The final bell rang, marking the end of the last class for the day. As the students began packing up, their teacher, Mr. Akihiko, addressed the class.
"Before you leave, don't forget to hand in the assignments I gave you yesterday. Yuki-san, could you help collect them for me?"
Mizuha nodded. "Yes, sensei." She rose and moved from desk to desk, collecting the handouts. Most of her female classmates handed over their papers silently, avoiding eye contact and any conversation with her.
When she reached Kurumi's desk, Kurumi smirked and tossed her paper onto the floor.
"What are you doing?"
Kurumi mocked her deliberately. "Oops, my hand slipped. Pick it up for me, will you?" She chuckled, and her friends joined in.
Mizuha sighed, leaning down to pick up the paper. Kurumi only laughed in response.
At her seat across the room, Shimizu clenched her fists. "Those jerks!" she muttered angrily, looking at Kurumi and her friends.
When Mizuha finished collecting the papers, she brought the stack to Mr. Akihiko. As she handed him the papers, he had clearly noticed her classmates' behavior.
Mr. Akihiko frowned as he looked at her. "Mizuha, is everything alright? You seem troubled. I've noticed some of your classmates treating you coldly."
Mizuha hesitated. "It's nothing, sensei. They've just started disliking me recently, that's all."
"Disliking you? What happened?"
"Well, it's because of some rumors about me doing something bad."
"Rumors? What kind of rumors?"
"It's not a big deal, sensei. Please don't worry about it."
Mr. Akihiko's concern deepened. "Yuki-san, I want you to know that if you ever need support, or if these rumors escalate, don't hesitate to come to me. Your well-being is important, and I won't tolerate any form of bullying in my class."
His words caught Mizuha off guard. "Thank you, sensei. I appreciate it."
Mr. Akihiko gave her a nod before heading back to his desk. The students packed their belongings, preparing to leave. Mizuha returned to her seat and picked up her bag.
Suddenly, Shimizu and Eri walked over to Mizuha's seat. "Mizuha," Shimizu said, "let's walk home together today."
Mizuha looked up, hesitated, and then replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't today. I have to go somewhere with Zul. He asked me earlier, and I already agreed."
Eri turned to Zul, who was nearby packing his bag. "Zul, is that true? Are you and Mizuha going somewhere after school?"
Zul nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, Eri, I can't walk home with you today."
Eri shrugged. "It's okay. I can go home by myself."
Zul looked at Shimizu. "Shimizu, can you walk Eri home? I'd feel better if she wasn't alone."
Shimizu agreed. "Sure." She turned to Eri. "Ready to go?"
Eri nodded, and the two of them left the classroom together.
Mizuha watched them go, then stood to leave with Zul. They walked out of the classroom and exited the school building.
As they left the school grounds, Mizuha spoke up. "Hey, Zul..."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Are you really okay with this?"
Zul tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"You know, with the rumors surrounding me now... I think we shouldn't be walking together like this. I don't want to involve you in my problems."
Zul shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I don't care what people say. Let them talk about me—it doesn't affect me at all."
Mizuha smiled at him. "You're really positive, aren't you? Somehow..."
Zul gave a light chuckle. "Is that so? I never noticed."
As they walked past the nearby convenience store, Zul said, "Hey, Mizuha, before we go to the place I mentioned earlier, do you mind if I stop at the convenience store for a while? I need to buy something."
"Sure, why not? Take your time. I'll wait for you outside."
Zul entered the convenience store, while Mizuha waited outside. After about five minutes, he came back out.
They continued walking to the place Zul had mentioned earlier. As they passed Mizuha's house, she thought, Huh, we already passed my house? Where is Zul taking me? Wait, it can't be...
After a few more steps, Zul finally stopped in front of a big house. "We're here!"
Mizuha was curious while looking around the area. "Is this the place? What a big and beautiful house."
Noticing the "Takamiya" nameplate on the gate, Mizuha spoke, "Takamiya? Wait, Zul, is this Hikaru's house?"
"Yes, it is."
"But why are we here?"
"What do you mean? Of course we're here to visit him. Don't worry, I already told him earlier."
"Geez, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? I needed to prepare myself, you know."
"Ah, sorry, this was sudden. I didn't know you needed to prepare yourself first."
Meanwhile, Hikaru lay on his bed as his mother checked his temperature.
"38.0°C. Your fever still hasn't gone down. Are you feeling well? Should we go to the hospital?" his mother said, looking at the thermometer with a concerned expression.
"You don't need to worry about me, Mom. I'll be okay."
"Also, you can leave now because Zul is coming soon."
"Oh, you're right. I forgot about that—he wanted to visit you, right?"
"Okay, I'm leaving now. If your fever gets worse, please tell me, okay?" His mother then left his room.
