Chapter 94: The Momoi Family’s Canned Peaches

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Translator: Soafp

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“…Zubi”

“Here, tissue. Blow your nose.”

“Zin… Ugh, thanks.”

Wiping away Sora's tears and dabbing at her runny nose, Ginji let out a relieved sigh. When he brought up lunch, he'd panicked to find Sora lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and crying—but it didn't seem like she was upset or in pain.

“I always took care of myself, even when I caught a cold… But having you nurse me like this brought back a lot of memories… and, I guess I finally felt a kind of loneliness I've been pretending not to notice.”

It was as if she'd opened the lid on something in her heart. Could something this warm and comforting really be allowed to happen to her?

Her feverish head briefly wondered if this was just a dream. But the sight of Ginji carefully preparing her meal grounded her back to reality.

“You've got this instinct to take care of others, but you're weirdly bad at letting yourself be taken care of. I'm your boyfriend, you know. You can leave it all to me.”

“You're going to spoil me into a completely useless person…”

“Funny, that's usually my line. Here—porridge. I let it cool a bit, but it's still hot, so be careful.”

He handed her a plastic bowl of rice porridge and a spoon.

“There's egg in it…”

“Yeah, I figured you'd like it that way.”

“Mhm… Isn't this the part where you feed me, though?”

Her cheeks flushed with fever and embarrassment, Sora muttered while handing the bowl and spoon back to Ginji.

“…You're in good shape. Just stay like that. Though, we do feed each other lunch all the time anyway.”

Taking the bowl, Ginji scooped a small amount, blew on it gently, and held it out. Sora opened her mouth shyly. For some reason, the two glared at each other as it happened, giving the moment a weird tension.

The egg porridge had a light touch of dashi broth and was gently seasoned, easy on her stomach.

“…Exquisite craftsmanship.”

“My humble offering… though you made most of it in the first place.”

“Next, veggies. Bring it on!”

“Alright. You want them plain? I brought yuzu ponzu just in case.”

“Ponzu it is, please and thank you!”

“Why are you talking like you're in a sports club? Here—ahh.”

Switching from spoon to chopsticks, Ginji picked up a small piece of broccoli and brought it to Sora's mouth.

“…Surprisingly tasty. This is your true power, huh…?”

“Nope, that's the power of the Hel〇 oven. But don't eat too much. Getting stuffed can actually wear you out. Just eat till you're about 80% full and make sure to stay hydrated.”

After drinking some sports drink and finishing about half the food, Sora was done eating. Ginji cleared the dishes and came back with a small plate. Inside was canned peaches in syrup, the kind you always see in stores.

“Here, cold canned peaches. It's tradition in the Momoi household—whenever someone's sick, they get peaches.”

“Because I am Momoi?”

“Because you’re Momoi.”

Ginji grinned proudly, and Sora couldn't help but laugh.

After the sweet peaches, Sora was tucked into bed. Thanks to the food and hydration, her body was already preparing for rest. She was tired—but too reluctant to part from Ginji's care just yet, fighting off the sleepiness.

“I portioned out the leftover porridge and put it in the fridge. Just heat it up when you're hungry later.”

Ginji came back into the room after cleaning up.

“Okay… Hey, Ginji—you're really good at this whole nursing thing.”

“Yeah, Tetsu used to be kind of sickly. When our parents weren't home, I'd take care of him. I basically copied what my dad did.”

“So not your mom, huh?”

“…My mom's hopeless at housework. Honestly, she'd probably make things worse. And she gets pissed if you call her ‘Mom' instead of ‘Mother'… she's a handful.”

“I-I see…”

Judging by how Ginji looked away, she really was that bad.

“Well, the canned peaches were her one redeeming act of care. Can't mess those up, after all.”

“Gotcha…”

“By the way, when I catch a cold, Tetsu looks after me. He's scary good—has everything ready before I even ask.”

“Hmph. I'm not losing to him. If you ever get sick, I'll take care of you perfectly.”

“Why are you turning this into a competition…? Anyway, I'll throw your laundry in the machine and dry it.”

“Ah—no, you don't have to—”

“If you trip over something half-asleep, that's way worse. I know how annoying being sick is, so let me handle it.”

“Well… my room's always like this anyway…”

“Kinda figured. You like decorating, but you don't really care about organizing, huh?”

Sora turned away. Ginji recalled how the first-floor workshop was equally messy. With her sharp memory, Sora didn't lose track of where things were even if they were scattered. She let her personal space be chaotic, but demanded precision and beauty from her kitchenware and decor.

“I—I can clean if I really try!”

“I know you can. Anyway, I'll just—”

As Ginji reached down, he grabbed a gray scrap of fabric. A few seconds later, his brain caught up—and he realized it was a bra.

“S-Sorry!”

“Nyaaaah! I have cuter ones, toooo!”

After some chaos, they finally agreed to just shove all the laundry into a pile in the corner. Things calmed down again.

Back in bed, Sora gave Ginji a flat glare.

“Ugh… I'm worn out.”

“This one's on me. Got too comfortable and forgot where I was.”

Ginji sat in seiza and apologized solemnly. Only now did it hit him how careless he'd been entering a girl's room without thinking.

Watching him, Sora let out a soft laugh.

“Kidding. I was embarrassed, but if it's you, I don't mind. Next time, I'll make sure to lay out my cuter ones.”

“No, just put them away.”

“Actually, maybe you should buy me some?”

“Let me remind you—if a high school boy hangs around the lingerie section, even with a girlfriend, people will stare.”

“Well, I always order online anyway. You can help me pick next time.”

“Spare me…”

After a bit of back-and-forth, things settled. As usual, they chatted until Sora let out a big yawn.

“You're sleepy.”

“…I'm not.”

But her eyelids were already drooping. Ginji reached out and felt her forehead.

“Looks like your fever's gone down. A good nap should do the trick.”

“…I still want to talk to you…”

Sora reached out, and Ginji gently took her hand.

“We can talk more tomorrow. I'll stay here till you fall asleep. Oh—what about the key?”

“There's a spare in the shoe cabinet upstairs. You can take it.”

“Guess I'll have to. I'll return it tomorrow.”

“Mmkay… Sorry, I'm about to pass out.”

“Yeah, get some sleep.”

Soon, Sora was breathing softly in her sleep. Ginji tried to stand—but she was still holding his hand.

He tried gently shaking her arm, but even unconscious, she showed no signs of letting go.

“Seriously…”

With a wry smile, Ginji sat back down. He stayed there at her bedside until, several hours later, Sora woke up needing to use the bathroom.