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When Mizuki knocked on the door she wasn’t really expecting Juru’s mom to open it. Her kind smile turned sympathetic when Mizuki explained that she’d come over to hang out with the other teen.
“I’m sorry dear, he’s sick right now,” she explained.
Mizuki’s shoulders dropped some at that. “Oh,” she mumbled. She didn’t even try to hide her disappointment. “Could I at least say hi?” she asked, looking back up to the older woman.
She took a pause. “Well, I was about to go out and get more medication for him. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if you want to stay just in case ‘til I come back.”
Mizuki smiled at that and gave a nod in thanks. Once Juru’s mother left for the store, Mizuki found her way towards the other’s door. It was open a crack and she used this opening to slowly push her way in, looking around it curiously, unsure of what sights were to lie beyond it.
In his bed was Juru. The teen was sitting up and scratching away at his art book, at least four or five different colored pencils rested in the crooks of his fingers as he scribbled.
Mizuki gave out a huff before throwing open his door completely. She stomped over to him and whacked the back of his head as hard as she could.
Juru dropped his pad and let out a call of surprise and some pain. He looked up to see her and gave a questioning look. “Kakihara? What are you doing here?”
She crossed her arms with an angry furrow to her brow. “‘What am I doing?’ More like what are you doing! Your mom said you were sick. I was almost worried about you but here you are just drawing like nothing is wrong,” she hissed back.
“I am sick,” he argued. “But, um,” he paused before beaming her a sheepish smile. “I don’t like sitting still so I wanted to draw since I was stuck in bed.”
Mizuki looked him over. His face was pretty red. In fact, he looked pretty tired and almost a bit dazed. It was kinda concerning. She gave a huff and, unable to find something else to say, mumbled: “I didn’t think idiots could get sick.”
Juru’s smile only grew genuine and bright. “I’ll be alright! It’s just a little cold,” he said, as if he could read right through her and see every worry in every word. He always could read her like a book. She really liked that about him.
A harsh cough coming out of him with a strong enough force to make him double over was what snapped her out of her momentary stupor.
Mizuki frowned at that. “You sound awful,” she groaned. “Your mom said she was going to get medicine. Do you have anything else that could help?”
Juru paused for a moment to catch his breath and think on her question. “Um, I don’t know,” he admitted. “If we do, it would be above the kitchen sink.”
She nodded and walked off to go snoop for something to help. She was able to find a pack of cough drops, but she understood why Juru’s mother had run off for more medicine. The cabinet seemed a bit barren.
Still, she took her findings back to her boyfriend and dropped them into his lap. “I found these. They should at least help your cough some.”
Juru smiled and happily popped one into his mouth.
Another look at the other, and Mizuki suddenly realized that he was wearing his daily clothes. This came at an obvious surprise to her. She gripped the sleeve of his shirt and shook it as she hissed: “Why aren’t you in pajamas?”
He looked down at his shirt and then back up to her. “Oh, well,” he started to mumble. He then gave her a big smile. “I wanted to get cough medicine so I could still see you and go out today.”
She frowned at that. He was really going to go out while he was sick just to see her? Didn’t being sick feel bad? Why would he push himself like that? She finally gave out a huff. “Idiot,” she hissed. “If you had gone out while sick, medicine or not, you still could have passed around your stupid germs.”
“Oh…I guess I didn’t think about that,” he said with another one of those stupid chuckles of his.
Mizuki stepped away from the bed and went to the doorway. “You should get into something more comfortable and stay in bed for a few days to rest. If you get the rest of the school sick I’ll hit you.”
“Okay!” Juru called out with a wide smile and a hand thrown to the air.
She couldn’t do anything but shake her head in disbelief at his usual idiocy. “I’m gonna go make tea. That should help along with the cough drops till your mom gets home,” she explained before walking out, giving him privacy to change as well.
When Juru’s mother got home she found her way to her son’s room with a small bag in hand. Turning the corner she was met with Mizuki sitting next to her son’s bed, frustratingly scribbling at a paper. Both teens wearing masks with tea and a bag of cough drops resting on the bedside table.
“This sucks. I hate this,” she hissed out, angrily ramming the colored pencil to the paper.
“No way!” Juru cried excitedly. “It looks so good! I like your shapes the best. They look so—”
“Wonky?”
“Organic!” There was no hint of disingenuousness in his words. Clearly meaning every one full heartedly and unabashedly.
His mother smiled at the sight. “I’m glad you kids were able to make the best of it,” her words startled the other two to look back at her.
“Hi mom!” Juru beamed even past the mask.
“Hi sweetheart,” she greeted. She placed the bag on his bed. “I’m sorry that took so long. I even made sure to get extra to keep in the house for next time.” There was some hint of regret and apology to her words for not having the proper medication ready in the first place.
None of this seemed to bother her son who only kept beaming at her. “No worries! Kakihara was here to help! And now you’re back!”
Mizuki gave a polite nod to the older woman. She then stood and bowed. “Thank you for letting me stay for a bit.”
Juru’s mother smiled. “Of course dear. Thank you for staying. I really didn’t want to leave him here alone while sick. You did me a huge favor.”
“It’s no problem.” Mizuki looked over at the window and to the way the winter sky started to yellow. “I should probably go. But thank you again.” She turned back to Juru and nodded to him as well. “I hope you feel better. Remember what I said about getting our school sick,” she reminded.
Juru only laughed and nodded. “You got it! Bye Kakihara! I’ll see ya later!”
With that she found her way out of the house. Despite how cold the air felt around her, her face was still warm. Maybe Juru had given her his fever. It definitely couldn’t have been anything else than that, yes.