Chapter Text
“This concert is going to be AWESOME!”
We, the members of MORE MORE Jump, were at a small concert venue in East Shibuya. It was nothing too fancy… but we were ready to put on a great show.
“Eeee, I know! Our set list is perfect, and our outfits are cute… And our voices are ready!”
Minori was practically shivering with excitement, her words slurring together as they sometimes do when she gets flustered.
“We do look pretty adorable… But that’s not the only important thing. Remember, we have to match the energy of our audience so we can resonate with them. Mmm, we can do some crowd interaction too, while we’re singing.”
Of course, Haruka was ready to keep everyone tied to the ground so that our dreams didn’t have us up in the clouds. But… I could tell she was happy as well.
“Oh, when we say that line, ‘to make you smile’, we should point to someone specific in the audience! Wouldn’t that be cute?”
“That would be super duper cute!”
Airi and Minori love to bounce their energy off each other: Idea, excitement, idea, excitement.
“Say, where’s Shizuku?”
Haruka looked around, her brow furrowed as she tried to find me.
“Um, I think she went to talk to one of the crew members. Though I can’t see her… Ugh, I hope she didn’t get lost.”
Well, I had to let Airi down because I was, in fact, lost… but it wasn’t my fault!
“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll be here soon… It’s not like Shizuku to leave us hanging!”
“You’re right, Minori. In the meantime… Let’s go over the tricky part of our choreo. We don’t want to put on a half-baked performance, so we have to practice even now.”
Ah, my partners are so great~ They work hard and bring smiles to everyone’s faces. They’re so much more focused than I am… I want to have that same organization!
But it’s hard to be organized when you don’t know where you are. And I was in that situation, so I was a little preoccupied.
Maybe I should’ve paid more attention to my fatigue and dizziness… Now I might be in real danger!
~
It all started on Wednesday, when I was in class…
Sensei was talking, but I couldn’t pay attention; my head was so heavy, and my eyes were tired. I tried to focus… But my mind was so hazy with fog that I couldn’t understand what she was saying.
I’m on the Health Committee, so of course I deduced something was wrong with me. From what I could tell, I had no fever, although I might as well have had one.
I was just sleepy… So, so sleepy… And I closed my eyes for a second, and then… BAM!!
When I opened my eyes, I was no longer sitting by my desk with my purple notebook and pen… I was standing in the hallway!
What the heck?! I must’ve been really ill if I walked out of the classroom without even noticing, so I quickly went to the nurse.
No fever, she said, and I lay down in one of the beds to rest. I fell asleep quickly, and the nurse kept monitoring me to make sure I was okay.
Waking up, I saw a figure above me, peering down curiously. It was Emu-chan, her pink hair reaching down and tickling my face.
“Hinomori-senpai! Sorry, did I wakey-wakey you up? I saw you sleeping, and I was worried. Are you sick?”
Emu moved a little too close to my face, and I backed up instinctively.
“Hi, Emu-chan… I don’t know if I’m sick; I might just be tired. However, I’m not feeling well, so maybe you should back up in case this is something viral.”
She moved her face back again and frowned.
“Oh, no! That’s not good at all… I hope you feel better soon, so you can get back your Wonderhoy attitude! ✩”
“Hehe, thank you, Emu… I’ll try to rest up and recover.”
What a sweet girl she is! I’m glad my little kouhai worries about me… However, I was still a little shaken up over my strange experience. I felt my own forehead again, and it was normal.
Perhaps I didn’t sleep enough last night? By then, it was lunch time, and I was going to meet Airi, Haruka, and Minori on the rooftop.
I felt a little better after napping, so I got up and went upstairs to visit my friends.
“Shizuku!! I heard from the grapevine that you were sleeping in the infirmary! Are you okay?”
That was the first thing Airi said when she saw me, jumping right in front of me and yelling a bit too loudly… Everybody gets really concerned for me!
“The grapevine…? Yes, I’m fine… I was really tired and out of it, so I took a nap, but I’m feeling better now~”
“Really? I hope you’re not sick, we have that concert coming up. Well, don’t push yourself. For now, let’s eat lunch… I hope you packed something with extra protein so you can replenish your energy!”
I smiled and sat down to eat. Even though the incident earlier was a little concerning, I was a lot more confident when I was with my friends.
~
I thought I would be fine after that little blip, but I was completely incorrect. I just started causing more problems for everybody…
Once I got home, I felt that same heaviness and daze as before. I barely even registered that I was falling before I hit the ground with a THUMP!
I had collapsed, which is definitely NOT GOOD! Urghh… Something was seriously wrong.
“Um… Shii? Can you come in here, please…??”
I don’t like being a burden on my baby sister, but sometimes I have to ask for help. This was one of those situations.
“Yeah? What’s–”
She opened the door to my room and froze.
“Shizuku? What’s wrong?!”
“Ummm… I collapsed… I feel too weak to get up. Can you help, sis?”
Shiho was already right by my side, checking for a fever and helping me into bed.
“Onee-san… Did you overwork yourself? I knew you’d get sick at some point; you’ve hardly taken a break lately.”
“Sorry, Shii… I didn’t mean to bother you. Don’t worry about me, I’ll just be resting for now.”
