After deciding to give up, I became popular

"Speaking of which, the plum rain season seems to be approaching soon. It's been raining on and off these past few days, and quite frequently too."

"Yes, the weather forecast also shows that. But these few days are still okay; starting next week, it'll be hard to see a sunny day." Natsukawa Kanade nodded. He didn't dislike rainy days that much anymore, as they were perfect for staying home to play games and read manga. However, he would occasionally feel the loneliness that rainy days brought.

Seeing Fujiwara Chika's mood slightly down, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Do you hate the rain?"

The plum rain season can be said to be an unshakable long-term season in Japan. It usually starts in mid-May and lasts until mid-July. During this period, frequent rains will gradually spread inland from coastal areas like Kyushu and Okinawa, eventually forming a nationwide phenomenon lasting more than a month.

Because it's unavoidable, most people choose to adapt to it, and many best-selling products have emerged, such as umbrellas, rain boots, and raincoats with beautiful patterns. But for most people, dislike outweighs liking, as it lasts a long time and troubles those who want to live well with things like dealing with dampness.

"I do a little," Fujiwara Chika nodded and said, "Mainly because my hair gets very damp when it rains, and it's inconvenient to move around, right?"

She was the type who liked to play around. She usually couldn't stay still and would wander around the school, but when the continuous rainy season arrived, she couldn't do many things, so it was normal for her to dislike it.

"That's true..." Natsukawa Kanade nodded, somewhat agreeing with her. After all... Mahiru seemed to have answered the same way before. It seemed that girls with long hair cared about this.

"That's why, before the plum rain season arrives completely, I need to find a way to go out and play a few more times..." Fujiwara Chika nodded, and some ideas emerged in her mind, "Speaking of which, I haven't gone out with Kaguya for a long time... Hmm, I'll find some time to ask her out later... Oh right! Why don't you ask the president too? There's strength in numbers. Ask her several times, and there's always a chance you might get Kaguya to agree, right?"

"..." Natsukawa Kanade was a little helpless, thinking, even you, her best friend, might not be able to get her to move. What am I?

But thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he had never seen Kaguya active outside. It seemed that, as he had imagined, her daily life was just a line between school and home. This monotonous lifestyle was a bit concerning. The key was that he himself had noticed that Kaguya didn't seem to like this lifestyle. She clearly longed for friends and normal interaction, but there weren't many people who could become her friends.

Fujiwara Chika was definitely one of them. As for him... perhaps he could barely be considered a friend now?

"Okay, I understand. I'll try to invite her." Natsukawa Kanade nodded, thinking seriously. This wasn't pity; it was just that as a friend, he felt he needed to have the courage to break the routine and not give up because he was afraid of being rejected.

"Oh, I'll wait for your good news, President!" Fujiwara Chika's face showed a very bright smile, looking very happy.

"..."

Honestly, compared to all the girls around him, Fujiwara Chika was too energetic, simply the representative of a yang energy character. On the way to take her home, she kept chattering non-stop, but what she said didn't really make much sense. It seemed like she was just restless and couldn't stop.

After sending her to the door, as usual, they exchanged a few polite words. Fujiwara Chika again invited him to sit in her house for a while, but Natsukawa Kanade felt a little tired, so he declined again.

"Okay then... but you're not allowed to refuse next time?! I'll drag you in even if I have to!" Fujiwara Chika waved her small fist, making a "tough" appearance.

"Yeah... next time for sure..." Natsukawa Kanade nodded and waved goodbye to her before turning to leave.

The way back wasn't too far, and because it was completely different from the direction of the train station, Natsukawa Kanade simply chose to walk back. Because it was raining, the weather had become slightly cooler, so the way back didn't feel so stuffy.

After returning home, he felt a little sticky all over. He originally wanted to take a bath first, but he felt inexplicably sleepy, so he simply took off his clothes and went to bed, planning to take a nap first.

"..."

When he opened his heavy eyes again, what came into view wasn't the familiar ceiling, but the familiar flaxen long hair.

