Entering the small hospital lobby, Miyuki walked toward the desk and had a light conversation with the receptionist as she filled out the hospital form.
She gave it to me after I walked up to her.
"Matsuda-kun, you have to complete the rest. Or do you want to just tell me, and I can fill it out for you."
"It's fine. It's not like my fingers are broken…"
I disinterestedly took the form from her and barely managed to withhold a smile when I read what Miyuki had written down.
[Guardian: Hanazawa Miyuki]
[Contact: 080 – XXXX – XXXX]
I really like the word "guardian."
I also really love that Miyuki wrote down her own name as my guardian without hesitation.
After I grabbed a pen and began filling out the form, I said bluntly to Miyuki who stared at the form like she was going to burn a hole with it:
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing… It's just that your handwriting is worse than I imagined…"
"…Will going to a calligraphy academy improve it?"
"If you're going to go to an academy, shouldn't you go to a calligraphy correction academy…? Well, you can fix your sloppy handwriting by practicing to write neatly… So, I don't think it's necessary."
"So serious about everything… I'm gonna die of exhaustion."
"Do you find my personality enervating?"
"Very."
I responded casually then finished filling out the form and gave it to the nurse.
The nurse briefly glanced at my face and clicked her tongue at my wounds then read my form carefully and pointed towards a corner.
"Go wait over there."
"Yes, ma'am."
We sat next to each other in a corner and chatted while waiting for my name to be called.
"Matsuda-kun, did you see the look the nurse was giving you?"
"Yeah."
"Doesn't it make you angry?"
"Not really?"
"Why?"
"I stopped caring about such things. Otherwise, it gets annoying."
As if she liked my answer, she smiled.
"If you were the Matsuda-kun of the past, you'd have gotten angry and asked why she was giving you that look…"
"You seem to know a lot about me? Were you actually interested in me for a long time?"
"Th-That's nonsense…!"
Miyuki raised her voice in indignation.
Thanks to her, we received the attention of all the other waiting patients.
Shaking my head, I said:
"People are looking. Speak quietly."
"Ah…"
Miyuki, realizing her mistake, bowed to the people around her with a flustered expression.
Then, she frowned as she glared at me.
"It's because Matsuda-kun made a weird joke…!"
"Aren't you overreacting? Stop avoiding responsibility. Also, I'm a little hurt now."
"What do you mean you're suddenly hurt?"
"If you weren't interested, you didn't have to respond to my joke. Did you have to become so outraged?"
"Wh-what are you saying… It's because you said something so senseless that I couldn't help but…"
Did you really take it as senseless? That's not it.
You're slowly starting to see me as a man.
Even if you still have a mostly negative view of me.
"Matsuda Ken, we'll begin with a CT scan."
We were interrupted by the nurse's pleasant and clear voice.
As I got up, Miyuki said:
"I'll be waiting. Call me over before you go to the treatment room."
"Sure."
After talking with an elderly doctor, I was diagnosed with a mild concussion and bruises.
For the concussion, I just needed to rest for a while, and for the bruising and cuts… My body's strong, so it'll heal quickly.
It was fortunate that there were no big problems with my sore ribs.
The conversation had been going well, but then….
"I'll prescribe you some painkillers, so take them if you get a headache. Do you live together with your girlfriend?"
The doctor misunderstood Miyuki as my girlfriend.
I expected Miyuki to sharply rebuff the doctor like she did to me earlier.
However…
"No, we live separately. He also lives alone."
Miyuki answered the doctor's question while maintaining her calm expression.
At such a casual response, I could only sit, shocked, in my seat, barely stopping my jaw from dropping to the floor.
Miyuki looked over at me and grinned, then continued her conversation with the doctor.
"Is that so? Then, make sure to keep a close eye on him for the next couple of days. If he collapses or complains of dizziness, bring him to the hospital right away as it could be dangerous."
"Yes, sir."
"And you, kid, stop fighting. Were you trying to show off to your girlfriend? Do you want to die before me?"
Regaining my composure at the nosy doctor's criticism, I spoke:
"Yes? Oh, I wasn't showing off to her or anything like that… But, sir, how come you speak gently to her but speak so rudely to me?"
"Because it's pitiful, you punk."
Are you the cliché, old, eccentric, rude doctor criticizing the main character of an action or sports manga for not taking care of his body?
Let's just stop arguing with him.
"Ha… I understand, so just give me my prescription."
"This disrespectful punk… No funny business for a few days, and just rest up. You can do some light stuff still."
Miyuki's face instantly became tomato red at the doctor's words.
Because she realized he was talking about sex.
My evaluation of the doctor instantly reversed.
It turned out that he was a likable minor character who helps out the main character.
He wasn't a nasty old man but instead a kind, high-order angel.
After receiving the prescription, we silently walked to the pharmacy next door and picked up the painkillers.
Now that it's beginning to get dark, the wind was refreshing.
Probably thinking the same thing as me, Miyuki also stretched her arms, embracing the cool breeze.
Afterwards, she whipped her around and stared at me.
"Matsuda-kun, you know that if it weren't for me, you could've been in big trouble, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If you hadn't known you had a concussion, Matsuda-kun, you could've experienced another accident while going about your daily life. So you should thank me."
"Yeah…You are awesome. But, what was that all about earlier?"
"What?"
"When we were sitting in the lobby earlier, you made a huge fuss when I said that you were interested in me, but when the doctor…"
"Doctor-nim."
