Chapter 28: Fever
"Knock, knock, knock…"
"Eriri, I'm coming in."
Knocking on the door, Izumi Chihiro chose to push it open.
On the large bed to the side, the blonde girl's body below her head was covered by a quilt, a damp towel was on her forehead, and her cheeks had a sickly flush, making her look weaker than usual.
After hearing his voice, the girl slowly opened her eyes, turned her head slightly, and silently looked at him sitting by the bed.
"I brought you the handouts."
Izumi Chihiro held up the items in his hand, then placed them on the bedside table.
"Just put them there."
Eriri replied calmly.
Looking at her feigned composure, Izumi Chihiro couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Heh heh…"
He laughed out loud.
"What is it, Chihiro, what are you laughing at! Can't you see I'm sick!"
Eriri took his smile as mockery.
"Not listening to the elders leads to suffering, doesn't it… Didn't I warn you before? It's your own fault for not wearing more clothes. Now look, you've caught a cold again, isn't that just self-inflicted?"
Izumi Chihiro clicked his tongue.
"Does that have anything to do with it? Didn't I wear the same clothes as everyone else? But only I got sick. This must be due to my innate constitution, nothing else."
Eriri began to quibble.
"Never mind, there's no point in dwelling on such things anyway. After all, Eriri is someone who never learns from her mistakes."
Izumi Chihiro said, spreading his hands.
"You're really asking for a beating! If I wasn't sick right now… *cough cough*, I'd definitely cover your head with a quilt and give you a good thrashing."
Eriri bared her fierce and cute little fangs.
"I think you should focus on getting better first? Your whole face is already flushed from fever."
He laughed again.
Eriri's fair, jade-like skin was now tinged with a faint red, not just her cheeks but also her earlobes, making her look as if she were constantly in a state of 'shyness'.
"I'm almost better, I can go to school tomorrow, you don't need to worry! Baka!"
Eriri mumbled, glaring at him.
"Really? You're not just putting on a brave front again, are you?"
Izumi Chihiro scrutinized her.
"Of course not! My temperature has already gone down. If you don't believe me, try it yourself…"
Eriri denied.
"Then let me see…"
Saying that, Izumi Chihiro reached out and lifted the towel from the girl's head, placing his palm on her forehead to feel her body temperature.
Eriri's expression subtly changed, and she almost couldn't resist leaning back to bite his finger.
I was just saying it, why did Chihiro actually do it!
Although he had done similar things before, that was years ago…
"Hmm, it feels like your temperature is almost normal."
Izumi Chihiro made his judgment. Then he glanced at the towel in his hand and asked, "It should be changed, right?"
"Mm…"
She responded softly, pulling the quilt higher with both hands to cover the lower half of her face, completely lacking her previous affectation.
Izumi Chihiro only thought that she was sick, so her energy was lower than usual, and she was already out of strength after a bit of fussing.
So, he went downstairs, adjusted the towel to a suitable temperature, and placed it back on the girl's forehead.
"Well, Eriri, I'll be going now."
Izumi Chihiro probed.
"Go quickly, don't disturb my rest."
Eriri replied.
"Okay."
Before Izumi Chihiro left, he looked back and left a message, "By the way, Eriri, don't push yourself too hard, especially with your health. As for what others think, it really isn't that important…"
He only said it casually, and he didn't expect his words to have any impact on Eriri.
After all, as her childhood friend, he had already experienced just how stubborn the girl could be.
Only when he pushed the door open and left did Eriri lift the edge of the quilt, revealing a small, pretty face the size of a palm.
She bit her lip, looked at the warm light shining in from outside the balcony, and finally squeezed out two words.
"Annoying."
…
"Aunt Sayuri, I'm going home."
"Going back so soon? Aren't you going to chat with Eriri a little longer?"
Sawamura Sayuri's gaze was meaningful.
"If we talk any longer, we'll be disturbing Eriri's rest."
Izumi Chihiro replied.
"If Eriri is in a good mood, her body will recover very quickly, you know."
Sawamura Sayuri's lips curled in a teasing smile.
...
Three black lines seemed to appear on Izumi Chihiro's forehead.
Finally, after teasing him for a bit, Mrs. Sawamura still let him go.
...
"Unconsciously, almost half a year has passed, and it's already December..."
Izumi Chihiro returned home, glanced at the time, and then let out a sigh.
He recalled his ambition to become a light novelist more than half a year ago, and after some effort, he wrote 'white album', which later transitioned to 'demon slayer'. He started with full confidence, but quickly encountered setbacks.
After an initial rough start, with Eriri's help as a turning point, and his own unremitting efforts, his debut path finally began to show some promise.
As a newly debuted light novelist, to achieve such results could be considered average.
If his age is also considered, then currently, he could be said to be top-tier.
It's rare to see creators who become instantly popular with their first work, unless they possess exceptional skill and the editorial department is unusually optimistic, providing a large amount of resources; only then is it possible for a volume to become a hit and continue to be popular.
So, after entering the industry and understanding the hardships of being a creator, he felt a subtle sense of pride in the achievements he had gained.
If he could maintain his status and continue writing in the same way as others, that would be pretty good...
He wouldn't have to work so hard, and he'd still have enough to spend.
"No... no!"
Izumi Chihiro shook his head, quashing that dangerous thought.
His goal was to be a light novel master! The highest position in the industry! How could he forget it for a moment of indulgence!
Therefore, he could only work harder and become stronger than before to see a glimmer of hope of reaching the top...