Chapter 174 Their way of celebrating birthdays (Sakurai sisters)
The next morning, Saturday, Shimizu arrived at the City Center Hospital.

It is cloudy today and the temperature is comfortable. Sakurai Haruka has regained consciousness after the operation, so Shimizu Mi went to visit her.

The sound of the second hand ticking in the hospital corridor made Shimizu look at the clock hanging above.

It's almost half past ten in the morning.

There was no sound coming from the corridor, and the unique tranquility of the hospital whispered uneasily in Qingshuijian's ears.

When I arrived at the door with the sign of Ward Number 7, the uneasiness in my heart spread like ripples.

Although they had only not seen each other for a few days, Qingshui Jian inexplicably felt a little hesitant, which made him hesitate for a moment in front of the door.

After letting out a gentle breath to calm himself down, Qingshuijian raised his hand and prepared to knock on the door.

"What are you doing here?"

A cheerful voice, completely different from Shimizu's slightly depressed mood, came from behind.

"…Senior?"

The person who appeared behind Shimizumi at some point was Sakurai Shio.

"Junior, are you here to visit Yao as well?"

"Um……"

Sakurai Shio was holding some fruits and flowers in her hands, probably because she also came to visit Sakurai Haruka.

"Why, you're not going in, junior?"

"I was just about to..."

Shimizu originally wanted to say that he was about to go in, but——

"But I saw my junior standing outside the door in the corridor for more than ten minutes."

"..."

Qingshui frowned and said nothing.

"Hey, am I right?"

Sakurai Shio seemed to be enjoying Shimizumi's silence and laughed happily.

“Is it fun to tease others?”

"Others may not know, but it's really interesting to occasionally see my junior brother making a sour face."

For a moment, Qingshui didn't know what to say to this man.

Although in the world of Sakurai Haruka's heart, the girl Sakurai Shio had some twisted ideas, but in reality, this older sister whose ideas changed is still just as annoying.

Shimizu Ken ignored Sakurai Shio's teasing and knocked on the door gently.

"Please come in."

This is the response from the ward.

Qing Shuijian slowly opened the sliding door.

"Ah! See you! You're here!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Qingshui looked forward.

Haruka Sakurai was lying on the bed, wearing ordinary patient clothes and with an IV hanging on her hand.

She was staying in a single room. There were no other visitors and no nurse in the room.

"Hey, Haruka, how are you feeling?"

Sakurai Shio popped her head out from behind Shimizumi.

When Sakurai Haruka saw her, her face, which was originally full of joy at seeing Shimizu Ken coming to visit, revealed an extremely complicated expression, as if she had bitten a piece of sour lemon.

"I told you not to come over here suddenly. I'll be scared to death."

"If you died in such an unheard-of way, I would make fun of it for the rest of my life. This is a gift for you as a hospital visit."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Although her voice was weak, Sakurai Haruka reluctantly thanked Sakurai Shio.

"Hey - now Haruka knows how to thank people in person, that's great!"

Sakurai Shio reached out her hand and wanted to stroke Sakurai Haruka's head, but was dodged.

“…Don’t, don’t touch me.”

Sakurai Shio looked at Sakurai Haruka with interest, then turned to Shimizumi and said:

"Ah, Junior has brought some food too, let's eat together. Oh, and by the way, can you help me get the plates from the shelf?"

Qingshuijian, who was inexplicably ordered around as soon as he arrived, walked to the white shelf next to him, took two sets of plates, and sat down on the folding chair beside the bed.

What Shimizu brought was a box of strawberries and some canned fruits bought from a nearby fruit store.

While picking the stems of the strawberries, he asked about Sakurai Haruka's condition.

"It's totally fine. Although the doctor seems to have said that the bones in the abdomen were injured, it's no problem. I will probably be hospitalized for a month or two, receiving medication and rehabilitation treatment, and then I can go back to school."

"It was summer vacation by then."

After asking about the condition, Shimizu felt a little relieved when he saw that Sakurai Haruka looked energetic.

I was worried that it might take years to recover or that it might leave some sequelae, but now it looks like that shouldn't be the case. Sakurai Haruka looks good and her movements are very agile.

Shimizu opened the can of oranges he brought, poured out the oranges and placed them in front of Sakurai Haruka.

"If you prefer to be fed, I can feed you."

Qingshuijian picked up a piece with a fork.

"Yes! There is no reason to refuse such a thing."

Sakurai Haruka opened her mouth and said "Ah", and Shimizu Mi put the orange into her mouth.

"Ah, so cold~~ It's nice to be a patient."

Sakurai Haruka, immersed in the syrup of mandarin orange, smiled happily, and Shimizu Mikoto stared at her as she spoke foolishly.

"Don't look at me eating."

Sakurai Haruka said so.

"why?"

“I’d be embarrassed.”

"That really begs the question, why?"