Looking up along the ends of her hair, he found the angel sleeping quietly beside him, her sleeping face serene, her full chest rising and falling with her even breathing.

"Ugh..." Natsukawa Kanade subconsciously exhaled, a little confused as to why Mahiru was sleeping next to him. When he struggled to get up, he found his body terribly heavy, and he didn't even want to move a finger.

"..."

"Ah, you're awake." The angel seemed to have been awakened by his movements, opening her sleepy eyes and gently rubbing them for a while.

"Is your body feeling any better?"

"..." Natsukawa Kanade was a little slow to catch on, but after moving his head slightly, a towel on his forehead suddenly fell off, almost blocking his vision.

"This is..."

"Ah! Sorry, I accidentally fell asleep myself." Shiina Mahiru showed a somewhat apologetic look. Then she quickly got up and took away the towel that had fallen on the bed.

"...Am I...sick?" Natsukawa Kanade finally realized something and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice.

"Yeah, you seem to have a fever." The angel nodded to him, then put the towel back into the basin next to her, soaked it, wrung it out, and put it back on his forehead. "When I sent you messages before, you didn't reply, so I was a little worried and came over to take a look, and found that your temperature was very high."

"...What time is it?"

"It's almost 10 o'clock." Shiina Mahiru sat down beside him and reached out to touch his neck slightly. "Your temperature still seems a little high..."

"..."

"How's your body? Do you feel any better now?" Shiina Mahiru asked with a concerned expression. She was naturally very worried. Clearly, Kanade looked very energetic in the morning, but when she came back from school, he had become like this...

But it definitely wasn't sudden. He must have been feeling it for a while but had been holding on until now, and the key was that he hadn't even told her.

"Ugh..." Natsukawa Kanade carefully felt it, but found that he didn't feel any better. Compared to when he had just fallen asleep, he was completely out of energy. He didn't even want to move a finger, his head was dizzy and he didn't want to think, and his throat was dry and uncomfortable...

"Water..."

"Ah, wait a moment." Shiina Mahiru quickly turned around, wanting to hand him the water that had been prepared on the bedside table, but found that he seemed to have difficulty even getting up, so she put down the glass and instead went to help him up first.

As a result, she accidentally saw an unexpected scene.

"Ah!"

"..." Natsukawa Kanade turned his head slightly to look at her, his eyes a little puzzled.

"N-nothing..." Shiina Mahiru shook her head and responded in a low voice, then, bearing the stimulating image, carefully helped him lean against the headboard.

After helping him settle down, she turned around again to pick up the glass of water, even directly holding it to his lips, as if wanting to feed him.

"..." Natsukawa Kanade didn't refuse.

Because he was indeed dizzy and didn't have the energy to think about anything else.

Taking small sips, preventing him from choking by moving too quickly, she fed him some water slowly and carefully. Only then did Shiina Mahiru finally have the mind to mention other things: "This, this doesn't seem conducive to recovery... I, I'll go find you some clothes..."

The clothes that had been casually thrown on the chair couldn't be worn, of course. They still felt a little damp to the touch. She could only open the closet to look, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find anything like sleepwear. Helpless, she had to settle for a long-sleeved shirt that she had seen him wear before.

Coming to the bedside, she originally wanted to just hand it over and let him put it on himself, but seeing him squinting his eyes as if he was about to fall asleep again, she hesitated for a while and finally chose to come forward to help.

"Can you... raise your hand a little?"

"..."

Seeing that he still didn't have much reaction, Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but purse her lips, feeling increasingly worried. It was the first time she had seen Kanade so weak. She felt that the severity was almost exceeding the problem caused by the fever. Could something have happened?

Although there was no cooperation from the patient, she was an ambitious girl. She still relied on her own efforts to very laboriously help him put on his clothes. But inevitably, there would be more skin-to-skin contact. She was a little concerned at first, but seeing that Kanade still didn't have any energy, her mood suddenly fell, and she didn't have the mind to think about anything else.

