“Ugh… Haa…! I-I can’t do this anymore…” (Shizuka)
Like a puppet with its strings cut, Shizuka collapses onto the concrete pavement. She rolled over onto her back and breathed heavily while her face turned bright red due to the lack of oxygen. The sight of the lightly dressed, sweat-drenched woman repeatedly catching her breath has a certain charm, even for someone like Shizuka with a modest chest. If this were Hiyorin or Mafuyu-chan, it would have definitely been more dangerous.
“Everyone… Haa… Haa… just leave me… behind and go ahead!” (Shizuka)
Her line sounded like something out of a horror movie with a self-sacrificing heroine. I almost felt like saying, “I can’t leave you behind!” However, in reality, she had just collapsed after three minutes of jogging, so it didn’t feel right.
Mafuyu-chan gave her a skeptical look that seemed to say, “Are you okay?” Even Hiyorin was laughing awkwardly, saying, “Ahaha…” For context, we could still see our apartment building from our current location.
…I knew Shizuka was out of shape, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. Even a newborn fawn1 could run a little more than that.
“Leave you behind huh…”
I had no idea how much time she would need to recover, but Shizuka lying down in the middle of the sidewalk was blocking the entire sidewalk. Leaving her like this would undoubtedly cause trouble for the nearby residents. Furthermore, I couldn’t help but worry that she might fall asleep in this position. I didn’t think it would come to that, but her laziness had exceeded my expectations multiple times.
…So, with that in mind.
“As expected, I can’t leave you here. Shizuka, how long do you think it’ll take to recover?” (Souma)
“R-Recover…?” (Shizuka)
Shizuka slowly opened her eyes, just managing to make eye contact with me. If this was acting, she could become an actress right away, but unfortunately, she had genuinely collapsed within five minutes.
“Ugh… It might be impossible… I’ve used up my energy…” (Shizuka)
“Seriously…” (Souma)
No matter how you look at it, she’s way too frail. Where does all the nutrition she usually absorbs disappears to?
“Souma-kun… I have one last request…” (Shizuka)
Seemingly still capable of joking, Shizuka slowly reached out her trembling arm towards me. In a romantic movie, it would be an emotional scene where we hold hands and make promises of love, but since we were in the middle of the sidewalk, there was no atmosphere at all. The audience (Mafuyu-chan and Hiyorin) watched us with a completely indifferent expression. There was a considerable temperature difference between the performers and the audience.
“A request?” (Souma)
“Yeah… Can you carry me…” (Shizuka)
◆
“Woohoo, it’s so comfy~!” (Shizuka)
A carefree voice could be heard from near the top of my head. Shizuka, who had been on the brink of death just a moment ago, immediately regained her energy as soon as I carried her. She was quite the actress.
“If you have the energy to make noise, you can walk on your own.” (Souma)
“Haa… Haa… Ugh, I’m gonna die…” (Shizuka)
Shizuka exaggeratedly groaned on my back. Every time she did, her chest (or what seemed like it), and her thighs pressed against me. I emptied my mind, gazing up at the pale purple sky where faint stars were shining as if they were cleansing my dirty heart.
“Onii-chan… Can you run like this?” (Mafuyu)
While I was lost in thoughts about the glittering stars, Mafuyu-chan gave me a glare from the ground.
“It’s impossible. My hands are full.” (Souma)
My hands firmly held onto Shizuka’s thighs. Her slightly sweaty skin clung to my wrist, and feeling a little self-conscious, I once again returned my gaze to the sky. Faint stars sparkled in the pale purple sky, seeming to cleanse my impure heart, but in reality, they might not even be doing that at all.
“Well, then we can’t jog, right? Maybe it’s better to leave Shizuka behind.” (Mafuyu)
“That’s cruel!? You make it sound like I’m a burden!” (Shizuka)
Mafuyu-chan didn’t bother hiding her annoyed look and bumped into my back with all her might. Shizuka, though, retorted with her own words, but I can’t imagine her winning this argument. For now, I’d like them to stop fighting on my back.
“Aren’t you a burden? Who are your arms and legs clinging on to?” (Mafuyu)
“Grrrr… Souma-kun! Deal with this cheeky girl!” (Shizuka)
From the corner of my eye, Shizuka’s arm reached out, and her fingers were pointed assertively at Mafuyu-chan.
“It’s impossible. My hands and feet are busy carrying you. Besides, this time, Mafuyu-chan is absolutely right.” (Souma)
In my opinion, Shizuka fits the cheeky girl title even more. Why was she in a position to be carried while fighting with Mafuyu-chan, and giving me orders?
“No way?! You betrayed me?!” (Shizuka)
“I never became your ally, to begin with. I’m just carrying you because you can’t move.” (Souma)
“Well, well. In that case, how about we just walk for today? Souma-kun should be fine with that, right?” (Hiyori)
Hiyorin intervened as if to help Shizuka. It is quite common in Souma-kai for Hiyorin to come and save Shizuka when she is losing an argument. Shizuka should at least thank Hiyorin properly.
“Is that so? Mafuyu-chan, is that okay with you?” (Souma)
“…If onii-chan says so, I don’t mind.” (Mafuyu)
“All right, let’s go!” (Shizuka)
Shizuka’s carefree voice echoed through the early morning streets. The damp air still held the remnants of the night, making it quite a relaxing time for a walk. With each step, there was a refreshing sensation as if toxins were being purged from the body. Hiyorin and Mafuyu-chan remained silent as they enjoyed the cool air that was uncommon in early summer.
…
In the midst of all this, I had been silently wondering, “When is she going to get off?” Since she showed no signs of response, I quickly checked on her, and to my surprise, Shizuka was fast asleep.
What on earth did she come here for?
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Well that went about as we expected.
It’s just that there’s no way she couldn’t handle 3 minutes of jogging right? Unless it’s a medical condition or something, this girl shouldn’t even be able to go outside.
Footnote:
- Fawn are young deers.
Thanks for the chapter~