Tokyo Rebirth: Start From Picking Up Sayu

Early the next morning.

Not surprisingly, Shintiao Xiang developed a fever.

Looking at the number of 38.5°C on the thermometer, no matter how reluctant she was, she could only honestly ask for leave from school and rest at home.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoxiang. I have to go to school today too. Remember to take your medicine on time and have a good rest. I will be back as soon as I finish handling school matters!"

Serizawa Yu took the trouble to give many instructions, and then hurried to her school.

Although high school seniors are now free to choose whether to go to school or not, they still have to go to school when necessary. Serizawa Yui was in such a situation today.

Having said that, the client made proper arrangements before leaving the apartment and did not leave his sick roommate alone.

Shinjoka touched the fever-reducing patch on her forehead and turned to look aside. The bedside table was filled with things that Serizawa Yu helped prepare.

From fever reducers, thermometers, Kleenex, and sports drinks, to hot porridge kept warm in clay pots, and towels and basins placed on chairs.

Basically, everything a fever patient might need has been prepared for her in advance.

Shinjoka drank the antipyretic medicine, fumbled to take out her mobile phone from under the pillow, and then put it down in disappointment.

Of course, that person didn't send her any messages.

"That's right...after all, I made the president angry."

She moaned softly, with a muffled nasal sound.

In fact, she has had a cold since last night.

Rather, after being exposed to the heavy rain for so long, it was strange that I didn't catch a cold.

She originally thought that she would get better after a night's rest, but she ended up staying up all night because she was upset, causing her condition to get worse and worse.

The original symptoms were limited to headaches and runny nose, but now they also had sore throat and a weak and tired feeling, which dominated her body.

"call--"

Shinjoka stared blankly at the ceiling, and her breath was more chaotic and hot than usual.

Although she had no appetite, she still ate a small bowl of porridge.

Perhaps he had expected this, but Serizawa Yui cooked rice porridge with umeboshi added. The ratio of rice to water was about 3:7.

After one bite, the thick aroma of the white porridge spreads on the tongue, and the little bit of salt added in it fully brings out the original taste of the rice.

The mixed prune meat brings a mild sour and salty taste, which not only adds to the flavor of the porridge, but also creates a wonderful balance.

Shinjoka doesn't like salty umeboshi, preferring this kind of slightly sweet and mildly sour umeboshi, which tastes quite refreshing.

Because Serizawa Yu carefully removed the seeds from the umeboshi before cooking, she could enjoy it without any worries.

As for why prunes were added to the white porridge, the person involved swore that it could cure colds.

Shintiao Xiang, whose brain was slightly heated, had no intention of paying attention to such baseless rumors. After drinking the porridge, he lay back on the bed rustlingly.

Under the influence of both physical and mental exhaustion, she quickly surrendered herself to the gradually dim sleep and fell asleep.

Faintly, the sound of someone talking and the sound of cooking could be heard in my ears.

When Shinjoka raised her heavy eyelids, the first thing that caught her eye was the plump and soft F cup.

Looking up along the stretched sweater, he saw a girl with long brown hair standing quietly by the bed and staring at her.

"……Um?"

After taking three seconds to identify the face, Shinjoka murmured and asked, "Miss S...?"

"Are you awake? Do you want some water?"

Sayu said softly, and in response to her sitting up, he poured a sports drink and handed it to her.

Shinjoka frowned and took a few sips from the cup before finally having enough energy to observe the surrounding situation.

Before I knew it, it seemed to be afternoon.

The warm sunset replaced the morning sun, dyeing the room orange-red. The crow's crow came from outside the window, which seemed particularly sad in the dim twilight.

Shinjoka looked at the girl beside the bed again, and exhaled a burning breath: "...Why are you here? Where is Xiao Xi?"

"Well, I came here with Asami. Ms. Serizawa asked me to take care of you first. She went to buy ingredients for dinner."

"Is that so..." Shinjouxiang pressed his forehead and asked, "...what time is it now?"

Probably because she had a good night's sleep, she felt a little better.

Sayu glanced at her phone, "It's now four-thirty in the afternoon. According to Ms. Serizawa, Ms. Shinjo, you probably slept for a few hours."

"Right……"

Shinjoka also picked up her phone and took a look at it. She found that it was all greeting messages from friends, so she put it down again.

"Um, Miss Shinjo, have you taken your temperature?"

"I measured it once in the morning, but it hasn't happened since."

"Do you want to measure it again?"

Sayu said, handing over the thermometer and taking the cup from her hand.

