Chapter 225 This is our first time, what about you?

Shimizu Mitsuki stared at the direction of the toilet, and sure enough, Sakurai Shio appeared while wiping her hands with a handkerchief.

"You're awake, how do you feel?"

Seeing Shimizumi waking up, Sakurai Shio smiled as usual, but her expression quickly turned into one of worry and she ran over.

"Okay……"

Qing Shuijian answered like this, but his voice was so weak that anyone could hear it.

"Brother, how high do you want your fever to get before you tell us?"

Sakurai Shio looked at the thermometer clipped in the handkerchief, and her voice revealed a rare hint of blame. Shimizu Mi vaguely saw that the temperature on the thermometer seemed to have risen to more than 39 degrees.

"..."

Shimizu was worried that something like this would happen, so he chose not to tell her.

"How did you know that, Senior?"

"You were in a bad mood and talking in your sleep last night. I'd be surprised if I didn't know."

Qingshuijian never had the habit of talking in his sleep, so he thought yesterday was an exception.

"…Senior, what about Haruka? Does she know about it too?"

"You're still thinking about others at a time like this."

For some reason, Sakurai Shio glared at Shimizu Ken in a reproachful manner, then took out a few fever-reducing pills and asked him to take them.

"Don't worry, Yao said she was going out to buy something early this morning, and then she ran out alone."

Shimizu Mi took the cup of water handed to him by Sakurai Shio and swallowed the medicine.

Of course, the fever did not go away immediately. After all, even the best medicine needs time to take effect.

"Senior, can I ask you for a favor?"

"It's really rare that a junior would ask for help."

“It’s not even to the point of asking for it.”

"Eh? In that case, forget it."

"I beg you."

"You are indeed a cute junior. I like the fact that you can say it so decisively."

"Senior, could you please not take advantage of others' misfortune?"

"Okay, okay, I get it, just tell me what you want to say."

Because of dizziness and fever, he found it a little difficult to breathe. After taking a breath, Shimizu told Sakurai Shio about his agreement with Sakurai Haruka to go to the fireworks festival.

"So, you want me to accompany Haruka to the fireworks festival tonight?"

In this situation, Shimizu Mi was celebrating that Sakurai Shio understood what he meant so quickly, saving him the trouble of making any unnecessary explanations.

"Senior, can I ask you for a favor?"

"If you insist, of course you can."

"Thanks……"

Just as Shimizumi said "thank you", Sakurai Shio uttered "but——".

"But what?"

"But I also want to ask you a favor."

"what?"

"Tonight, accompany Haruka and I to the fireworks festival."

"..."

"It's really worrying to let two girls attend the fireworks party alone... Alas, if there is a free boy to accompany us at this time, I don't know how great it would be..."

Is she kidding?
Shimizu Mi asked her for help because he couldn't go, but Sakurai Shio asked to go with her.

"Haruka wants you, my junior, to go with her, so even if I go instead, it will be meaningless. I think you understand this."

"I see……"

Shimizu Mi naturally understood this, but he also understood his current situation. In his current condition, even if he went, it would only make Sakurai Haruka worry in vain.

"Do you really understand, Junior?"

"…Senior?"

"Not only Haruka, I also..."

As the two were staring at each other, Shimizu's stomach growled.

"...I, let me help you make some porridge."

Luxury hotel suites are naturally equipped with kitchens, but generally no one would use them when traveling.

"Anyway, junior, you should take care of yourself and wait until you can go to the fireworks festival with me and Haruka tonight."

"...I understand. I'll leave it to you then."

"Leave it to me. Don't be fooled by my appearance. I am actually very good at taking care of people."

No matter how he looked at it, Shimizu Ken didn't think Sakurai Shio was trustworthy, but since things had come to this point, he could only decide to trust her.

After watching Sakurai Shio walk towards the kitchen, Shimizu wanted to rest for a while before the porridge was ready.

Once people catch a cold, they become fragile. Even just lying in bed and listening to other people's voices can help them relax and calm down.

Looking back now, Shimizumi realizes that he has never had the experience of being taken care of when he had a fever, or perhaps he rarely catches a cold or gets sick, so it was very new to see someone like Sakurai Shio worrying about him like this.

When I think about it this way, I feel like I’m loved.

