BSS – Vol 1 Chapter 4 Part 3 – Lies and True Appearances

<Kento’s PoV>

“Kujouin-san.” (Kento)

After club activities ended, I called out to Kujouin-san, who was washing the water jug.

Because of that, not only Kujouin-san but also the other managers turned their gazes toward me all at once, making me feel a bit awkward.

“Oh, Kento-kun, good work. What’s up?” (Nadeshiko)

“Thank you for what happened during lunch. Um… when you were alone with her, she didn’t do anything rude, did she…?” (Kento)

I thought she’d be okay, but I wanted to make sure, just in case.

With the way she usually acts around me, she might have casually said something hurtful, even to people who had done something kind for her out of goodwill.

“Hehe, I don’t know what you’re worried about, but she was a very sweet girl. Rumors are just rumors, after all.” (Nadeshiko)

She clearly understood exactly what I was concerned about.

Relieved that there hadn’t been any issues, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

However—

“Wait, could it be… are you talking about Frost-san!?” (Student)

The other managers looked at me with expressions of extreme surprise.

Even though I hadn’t mentioned her name, they seemed to figure it out.

“That’s right?” (Nadeshiko)

Kujoin-san tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“A really good girl…? I’ve spoken to her before, and she just gave me a cold response…” (Student)

“Yeah, it was like she didn’t even want to be talked to! She was super scary…” (Student)

“Totally, she felt like an actual ice queen…” (Student)

It seemed that not only Shouta but also a few others had tried their luck and failed miserably.

Everyone here is so socially adept…

“Is that so? Well, in my case, I think it had a lot to do with the circumstances—” (Nadeshiko)

For some reason, Kujouin-san glanced at me briefly.

“Maybe some prince on a white horse managed to melt her icy heart.” (Nadeshiko)

Then, with a meaningful remark, she smiled at me.

“Wait, what are you even saying!?” (Kento)

She said something outrageous, and my face immediately grew hot.

This has to be a complete misunderstanding because of the lunch exchange at noon…!

“Ah~~” (Students) 

The other managers, for some reason, nodded in apparent agreement, all while staring at my face.

The girls are all in the General Course, but I wonder if rumors with exaggerated details about Frost-san and me being lovey-dovey are spreading.

“Kujouin-san, please don’t say things that might cause weird misunderstandings…!” (Kento)

“Is it really a misunderstanding?” (Nadeshiko)

She stared intently at my face with innocent eyes.

“Ugh… I have errands to run after this, so I’m just going to change and head home…!” (Kento)

I didn’t feel like I could win an argument with her, just like with Frost-san, but in a different way.

No matter how much I try to explain myself, I always end up losing before I even notice.

“He ran away.” (Student) 

“Definitely ran.” (Student) 

“That’s rare.” (Student)

The managers behind me were saying whatever they wanted, but I chose to ignore them.

By tomorrow, they’ll probably forget all about what happened today.

…Probably.

“Haa… it might have been unconscious, but it hit the mark, didn’t it…?” (Nadeshiko)

“Senpai…?” (Student)

“Mm, it’s nothing. Let’s hurry up and finish cleaning so we can head home.” (Nadeshiko)

“Okay~!” (Student)

Hearing the energetic voices from behind, I reflexively turned around to see the managers briskly resuming their cleanup.

It seemed our conversation was over.

“I hope they don’t get the wrong idea…” (Kento)

With that thought, I entered the clubroom and quickly changed my clothes.

Some time later—I went to pick up Frost-san from her cram school.

……

“Oh, there she is.” (Kento)

Having already drawn attention before, I decided not to worry about the eyes around me and waited near the cram school. Soon, I spotted Frost-san.

But something felt off.

Wasn’t she wobbling a bit…?

Her steps looked unsteady.

Now that I think about it, it was unusual for her to have overslept this morning… I wonder if she’s okay?

“Frost-san, are you okay?” (Kento)

I quickly called out to her.

“Ah, Shirakawa-kun… You came to pick me up. Thank you…” (Sophia)

When Frost-san noticed me, she smiled brightly.

…She definitely has a fever, doesn’t she?

She’s been acting strange all day.

I mean, normally, she wouldn’t smile at me like this just because I came to pick her up… right?

“You look unwell. Could it be that you’ve got a fever?” (Kento)

What came to mind was the incident during lunch when water was poured on her.

Even though it’s summer, if she was already feeling unwell and then got soaked, it wouldn’t be surprising if her condition worsened and she developed a fever.

“I’m fine… It’s just that today’s lessons were difficult, and I overworked my brain a little too much…” (Sophia)

No… she doesn’t look fine at all.