Shinjoka didn't refuse. She calmly unbuttoned two pajamas and put the thermometer from the collarbone to her armpit.

Not long after, a vague electronic sound sounded from inside the pajamas.

I took out the thermometer and looked at it. The number 38.1°C appeared on the screen.

"Great, your body temperature is dropping nicely."

Sayu, who also saw this number, breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his shoulders slightly. "Although I still have a slight fever, it seems that I don't need to go to the hospital."

"...It seems so."

Shintiao Xiang responded noncommittally and buttoned up her pajamas again, "I'll take the medicine again before going to bed at night. I should be almost fine tomorrow."

"Well...the drugs on the market can only relieve symptoms, but cannot eliminate the virus itself. Miss Shinjou, you still need to take a good rest and let your body's immune system work."

Faced with Sayu's words, Shinjoka tilted her head slightly. Just when she was about to say something, she heard a faint "gurgling" sound coming from her stomach.

She had only eaten a small bowl of porridge since morning, so she would inevitably feel hungry. This was purely a physiological instinct and could not be controlled.

The room was already quiet at this moment, so Sayu naturally heard the sound and immediately said:

"Well, actually I made something with the ingredients I have at home. If Miss Shinjo doesn't mind, would you like to eat some?"

"...Huh? Did you do it yourself?"

"Yes. Because Miss Serizawa said you didn't have lunch, I thought you would be hungry when you got up, so I made something without permission. Please forgive me."

"What have you done?"

"I prepared some mashed yam that can be used for rice bowl. I heard that eating this is good for your health when you are sick. I also made some miso soup...Does Miss Shinjo have any taboos?"

"I don't have any taboos, but I like sweeter things."

Hearing Shinjoka say this, Sayu's face showed a thoughtful expression.

"If that's the case...can I add some blueberry jam to the yam? But it seems like it will become a dessert, and eating it with white rice will be a bit strange...can I pack them separately?"

"Can."

"I understand, then I will prepare now."

After Sayu finished speaking, she stood up and walked to the kitchen, then returned to the bed with the tray.

She placed the tray and the food on the bedside table, giving priority to the bowl with the mashed yam and the spoon.

"Here, please use it."

"Well, thanks."

"No, I just want to thank you...Thank you, Miss Shinjo, for agreeing to allow me to join the association."

Shinjoka looked at her thoughtfully, took a spoonful of yam puree with blueberry jam, and put it into her mouth.

The slightly cool yam puree melts on the tip of the tongue, with a dense and delicate taste. When paired with the sweet blueberry jam, it tastes refreshing and appetizing.

Her expression relaxed involuntarily, and she speeded up a bit to eat in small bites.

Perhaps because of concerns about nutritional balance, there wasn't much mashed yam in Sayusheng. Shinjoka quickly finished the dessert and turned his attention to the steaming miso soup.

Seeing this, Sayu thoughtfully brought the bowl with miso soup over and took away the empty bowl at the same time.

"If you don't mind, have a drink and watch this. I thought Miss Shinjo might not have much appetite, so I adjusted the taste to a bit lighter."

Shintiao made a sound, took the soup bowl and blew on it twice, and was tempted by the alluring aroma to take a sip.

"...delicious."

There was surprise in her eyes, and she couldn't help but praise.

You must know that she has lived with Serizawa Yu for so long, and her taste has been developed a lot. Ordinary food cannot easily impress her.

However, this seemingly ordinary miso soup is not inferior to Xiao Xi's craftsmanship in terms of taste, and is even slightly better than it. It is really amazing.

Facing her sincere praise, Sayu had a heartfelt smile on his face and waved his hand modestly.

"Thank you for the compliment. I hope you like it, Miss Shinjo. In fact, Iwanami-san... I mean, Yusuke also likes to drink miso soup."

A faint blush appeared on Sayu's fair cheeks, and she felt a little embarrassed by the words she said carelessly.

Shinjoka stared at her face and drank the miso soup quietly. Finally, she poured the rice into it and ate it all like rice in soup. The hunger in her belly was replaced by a feeling of fullness.

"I'm full, thank you for the treat."

"No, simple meals are disrespectful."

Sayu put away the tableware and stood up.

"...Then I'll wash the dishes first. I've changed the water in the basin here. If you need to wipe your sweat, Miss Shinjo, use this, but remember to wet the towel and wring it out before wiping."

Shinjoka first looked at the towels and basin next to her, and then asked Sayu who was starting to wash the dishes:

"You mean Miss S, are you trying to bribe me now~?"

