Secrets (3)

"Are you mad?" Reiji asked after drinking another spoonful of the warm soup that was served to him on a tray.

He was doing his best to avoid eye contact with Haruna, who was also drinking the soup next to him on a chair that she'd pulled over from the dining table.

He didn't get a response.

Reiji finally mustered the courage to look at her and saw that same frown still on her scrunched-up face.

If he didn't know better, he'd be blaming the soup for being disgustingly bitter.

Which it was.

But apparently, it was Granny's recipe for fevers, so he stuffed it down his throat once again.

'That old witch is trying to kill me, I'm sure of it!'

"....You look weird when you're angry," he mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Her head shot up as she glared at him, lowering the bowl of soup in her hands.

"I don't know, it just kinda feels like I'm next to a squirrel that ate a bad nut."

"...Just shut up and finish your soup."

"Why are you even drinking it? There should be something to eat in the fridge, I think there's curry leftover from yesterday," he asked, confused at her downing the bitter meal alongside him.

"You'd probably complain if you were the only one drinking it. You hate bitter things, don't you?"

"....How'd you know that?" he blinked, thinking back to whether he'd ever told her.

Haruna's face turned a little red at the question, turning her head away from him as if she was embarrassed.

"When we visited the cafe, you made a face when you saw Ren-tan drinking the black coffee and did the same when you ate that bitter taco on the rooftop. For someone who loves food as much as you do, it can only mean one thing," she muttered quietly.

Reiji almost gasped out loud in shock.

"....Wow, Miss Sherlock. You'd make a good detective," he chuckled.

"Sherlock? What's that?"

"Oh.... nothing. Just a niche saying. Wasn't expecting you to have this much of an eye for detail."

"Are you calling me dumb??" she hissed.

"What?... If I thought you were dumb, I wouldn't have suggested tutoring you as the best option to make some money in the short term."

Haruna's lips tightened when she heard that, and she went back to being silent while slowly sipping the soup.

Reiji shook his head at her hard-headed determination, both at giving him the silent treatment and for falling on the sword by drinking that abhorrent concoction with him.

'It's pretty much two extremes....'

But the warmth he felt inside was something even the heated fever couldn't compete with.

"Okay, I can't do this anymore. Go heat up the curry in the fridge," he sighed when he saw her grimace again after another spoonful.

"I told yo-"

"Don't worry, I'll finish it regardless, I promise."

"....But what if yo-"

"Either you heat it, or I'll get up and do it myself," he interrupted again, leaning forward as he moved his legs out of the blanket.

"Wait! Alright, I'll get it!" she replied, hurriedly pushing him back down.

Reiji smiled as he watched her leave the room, filled with annoyed grumbles.

'This isn't so bad after all.'

***

Reiji's eyes flickered open when the day's first streams of sunlight crept in through the gaps in the curtain, the loud chirping birds that had made a nest on top of his balcony acting as an alarm.

He yawned as he tried to blink the sleepiness away, his mind finally feeling a little more refreshed than it was yesterday.

'Still kinda tired, but hopefully I should be good to go tomorrow.'

The midterms were set to begin, and he didn't want to miss them.

As he tried to move the blanket out of the way, he felt some weight on it that definitely wasn't coming from him.

'....What is she doing here??'

He leaned back instinctively when he noticed Haruna's sleeping body in an awkward position, her bottom half still firmly glued to the chair while the upper half had collapsed onto his bed.

The rays of sunlight fell on her face and made her blonde hair gleam, almost akin to strands of gold.

But her weariness was evident, as she snored softly with her head pushed up against the mattress.

'She went to sleep on the sofa, so why is she here?'

Reiji looked around quizzically, and realization dawned on him when he saw his bedside table.

On top of it was a large bowl of water, with a wet cloth dangling on the rim.

He raised his hand and placed it on his forehead, and a cool feeling greeted him, a contrast to the rest of his body, which was still warm.

'She must have placed a cold rag on my head throughout the night....'

The guilt, which had been inside him ever since he saw her anger, started eating him out from within.