Still, even if I pressed her about it, I doubted she’d be honest with me.

If anything, she might get upset and insist on going home alone.

In her current state, I’d be in trouble if she made such a selfish demand, so I decided to just keep an eye on her for now.

“What about dinner? Do you want to eat out on the way home?” (Kento)

If she’s feeling this bad, cooking would probably be impossible.

That’s why I asked, but…

“Sorry, would it be alright if we just got a convenience store bento today…?” (Sophia)

Seems like even eating out seemed too much for her.

As I thought, her condition seemed pretty bad.

We should get back home quickly so that she can rest.

“Got it. Let’s grab a bento and get you home to rest.” (Kento)

“Yes, thank you…” (Sophia)

We bought bentos from the convenience store at the station, took the train, and returned home.

After changing into casual clothes, we began eating—but…

“……..” (Sophia)

Frost-san’s chopsticks barely moved.

“Are you really okay…?” (Kento)

“Sorry, I don’t seem to have much of an appetite right now. I’ll eat it later…” (Sophia)

Saying this, she closed the lid of her bento.

“If you’re feeling unwell, let’s go to visit the doctor.” (Kento)

I thought it would be better to have her checked before her condition worsened further.

The night clinic should be able to see her.

However—

“I’m fine… It’s just that I’m tired from everything. I’ll go rest first.” (Sophia)

With that, Frost-san left the living room.

She seemed to be in pretty bad shape… but if she said she’d rest, then maybe it was fine.

For now, I decided to prepare the bath and wash my practice clothes.

After washing my practice uniform and getting the bath ready—

“Frost-san, the bath is ready. Can you take it?” (Kento)

I went to call out to her.

She always takes the bath first, and warming up her body might help.

But there was no response from inside.

Had she already fallen asleep?

“If you’re not going to bathe, it’d help if you could at least bring out your wet uniform for washing…” (Kento)

Still, there was no response from inside.

“So, no answer after all…” (Kento)

If she’s asleep, there’s no need to wake her up.

With that in mind, I was about to leave the room, but—

“Is she really just asleep…?” (Kento)

A bad feeling crept over me.

If she’s only sleeping, that’s fine.

I’ll deal with the scolding later.

But if she wasn’t sleeping and had fainted instead—thinking that, I hesitantly opened the door to her room.

And there she was—Frost-san, slumped over her desk.

“Hah… hah…” (Sophia)

“Hey, are you okay…!?” (Kento)

Her breathing was clearly irregular, so I quickly placed my hand on her forehead.

“It’s burning up…! You’ve definitely got a fever…!” (Kento)

Frost-san’s temperature was far from normal. It could easily be close to 40°C.

“I’m… fine… it’s just… a cold…” (Sophia)

Her consciousness seemed hazy.

In her right hand was a mechanical pencil, and on the desk were a reference book and a partially filled notebook.

Even in this condition… She said she’d rest, but she was still studying…

“Idiot, why are you studying!? Just rest already!” (Kento)

I was so angry that I couldn’t help but shout at her.

“Be… because…” (Sophia)

“No excuses! Wait here, I’m calling an ambulance right now!” (Kento)

If it were just a fever, I would’ve considered taking a taxi, but with her barely conscious, she needed medical attention immediately.

I called for an ambulance and waited for it to arrive.

After accompanying her to the hospital—

“It’s just a cold. She was already worn out from accumulated fatigue, and staying in wet clothes made her condition worse.” (Doctor)

—It wasn’t a severe infection or anything serious.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I had been asked if there was anything that could have worsened her condition so I mentioned her wet clothes.

“She just needs to rest, right?” (Kento)

“Yes, give her the prescribed medicine and ensure she stays quiet. The fever should go down by tomorrow morning.” (Doctor)

Thank goodness…

She really made me worry…

I gently stroked Frost-san’s head as she slept.

I can’t stand losing someone close to me again.

I was relieved that it was just a cold that would get better with rest.

Afterward, I thanked the doctor, paid the medical fees, and collected her medicine.

Then, I carried her on my back, took a taxi, and brought her home.

“Make sure you rest properly, alright?” (Kento)

I laid Frost-san on her bed, placed an ice pillow under her head, and softly stroked her hair once more.

“Mm…” (Sophia)

Right after I stroked her head, Frost-san’s eyes slowly opened.

Ah… I messed up…

It seemed my stroking had woken her up.

“Shirakawa… kun…” (Sophia)

“Sorry, I woke you up…” (Kento)

Her mind must still be in a haze.

Her eyes were glazed over and feverish.

I really felt bad for waking her up…

“………” (Sophia)

Right after that, she grabbed my hand, which I had pulled away from her head.