"...Huh? No, I don't have that kind of thought. These things are all done voluntarily by me. Miss Shinjo doesn't need to care. I will remember your kindness well."

"But, Miss S, doesn't it matter if you came here to take care of me? It seems that your bodyguard was beaten badly by the president that day~ Doesn't it matter anymore?"

Sayu stopped moving her hands and turned her head with a wry smile.

"Thank you, Miss Shinjo, for your concern... Mr. Lin is fine now, and Yusuke was merciful at the time."

Shinjou raised the corner of his mouth sarcastically and said sarcastically: "President, he is not an ordinary person. It's all your bodyguard's fault that he didn't have the nerve to provoke him. It's his own fault for getting hurt."

Sayu silently turned around and whispered, "Well...it's all my fault, I caused trouble for everyone."

The room fell silent.

One of them washed the dishes and the other wiped the sweat with a towel.

Perhaps it was the effect of the medicine that had taken effect. Although the fatigue on his body still did not subside, as his body temperature dropped, Shintiao Xiang felt that his thoughts were much clearer than before going to bed.

At this time, Sayu suddenly spoke.

"...Miss Shinjo, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

"Miss Shinjo, what is your relationship with Yusuke?"

Shinjou raised his eyebrows slightly and asked instead of answering: "About this, Miss S, what do you think~?"

"...I think you should be more than just ordinary classmates or friends, but it's not that kind of relationship, right?"

"bingo~"

Shinjoka playfully snapped her fingers and said deliberately: "If I told you that the president and I have done it countless times, would you be jealous?"

Sayu was silent for a moment: "...No, I don't have that qualification."

"Hehe~ That's right. After all, Miss S, to everyone, you are just a country woman who ran away from nowhere. Everyone absolutely hates you."

"Everyone……?"

"Well, they are the girls who were with the president the day before yesterday. Do you want to know their relationship with the president?"

"..."

Sayu put the washed dishes into the drain basket, turned around and asked, "If I want to know, Miss Shinjo, will you tell me?"

Her expression was very calm, as if she had some suspicions in her heart.

Shinjoka lazily leaned against the bedside, "I can tell you, but what do you want in exchange?"

"What does Miss Shinjo want?"

"You actually let me say it~?"

Shinjoka pretended to think for a moment and then said straight to the point: "Then I want to know what happened between you and the president, and why you called the president Iwanami-san."

Sha Qi was stunned for a moment, then showed a hesitant expression and remained silent for a while.

"this……"

"Forget it, if you feel embarrassed, just give me a cup of hot milk with a little more sugar in it."

"Eh--?"

"Can't you hear me?"

"No...I heard it, it's just...Miss Shinjou, do you think this is okay?" Sayu asked doubtfully.

As a condition of exchange, this request is too childish.

Shinjoka lowered her eyes slightly and said calmly: "...It happens that I am in a good mood now, so I will treat it as a reward for the cooking you just made, so it's okay."

So Sayu stopped talking and quickly heated a glass of milk in the microwave, added sugar, and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"...The milk is still a little hot. Miss Shinjo, do you want to drink it now?"

"Put it there first, I'll drink it later."

"good."

Shinjoka looked at Sayu who was sitting on the chair seriously, and felt very funny for some reason.

She thought about it for a moment, then started telling about that person and weaving the inextricable threads of last September.

What happened after being taken back to Tokyo by Shiyu.

That time of self-degradation.

All kinds of behaviors that hurt others and yourself.

In fact, we don’t face it alone.

A gentle and generous teacher.

The mysterious royal sister.

A determined senior.

A girl who silently supports.

The duplicitous sister.

And the person who was supported and saved by everyone and successfully walked out of the shadows.

After everything was said, Shintōka concluded.

"——In short, these are things I understand from my own perspective. Only the president and themselves know how some things actually work. I can only tell you what I know."

Unconsciously, Sayu's eyes were wet. Her beautiful amber eyes turned red with tears, and she was holding back the tears.

Seeing this, Shinjoka said rather speechlessly:

"I can't stand it. You really love crying. The last time was the day before yesterday and it's the same now. It seemed like someone was bullying you."

Sayu hurriedly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, sniffed and said: "...I'm sorry, I just hate myself so much, I feel so disgusting."

"Yes~ It turns out you are self-aware."

"Miss Shinjou, do you... hate me too?"

"Yeah~ I hate you, very much."

As if frightened by her bluntness, Sayu choked, "...Miss Shinjo, you are really straightforward."