"Understood."
As his mother left, he sighed and thought, Mom, you're too worried about me.
Hikaru then picked up his smartphone. I haven't looked at my phone since earlier. I'm sure there were many incoming messages.
"As I expected, most are from Mizuha and Akemi."
Back to Mizuha and Zul—after a moment, the housekeeper opened the gate for them, and both entered the house's entrance area. They walked until they reached the door.
Zul knocked on the door, and the maid opened it, greeting them.
"Welcome, Zul-sama, Mizuha-sama." It was Kirisaki, the one who had driven them to the beach earlier.
Mizuha replied to the greeting. "Kirisaki-san, it's been a while. Are you doing well?"
"Yes, I'm well, Mizuha-sama. Thank you. Glad to see you again."
Kirisaki then invited them to enter the building. "Both of you, please come in. Hikaru-sama is in his room."
As Kirisaki led Mizuha and Zul inside, Hikaru's mother appeared, having just left Hikaru's room, and greeted them with a warm smile.
"Oh, it's you, Zul-kun. It's been a while. I see you've grown taller."
"Oh, Mrs. Takamiya, sorry for coming so suddenly."
"It's okay, you don't need to apologize."
"Mrs. Takamiya? I see, so she's Hikaru's mother," Mizuha thought, looking at Hikaru's mother.
Hikaru's mother then turned to Mizuha. "And who is this cute lady? This is the first time I've seen you."
Mizuha straightened up and introduced herself. "I'm Yuki Mizuha. Nice to meet you."
Hikaru's mother's expression changed slightly. "So, you're Mizuha-chan?" she said excitedly while holding Mizuha's hands. "I'm Mrs. Takamiya, Hikaru's mother. I've heard about you from Hikaru. Thank you for being friends with my son."
Mizuha, feeling a bit awkward, said, "Me too. Hikaru has helped me many times before. I'm glad to be friends with him."
"Really? I'm glad to hear that. Also, thank you for the dish you gave us before. It was really delicious."
Mizuha blinked before realizing what she meant. "Ah, it's nothing special. That was from my mother. She wanted to thank Hikaru for helping us before."
Hikaru's mother nodded and chuckled. "I see. That boy... always brushes things off like it's nothing. I hope my son hasn't given you any trouble, Mizuha-chan."
"No, it's not like that. I really owe Hikaru so much. He's a really kind person."
Zul, standing beside her, spoke. "Um, how's Hikaru doing?"
"He's in his room. His fever still hasn't gone down completely, but he's acting like it's no big deal."
She then turned to Kirisaki. "Then, Kirisaki-san, can you take them to his room?"
"Understood, ma'am." Kirisaki then turned to Mizuha and Zul. "Mizuha-sama, Zul-sama, please follow me."
"Sorry for disturbing," both Mizuha and Zul said.
Hikaru's mother smiled. "Take your time there, okay?"
With that, Kirisaki led them further inside. After they left, Hikaru's mother looked back at Mizuha and thought, I see, so this is the girl he likes. From what I can see, she's a good person. She smiled.
As they arrived in front of Hikaru's room, Kirisaki knocked on the door.
"Hikaru-sama, Zul-sama has arrived."
Hikaru called out from inside. "Ah, thanks, Kirisaki-san."
Kirisaki stepped aside as Zul entered the room. He looked at Hikaru, who was sitting on his bed, and smirked. "Hey, are you still alive?"
"That's rude. Of course, I'm alive. I'm not that sick," Hikaru said, picking up a glass of water and taking a sip.
Just then, Mizuha stepped inside. "Sorry for disturbing."
The moment Hikaru noticed her, he choked and spit out his water, coughing.
Zul turned to him. "Hey, are you okay?"
Mizuha approached him in concern. "Hikaru, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I was just surprised," Hikaru said between coughs, then turned to Mizuha.
"M-Mizuha? What are you doing here?"
Hikaru shifted his gaze to Zul. "Hey, why didn't you tell me Mizuha was coming?"
"Huh? Did I not tell you?" Zul said, tilting his head.
"No, you didn’t tell me at all!"
"Well, at first, I planned to visit you alone, but then my plan changed, and I asked Mizuha to come with me."
Mizuha sat beside Zul, facing Hikaru. "Hikaru, are you okay? How are you feeling? Your mother told me your fever still hasn't gone down."
"My mom? Wait, you met her earlier?"
Mizuha simply nodded.
Mom, you didn't need to say anything... Hikaru thought to himself.
"Well, just like she said, my fever still hasn't gone down yet. But don't worry, it's nothing serious."
Mizuha smiled in relief. "Really? Thank God."
Hikaru noticed Mizuha looked worried and asked her, "What's wrong? Do you have something on your mind? You can share with me if you want."
