Chapter 11: Kuzuo Kuzuhara’s Misfortunes

2 WEEKS AGO 3 COMMENTS

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

The day after shopping with the student council, I had to skip school.

Well, there was a reason for that—

“Haah… Atchoo—!”

I had caught a cold.

Ugh… This sucks…

In retrospect, yesterday was a mess. It was fine up until I managed to shake off those bothersome ruffians, but after that, it all just went downhill.

Last evening, I walked home to my crummy apartment, quickly packed up my things, and headed straight to my night job.

On my way to work, as I walked along the busy Taifuku Street, I heard a loud scream ahead of me.

“Get out of my way! Get out! get out of my way!”

I saw an enraged young man with muddy eyes, running in my direction while cutting through the crowd. He held a flashy pink bag in his hands.

Oh, is this…

Immediately after raising my eyebrows, a high-pitched scream echoed through the mob.

“It’s a purse snatcher! Somebody, please get that man!”

An old lady and a police officer tried to chase down the robber, breathing heavily.

I knew it. It was a robbery.

Moments after analyzing the situation, I swoop down and stretch my leg just as the snatcher passed by me.

“Haa—!”

The robber tripped on my foot and fell down on the ground, letting go of the stolen purse due to shock and pain.

“Oh, ugh… F**k…” He threw the purse in a random direction and ran off to anywhere else.

First the Yankees, now a robber? What’s up with the streets these days…

I picked up the pink purse, and in a beat, the old lady and the officer reached me.

“Ah, the snatcher dropped this off right now,” I said while handing the purse to the policeman.

No way I’d tell him I tripped the guy. If I were to be questioned for anything, I would be late for my shift.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

As I was about to leave for my part-time job, the old lady stood in my way with indignation, fuming.

“Where do you think you’re going, you thief?!”

“… Huh?”

For a second, it didn’t even register in my mind.

“You’re a hundred years too young to be able to steal a purse from me!”

“No, it wasn’t me. If you’re talking about the guy who stole your purse, he ran off in that direction.”

“You’re lying! I swear to God, your eyes are muddy, so you are the thief!”

“Wait, wait, wait. It’s true the snatcher’s eyes were muddy, but mine are way worse than his!”

… I wonder why I’m almost crying right now. Why did I say that? Now I’m depressed…

“Hm… Sorry to bother you, but could you follow me to the station?”

“… Ugh, I understand.”

I’ve been a suspect more than a hundred times because of these rotten eyes of mine. Speaking from personal experience, it’s best to obey public authority.

If you have nothing to be ashamed of, it’s best to go with the flow and not resist.

After that, I followed him to a nearby police station and got questioned briefly. Fortunately, the case was settled rather quickly.

Since there were many witnesses due to the business of Taifuku Street, and because a camera caught the whole incident, I was able to prove my innocence.

The police thanked me for retrieving the purse from the snatcher and apologized for doubting me. The old lady, though, had already left…

Great, now I’m pissed off.

The only saving grace after the whole debacle was that when I contacted my manager, he said “I’m sorry for your troubles. I’ll cover for you, so go home and take a break”.

Ugh… I’m so tired of all this.

Drudgery and dizziness tormented me on the way home, while it rained so hard even my shoes got soaked.

And the result of all that was a fever of… 38.2°C (TL: Approximately 101°F)—The right amount of languid and lazy.

Ugh… I’ll die…

As I sat on my bed, gazing blankly into the void, my room’s door opens and Yui barged in.

“Are you sure you’re okay, big bro…? Should I take a break from school, after all?”

“Don’t worry about me… I’m sure you’ll have a great time at school. Also, you’ve got a practice game against another school today, right? You’ve been looking forward to it for a while,” I said, croaking.

“… Call me if you need anything, okay? I’ll fly home immediately, so don’t be shy about it or anything, ok?”

“Ah, thanks.”

“Well then… I’m off.”

“Watch your back.”

“Mkay.”

Shortly after, I could hear the front door to the house slamming shut, followed by the sound of locking doors.

Well… Then.

After Yui left the house, I dragged my sluggish body to the bathroom. I wash my face and brush my teeth. While I’m at it, I check my swollen throat in the mirror.

Aaahh… It’s all red.

The tonsils were so red and swollen they could be seen easily. The cold probably came from my throat.

I then laid out clean towels, tissues, and water near me, and snuck into the futon.

Grabbing and booting up my cheap phone, I checked out some news sites.

This… Sense of forgetting anything… It’s been a while since I’ve felt it.

My foggy mind can’t hold any information. It slips my mind like water down the drain. With a fever this high, my photographic memory doesn’t work properly.

I’ll just sleep until dusk…

Turning off the lights, I sank into a deep slumber.

How much time has passed since then?

“Nnn… Ah…”

I slowly woke up as a dull ache coursed through my head. With this sudden blurriness, I could barely see. Uncomfort seeps through my entire body.

Ah… S**t…

I was at the peak of this cold, and the pain made me feel as if this was the hardest time of my life.

I’m starving…

Glancing at my watch, I saw the time was at around eighteen o’ clock.

Oh yeah, I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up.

Inside the fridge… Do I have anything there?

As I fumbled through my thoughts, I could hear the sound of something simmering.

Ah, she’s back…

Oh, but… She can’t cook at all, right?

A knock at my door, followed by it opening gently. Soon after, they came in—

“—Kuzuhara-kun, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Shira… Yuki?”

It was Tohka Shirayuki wearing an apron.

L to that old lady >:(