Because of the fever, Shimizumi's mind started to think about all these messy things.

After a while, Sakurai Shio came back from the kitchen with porridge.

"Junior, the porridge is ready."

"Thanks……"

It looked like tasteless stewed porridge, but just the fact that there was someone by his side to take care of him when he was sick was enough for Shimizumi to be satisfied.

"Drink it while it's hot. Porridge is good for digestion."

Even the porridge was fed to his mouth, and Shimizu had almost no reason to complain, except that Sakurai Shio was so close that he almost drank it himself when he blew air on the porridge on the spoon.

Sakurai Shio blew the porridge cool and brought it to Shimizu Mi's mouth, and Shimizu Mi tried to take a sip.

Seasonings such as salt were used to a minimum, so the food might taste a little bland, but for Shimizumi, who was starving, it was simply a feast.

"Senior, I'll do it myself..."

Qingshuijian took the spoon, scooped a spoonful of porridge and put it into his mouth.

Accompanied by a sticky feeling, the porridge melted in the mouth all of a sudden. Although the taste was indeed very light, Qingshuijian couldn't stop his hands.

They finished eating in the blink of an eye. Qingshuijian still felt a little unsatisfied, but he still handed the empty bowl to Sakurai Shio and thanked her.

"From the look of you, do you want to eat something else?"

I don’t know if I was seeing things, but Sakurai Shio seemed to smile with some hidden meaning.

"Maybe, but let's leave it at that for now... Senior, thank you so much."

"I just did what I could. As long as my junior can get better, it doesn't matter at all."

Sakurai Shio walked towards the kitchen with an empty bowl, and Shimizu Mi stared at her again.

It was a trip that she had finally made time for, but in the end she had to take care of him in a hotel when he was sick. Shimizu felt guilty from the bottom of her heart.

But this feeling of guilt did not last long, and sleepiness came over him again. Qingshuijian closed his eyes with a mood that was completely different from when he just woke up in the morning.

The sound of running water when washing dishes came into his ears from time to time, and Qingshuijian fell asleep peacefully.

……

……

I don’t know how long I slept, but when Qingshuijian woke up, his condition had obviously improved a little, and his mind was clearer than before.

By the way, it's already dark outside, and Shimizu seems to have slept for a long time without realizing it, but even so, Sakurai Shio is still in the room.

"Brother, wake up."

Sakurai Shio was lying on the bed, swinging her legs and scrolling through her phone, when she heard Shimizu getting up, she sat up from the bed. "Hmm..."

After waking up, Qingshuijian felt very hungry and his stomach started to growl.

"It looks like he's recovering well."

Although he has not fully recovered to normal, his complexion is much better than before. Perhaps it is because of a day's rest. In addition, the porridge that Sakurai Shio made with care also promoted Shimizu's recovery.

"By the way, Senpai, where's Haruka?"

Although it felt like just a blink of an eye after a nap, Shimizu Mi hadn't seen Sakurai Haruka for a whole day.

"Is it Haruka when I woke up? Junior is really partial."

"Why are you acting like a girlfriend..."

Although a girlfriend will indeed take care of her sick boyfriend, it would be bad if Sakurai Shio really got into such a role.

But speaking of which—

"Senior, why are you dressed like this?"

Sakurai Shio is wearing a Japanese-style yukata with an overall orange color and some white peony patterns on it. In short, it looks very bright and eye-catching.

"Of course it's the fireworks festival, because I thought my junior would sleep until tomorrow, so if I don't try it on now, wouldn't it be a waste?"

It seems that I was really confused after sleeping so much that I didn’t remember such an important thing all at once.

"Senior, the fireworks display is now..."

"It seems like there's still an hour left. I've already found an excuse to get Yao away and let her go first."

One hour... If I take the train now, I should still be there in time.

"Senior, let's go there quickly."

Qingshuijian tried to get up from the sofa. Although his body was still a little hot and his mind was not fully clear, he felt much better than in the morning and could move around a little.

"Although I did say that I wanted to go to the fireworks festival with you, you really shouldn't force yourself."

"I know."

……

……

As soon as you step out of the hotel door, you will feel the tranquility that echoes the midsummer night.

Now, there are many people heading to the station along the way, and Sakurai Shio, wearing a yukata, is particularly conspicuous in the crowd.