The doubts deepened, but Shimizu didn't want to embarrass the weak Sakurai Haruka, so he stood up and slightly opened the window.

A cool breeze suddenly blew into the ward.

"Ah~ the smell of the wind."

Sakurai Haruka bathed in the natural breeze and closed her eyes comfortably.

Just enjoyed it for a while.

Then she ate the strangely yellow peaches that Sakurai Shio brought while looking out the window.

"The view from the roof is beautiful, right~?"

Indeed, the location of this ward was very well chosen. Not only did it have a wide view and beautiful scenery to enjoy, but there was also no noise from traffic nearby.

However, these beautiful things are based on a reality that cannot be ignored...

"It's beautiful outside, but if you stay here for two months and can only look at it without being able to go out, you'll get bored quickly, right?"

Sakurai Shio, who was eating an orange, pointed it out directly.

"..."

Even though Sakurai Haruka tried very hard to restrain herself, her mood still fell because of Sakurai Shio's words.

Shimizu looked at Sakurai Shio. She was not the kind of person who couldn't read people's expressions or understand the atmosphere, so there must be a reason why she said such things.

"So can you come and accompany Haruka every day, junior?"

"Well, if there's time."

Every day? Shimizu thought Sakurai Shio must have said it wrong, so he corrected her.

"I see. So, how many days do you want Haruka to be alone in a week that only has seven days?"

Sakurai Shio, like a little devil, put her hand on Shimizu Mi's shoulder.

Qingshui was really impressed by this woman and finally let out a sigh.

"You agreed so readily, junior."

The devil's hand then left his shoulder.

"…The last piece of orange is for you."

Sakurai Haruka showed a childlike smile, took the fork that Shimizu handed to her, and ate it in one bite.

Shimizu took the bowl and empty cans to the sink in the corner of the ward.

Just leave your stuff there and the nurse will come and clean it up.

If only sick people could stay here, this place would be like a VIP room.

At this time, Sakurai Shio took out a few newly bought notebooks from the bag she brought.

"Now that snacks are finished, it's time to start homework."

"……what?"

"Ah, what? You didn't think that these two months of hospitalization were just for you to lie here and enjoy yourself, did you?"

With a "thump", Sakurai Shio placed the notebook and stationery on the table attached to the bed.

"You're going to college soon. With your current grades, I'm going to have a headache as your older sister."

Sakurai Haruka seemed not to want to face such a realistic topic. She turned her head to the other side and did not look at Sakurai Shio.

Sakurai Shio, who had already expected this, sat down beside the bed with a malicious smile.

"Don't you want to go to the same university as your junior in the future?"

Sakurai Haruka shuddered at Shio's words, and turned around abruptly, almost jumping out of bed. There was no need to answer the question.

"Junior, which university do you plan to apply to?"

Sakurai Shio asked casually, seemingly nonchalantly.

"have not decided yet."

It’s not that he wanted to hide it deliberately, but Shimizu Mi has indeed not seriously considered this issue.

"Really? But Haruka has to think about her future career path now."

A sentence that is very close to reality.

What Sakurai Shio said is absolutely right, but with Sakurai Haruka's current results... to be honest, it's difficult!
"So can I ask you for one more favor?"

Is she being a little too aggressive today?

Sakurai Shio continued without any concern:
"How about you be her tutor while she's in the hospital?"

Being a tutor for high school girls... Well, it seemed that Shimizu Mi had had such a dream before.

"You probably haven't forgotten that I'm just a sophomore in high school."

Qingshuijian just reminded her.

"But you're smart, right, junior? And you've already promised to visit Haruka every day, so this is just a side thing."

Sakurai Shio said this as if it was a matter of course.

"But you're more suitable for this kind of thing than me, right?"

Although Shimizu Mi had already learned the third year of high school content last episode, so to be honest, he is indeed capable of doing the job, but with Sakurai Shio's talent, she can definitely do better than him.

"But I think my sister would definitely prefer to give herself to her junior."

Sakurai Shio said this with a smile, and Shimizu Mi could clearly feel the ambiguity in it.

In the end, Qingshui Jian agreed, but on the condition that if there was no results within a month, he would hire a professional tutor.

Afterwards, Shimizu Mi sat on the folding chair next to the bed and chatted casually with Sakurai Haruka for a while. The tone and atmosphere in which he spoke to her were the same as usual, proving that his daily life had not changed.

This meaningless thing was enough to make Shimizu feel at ease.

Immediately afterwards, Sakurai Shio went to the bathroom and left temporarily, and then Shimizu Mi saw Sakurai Haruka smiling happily.

"……What's wrong?"

"No, I just feel so happy right now, I feel like dying."

"no!"

Qing Shuijian answered immediately.

"Eh...see?"

"I hope you live."

Hearing this, Sakurai Haruka looked at Shimizu and smiled extremely happily.

"Oh, yes! One more thing..."

Sakurai Haruka deliberately keeps the story in suspense and stops here.