“Huh—?!” (Kento)

W-Wait, is she mad that I accidentally woke her up, or is she mad because I touched her without permission…?

I thought that might be it, but then…

“I… want you to keep doing this…” (Sophia)

I wasn’t scolded, but for some reason, she grabbed my hand.

“Frost-san…?” (Kento)

“Sophia…” (Sophia)

“Huh…?” (Kento)

“I’m not Frost anymore… So, please call me Sophia…?” (Sophia)

In a voice that was unusually sweet, like a cat’s purr, she made a request that almost sounded like a plea.

What on earth happened to her?

Was she feeling affectionate because of the fever…?

“Don’t you mind?” (Kento)

I had thought for sure that she’d dislike being called Sophia, so I always called her Frost-san.

That’s why, now, when she asks me to call her Sophia, I feel a little lost.

“Mm… I want you to call me Sophia…” (Sophia)

It seemed that, contrary to what I thought, she actually wanted to be called Sophia.

Now that I thought about it, it made sense. If her last name had changed, it would probably feel strange to still be called by her old family name…

She hadn’t said it sooner likely because of her personality.

“Well then…” (Kento)

It was rare for me to call a girl by her first name, so I felt nervous.

My throat had somehow dried up without me noticing.

But then…

“Sophia…?” (Kento)

I managed to force the words out, calling her name.

“Ah… ehehe…” (Sophia)

She was definitely still out of it from the fever.

She gave me a cute smile, almost like a young child.

“Is this okay?” (Kento)

“Mm…” (Sophia)

She nodded happily, and perhaps satisfied, she closed her eyes.

However, she was still holding my hand tightly, not letting go.

“I guess it can’t be helped, right…?” (Kento)

If this was the usual Frost—no Sophia, she would probably be noisy. But now, she had grabbed my hand, so I couldn’t just leave.

I didn’t want to wake her up by trying to pull my hand away, so I decided to wait until her grip loosened.

More importantly, even though the doctor said her fever would go down by morning, she still had a fever for now.

It seemed like just a cold, but it might be better to take care of her just in case.

“Zzz… Zzz…” (Sophia)

Thanks to the medicine, her breathing became more even, and I could hear the steady sound of her sleep.

She really might recover by the next day.

“Still…” (Kento)

I couldn’t help but stare at her sleeping face.

When she was awake, she seemed cold and even emitted an intimidating aura, but seeing her like this, she looked like a typical girl her age.

She was so cute, to the point where people would compare her to idols. Watching her sleep made me understand why everyone would want to fuss over her.

She was really cute.

Above all, her earlier childlike smile kept replaying in my mind.

“Her room is surprisingly girly… I thought it’d be more bare.” (Kento)

With nothing else to do, I absentmindedly looked around her room.

She must like pink.

The curtains, mats, bed, and furniture were all in shades of white and pink.

There were also lots of stuffed animals—cats, dogs, rabbits—making the room feel girly.

I thought that if I were to give her a stuffed animal for her birthday, she’d probably be really happy.

“—What am I thinking?” (Kento)

There was no way she would accept a gift from me.

It would probably just end with her thinking I was creepy.

…But, as I looked at her today, I couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful that maybe, just maybe…

“Well, chances are that she’s acting like this because of the fever.” (Kento)

If that were the case, it’d be pretty sad if she would reject a gift from me.

I might even start doubting people altogether.

“She sure likes to push me around…” (Kento)

Maybe it’s partly because I never really had close female friends, but even then, there’s no girl who messes with me this much.

Ever since I started living with her, my daily life felt like it had been turned upside down, like I was living in a completely different world.

And from here on, she’d probably continue to push me around.

“But, you know… maybe this kind of life isn’t so bad after all.” (Kento)

Especially over the last couple of days, I couldn’t deny that, deep down, I had enjoyed it.

At first, when we started living together, I felt nothing but dread, but now, being with her doesn’t bother me at all.

Little by little, it seems like we’re getting more comfortable with each other.

“I hope you get better soon.” (Kento)

I said that while staring at her sleeping face.

I waited until her grip loosened, and then when her hand was no longer holding mine, I quietly left the room to take care of my own things.

I soaked in the lukewarm bath, washed both her wet uniform and my own clothes, and hung them up to dry. After that, I threw the laundry—underwear and towels—into the washing machine.

Once everything was done, I returned to her side, took her hand again, and sat by her, staying close to her.

—Of course, when she woke up in the morning, I’d let go of her hand.

---

Thanks for reading!

This girl is really determined to not let him find out that she’s sick. Well, I also sometimes tend to hide the fact that I’m feeling unwell, not that that’s a good practice.

---

1. None