[You waited for Eriri to hang up before approaching her and handing over the hot drink. You asked what had happened.]
[She briefly explained that her father was being too controlling despite her being in high school. She asked you not to worry, as she would stay at a friend's house tonight.]
[She called her friend, Miharu, who quickly answered but said she had many guests and couldn't accommodate Eriri.]
[Eriri panicked for a moment but soon recovered, asking her friend to cover for her if her family called, and her friend agreed.]
[Seeing Eriri looking troubled, you approached her.]
[It was already past ten at night. You decided to…]
[1. Invite her to your place, saying you could stay up all night playing games.]
[2. Suggest the hotel you noticed on the way.]
[3. Tell her to go home and avoid spreading her cold to you.]
Late at night, with nowhere else to go, Eriri seemed like a familiar character in the storyline.
Chisato chose the first option.
He didn't have any other thoughts; he was just curious to see if Eriri would agree to stay over and if they'd really spend the night playing games.
[Facing Eriri, who was looking troubled and hesitant, you made the invitation.]
[You mentioned that you lived alone and if she didn't mind, she could stay at your place.]
[You had recently bought some new games, and since it was Sunday, they could stay up all night playing.]
[Eriri agreed after confirming it wouldn't be a problem and came with you to your apartment.]
[Your apartment wasn't exactly tidy but didn't smell bad. It was just a bit disorganized.]
[The first thing Eriri did was tidy up the living room a bit.]
[After both of you took a shower, you sat on the couch, playing the critically acclaimed game *It Takes Two*.]
[As the hours passed, you and Eriri ended up sitting close together on the couch.]
[She didn't have a change of clothes, so she wore your T-shirt and shorts. Her small frame in the ill-fitting clothes made her look even more petite and cute.]
[Her hair occasionally brushed against your arm, and her feet, touching your thigh, made the space between you more intimate.]
[As you played, the game characters' movements became clumsy, and mistakes increased.]
[At 1 a.m., Eriri's coughing increased, and though she insisted she was fine and wanted to keep playing, you insisted she go to the bedroom, take her medicine, and rest.]
[Reluctantly, Eriri complied. After you poured her a cup of warm water and placed it by her bed, you gently closed the door and lay down on the couch.]
[You reflected on the day's events, thinking about your date with Eriri.]
[With the girl you liked now in the next room, sleeping in your bed, you thought you'd stay awake all night.]
[But you clearly overestimated yourself. Half an hour later, you fell into a deep sleep.]
[Some time later, in the middle of the night, you woke up, struggling to breathe. Opening your eyes, you discovered the cause of your discomfort.]
[Eriri had her legs on either side of your waist, straddling you.]
[Before you could say anything in surprise, Eriri, gasping, collapsed on top of you.]
[Realizing something, you touched her forehead and felt an abnormal heat.]
[Eriri weakly said she was getting worse, possibly with a fever. ]
[You carried her back to the bedroom, placed a cool cloth on her forehead to reduce her fever, and noticed the water you had prepared for her was still untouched.]
[You asked if she hadn't taken her medicine.]
[Eriri admitted she hadn't, and when you prepared to get more warm water for her to take the medicine, she held onto your fingers.]
[Through her embarrassed explanation, you understood why she hadn't taken the medicine.]
[The cold medicine she picked up at the pharmacy was suppositories, not pills to be taken orally but ones to be inserted, similar to the shy medicines found in adult content.]
[You felt that despite the embarrassment, the medicine needed to be taken.]
[Eriri covered her face, saying she couldn't do it and couldn't bring herself to use the medicine that way.]
[Faced with this situation, you decided to…]
[1. Go to the 24-hour pharmacy downstairs and get regular cold medicine, which would only take about ten minutes.]
[2. Persuade her to try harder.]
[3. Offer to help her with it.]
Three options!
Chisato chose the third option!
Chisato sat up on the bed immediately.
There was no room for hesitation in this situation.
Not only that, he immediately switched to a first-person perspective!
In the room with the nightlight on.
With his left arm blocking Eriri, who was breathing heavily and obviously distressed.
Chisato, worried about her condition, looked at the unused cold medicine on the bedside.
After a moment of thought, he held the medicine and proposed:
"If you're sick, you need to take medicine, or it will get worse. If you don't mind, I can help you with it."
"...!"
Eriri, covering her eyes with her arm, lowered it to cover her mouth.
Her beautiful blue eyes were trembling uncontrollably.
"If you don't want to, I'll go downstairs and buy regular medicine."
Chisato said this without forcing her and turned to leave.
"Wait…" Eriri quickly called out to stop him.
Chisato turned around, but she looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
"...It's not necessary to go through all that trouble. I'm not forcing anything; it's just that I'm afraid you might find it... too dirty."
Chisato shook his head.
"I won't think that way."
"Then... let's do it. I'm sorry to trouble you."
"Alright."
Chisato took the medicine from the bedside. Though he appeared calm, his heart was racing as he prepared to use the medicine for the first time.
He carefully read the instructions:
"Pay attention to fingertip hygiene. It's best if there are no nails. Ensure the medicine is inserted deeply; otherwise, it might not be absorbed properly, delaying treatment."
"Confirm by inserting it up to the second joint of the index finger..."
"Chisato..."
"What is it?"
"Don't read it out loud..."
Eriri's weak voice trembled with shyness and almost sounded like she was about to cry.
"Sorry."
Chisato took a deep breath, quickly skimmed the instructions, and put them aside. He took out a piece of medicine.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he said,
"Okay, I'll start now."
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