35 - Tojo Ayaka's Thoughts④

RAW

After Otsuki messaged me that he was sick, I continued to worry.

Should I go visit him, or not?

I want to rush out of the house right now and go to Otsuki to take care of him.

I'm so worried about his health that I can't just sit back and do nothing.

What's holding back this urge is the messages I exchange with him.

I look back at the chat screen with Otsuki, which I've looked at dozens of times already.

-- Should I go visit you?

-- No, no. It's nothing so serious, so I'll be fine.

-- Really?

-- Yes, thank you for your concern.

-- If anything happens, contact me right away.

-- Understood. Thank you

-- Yes

"Ahh..."

A huge sigh escapes my mouth for the umpteenth time.

In my mind, the image of Otsuki suffering from a fever comes to mind.

I want to rush over right now and be by his side to nurse him.

"Why didn't I tell him clearly that I was going to visit him?"

With Otsuki's personality, even if I had said "Shall I visit you?" he would have definitely replied "I'm fine"...

I just woke up, and my head hangs low on my bed.

If only I had sent him a message saying "I'm going to visit you, so please give me your address" instead of "Shall I visit you?"...

I look at Otsuki's shirt, neatly folded on the desk.

Yesterday, when I put on the shirt I borrowed from him, I was enveloped in a different scent than usual. It made me feel as if Otsuki was hugging me, and my heart was beating fast.

Come to think of it, Otsuki also hugged me when I bumped into a boy and fell...

When I think about that time, my face still gets hot.

When he hugged me tightly and we were pressed together, I could feel his muscles and he was very strong.

"Ahh..."

I sighed again.

Yesterday was so much fun.

That's why I feel so lonely that I can't see Otsuki today.

What's more, I think the reason he got sick is because he gave me his change of clothes and had to wear a wet shirt the whole time.

I feel a sense of guilt in addition to the loneliness and worry about his health that fills my heart.

I wonder if it's okay for me to send him a message now?

Would it be a bother to ask, "Can I go visit him after all?"

But it's also my fault that Otsuki got sick, so wouldn't it be rude not to visit him?

"Y-You're right. It's my fault, so I have to go visit him after all."

It's my fault for taking his clothes away.

I should be the one to be there and take care of him all the time!

Having decided to do that, I got up from the bed, washed my face, got myself ready, and headed to the living room after changing clothes.

There I found my mom getting ready to go out.

"Huh? Are you going to work?"

She was supposed to be at home all day because she was working remotely today.

"That's right. I have to go to the office in person for a bit. Can I ask you to look after Ryota?"

When I heard my mom's words, I felt all the energy that had been welling up inside me disappear.

My face showed it, and my mom tilted her head and asked me.

"Huh? Did you have anything planned today?"

"...Otsuki-kun seems to be feeling unwell, so I thought I'd go and visit him."

"Oh? Really? Um, what should we do..."

My mom had a troubled look on her face.

My mom also likes Otsuki-kun a lot, so she seems worried about him.

But she has work to do, so she's caught in the middle.

I suppressed my feelings and said to my troubled mom.

"You go to work, mom. I'll look after Ryota."

"Really? But Ayaka wants to visit Otsuki-kun, right?"

My mom looked at me worriedly and said.

"But there's nothing I can do about this. As the president of the company, I have to go to the company in person, so it must be something very important."

I have to be patient here.

"Yeah, but what about tomorrow? Will Mom be home?"

"Well...yeah, it'll be fine tomorrow. I can handle it remotely."

Mom takes out her tablet from her bag and checks her schedule.

"Then I'll go visit him tomorrow."

When I say that, Mom looks very apologetic.

"Then I'll go to the office today. Sorry."

"No, it's fine."

After seeing Mom off at the front door, I sigh softly.

"Sigh, sorry Otsuki. I'll definitely come visit you tomorrow."

As if to convince myself, I muttered softly.

The housekeeping staff who came in place of Otsuki that evening was a middle-aged woman with a very veteran feel.

She cleaned up very efficiently and cooked delicious food efficiently.

It was a perfect job with nothing to complain about.

And yet, every time that person does a perfect job, I feel depressed for some reason.

It feels like that person has somehow taken over the work that Otsuki should have done.

Ryota also seemed a little confused that someone else had done the housework instead of Otsuki, and he was much quieter than when Otsuki had come.

It was hard to believe that he was always so excited, calling out, "Big bro!"

I realized once again that Otsuki really is the only one who can do the housework for the Tojo family.

I spent the day in a frustrating mood.

My mind was full of thoughts of Otsuki.

Is your cold getting better? Or is it getting worse?

I spent the whole day thinking about such things over and over.

And then the next day.

I woke up early in the morning, and after getting ready to go out, I spent the whole time staring at my smartphone.

It's still too early to send a message, right? If Otsuki is asleep, it will wake him up, right?

As I was thinking about this, I looked at my smartphone, a notification that I had received a message from Otsuki appeared on the home screen.

I reflexively tapped the notification and checked the contents of Otsuki's message.

--I'm sorry, I'm still not feeling better today, so I can't come to the housekeeping service. I'm sorry.

Otsuki apologizes twice, at the beginning and at the end.

Even though I was the one who caused him to catch a cold...

Seeing the message made me feel guilty again.

Thinking about yesterday's mistake, I sent him a message.

--Should I go visit you after all? It's my fault that Otsuki caught a cold after all.

After a while, I got a reply.

--It's not Tojo's fault. I just wasn't taking care of my own health. It's not your fault.