After getting on the tram, it stopped at several stations along the way, and the next stop was finally the destination.

The car door slid open with a "whoosh" sound. Only Shimizu Mi and Sakurai Shio got off at this stop, while many people got on.

After watching the train door close, Shimizu walked towards the ticket gate with heavy steps.

I walked against the large crowd and passed through the ticket gate. Now there is still some time before the fireworks festival.

She should have arrived first, right?
Shimizu looked around, but didn't see Sakurai Haruka.

While waiting against a pillar in the station hall, a group of students who looked like high school students passed by.

The group of men and women were also wearing yukatas, and they were probably going to attend the fireworks festival. After watching them leave, Shimizu saw a girl walking towards them at the north exit with the clacking sound of wooden clogs.

The light red yukata she was wearing was dotted with small flowers all over, and the vermilion belt was very eye-catching. She had brown hair decorated with pink, and her golden hair was combed up.

It seemed that Sakurai Haruka was not used to wearing wooden clogs and she walked unsteadily, so Shimizu Mitsuki instinctively ran a few steps over to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm late because I was a little rushed to prepare..."

Sakurai Haruka apologized to Shimizu Ken with a shy smile, which seemed a bit embarrassing. It must have taken her a lot of time to dress up so carefully.

"It doesn't matter……"

Shimizu Mi and Sakurai Haruka looked at each other and fell silent for some reason. Sakurai Haruka even lowered her head and fiddled with her hair.

"Hmm...your yukata looks nice."

It's strange. Why should I praise the yukata? I should praise the person wearing the yukata, right?

It seems that due to the fever, the brain is a little damaged.

Fortunately, there was no need to explain it again. Sakurai Shio understood what Shimizu meant and replied with a wandering gaze:

"Thank you...thank you."

Then, the two of them fell into silence at the same time.

"Oh, so you are here."

"elder sister?"

The one who came over with small steps from a distance was Sakurai Shio.

"Sorry, sorry, I just went to the bathroom after getting off the bus, so I shouldn't be late, right?"

"Of course you're not late. After all, no one invited you."

"Oh my, Haruka, you're saying something so awkward again."

"Anyway, let's go."

When Qing Shuijian took a step forward, the sound of two clattering wooden clogs followed behind him.

During this period, Sakurai Haruka and Sakurai Shio kept their heads down and remained silent.

Silence is just a small thing to Shimizu.

But if Sakurai Shio falls silent, people will start to care.

She could yell for a long time even about trivial things, but now she has become so quiet that people can't help but worry whether she is in a bad mood or unwell.

In any case, Qingshuijian first found some random questions to open the topic and test the waters.

"Why don't we just meet on site, but in a place like this?"

"There are so many people here, it must be difficult to find someone." Sakurai Shio replied.

"Don't you have a cell phone?"

"The signal there is very bad."

Speaking of which, the signal does seem to be affected in crowded places.

"Besides... wouldn't it be boring to just meet on the spot?"

I thought I had opened up the topic, but the air between the three of us inexplicably fell into silence.

I always feel that... the atmosphere tonight is a little weird.

Although it was evening now, it felt like walking in the dark, and the three of them only knew that the other person was right beside them.

"Fireworks Festival——"

"Fireworks Festival——"

The two sisters behind him murmured in unison.

"...Do you often attend firework festivals?"

Sakurai Haruka shook her head: "No, this is my first time, so... I want to be with Jian."

"I see... Then what about the senior?"

"Although I am very reluctant, this is my first time, junior—"

At this moment, the transfer train just arrived at the station, interrupting Sakurai Shio's voice.

The carriage was very crowded, and most of the passengers seemed to be going to the fireworks display.

It only takes one stop to transfer to the fireworks festival venue from here, so Shimizu Mi chose to stand directly by the door for easy getting off, with Sakurai Haruka and Sakurai Shio standing on both sides of him.

The doors clicked shut and the tram began to move forward.

"By the way, what did you want to say just now, Senior?"

"Ah, well... I was originally going to ask you, junior, have you ever been to a fireworks festival?"

Turns out to be the same problem.

"This should be the first time for me, right?"

Sakurai Shio asked with a somewhat shy expression.

(End of this chapter)