"Is your spirit any better now?" Shiina Mahiru sat beside him, holding his hand and asking softly.

"A little sleepy..."

"If you're sleepy..." Shiina Mahiru pursed her lips, wanting to tell him to lie down and sleep for a while, but the medicine she had prepared was the kind that needed to be eaten with something first. It was best not to take it on an empty stomach, so she had to gently persuade him to hold on a little longer.

"Let's eat a little something first? Otherwise, you can't take the medicine."

"...Yeah."

259. A Morning Awakened by an Angel

Kanade in a weakened state was like a little baby, seemingly unwilling to do anything himself, even letting her do the work of feeding him porridge. This couldn't help but make Shiina Mahiru's heart inexplicably surge with a strong sense of satisfaction.

And it was only after feeding him that she realized that being a "feeder" could be so interesting. No wonder Kanade was so excited that day. She was almost unbearable, but he wouldn't listen.

"Want a little more?" Shiina Mahiru asked softly.

Although Kanade still didn't have much energy, his appetite seemed to be good. The bowl of porridge she had brought over had all been eaten by him alone.

Perhaps it was because she had put in pickled plums? But she had actually considered the burden on his stomach, because doing so would be better for someone who was sick. It wasn't really to make the taste better, but if he liked it, that would be great.

"Yeah, want more..." Natsukawa Kanade nodded slightly, his voice not as hoarse as before, seeming to have recovered a little.

"Okay, leave it to me." Observing his condition, the angel also nodded happily, feeling that her efforts had not been in vain.

She turned around and deftly refilled the porridge into the bowl, then gently stirred it back and forth with a spoon, and blew on the edge of the bowl to let it cool faster.

Natsukawa Kanade tilted his head slightly, watching her gentle movements, watching the pickled plums in the bowl slowly spread out in the porridge, and then the pits were carefully taken out by her, only letting the red pulp slowly mix into the rice grains.

"Drink it, it shouldn't be hot now." The angel held the bowl, scooped a small spoonful, and put it to his lips. Natsukawa Kanade responded and opened his mouth to swallow it.

After repeating this for a while, another bowl of porridge was drunk dry by him. This time he felt a slight sense of fullness, so he actively told the angel: "Full..."

"Okay, okay, then I'll take the things out first, wait for me, okay." Shiina Mahiru nodded, then turned around, put the bowl back on the tray, and carried the pot out with it.

"..." Natsukawa Kanade watched her figure disappear from the room, silently wondering what he was thinking.

When the angel returned, she was carrying a thermometer in her hand, and then she sat back on the bed.

He thought she was going to hand it over, but this time she actually reached out directly to him, and started unbuttoning his buttons without any hesitation.

"..."

Although in his vague memory, it seemed that she had also helped him put on his clothes, he still felt a little at a loss now.

"What's wrong?" Shiina Mahiru blinked at him, looking a little puzzled.

"...No, nothing." Natsukawa Kanade muttered, then raised his head slightly, preparing to keep his eyes away from the chaos.

The angel clearly didn't realize it at the moment, and didn't notice the state of their posture - although in terms of position, it was she who was unbuttoning his clothes, which was different from the general situation, it didn't seem like something that wasn't worth paying attention to at all, right?

But he didn't want to say it now, and he didn't have much mind to pay attention to these things. His head was still a little inexplicably heavy. Thinking about things a little would cause a stinging sensation, so he had to force himself to relax.

The angel's movements didn't stop, and as Natsukawa Kanade carefully watched her, he realized that she wasn't completely indifferent. Her cheeks were faintly flushed with a rose color, and her eyes were fixed on the side, unblinking. Her ears seemed to tremble slightly with her movements; perhaps it was his imagination, but he felt that she must also be quite shy, forcing herself to remain calm for his sake.

“……”

It might be a little late to say this, but the thought that emerged was still unstoppable—the angel was indeed a beautiful girl, undeniably beautiful and cute. Not the kind of cuteness that one could dismiss as commonplace after seeing many cute girls; perhaps it should be described as an artificial, artistic beauty.

