"Ha————"
"Maid, please briefly explain what kind of nonsense you're pulling here?"
Dio genuinely could not understand the sight of Shinomiya Kaguya lying in front of him with a wet towel on her face, breathing on him, while Hayasaka Ai held her up and watched the show without caring how chaotic things got.
Maid, don't tell me you actually think a cold can be transmitted to me?
Thud!
A good sound means a good hit.
Dio lightly gave Hayasaka Ai a karate chop and said with mild reproach, "Hurry up and put Shinomiya down. Can't you see her whole face has turned red?"
"It hurts..." Hayasaka Ai's eyes turned red as she held back tears and put Shinomiya Kaguya down. She then turned and walked away, leaving behind only a single line that sounded like she was throwing a tantrum. "That's why I was against this plan from the very beginning!"
"I'm going to work! I'm leaving the young lady to you, Dio. By the way, after the young lady recovers, she won't remember anything from when she was sick."
Did I really not use too much force?
Did I become the bad guy?!
"Honestly, even if you cry, this Dio won't feel any guilt." Dio complained once, then picked Shinomiya Kaguya up and gently placed her on the bed, tucking her in.
The moment she touched the bed, Shinomiya Kaguya immediately struggled to prop herself up. She looked at Dio and smiled foolishly for a while before starting to breathe on him again. "Ha————"
It was fortunate that Shinomiya Kaguya didn't have bad breath.
"...Give me a break. I almost never get sick." Dio reached out and touched Shinomiya Kaguya's forehead, murmuring, "Mm, no fever."
He pressed Shinomiya Kaguya back down onto the bed and, as usual, made a small cut.
Shinomiya Kaguya lay on the bed, clutching the blanket. Her voice carried a hint of grievance mixed with softness as she asked, "Can you not leave? Stay by my side..."
She really has become especially clingy...
Thinking this, Dio sat by the bed. Suddenly feeling like playing a prank, he reached out and pinched Shinomiya Kaguya's nose.
"Have you taken your medicine yet?"
"Mmgh, I can't breathe, President.." Shinomiya Kaguya immediately flailed about in panic and replied, "I already took it. Hayasaka fed it to me, but I want the President to feed me!"
Seeing this, Dio chuckled and let go.
She was clearly just a little girl pretending to be an adult. She didn't act like a noble at all..
"This Dio will stay here with you.." Since he had nothing better to do anyway, Dio started chatting casually. "But why is Shinomiya so fixated on breathing on me?"
The sick Shinomiya Kaguya spoke frankly. "Because Hayasaka said that when the President gets sick, he becomes especially clingy. I want to see it! Especially how he even calls... cough cough..."
The World!
The World appeared in a cool pose. Finally called out again! There must be some powerful enemy that can't be dealt with without me, right?!
I really am the master's most important Stand!
The World's expectant gaze almost made it impossible for Dio to keep his eyes open, but Dio still gave the order: Troublesome. Help me get a cup of hot water.
Mm, he still felt a tiny bit guilty, a tiny bit reluctant, even if it wasn't much.
The World shouted "Muda muda" as it floated toward the living room!
The glorious reputation of kono Dio was actually destroyed because of one little fever!
It was all The World's fault. Why did it have to awaken at that exact moment!
In order to avoid blame, Dio pushed the responsibility onto The World and properly complained about it for a while.
Soon, The World returned with a cup of hot water. Dio first helped Shinomiya Kaguya sit up, then took the hot water from The World's hands and carefully fed it to her.
"It's... so hot. President, what did you feed me?" After drinking the hot water, the restless Shinomiya Kaguya started tugging at her pajamas.
"Hot water."
Shinomiya Kaguya's movements suddenly stopped. Her eyes instantly turned into ><, and she yanked the blanket up, immediately wrapping her entire body in it.
"The President is a big idiot..."
"Alright, alright. I'm a big idiot. I'm a big idiot..." Of course Dio wouldn't argue with a sick person over something like this. He took a fairy tale book from the bedside table nearby and curled the corners of his mouth outward. "Does Shinomiya want to hear a bedtime story?"
A pair of small eyes peeked out from under the blanket. Her voice was very soft and carried a hint of longing. "I want to..."
"Then let's read the story of the hero subjugating the demon king. When I was little, my mother loved reading it to me the most."
"Nooo, I want to hear Sleeping Beauty~"
"Alright, alright. Sleeping Beauty is in... ah, found it. Ahem! Once upon a time, there was a kingdom..."
...
Fourteen years before Dio disappeared…
——On the border of Zenin family territory——
"Mom, I'm home!"
Young Dio finished his work at the coliseum and the horse ranch and rushed home impatiently, shouting the words he had been looking forward to saying for a long time.
"Dio, did you secretly sneak off to work at the horse ranch again?!" Dio's mother was very angry and reached out to grab Dio's ear. "Making a five-year-old child go to work is completely ridiculous!"