"No, it's nothing," Mizuha said, avoiding his question.
Hikaru hesitated before speaking again. "Sorry, Mizuha. I won't be able to be with you for these two days. I didn't expect to catch a cold so suddenly."
"Don't worry, you don't need to apologize. I understand. It's just a cold—no one expects to get sick."
After that, Mizuha and Hikaru started chatting. Zul noticed that Mizuha looked more cheerful than she had earlier at school.
You look happier now, Mizuha. I guess bringing you to see Hikaru was the right choice, Zul thought, then chuckled.
Hikaru and Mizuha both turned to him.
"What's so funny, Zul? Suddenly chuckling out of nowhere?"
Zul tried to cover up his chuckle. "No, it's nothing. I just remembered something funny."
Zul handed Hikaru a plastic bag from the convenience store. "Oh, right. I almost forgot."
Hikaru looked inside the plastic bag. "What's this... a medicine?"
"Geez, you didn't have to buy this for me. It's a hassle, and besides, I already have all of these over there."
"Hikaru, Zul is worried about you. That's why he bought this. You should thank him."
"Yes, you're right. I should accept it. Thank you, Zul."
"No problem. It's not a big deal." I should leave them together for a while, he thought, then suddenly stood up.
Mizuha turned to him."Where are you going, Zul?"
"To the toilet for a while."
"Do you remember where it is? I can ask my maid to show you."
"No need for that. I still remember where it is. I've been here many times, you know."
"Okay, then take your time."
As Zul walked to the toilet, he met Kirisaki carrying a bowl toward Hikaru's room.
This might be good timing, Zul thought.
After Zul left, Hikaru turned to Mizuha.
"How was school today? Did something interesting happen during my absence?"
"Well, it was just like any usual day, but it felt a bit different without you. Even Akemi said that."
I don't want to tell Hikaru about the bad rumors surrounding me recently. I don't want him to worry about me when he's in this condition, Mizuha thought.
"Oh, is that so? That's good," Hikaru replied with a smile. "Don't worry, this cold is nothing to me. I'm sure I'll recover soon."
You're lying, aren't you, Mizuha? I'm sure something happened, but you're hiding it from me, Hikaru thought.
"Yeah, I hope so too. I can't wait to see you return to school soon."
A few moments later, there was a knock at the door.
Kirisaki called from outside. "Hikaru-sama, your mother asked me to bring you some porridge."
Hikaru began to get up from his bed slowly. "Ah, yes."
"Wait," Mizuha said quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Let me get it. You should stay in bed."
Before Hikaru could protest, Mizuha had already stood up and walked to the door. She opened it to find Kirisaki holding a tray with a bowl of porridge.
Mizuha carefully took the tray from her. "Thank you, Kirisaki-san."
Kirisaki warned with a concerned expression. "Please be careful, Mizuha-sama. The porridge is still quite hot."
Mizuha nodded. "I'll be careful." Kirisaki then smiled at Mizuha and closed the door gently.
After Kirisaki left, Mizuha carried the tray to Hikaru's bedside table and placed it down gently.
"You didn't have to do that. You're a guest today—I could have gotten it myself."
"Don't be silly, you're sick. You should rest as much as possible. Let me handle this."
Mizuha opened the lid of the bowl. "Wow, it looks delicious. I'm sure your mom is really good at cooking."
"Haha, you can see that. Yes, she really likes to cook. Even though we have a maid who can cook, she really wants to do it herself."
"You can taste it a bit," he suggested.
Mizuha hesitated. "No, your mother prepared this for you, not for me."
"Don't worry, just a little bit."
Mizuha tasted it, then felt amazed by its taste. "Woah, delicious!"
"Haha, like I said, right?"
"Ah, sorry, this isn't the time to taste it."
Mizuha then began to feed him. "Here, Hikaru... I'll blow on it to cool it down. Open your mouth."
Hikaru blushed. "Wait, Mizuha, you don't need to feed me. I can eat it myself."
"Don't worry, I just want to return the favor for what you did when you visited me earlier. You fed me back then too."
You're the one who asked me to feed you that time, Hikaru thought, feeling embarrassed.
"Here, Hikaru, open your mouth, okay?"
"Geez, Mizuha..." Hikaru muttered before opening his mouth.
Mizuha gently fed him a spoonful of porridge. "How is it? Does it taste good?"
"Yeah… it's good."
"Here, have another bite. Open your mouth," Mizuha said, blowing on the porridge to cool it down.
Hikaru sighed and thought, Well, it can't be helped. I might as well just let her feed me.
After that, Hikaru finished eating the porridge.
Mizuha stood and reached for the tray. "I'll take this to the kitchen."
