki-san."
"Yes, Eriri-san, see you tomorrow."
On the street, Eriri had just finished saying goodbye to a classmate when she felt a subtle sensation, as if someone was watching her.
She looked around but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
"Weird..." She furrowed her brows slightly and was about to continue walking.
After taking just a couple of steps, a sudden intuition made Eriri look up at the commercial building across the street.
Scanning the windows from left to right, she quickly spotted Kasumigaoka sitting by the window, gazing down at her with an indifferent expression.
Seeing Kasumigaoka's cold look, a surge of anger flared up inside Eriri.
That damned black-stockinged fatty! They had agreed to discuss something today, and she had prepared for it, only for this black-stockinged fatty to cancel at the last minute, claiming she had something else to do and rescheduling for another day.
Something to do? Yeah, right!
She was just sitting idly in a café!
Damn it, how dare she mess with me! I'm going to see just what she's busy with in that café!
Fuming, Eriri turned and marched toward the café across the street.
Moments later, Eriri, now seething with anger, stormed into the café, clearly upset.
===
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