Chapter 29: Method of catching a cold

Third person POV

The seasons change and it is now December.

At the turn of a miracle. Ruri-Chan caught a cold.

Masamune bought commercially available medicine, but her fever did not go down the next morning.

“Sorry to bother you.”

“You can rely on me for times such as these, I wouldn’t be much of a mother if I didn’t.”

Masamune called his mother this morning to see if she would take care of Ruri-Chan while he was at work.

“Well then Mum please do your best.”

“Yes, yes. Have a good day.”

“I am off.”

He had explained to his mother where his health insurance card was before he left.

“How long has it been since you last left like that.” Mother murmured. If she had a Twitter account she would have sent a tweet saying, “I saw my son off today.”. She tidied up the room then washed this morning’s dishes. After she finished washing up, she went to see how the sleeping Ruri-Chan was doing. She watched over Ruri-Chan who had a cold tea towel on her forehead and reddened cheeks.

“Are you alright?”

“I am sorry.”

“You shouldn’t apologise, at times like these it is okay to be a little more spoilt.”

When she said that in a gentle voice, Ruri-Chan raised her futon to cover her mouth.

Mother smiled.

“Are you hungry?”

“… A little.”

“Good. I will prepare it, so please get up.”

As she got up and headed for the kitchen, Ruri-Chan got up and sat on her futon. After a short while, Mother came back with an earthenware pot and she put the pot down on a table moved next to the futon.

“How is your fever… There is still a bit left.”

Mother said as she touched Ruri-Chan’s neck and measured the heat. When Mother touched Ruri-Chan, Ruri-Chan felt a bit scared.

“Can you eat rice porridge?”

“Rice porridge?”

“Fufufu. There is no need to worry because it is delicious.”

Although Ruri-Chan titled her head over the existence of rice porridge. Mother who had understood her laughed a little and put some inside a small bowl. She took a spoon full and blew on it to cool it down before bringing it to Ruri-Chan.

“Say, Ahhh~”

Ruri-Chan, opened her mouth to eat it. While she ate she felt slightly embarrassed.

“Is it not delicious?”

“Delicious…”

Because Ruri-Chan had a fever, she could not eat properly last night. As she was hungry it tasted even better.

“Masamune likes rice porridge, he ate it every time he had a fever and he was cured in the blink of an eye, so Ruri-Chan will feel better soon.”

Mother continued to feed Ruri-Chan, until all the rice porridge was gone. After she finished putting the pot away, she told Ruri-Chan to brush her teeth. After getting relaxed from eating rice porridge, Ruri-Chan brushed her teeth in the washroom. Mother washed the pot in the meantime. When Ruri-Chan finished brushing her teeth, she wiped her body with a wet towel, laid on the futon then placed a new cold tea towel on her forehead. As she felt the coolness of the tea towel, she raised the futon to her mouth. After a while her eyes narrowed somewhat in nostalgia as Mother gently stroked her head as she drifted off to sleep.

“So, you keep trying to be small.” (TN: I think she means that Ruri is still trying to not bother anyone too much.)

Mother murmurs while looking at the sleeping face of Ruri-Chan.

At that time.

“…nse? Sensei?”

“Eh?”

“I just realised that we need more printouts.”

“How many more do we need.”

“I think about 10.”

“Really!? Wait a bit I will print them out now.”

I was completely absentminded.

In the evening while mother was reading a paperback she had brought with her, Ruri-Chan got up and drank the sports drink that had been placed next to her futon.

“I am better don’t you agree; my face is also not red.”

“Yes”

Ruri-Chan after feeling better peeled off the cold tea towel that had become lukewarm. Mother came to Ruri-Chan and sat down next to the futon.

“Lie down some more.”

Ruri-Chan laid down once more.

“When Masamune was little, he was a very spoilt child, I always felt embarrassed when he would be spoilt when we were in public and always call out mum~, mum~. Compared to that Ruri-Chan is such a good girl.” Mother said, as she caressed her head.

Ruri-Chan is a shy person, but mother talked in such a daring way. Sometimes it is important to give praise in such an enthusiastic way. Ruri-Chan not know of such revealed a small smile.

When Masamuna had come home it was already dark out. It seems that he had come home in a hurry, because I could hear the sound of his thumping steps before the door had even opened.

“I’m home! Are you okay Ruri-Chan?”

He noisily said while taking of his shoes. When watching him both mother and Ruri-Chan laughed when they looked at each other. Masamune who saw this tilted his neck and fell down while he was in the middle of removing his shoes.