“Don’t worry? You just fainted. That warrants worry.”
“Eh, I guess so… I’ll be okay, I promise. I think I’m just tired.”
Shiho tucked me in and got me a glass of water. It was a little embarrassing having my little sister care for me, but I appreciated it.
“Thanks… You’re such a great little sister, taking care of me like this~.”
Her face got all red. She’s a little awkward when it comes to praise.
“O-Of course I’m taking care of you. Don’t tease me like that!”
“Hmm? I’m not teasing you… But if you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”
She sighed and stood up.
“Just sleep, Onee-san. I’ll check up on you soon. I have homework.”
“Okay! Good luck… Yawn…”
Sleep came easily that afternoon since I was already so exhausted. Shiho worked on her homework and also texted the MMJ group chat.
She told them I was sick, and they were all concerned. So was I.
What if I were too sick for the show on Sunday?
What if they had to get a replacement?
What if they couldn’t do the show at all because of me?!
I tried to remind myself that my friends were very self-sufficient and would figure it out, but I still felt guilty.
I opened my eyes, waking up from my sleep, and I wasn’t in my bed anymore.
Somehow, I had gotten myself to the bathroom. Must have sleepwalked, which was odd because I usually stay still in my sleep.
I walked into Shiho’s room, feeling much better, and saw her at her desk writing furiously. She was working hard to finish her science notes.
“Shii… What time is it?”
“You’re up already? Uh, it’s about 19:00. You still look pale.”
“Do I?”
I touched my face. I felt no warmer or cooler than usual.
“I feel a lot better. I bet I was just tired…”
“But even when you’re tired, you don’t usually collapse like that.”
“That’s true.”
I looked away, wanting to stop thinking about the possibility that I was ill.
“... Have you eaten yet? I can cook something?”
“No, I haven’t eaten… You shouldn’t be the one making dinner, Shizuku. I’ll do it.”
Shiho has grown to be so self-sufficient and caring, I’m a proud big sister! So I sat down and worked on some embroidery while she made vegetable soup.
It was super good~ I told her she could go on one of those cooking shows, but she didn’t believe me… She said it would be too stressful anyway, and I agree.
I enjoyed spending time with my baby sister, even though I was fatigued. Any time with Shiho is a good time!
~
On Thursday, I was back at school and feeling much better. My tiredness and vertigo were all gone, and I was excited for my day.
“Shizuku! You’re back already?”
“Hehe, yeah. I was pretty tired yesterday, but I’m better now~”
Airi raised an eyebrow.
“That had better be the truth!! Take it easy, we need you in mint condition for our show!”
“Don’t worry, Airi. I won’t overexert myself… Uh, why are you glaring at me like that…?”
“I’m inspecting you… Hm, you don’t look pale or flushed, which is a good sign. Posture is normal, no eyebags… Hands are relaxed, mouth is calm… Huh, I guess you are a lot better!”
I chuckled. Airi is a great detective when it comes to health! Unfortunately, she doesn’t plan on joining the health committee any time soon…
The rest of the day was great, and practice was fun too. We headed to the concert venue and practiced with the lights and stage crew.
Haruka, Minori, and Airi were still pretty concerned about me, so they took steps to make sure I didn’t push myself too hard.
I tried to tell them I would be fine, but I could catch them all glancing at me as we practiced. It seemed like my illness was hurting their performance, which was no good…
“Shizuku, y-you looked flushed–your face is red! Are you okay?”
“Hmm…? I’m fine, Minori. We’ve been dancing, so I am a little sweaty. Heh, you’re flushed too~.”
“Huh, I am?!”
We took a break after that, and Airi gave me a drink with electrolytes in it. I went home still feeling healthy, but worried about the show. Would the other girls do their best if they put too much effort into fretting over me?
The show was on Sunday, and we’d be missing school on Friday and Saturday for dress rehearsal. Even though I was preoccupied, my excitement shone through!
~
BEEP BEEP!!
My alarm went off at 5:00 am that Sunday. Although it was a little disappointing that I didn’t get to sleep in, I was used to waking up so early as an idol.
I hopped out of bed and changed into a tank top and leggings. I was going to change once we got to the venue.
Grabbing my bag and water, I slipped out of the house quietly so I didn’t wake Shiho. Then, I walked to the train station (I got lost along the way and asked for help…) and got on a train to the venue.
When I got there, I was so excited that I hardly noticed the dizziness creeping into my head. I was just happy to be there with my friends!
We changed into our costumes, and that’s when I really noticed how tired I was. As I sat down to put on my socks, I felt my body get heavier. I didn’t want to stand up again because I was so sleepy.
It was just because I woke up early. My illness from earlier in the week couldn’t be affecting me now… right?
But then, during our dance prep on stage, a wave of vertigo washed over me. I attempted not to fall over so I wouldn’t worry my friends, and I was so dizzy that I started to feel nauseous.
This unfortunate sickness was persisting, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Excusing myself to the lavatory, I examined myself in the mirror. Pale, clammy, sweaty… I looked really sick.
I had to clutch the restroom counters so as not to collapse, but that solution only lasted me a little while. My hands grew weak and slipped from the counter, and I fell backwards, hitting my head on the tiled floors.
My vision went black.