Before she could move, Hikaru gently grabbed the hem of her sleeve, stopping her. "No need, just leave it here."
Mizuha blinked. "But—"
"I know you want to help, but you don't need to go that far. Kirisaki-san will take care of it."
Mizuha hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright... if you say so, Hikaru." She then set the tray back down and sat beside him again.
She adjusted her position, watching Hikaru lean back against the bed. His breathing was steady, but she could still see the fatigue in his eyes.
"You should rest, Hikaru. Talking too much will only make you more tired."
Hikaru glanced at her and gave a small nod. "Yeah... you're right."
Suddenly, Mizuha's phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen and saw a message from her mother.
"Mizuha, can you buy these on your way back later?" her mother wrote.
A short list of items was attached to the message. Mizuha quickly replied, confirming she would do it after leaving.
As she lowered her phone, Zul returned.
Hikaru looked at him and frowned slightly. "Zul, what took you so long? You just went to the toilet."
"I just went for a moment, then walked around outside for a bit."
Zul smirked slightly and looked at Hikaru. "So? Did you have a good moment with Mizuha earlier?"
Hikaru frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Zul crossed his arms. "Enjoy the porridge?"
Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "Wait... how do you know?" Realization hit him, and his expression stiffened slightly. "You set this up, didn't you?"
Zul didn't say anything, but his expression was answer enough.
Hikaru sighed, looking away. "Geez..."
Mizuha stood up. "I should go now. I still have an errand to run after this. I shouldn't stay too long."
Zul nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We should excuse ourselves now."
With that, both prepared to leave.
Mizuha turned to Hikaru. "Hikaru, please take care of yourself. I hope you get well soon."
Hikaru gave her a small nod. "Thanks, Mizuha. For visiting me today."
Just as Mizuha was about to leave, Hikaru turned to Zul.
"Hey, Zul... can you stay for a bit? There's something I want to talk to you about."
Zul glanced at him before nodding. "Understood. I'll stay awhile."
Zul turned to Mizuha. "Sorry, Mizuha. Looks like your boyfriend here wants to have a private talk with me, so you'll have to head back without me."
"Hey, Zul... you—!" Hikaru's face flushed slightly as he glared at Zul.
Mizuha, unfazed, simply nodded. "Understood. I'll go first, then. See you guys later."
With that, she left the room and headed toward the house entrance.
At the entrance, Hikaru's mother approached Mizuha.
"Oh, are you leaving already?"
Mizuha turned to her. "Yes, I've finished my visit here. Thank you for having me today."
Hikaru's mother glanced behind her. "You're alone? Where's Zul-kun?"
"He stayed to talk with Hikaru-kun. I have something to do, so I'll head out first."
"I see, that's unfortunate. I actually wanted to chat with you a bit, but maybe next time."
She turned slightly and called out, "Oh, before that—Kirisaki-san, please bring me what I prepared earlier."
"Understood, madam," Kirisaki replied, soon returning with a neatly wrapped package.
Hikaru's mother handed it to Mizuha.
"Here, Mizuha-chan. A dish I made. Please share it with your family. Thank you for visiting Hikaru and for the dish your mother sent before."
Mizuha accepted the package. "Thank you very much. I'll make sure to share it."
Just as she was about to leave, Hikaru's mother spoke up again.
"Mizuha-chan, can I ask you something?"
Mizuha paused. "Yes, what is it?"
Hikaru's mother smiled knowingly. "Do you like Hikaru?"
Mizuha's eyes widened; she stammered and her face turned red. "Wait... why would you suddenly ask that?"
Hikaru's mother chuckled. "Haha, I'm just teasing you. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Mizuha remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. Then, with a bright expression, she answered, "Yes, I like him."
Hikaru's mother's eyes softened, looking relieved. "I see. Then please continue getting along with my son, okay?"
Feeling awkward, Mizuha took a step back. "Then... I should get going now. Please excuse me."
"Be careful on your way back."
With that, Mizuha walked away alone, leaving the Takamiya residence behind.
Zul stood by the window, watching Mizuha walk away. After a moment, he said, "Looks like she's already left."
He turned away from the window and faced Hikaru's bed. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Hikaru hesitated for a second before looking directly at Zul. "Hey, Zul... something's not right with Mizuha."
Zul remained silent, listening.
Hikaru continued. "She looked a bit down earlier. What exactly happened while I was absent these past two days? Tell me everything."
Zul exhaled quietly. "Oh, so you noticed it, huh?"
Hikaru's eyes widened slightly. "Wait... so I was right?" His tone became more urgent.
"Did something bad happen to her?"
Zul stayed quiet for a moment before finally speaking. "Well, actually..."
With that, Zul began telling Hikaru everything.
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To be Continue…… Amemonogatari V
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