After Kanako-san woke up, Ryoka-san and I were severely scolded by the female doctor. It seems that removing the oxygen mask without permission and letting her eat the soft golden peach based on amateur judgment were both big mistakes. We definitely deserved the scolding.
While the doctor was going on and on, Kanako-san remained silent, watching us with a gentle, smiling face.
Finally, the lecture ended, and the doctor and nurse left the room, leaving just the three of us. Well, I was also being scolded along with Ryoka-san, but I feel like she should have been the only one getting yelled at.
In the now quiet room, Kanako-san gestured for Ryoka-san to come closer. Ryoka-san, looking a bit embarrassed, lowered her head and then sat down on Kanako-san’s bed. Kanako-san gently stroked her head.
“Thank you, Ryoka. You were the one who went and got the soft golden peach for me, weren’t you? Even though it was so reckless of you…”
“It’s fine, really. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Always so stubborn. It must have hurt, didn’t it?”
Kanako-san lovingly stroked Ryoka-san’s cheek, which had been injured from her reckless actions, and her torn uniform.
“I’m really fine. Mom… cough. As long as you’re feeling better, that’s all that matters.”
“Thank you so much, Ryoka.”
“And thank you too, Mom. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Hehe, you can still call me ‘Mama’ like you always do.”
It was a touching reunion between a mother recovering from a serious illness and her daughter. I felt a bit out of place. Just as I quietly reached for the door to leave, Kanako-san called out to me.
“You’re… Tatsuya-san, right? Ryoka told me a little about you. She said you’ve been a great help. Thank you so much.”
“No, I didn’t really do anything special…”
“So, how far have you and Ryoka gone?”
With the same gentle smile, Kanako-san asked something completely unexpected.
“M-Mom!? Don’t ask weird things!”
“Well, I haven’t heard all the details, but Ryoka has gotten strong enough to go into dungeons thanks to you, Tatsuya-kun, right? You must have given her a lot of experience points?”
“W-Well, yeah, but…”
“Could it be… you’ve already done it?”
“Of course not! We’ve only held hands!”
“Oh, is that so? How boring. I was looking forward to having a grandchild in my thirties.”
“That’s still a long way off!”
“Oh, so you’re planning to have Tatsuya-san’s children someday?”
“That’s not what I meant! Idiot!”
Ryoka-san was flustered and yelling, while Kanako-san continued to tease her with a smile. After a while of this, a nurse came stomping down the hallway, her smile twitching with irritation.
“This is a ward with many critically ill patients. It’s very disruptive when you make so much noise, you know?”
“W-We’re sorry…”
“Anyway, for today, you should just go home. Since she’s been given the soft golden peach, Naruse-san’s condition should be fine. We’ll monitor her for about a week, and then she’ll likely be discharged. Now, visiting hours are over, so hurry up and go home. Quickly. Right now.”
The nurse shooed us out without giving us a chance to argue, while Kanako-san waved at us with a smile.
There was no way we could resist, so we left the hospital.
◇
We took a taxi back to the apartment from the hospital, and Ryoka-san immediately went to take a shower. She came out wearing only a bath towel.
“Ryoka-san, what are you wearing?”
“I’m at my limit. I’m going to sleep.”
She must have been running around dungeons for the past week with almost no rest. It seems like her fatigue had long since passed its breaking point.
She flopped down onto the bed, and soon I could hear her breathing softly as she fell asleep.
“I wish you’d dry my hair for me, though…”
As I thought about how this had happened before, I dried Ryoka-san’s hair. By the time I finished, I was hit with a strong wave of drowsiness. I hadn’t slept at all either, after all.
“Today, you’ll have to let me use the bed too.”
I slipped into the bed, careful not to touch Ryoka-san, and quickly lost consciousness.
◇
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of rustling. Ryoka-san was tidying up the room. Her uniform had been torn the day before, so she was wearing my shorts and a T-shirt. While they looked completely ordinary on me, they looked stylish and cool on her. It was unfair.
“Good morning, Ryoka-san. You’re up early.”
“Nah, it’s almost noon. Why are you sleeping so much more than me?”