"... Sure, why'd you ignore doctor-nim's misunderstanding?"
"There was no need to correct him. It would've just made the conversation longer."
Even so, knowing her personality, if Miyuki had absolutely zero interest in me, she would have denied it immediately.
She reacted very sensitively when I asked if she was interested in me, and later, she smoothly glossed over the doctor's misunderstanding.
In conclusion, today, I made a lot of progress and even got a bonus.
"Is that so…?"
I trailed off into silence as I gave a mischievous smile.
Then, as if predicting my joke, Miyuki looked at me uneasily before asking:
"Wh-Why are you making that face…?"
"It's too bad."
"What is…?"
"Doctor-nim said no sex for the next coupla days."
"Ma-Matsuda-kun!!"
Just like before, Miyuki blushed violently as she screamed.
Watching me laugh, she shook her head in defeat.
"Haaah… I think Matsuda-kun that you're always making fun of me because I keep reacting."
"That's right. The better the reaction, the more I want to mess with you."
At those words, Miyuki giggled.
"I agree. I also want to make fun of Matsuda-kun sometimes."
"Well, I admit it's fun to bully me. That's why I was beaten up like this."
When I pointed to my swollen face and said it self-deprecatingly, Miyuki scoffed.
"You're very positive."
"Thank you. So, are we going to study tomorrow?"
"Well…"
Miyuki thought for a moment then said:
"Since doctor-nim told me to keep a close eye on you for the next few days… So, probably? Still, since you have a concussion, we'll see how you do as we go."
"Alright."
"I'm going to go back home now."
I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out three crumpled bills.
Three-thousand yen. I unfolded the bills and handed them to Miyuki.
"Grab a taxi."
"What… It's fine. I'm not in a hurry, so I can take the bus."
"Just accept it, and take a taxi. I can't sleep well while being indebted to someone else."
"I said I'm fine. Also, although it's still expensive, if I take a taxi from here to my home, it won't even cost 1000 yen. So, that's way too much…"
"Then, let's do it like this. I was going to ride a taxi myself. Since you're also going home, the kind-hearted me decided to take you with me. I'll tell the driver to drop me off at home first then bring you home. I'll pay. Why? Because I was gonna ride a taxi anyway."
Embarrassed by the impromptu scenario, Miyuki's mouth opened slightly.
Before she could say anything, I smiled and stumbled as quickly as I could away as I said:
"Let's go."
"Ma-Matsuda-kun…! You can't walk that fast…!"
She hurriedly followed me and grabbed me by the arm to support me.
No matter how much I think about it, Miyuki is too kind.
I want to fuck her brains out already…
So, let's quickly plan the next event.
Even if it's in a couple of days, the more time I have to plan, the better.
Beep-! Vroooom-!
As soon as the button was pressed, the fan began spinning quickly.
After taking a shower, Miyuki sat down in front of a fan to cool off.
Even after she had a cold shower, she still felt hot.
It would be nice to have AC at home, but it was what it was.
Miyuki, who closed her eyes as she felt the breeze across her body, suddenly wanted to go to Matsuda's house.
'Matsuda-kun's house is awesome…'
Unlike her and Tetsuya's house, it has AC, and since it was built like a traditional house, the air flowed well.
When she sat on the tatami and ate watermelon, it no longer felt like summer.
It is said that it will be even hotter tomorrow, so it would be better to go to Matsuda-kun's house earlier than usual to escape the heat.
Thinking so, Miyuki took out her cell phone and opened LINE.
[Matsuda-kun, thank you for the taxi.]
Even though she sent the message as soon as she arrived home, there was no reply from Matsuda even after she took a shower.
Just as Miyuki, who was worried that something had gone wrong, was going to send another message.
[Sure.]
Matsuda's reply came.
A gruff response. Very Matsuda-kun-like.
Miyuki laughed lightly and tapped the screen to respond.
[Can I go early tomorrow?]
[When?]
[About eight o'clock? I want to arrive before it gets too hot.]
[Do you miss me that much? Sure, you can come early.]
Even when giving permission, he still makes fun of her.
Miyuki shook her head and replied:
[Can I take that as permission?]
[Whatever.]
[Could you please answer me kindly?]
[This is just how I speak. What can I do?]
[That's when you speak, not when you text.]
[You're nagging me here too? At this point, it'll also appear in my dreams.]
Reading this, Miyuki giggled to herself.
Matsuda covering his ears and grimacing as if in physical pain as I lecture him…
This imagery couldn't help but make her laugh.
[Then, I'll be there by eight o'clock?]
[Whatever.]
[Matsuda-kun.]
[Please stop. I can hear your stern voice through my screen.]
It was always fun to talk with Matsuda-kun.
As Matsuda himself said earlier, was it fun to bully him?
Maybe that's why she wanted to continue conversing with and teasing him.
But, she decided to end it here for today.
If this continued, Matsuda-kun might get annoyed for real.
[Okay, I'll stop. Rest well and see you tomorrow, Matsuda-kun.]
[Whatever.]
Whenever he acted like this, she always felt the urge to mess with him.
Barely holding back her urge, she ended the conversation with Matsuda by sending him an angry emoticon with his fist clenched.
Oh, right.
Come to think of it, she completely forgot to contact Tetsuya.
She said she was going to text him but didn't for a really long time… She felt sorry.
Feeling guilty, Miyuki immediately began to text Tetsuya.