Hara Kei lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, a gloomy haze clouding his thoughts.
Dizzy, nauseous, and utterly drained, his body felt foreign to him.
Though he had taken a sick day from school, he wasn't actually ill.
It would be more accurate to say he was experiencing a "post–card BG malfunction."
As he'd mentioned before, Kei's system counted his daydreams as a form of effort, converting them into experience points. The efficiency was abysmally low, but it was still a method of skill acquisition.
Then… could this system be used to learn skills that don't even exist in the real world?
This thought had lingered in Kei's mind for some time. After thorough preparation, he had started his first experiment yesterday.
And now… he was dealing with the results.
After all, Kei's system came from Saint Eden Academy, a standard visual novel with no supernatural elements. Attempting to gain even a tiny bit of "unrealistic" power through it seemed like overloading the system.
Noticing the danger, he had immediately stopped the daydreaming, though some residual effects remained.
After a day of rest, the discomfort—an odd mix of pain, dizziness, and nausea—had eased considerably. According to his body's feedback, given a bit more time, all lingering abnormalities would vanish.
He would be healthy again.
Until then… he could only lie there, a human corpse in bed.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
'Huh? Delivery from Sakurajima's already here? I only ordered a few minutes ago…'
Living alone, Kei had no choice but to answer the door himself. His body still ached, but picking up food wasn't a problem.
Rising from the bed, he shuffled to the door.
When he opened it, there wasn't a cheerful delivery guy holding a stack of takeout boxes. Instead, two girls in Saint Eden Academy uniforms stood before him.
"Yo! We came to check on you!" Fujisawa Chika greeted, her smile as bright as the sun itself. She waved enthusiastically, as if trying to transfer her boundless energy straight into Kei.
Standing beside her was Yukinoshita Yukino. She said nothing, but her gaze naturally conveyed concern. If Chika was the dazzling sunrise, Yukino was the calm, clear moon.
Now… the "sun and moon" had arrived at Kei's doorstep.
"What are you two doing here?" Kei muttered, a slight headache forming.
"You took a sick day today, right?" Chika peeked around, curious about what was inside. "So we thought we'd come check on you. After all, we're clubmates, aren't we?"
"The address came from Hiratsuka-sensei," Yukino added, "and we brought today's notes and homework for you."
…Well, that was thoughtful of them.
Kei wasn't ungrateful. Regardless of any ulterior motives, their visit was pure goodwill, and there was no reason to shut the door in their faces.
Of course, Kei didn't have anything particularly secret to hide. If the girls had claimed they were sent to inspect his hard drive, no amount of goodwill would have kept him from politely but firmly turning them away.
His apartment was a standard 1LDK—one bedroom, one living room.
Kei had intended to entertain them in the living room, but Chika insisted, "You should lie down if you're feeling unwell," completely ignoring his warnings about contagious illness or suggesting they just leave.
So, they marched straight into Kei's bedroom.
He lay back down.
But now, two energetic high school girls were beside his bed.
Was this an upgraded version of his previous ordeal?
Chika's large, dark eyes darted around, curious about everything. She immediately spotted the takeout boxes on the side.
"Kei, do you eat delivery every day?" she asked.
Kei simply raised a trembling arm in reply.
Both Chika and Yukino noticed the effort and struggle in his gesture.
His message was clear—he couldn't even hold a spatula properly, let alone cook.
Was it really that serious?
The two girls were taken aback.
"Have you been to the hospital? What did the doctor say?" Yukino asked, concern in her voice.
"…Overfatigue. The doctor said as long as I get nutrition and rest for a few days, I'll be fine." That part was true—Kei had indeed gone to the hospital yesterday to get the proof he needed.
He remembered the look of shock on the doctor's face when seeing his test results, followed by a sudden understanding upon seeing Kei himself. The final words had been some cryptic warning about youth needing restraint. Kei resolved to bury that memory deep and keep it to himself.
"Good," Yukino breathed a small sigh of relief. "Do you want some fruit? We brought apples and pears. Should I peel them for you?"
"…No, I don't want any." Kei felt a little embarrassed.
Accepting care from others conflicted with his personal code, yet he couldn't just put on a stern face and send them away. He had to try not to trouble them.
But these two were determined.
"Nope. Patients must get their vitamins," Yukino said firmly, seeming to see through his intentions.
Chika had already rolled up her sleeves. "Kei, do you have any dietary restrictions?"
"…The delivery's coming soon; it's really not necessary—" Kei began, but was interrupted.
"That won't do! Delivery food isn't hygienic enough," Chika insisted.
As she began to argue, the doorbell rang again.
This time, it should have been the delivery.
Chika bolted toward the door, eager to claim control of the delivery.
But unfortunately, it wasn't the delivery.
It was another girl—tall, with long straight black hair.
Touma Kazusa frowned slightly as she looked at the pink-haired girl who had opened the door.