"No I didn't. I secretly snuck out to play. Mom, look, everyone even gave me a piece of bread!" Little Dio dodged his mother's hand with a grin and took out a small piece of bread from his bag, his tone cheerful. "Mom, you worked hard today. This bread is for you!"
Dio's mother's expression softened. She squatted down and accepted the bread from Dio's hands.
Under Dio's expectant gaze, his mother stuffed the bread into Dio's mouth.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph mmmph (Mom, I'm not hungry)...!!!"
"Eat it." In their impoverished household, Dio's mother was like a tenacious wildflower — gentle yet incredibly stubborn. "So you can grow up properly... and become even stronger..."
Little Dio's struggling movements lessened quite a bit.
Perhaps sensing what Dio was thinking, his mother added, "When you grow up... you'll be able to... protect Mom...…"
The coarse bread made from whole wheat didn't taste or feel particularly good. Dio had some difficulty swallowing it. His mother quickly went to get him some water to drink.
After the bread went down, Dio made an excuse to his mother that he smelled a bit sweaty and wanted to take a bath. He rushed to the toilet, grabbed a wooden bucket, and went to the river several hundred meters away to fetch water.
When he reached the river, Dio placed the wooden bucket into the fast-flowing current. Soon, he pulled out a bucket full of river water.
He set the bucket down on the grass nearby. Using the water's surface as a mirror, he lifted the golden hair by his ear and saw the terrifying scratch mark underneath.
That was a wound left by a monster from the coliseum.
"Mm, my hair is still a bit short. It really would be better if I grew it out longer. I almost got exposed today. Maybe wearing a hat would be the best choice." Dio shook his head, returned his hair to its original state, picked up the bucket, and walked step by step toward home. "Once the wound heals, I'll let Mom pull on it as hard as she wants."
I'll protect Mom. Everything will get better. It definitely will get better..
The wounds the monsters from the coliseum can inflict on me are getting fewer and fewer. I'm gradually adapting. In the future, I'll be able to earn more and more money.
The uncle at the horse ranch seems like a pretty good person. Even though I'm a disgrace to the Zenin family, he not only dared to take me in as a helper but even secretly gave me a piece of bread.
Mm... I can make good use of this.
On the other side, what Dio didn't know was that his mother had collapsed during work today and had been urgently sent home.
Because her physical condition was poor, Dio's mother could no longer continue high-intensity work. After waking up, she didn't see her well-behaved son at home.
Since the mother and son had nowhere else to go, she quickly guessed that Dio had secretly gone to work at the horse ranch again.
Out of concern for her young son, she secretly watched from very far away toward the horse ranch and saw Dio feeding the horses.
It was fortunate that Dio hadn't left for the coliseum yet, which allowed him to continue hiding it from his mother.
"My son really isn't very good at lying."
Dio's mother genuinely thought this. Not being good at lying was a good thing.
But given their current situation, not being good at lying meant he would definitely have to suffer a lot.
The sun set in the west. Night quietly arrived.
After dinner, Dio clung to his mother as usual to listen to stories.
There were no storybooks at home — they were far too luxurious for them. So Dio's mother only told stories she remembered well.
"...In the end, the hero defeated the demon king and lived a happy life."
"Mom... we'll definitely live a happy life in the future too! I promise you!"
"Mm. Mom has always believed in little Dio." Dio's mother knew very well how difficult that promise was, but she didn't pour cold water on him. Instead, she encouraged him even more. "But for now, you should go to sleep."
Dio nodded and obediently closed his eyes.
Time passed by second by second. Perhaps because his mother was beside him, Dio quickly fell into a deep sleep, letting out soft breathing sounds as he slept peacefully.
A smile appeared on Dio's mother's tired face. She carefully pulled the blanket up to cover Dio's exposed shoulders.
Just being able to watch you grow up is already enough happiness for Mom.
But it seems like these happy days won't last much longer.
Her physical condition was worsening day by day. Dio's mother knew she didn't have much time left. She was a believer in the Goddess and viewed death very calmly. She didn't feel attached to this world.
However, the only thing she couldn't let go of was her young son.
Accompanied by the faint glow of fireflies, Dio's mother took one last deep look at Dio. She then turned and left the house.
"Mom... I want to hear the story of the hero and the demon king one more time..."
Not long after she left, Dio murmured in his sleep. His hand seemed to be trying to grab something.
On the other side, Dio's mother looked up at the bright moonlight. She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began to pray silently.
Merciful Goddess, please give me a little more time...
At the very least, let Dio grow up a bit more.
If I die now, the path Dio walks will definitely be very difficult, full of thorns, and he will definitely have to suffer a lot...
Goddess, please forgive my selfishness. How could I bear to let him walk forward alone in loneliness...
"If only I could tell you a few more stories.."
The only thing reflecting against the night was the tears a mother left behind for her child.