“…Huh, this… is the nurse’s office?”
When I woke up, the ceiling above me was familiar… not an unfamiliar one. It was the ceiling of the nurse’s office. That’s how I realized where I was…
But… why am I in the nurse’s office?
Let’s see… right… Nanami-san called me… I received her penalty-game confession… Ah, that’s right. And then a bucket fell…
“Misumai!? You’re awake!!”
As I was lost in thought, a girl’s voice called from beside me. The girl who had called me out… Nanami-san’s voice… Oh, did she bring me to the nurse’s office?
“Ah, yeah… Barato-san, did you carry me to the nurse’s office? Thank you… I was pretty heavy, right?”
“I’m glad… you’re awake… I’m so glad…”
She didn’t answer my words directly, but tears streamed down her face as she smiled with relief that I was awake.
Feeling like I had made her worry was a bit embarrassing, yet at the same time, it made me a little happy that someone like her was concerned about me.
…Well, forget about me. For now, she was in her usual school uniform, and hadn’t changed yet.
“Um, Misumai, are you hurt or is your uniform dirty?”
“I’m fine… thanks to you, Misumai… but never mind me!! Are you okay? You were bleeding so much, and that dirty water… did it get germs on you? Are you feeling sick?”
Did I really bleed that much? Probably because it was treated, I didn’t feel any pain… Head wounds are said to look worse than they are, so maybe that’s why it looked dramatic.
I wasn’t in pain and didn’t feel sick… I could probably sit up without any problem.
“I’m fine. But I’m glad… you weren’t hurt, Barato-san.”
As I sat up on the bed, I smiled at her, but she turned her face away, looking sideways. Huh? Did I upset her? I don’t think there was any reason for her to be angry…
“…Um… could you… stay lying down, Misumai… that would make me… a little happier…”
Her face was red as she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. Something felt off, so I looked down at my body… and realized I wasn’t wearing anything on my upper body. Naked. Lying there naked.
Even though it was only my upper body, having a girl see me naked for the first time made my face heat up rapidly.
“S-sorry!! You didn’t need to see that…!!”
“N-no, um… Misumai, you’re actually quite muscular… like a slim-muscle type…? Ah… no, I wasn’t really looking closely, okay?!”
I didn’t spend much time hanging out with friends and mostly played mobile games or worked out at home, so I had built up some muscle.
…Not that it was particularly useful, but the embarrassment of being seen for the first time, and Nanami-san confessing that she saw my body, left us both silent.
A while of awkward silence passed… and then it was broken by the nurse.
“Oh my, oh my, why are both of your faces so red? You weren’t planning on using the nurse’s office for a date, were you? Here, young man, I brought your change of clothes. I also set aside your dirty uniform—take it to the cleaners or wash it yourself.”
It seemed the nurse had brought my change of clothes. Relieved, I accepted it, and Nanami-san temporarily left so I could change.
The replacement was another school uniform—probably kept on hand for emergencies like this. At least I wouldn’t have to go around in gym clothes for the rest of the day.
While I slipped into the uniform, the nurse explained what had happened.
After I collapsed, Nanami-san had called a male teacher, who then carried me to the nurse’s office. Since I had hit my head, she judged it too risky to carry me herself and ran straight to the staff room.
Nanami-san is surprisingly calm. If it were me in her position, I’d probably panic and try to carry myself.
They never figured out who dumped the dirty water from the window… no security cameras, no way to know. Well, it didn’t matter that much.
“You should thank the girl. Even after you were brought here, she stayed by your side the whole time, watching over you. Young love, isn’t it?”
Hearing that made my cheeks warm. I decided to stay silent and focused on changing.
“Ah, the head wound wasn’t serious, but I treated the cut. Feeling dizzy or in pain? If you notice anything unusual, I recommend going to a hospital tomorrow.”
After changing, I noticed a gauze on my head. Aside from that, no pain, nausea, or discomfort. Consciousness was clear… probably no need to go to a hospital.
“Looks like your boyfriend is done changing. You can come in now. But you know, for someone so inexperienced, you turned bright red just from seeing the upper body.”
The nurse called Nanami-san in as I finished changing and left. Boyfriend… well, I was technically in that position after the confession, even if it was a penalty game.
“…Misumai… are you okay?”
“Ah, yeah. Barato-san, I’m fine. The nurse came, right? Thanks. You saved me.”
“I should be the one… thank you too… for protecting me.”
Protecting? I only shielded her from a bucket of dirty water… nothing that dramatic. Still, it made me blush a little.
An awkward silence fell between us. Uh… what do you even say at a time like this? Remember Baron-san’s advice…
“…The answer…”
“Huh?”
As I desperately tried to recall Baron-san’s advice, I realized he never covered this part. Nanami-san quietly muttered the word… answer?
“I… well… I confessed to you… Misumai… right… so… I guess I’d like… your answer… um… yeah… that’s what I think… remember?”
Ah, right. I had rushed over before giving her a chance to ask for a reply, so I hadn’t considered it. My head must have been foggy from the injury.
She fidgeted anxiously, looking down. Despite being flashy and gal-like, she looked like a timid girl. Maybe this was her real side?
Uh… Baron-san said… look straight into her eyes when giving your answer… her eyes… look into her eyes… A little embarrassing… but summon the courage, me.
“Um… I don’t know why it’s me… but if you don’t mind someone like me… let’s go forward together, Barato-san.”
At my words, her anxious expression turned into a bright smile. This was the kind of smile that could be called radiant. Maybe it was acting, but just seeing this smile was worth it.
But then she slightly shaded that smile, puffed her cheeks just a little, and whispered again.
“Nanami…”
“Huh?”
“We’re going to start dating, right… so call me Nanami… I’ll call you Youshin by your name too…”
With that upward glance and cute expression, any guy would comply. So sly… almost unfairly cute. I’d been calling her Nanami-san in my head… but from now on, I’d say it aloud.
“Uh… yeah… got it… nice to meet you, Nanami.”
“…Yeah, nice to meet you, Youshin.”
I extended my right hand. Baron-san never said anything about this, but I instinctively offered a handshake.
She hesitated a little but returned the gesture. Her hand was soft, warm… and small.
“So you weren’t actually a couple yet? Well, that’s something nice to see. Youth, indeed. Congratulations, young man and young lady. Ah, but keep it a proper high school relationship, okay? And when the time comes, always use protection?”
Hearing the nurse peeking in, we quickly let go of each other’s hands. Her face was bright red, and mine matched.
“Sensei… isn’t that more like a warning than a teaching moment?”
“No, young man. Teenagers need proper sex education. If you tell them not to, they’ll only want to do it more during puberty, right?”
The nurse responded calmly to my objection… Well, the chances of anything happening between us in this one-month period are low, but I’d take the adult’s advice seriously, just like Baron-san’s guidance.
With everything settled, we went home together.
Though walking home together, Nanami-san was unusually quiet. I also didn’t know what to say, wishing I had asked Baron-san about conversation topics for moments like this.
Still, I was surprised when she suggested exchanging contact info. I thought I’d have to initiate it. When we exchanged, she looked unusually happy.
Since it was a penalty game, I expected her to be reluctant… I guess I don’t understand girls. If this was acting, she could probably make a living as an actress.
We parted at a station midway, so we couldn’t go all the way together… but as we said goodbye, I simply told her, “See you tomorrow, Nanami.”
Maybe it was my imagination, but at that moment, she looked strangely reluctant to part ways.
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