While letting out an exasperated sigh, Ryoka-san continued tidying up without stopping. Though, to be fair, she didn’t have much to begin with. Clothes, a toothbrush, and some cosmetics. She packed them all into a duffel bag.
“Ah, I see. So, Ryoka-san, you’re leaving, huh?”
“Yeah. My mom’s being discharged in a week, but I need to clean up the house before then. It got a bit messy while she was away.”
As she said that, Ryoka-san stopped what she was doing and turned to face me. A mischievous smile appeared on her face.
“Are you going to miss me?”
“Well, yeah, of course. We’ve been together for about a month, after all.”
“R-Really…?”
At my straightforward words, Ryoka-san scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed. Then, in a very small voice, she said,
“…I’ll miss you too.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. It’s not like we won’t see each other again or anything.”
“You don’t have to act tough. It’s okay to admit you’ll miss me.”
“Stop acting like you didn’t hear me when you clearly did!! You’re such a jerk!!”
Ryoka-san’s face turned bright red as she threw her duffel bag at me. A bottle of what looked like toner hit me right in the forehead. Ouch.
It didn’t take long for Ryoka-san’s belongings, which weren’t many to begin with, to be packed into the duffel bag.
“Oh, right, Tatsuya. Here, take this.”
Ryoka-san pulled out a pale fruit from her bag.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a Silver Peach. It grows in dungeons, and, well, to put it simply, it’s a pretty good recovery item. It’s pretty rare, but I found it before the Soft Golden Peach, so I picked it just in case. See, my wounds are all healed, right? I ate one when I woke up this morning.”
Ryoka-san casually lifted her T-shirt, revealing her unblemished, pale stomach and a glimpse of her bra. She lifted it way too much.
“It’ll last forever as long as it’s kept in a cool place, so you can just put it in the fridge or something. You know, just in case. Not that this makes up for it, but I’ll take these clothes and sneakers. My clothes and shoes are ruined, after all.”
“…Isn’t the value difference way too big? This peach must be crazy expensive, right? Are you sure about this?”
“Well, if I sold it normally, it would be. But I’ve already gotten something much more important from you, Tatsuya. So just take it, okay?”
“Alright. Thanks.”
I accepted the Silver Peach without hesitation and stored it in the fridge.
“Alright then. I’m heading out.”
As she slipped on her shoes at the entrance, Ryoka-san said it so casually. She slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and turned to look at me. For some reason, she looked incredibly cool.
“See ya, Tatsuya. Let’s hang out again sometime.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Her radiant presence made me instinctively look down.
Ryoka-san was a cool gal. If we had been in the same class, we probably never would have crossed paths. Our relationship was one that normally wouldn’t have happened.
From now on, my connection with Ryoka-san would probably fade little by little. Thinking about that made me suddenly feel a pang of sadness.
“You’re thinking something weird, aren’t you?”
As if she had read my mind, Ryoka-san frowned and spoke.
“Tatsuya, look up.”
“Ryoka-sa… mmmph.”
Just as Ryoka-san told me to, I raised my head. Her face filled my vision. Then, a soft sensation touched my lips. She hugged me tightly.
“Mmm… ah♡ Hey, Tatsuya. You remember, right? Our promise.”
“Promise…?”
“That I’d be your partner once you got rid of the reason you couldn’t do perverted stuff.”
Now that she mentioned it, we had talked about that when we first met.
“I’m going to become a dungeon diver. I’ll get stronger and collect all kinds of items. Then, someday, I’ll be able to do perverted stuff with you normally. So, until then, it’s on hold… mmm♡”
She pressed her lips against mine one last time, then reluctantly pulled away.
“So stop making that gloomy face. Got it?”
“Yeah, thanks, Ryoka-san.”
Under the blazing sun, Ryoka-san smiled brightly, her grin rivaling the sunlight itself.
“See ya, Tatsuya! Don’t just eat tantanmen all the time!”
With that, Ryoka-san ran off without looking back. From now on, she’d probably live happily with her mom, who had recovered.
Just being able to help with that was enough for me.
“Ahh, I wanna do something perverted! Maybe I’ll just masturbate!”
It seems like it’ll still be a long time before I can do anything perverted.