As I expected, Otsuki sent me a kind message expressing his concern for me.

I send Otsuki the message I've been thinking about all day yesterday.

--But I'm worried about Otsuki's health... is it okay if I go to visit him? If it's a bother, I won't go...

After sending the message, I wait nervously for a reply.

It takes about a minute.

Otsuki responds.

After what felt like a very long wait, I check the contents of his message.

--Sorry, I'll leave it to you then. I'll send you my home address.

Otsuki's home address was also sent after the message.

The moment I saw it, I dashed out of my room and headed to the living room.

"Mom! I'm going to visit Otsuki!"

I rushed into the living room with a lot of energy and said it in a pretty loud voice, so mom looked a little surprised.

"Okay. I'll be home all day today, so it'll be fine. Tell Otsuki to take care of himself."

"Okay! I got it!"

I replied to my mom as I headed for the front door.

I thought I heard my mom laugh from behind me, but now was not the time to worry about that!

After leaving the house, I half-ran to the supermarket.

I went there to buy some fruit and jelly to give to Otsuki.

I wanted to buy them yesterday if possible, but I wanted Otsuki to eat fresh fruit, so I decided to buy them just before I went to visit him.

As soon as I got to the supermarket, I carefully selected the fruit.

They say that when apples turn red, doctors turn blue, so I have to buy apples. Also, should I buy some peaches? Grapes would be good too.

After buying a few kinds of fruit, I pay and bag the items.

Suddenly, an onion rolls at my feet.

"Huh? An onion?"

As I pick up the onion, tilting my head, an old woman who is bagging the onion a short distance away comes running over to me, bowing.

"I'm sorry, the net is torn."

When I look around after hearing what the old woman says, I see several onions scattered on the floor.

"Oh no! Are you okay?"

I pick up the onions scattered on the floor and hand them to the old woman.

"Oh my, thank you for your kindness."

The old woman bows politely as she packs the onions into the eco bag.

Looking at the eco bag, I tilt my head a little.

I feel like I've seen this eco bag somewhere before...

The eco bag is made of pale pink fabric and has a very cute bear embroidered on it.

It's a pretty unusual design, so I don't think you'll forget it once you've seen it...

As I try to remember what the cute eco bag is, a certain memory suddenly comes back to me.

"Ah! It's Otsuki's eco bag!"

When I said that, the old lady responded with "Oh?"

"Are you Haruto's friend?"

"Ah, well... well, not really friends, we're classmates."

Can I call Otsuki friends? But we've gone to the movies and to Animal Crossing Park, so we are friends, right?

As I was pondering this, the old lady bowed very politely.

"I see. Haruto is always grateful for your help. I'm his grandmother."

"Oh, no, no! I'm the one who's always grateful for your help! My name is Tojo Ayaka."

It was Otsuki's grandmother!

Surprised, I quickly bowed my head and introduced myself.

As I bowed, I was a little dazzled by the sunlight streaming in through the supermarket window.

Wow, it's so dazzling.

When I looked up, squinting my eyes in the sunlight, Otsuki's grandmother looked surprised, yet very happy.

"Um, Ayaka, have you gone to the movies with Haruto recently?"

"Eh? Ah, yes. We went."

After I replied, Otsuki's grandmother's face lit up as if she had burst into a blooming smile.

Wow, Otsuki's grandmother's smile is so cute! While I was still relaxed, a shocking statement came into my ears.

"Are you by any chance dating Haruto, Ayaka?"

"Huh? Well... yes."

Oh... I answered "yes" reflexively...

My, my desire! I let my feelings for Otsuki slip out...

I have to rephrase that before he misunderstands me.

I try to rephrase to Otsuki's grandmother.

But before I can do that, Otsuki's grandmother says in a very cheerful voice, sounding incredibly happy.

"Oh! Oh! I thought so! It's the same as what Haruto told me about!"

"Huh? Told? Eh?"

"Haruto! You've got such a cute girlfriend!"

"Um, well... sorry. Actually, I..."

"Oh, sorry. I got excited. I just heard that Haruto recently got a girlfriend."

"Oh, really... Eh!?"

Wh-w-what's going on!?

Otsuki recently got a girlfriend!?

No way... did I just lose my love...?

Suddenly, I'm hit with a feeling of emptiness I've never felt before, as if a big hole has opened up in my heart.

Otsuki, you got a girlfriend... and she's just like me... Huh?

...She has the same characteristics as me? Huh?

"Thank you for spending the day with Haruto the day before yesterday."

"Ah... yes... yes?"

Huh? The day before yesterday?

You mean the day before yesterday when we went to Animal Crossing Park, right?

Otsuki-kun was with me the whole time, right?

...... What?　What do you mean?　What?　Are you saying that Otsuki's girlfriend is me?　Huh?　Huh?　What?

As I was in a state of panic, Otsuki's grandmother bowed politely again.

"Once again, thank you for always taking care of Haruto."

"Um... should I also take care of you?"

"You're really as cute as a doll, aren't you?"

"Ah, ahaha..."

Otsuki-kun's grandmother was smiling and laughing happily.

I laughed along with her for the time being.

...And before I knew it, I've become Otsuki's girlfriend...?

...Oh, I did it?

I-Is it okay to be happy about it? Eh? What really goes on? Has Otsuki's grandma mistaken me for someone else? ...But it doesn't seem like that, does it?

I-I don't understand!

I have no idea what's going on right now!!

What does it mean that I'm Otsuki's girlfriend!?

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Ayaka's feelings for Haruto: What's going on, Otsuki!?