The reason he said it wasn't innate was perhaps because of the slightly shy expression she was now showing, making her flustered appearance feel more human, and thus creating an unbelievable sense of cuteness.

So, Natsukawa Kanade unconsciously said, “Mahiru is so cute…”

“Ugh…” The angel's delicate body visibly trembled slightly. Just as she had finished placing the thermometer on him, she moved hastily, distancing herself slightly. “S-suddenly… what nonsense are you saying…”

“……” Natsukawa Kanade didn't explain further, because his mouth had really moved on its own.

“……” The angel's face was still a little red, but this time it was difficult for her to retreat, all because of the guy in front of her.

She lowered her head slightly, unsure of where to look, and her hands unconsciously made small movements, sometimes with her fingers pointing at each other, sometimes with her palms together…

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

After waiting for a while, calculating that enough time had passed, Shiina Mahiru leaned in again, preparing to take the thermometer from him.

However, this time her movements were slightly hesitant and not as decisive. She even moved closer and gestured with her eyes, “D-don't say nonsense this time, okay?! Don't tease me!”

“……” Natsukawa Kanade didn't react, and only opened his mouth again after she took out the thermometer, “What's the temperature?”

“38.1℃, still a bit high…” Shiina Mahiru frowned, and the worry in her heart surged again. As expected, a cold compress alone wasn't enough; he still needed to take medicine to relieve the symptoms.

So, she leaned down slightly, closer to him, and held his hand, wanting to transmit strength to him, “But it's a little better than before. Taking some medicine and sleeping should make you feel better, right…”

“But the medicine from the pharmacy only targets the symptoms and can't completely eliminate the virus itself, so you still need to rest well and actively activate your body's immune function.” The angel earnestly instructed him, “So, don't run around tomorrow, understand? Tell me if anything happens. If I'm not around, send me a message. In short, don't be a hero alone!”

“……” Natsukawa Kanade nodded in silence.

Although her tone was a little rough, the feeling of being scolded warmed his heart, because he knew Mahiru was worried about him.

With the angel's help, he took the medicine and slowly lay down again.

“Okay, just go to sleep quickly, I'll come see you tomorrow.” The angel smiled gently, and then, under his gaze, slowly reached out and gently stroked his forehead several times.

“……” Natsukawa Kanade felt like he was being treated like a puppy, but he was too weak to resist.

After stroking him for a while, the angel finally withdrew her hand with satisfaction, then slowly got up and left the room, not forgetting to remind him again as she left, “Absolutely don't be a hero!”

“……” Natsukawa Kanade slowly closed his eyes.

A night passed.

“Kanade, wake up…”

A gentle voice came, calling him.

Hearing such a whispered, intimate, and soft tone, Natsukawa Kanade replied softly, “Mmm,” from his comfortable sleep, then raised his heavy eyelids and slowly opened his eyes.

Perhaps because the fatigue was still there, his vision was slightly blurred, but the cute girl reflected in it, faintly illuminated by the sunlight outside the window, clearly occupied his entire vision, and then her cute face gradually became clear.

She was kneeling on the bed, leaning forward slightly, very close to him. Her flaxen hair hung down naturally like a weeping willow, swaying constantly, and some strands playfully reached his face, tickling him gently.

“…Mahiru?” Natsukawa Kanade was a little dazed, so he subconsciously confirmed.

“Yeah, good morning.” The angel nodded, very happy to see that he had regained some vitality.

“Good morning…” Natsukawa Kanade's mind was a little confused, wondering why she was at his house so early in the morning. “Why… is Mahiru here?”

“Eh, doesn't Kanade remember what we talked about yesterday?” The angel asked him softly.

“……” So, Natsukawa Kanade tried hard to recall, but he still couldn't remember agreeing to anything. Instead, he felt a headache because of the dream he had last night, so he subconsciously reached out and covered his head.