There wasn't a worse feeling than this, and he'd been shot at with a crossbow for crying out loud.

He slowly snuck out of bed, crawling through from the other end as he entered his bathroom to freshen up.

Haruna had done a great job at wrapping up the wound, so there wasn't a need to change it up before tomorrow.

He simply brushed his teeth and washed his face before stepping out, passing by the unconscious maiden.

He considered moving her into the bed, but that might wake her up, and she definitely needed her sleep.

So he decided to focus on whipping up a hearty breakfast as a thank you.

Over the next hour, he fired up the stove and ended up making a bunch of different meals, from scrambled eggs with sausages and bacon to pancakes with syrup and chocolate, covering A-Z for whatever came to mind.

A little excessive, but she deserved it.

While he was plating everything, he heard a movement from his room.

He glanced up to see the dreary girl walk out while rubbing her eyes, her clothes all rumpled up from sleep.

He'd offered to lend her some clothes, but she'd hastily turned it down for some reason.

"Finally awake? I'll give you a toothbrush, so you can join me for breakfast after that," he laughed, amused at her sleepy look.

".....Why are you out of bed?"

"I feel much better, don't worry."

Haruna ignored his words and walked up to him, standing on tiptoes to take his temperature with her palm again.

"You still have a fever; get back into bed."

"....I will, but after breakfast, okay?" he sighed, unable to protest her stern glare.

"Good. Now give me the brush."

The two of them sat down to eat the feast laid out on the table after she returned from the bathroom, but Haruna just stared at all the food instead of digging in.

"What the fuck is all this?" she snapped.

"...What do you mean?"

"How long did this take you?"

"Uhh....An hour?"

"So let me get this straight. You're sick, injured, and exhausted, and instead of resting, you get up and move around the kitchen for an hour?"

"I did it as a thank you..." he mumbled defensively.

"A thank you? This is nothing compared to all the help you've given me. And weren't you the one who said we're friends? So what's with the gratitude?"

Reiji opened and closed his mouth like a fish, squirming under her increasingly frustrated expression.

Haruna's eyes softened when she saw the remorseful puppy look he was giving her, and she leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"Look, you've already scared me so much yesterday, and I don't want to see you collapsing again. Can you please just listen to me and stay in bed after this?"

"....Fine."

"Good," she smiled, finally picking up the fork.

They ate quietly for the rest of the time, both sides feeling guilty for different reasons to the point that neither one of them could find the right words to say.

"Wait, what about studying?" Reiji asked, remembering that they still needed to prepare for the midterms.

Haruna rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You already said I'm pretty much ready. So I'll study on my own, and if there's a question or topic I don't understand, I'll come to you for help."

"That.... sounds fine, I guess. But don't hold back from asking for help, I'm not so sick that I can't even think straight."

"Really? Cooking for an hour when you're this sick doesn't exactly scream 'clear-headed', does it?"

"....Touché."

***

Reiji lay in bed, twitching with discomfort at having nothing to do.

He wasn't used to being so free, preferring to be occupied with something or the other, and it now felt like he was in jail.

Haruna came into his room now and then to ask him about any doubts she had, but she spent most of the day in the living room so that they wouldn't disturb each other.

'I'm bored....'

He tried scrolling through his phone or catching up on a show he was watching, but he wasn't in the mood for something like that.

And so, the rest of his weekend passed by in a gloomy, boring flash where he stayed in bed the entire time.

Haruna made that gruesome soup for him again, both for lunch and dinner, while making a sandwich for herself.

"Are you going to sleep over again?" he asked, staring at the blanket in her hands as she left his room.

"Yep."

"What about the midterms tomorrow?"

"I'll just wake up at 5 and head back to freshen up," she replied indifferently.

"....Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

When she closed the door after turning the lights off, Reiji closed his eyes in anticipation.

'It all comes down to this.'

Tomorrow would be the culmination of the effort he and Haruna had put in to see if she really improved enough for the Top 10.

It was time for the midterms.