"Yes~"

Shinjoka didn't care about this, she looked as if she were looking somewhere in the distance, and said softly:

"Anyway, except for the president, I don't care what other people think of me."

She paused here and then continued:

"So? Miss S, now that you know everything, what are you going to do next? Stay? Or leave? By the way, I personally recommend you choose the second option~"

"--I do not go."

"Hey...?"

Sayu breathed out a "huh-", looked directly into her eyes, and bent down to bow.

"Thank you, Miss Shinjo, for telling me this. As I said that day, I must wait for an answer, wait for him to admit that I look at me, and I will never give up before that."

"But in your current situation, Miss S, you are basically being ostracized by everyone including the president... But forget it, these things have nothing to do with me anyway, so just do whatever you want."

Sayu straightened up and suddenly asked seriously: "What about you, Miss Shinjo?"

"...Huh?" Shinjoka blinked and tilted his head, "What am I?"

"Miss Shinjou, among the things you just said, you don't seem to have mentioned anything about yourself. Between you and Yusuke...how do you view him?"

There are so many questions, this girl is so annoying.

Shinjoka tucked the right side of her hair behind her ear, pursed her lips and smiled, "Miss S, can you come closer?"

"Huh? Is it like this...?"

"Hmm~"

Looking at Sayu who was unsuspectingly leaning her upper body towards him, Shinjoka narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Miss S, have you ever heard of Kabukicho~?"

"Kabukicho? Um...Miss Shinjo, are you talking about the famous custom street?"

"Yeah~ That's the place. I actually grew up in that kind of mixed-race place, right~?"

"……Huh?"

“Because my family owned a tavern there, I’ve spent probably half of my life there.

I have seen a lot of dangerous things that ordinary tourists cannot see, which makes my values ​​​​different from ordinary people. "

"Is...is that so?"

Sayu showed a confused expression, and for a moment he didn't understand what he wanted to express.

Shintiao Xiang smiled sweetly and spoke happily.

"Then, the person who brought me out of that place was the president."

"Although I don't know the specific reason, thanks to you, I was lucky enough to find the best little wallet in the world."

"At the same time, because of your relationship, the only thing I got in my life is gone now. It can be said that you are both my nobleman and my enemy."

"You just asked me what I think of the president. I will only say this once -"

Shinjoka raised her right hand as she spoke, gently poked Sayu's forehead with her slender index finger, and spoke in a low voice but clearly:

"Because of you, I have lost my place now. If you hurt that person again in the future, I will kill you and then commit suicide~~"

"--Huh?"

The crazy speech caused Sayu's pupils to shrink and his mouth to open slightly.

Shinjoka suddenly approached her and stared at her from a very close distance, with a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

"Listen well, Miss S——

I am not a normal person. I will not deal with problems as 'gently' as Kasumigaoka-senpai and others. I will only use my own accustomed thinking to solve things.

Once your presence becomes an obstacle or something bad to the association, I will not hesitate to take action.

I put it this way, do you understand~? "

"——!"

Looking at the girl who said these words in a cute tone, Sayu suddenly felt suffocated.

The look in his eyes was different from the previous casual atmosphere. It exuded sharpness and hysteria, making people involuntarily think of something extreme.

Her heart beat heavily and she was speechless.

"Hey, Miss S, are you scared?"

Shinjoka burst out laughing, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes while laughing, and said:

"Okay~ I was just joking, I won't really kill anyone, don't worry."

"Miss Shinjou..."

Sayu murmured, looking at the face so close, unconsciously pursed her lips, and then hugged Shinjoka into her arms.

"I'm sorry, Miss Shinjo... I'm really sorry... And, thank you... I really thank you..."

Shinjoka listened to the crying in her ear and pushed it away in disgust, but Sayu still lowered her head and kept repeating thank you and sorry.

"They say you are with the wrong person. What's the use of telling me these words?"

She impatiently picked up the mug that had been set aside, and after taking a couple of sips, she couldn't help but complain.

"...What's going on? Miss S, did you add salt? The milk turned salty."

Sayu didn't speak, just stared at her blankly, tears flowing from the corners of his eyes.

Shinjoka quickly lowered his head, not wanting to look at that face again.

As expected, she still hated this girl, and it was of no use except crying.

But it doesn't matter, her personal likes and dislikes don't matter at all, as long as that person likes it...

She bit her lower lip tightly, her expression slightly distorted.

The breath exhaled from the nasal cavity seemed a little hot again.

Tick, tick.

Picked up the cup again and took a sip of milk.

——Sure enough, it’s still very salty.

…