She hooked her finger, motioning Qing Shuijian to come closer. Qing Shuijian came closer and gave her a confused look.

"You must have forgotten what day it is today, right?"

After she said that, Qingshuijian couldn't remember anything.

Is today a special day?
Shimizu remembered that Amemiya Iori also said yesterday, "Good things have to wait until tomorrow."

Unable to come up with an answer, he shook his head.

Seeing Shimizu shaking his head, Sakurai Haruka made a sound of obvious dissatisfaction.

"Sure enough, Jian never remembers his birthday."

“Birthday…ah!”

Qingshui realized belatedly that today seemed to be his birthday.

Because in real life his mother died very early and his father was always busy with work, Shimizu Mi rarely celebrated his birthday since he was a child, and naturally developed a habit of not remembering it specifically.

I just didn't expect that Sakurai Haruka, who had just had surgery, would still remember it.

"I see you're really clumsy in this area."

"A person who would ram a car with his own body has no right to say that."

"I was, I..."

Sakurai Haruka suddenly stopped what she was doing and was about to say something, staring into Shimizu Mi's eyes.

The feeling inside became stronger.

"...I like you, happy birthday, see you."

After saying this, Sakurai Haruka kissed Shimizumi on the lips.

It was not a kiss that was too deep, but a kiss full of love like that of a lover falling on Qingshuijian's lips.

After letting go, Sakurai Haruka seemed a little reluctant.

"I'm sorry, I can't prepare a gift for you or celebrate with you properly in my current condition. I will make it up to you when I'm discharged from the hospital..."

Sakurai Haruka quickly turned her face away to avoid being seen by Shimizu Ken's blushing face.

She was probably already so shy that her heart was beating fast before she kissed Qing Shuijian, so the warmth from her lips was so hot.

"……Thanks."

Sometimes, Qingshui Jian hated himself for being at a loss for words and not knowing what to say at such critical moments.

Then, he immediately remembered something.

"remote……"

"what?"

"I have something for you."

"Give me?"

A hint of doubt flashed across Sakurai Haruka's eyes, and then she looked at Shimizu in surprise as he took out an exquisite box from his body.

"Is this... for me?"

"Ah."

"Can I... open it and take a look?"

Shimizu nodded, and Sakurai Haruka took the box very preciously, rubbed the lid lightly with her fingers, and opened it carefully.

In the soft sunlight, a silver necklace was shining brightly.

"Is this...really for me?"

Sakurai Haruka's voice trembled a little. She covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief, her eyes full of surprise.

"Well, it's not something valuable..."

The necklace itself is not expensive, and Qingshuijian bought it some time ago.

This was what he had picked out when he and Haruka Sakurai went shopping in the mall on the day she entered Amamiya Iori's heart world, while she was not around.

Although the one given to Amamiya Iori is from the same store and the style is similar, there are some light gold patterns engraved on Sakurai Haruka's pair, so it can still be clearly distinguished.

However, Shimizu Miyabi was also worried that a rich girl like Sakurai Haruka might look down on him.

"I will wear it for the rest of my life!"

Qing Shuijian was naturally happy that she liked it so much.

However, it was somewhat troubling that Sakurai Haruka's action of hooking her arms around his neck and wanting to kiss him again was seen by the nurse who came in to check on him.

Although there was no advance preparation, for Shimizu Mi, what he got from Sakurai Haruka was a unique gift, so he would not be ungrateful.

Finally, Qingshuijian left the ward until the sun gradually set.

Originally, he actually planned to ask Sakurai Haruka about some of her past memories, but because Sakurai Shio happened to be there today, he couldn't find a suitable opportunity.

However, it seems that Sakurai Haruka will need to stay in the hospital for a while, and Shimizu Mi can visit her at any time afterwards.

"Junior..."

Just as Shimizu took a step with his left foot and was about to leave, Sakurai Shio called him from behind.

He turned around and saw Sakurai Shioyu bowing to him solemnly.

"Senior, what are you doing?"

Qing Shuijian quickly held her shoulders.

"Thank you, junior. You saved my and Haruka's future."

"Senior sister means..."

"Well, my father has agreed to negotiate with the Miura family to cancel the engagement, and they have agreed."

Sakurai Shio revealed a look of relief from the bottom of her heart, as if a force had been lifted off her shoulders.

"But now that the Miura family's investment is gone, things in the company will give my father a headache in the future."

Sakurai Shio chuckled.

"Yeah……"

Sakurai Shio looked like she wanted to say something, but she just smiled.

Qingshuijian looked at the pretty face on which a suspicious red cloud was gradually rising. After waiting for a moment, seeing that Sakurai Shio didn't say anything, he turned around quietly and prepared to leave.

"Junior."

When Qingshui saw her name being called, she was thinking about what else she wanted to do. The moment she turned around, she made a sound and was kissed on the lips.

"Happy birthday."

(End of this chapter)