Shiina Mahiru bit her lip, lowered her head, and didn't say a word.
Where was the smiling, lovely appearance she had when they first met?
Instead, she looked like a wounded little beast.
It made people feel sorry for her.
Lin Xi sighed and didn't ask anymore.
He forcibly stuffed the umbrella into her hand and turned to leave in the heavy rain.
"Go home quickly, Teacher Sengoku and Sayu are very worried about you."
Looking at his back, soaked by the rain, a trace of light finally appeared in Shiina Mahiru's eyes.
My cousin is worried about me, Sayu is also worried about me, then what about you, Lin?
This question flashed through her mind, but she instantly had the answer.
The umbrella in her hand, and his anxious expression just now, had already proven everything.
The rain hit the umbrella, making a rustling sound.
The cold wind blew through the school uniform, which was wet from the rain, and Shiina Mahiru subconsciously shivered.
But this chill made her laugh involuntarily.
"What, isn't there still someone who cares about you and cares about you?"
That idiot, wouldn't he just forcibly pull her away?
He had to give her the umbrella.
And went home in the rain himself.
"Let's go home."
Shiina Mahiru adjusted her mood and quickened her pace back to Sakura Dormitory.
Arriving at the door, she saw Chisato Sengoku standing there, and she greeted her with a smile.
"I'm back, Cousin."
Seeing her return, Chisato Sengoku sighed.
"It's good that you're back."
"Go take a bath and change your clothes, don't catch a cold."
"Okay."
Shiina Mahiru nodded obediently, put away the umbrella, and placed it aside.
After taking her change of clothes, she walked into the bathroom.
Lying in the bathtub, Shiina Mahiru thought about what her mother said on the phone in the afternoon.
A crystal-clear teardrop slid uncontrollably from the corner of her eye.
Shiina Mahiru had always believed herself to be a strong girl.
Always.
To gain her parents' approval, she strived to be outstanding and maintain that excellence.
She had always been the most dazzling presence in her class.
The good child in everyone's eyes.
The 'other people's child' used as a comparison in the education of other children.
She hoped that her own efforts to become well-behaved would attract her parents' attention.
That her mom and dad would come home, even just to check on her occasionally would be good.
But none of that happened.
Those two would only give her money.
When they occasionally came home, they wouldn't comfort her or take care of her, just stay for a night as if fulfilling an obligation, and then leave immediately.
She left that empty house and came to Sakura Manor, for which she was scolded.
Her mother said she was an unwanted child.
Neither her mother nor her father had expected her to be born.
But she was born anyway.
Because of her existence, those two couldn't get divorced, so neither of them liked her.
With a heavy heart, Shiina Mahiru finished her bath, changed into clean pajamas, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day.
She composed herself, intending to make breakfast as usual and go to school with the boy who filled her with complex emotions.
But Ogiwara Sayu sighed and said that there was no need to prepare his lunch today.
Lin Xi had caught a cold.
When she arrived at school, Shiina Mahiru seemed distracted.
She thought of Lin Xi giving her the umbrella and catching a cold from walking back in the rain.
A strange feeling of bitterness welled up in her heart.
"That idiot…"
She bit her lip, muttering under her breath, but that feeling of bitterness naturally transformed into something warm.
Before she knew it, it was afternoon.
After class, Shiina Mahiru immediately returned to Sakura Manor.
Seeing Ogiwara Sayu wiping the floor, she couldn't help but ask,
"Um, Sayu, where's Lin Xi?"
Ogiwara Sayu gave her a resentful look and said,
"He had a high fever, and it only just broke; he's still lying down."
"Yesterday, he hadn't come back so late, so I went looking for you everywhere. When he couldn't find you at home, he rushed out with an umbrella, only to end up walking back in the rain himself."
"I'm sorry… it's all because of me…"
Hearing this, Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but lower her head in guilt.
"What are you apologizing for? He's the idiot; he had an umbrella, so why did he walk back in the rain? He could have just held the umbrella and taken you home, right?"
Shiina Mahiru lowered her head even further.
She knew that Lin Xi was considering her feelings, wanting her to calm down, so he gave her the umbrella and left.
"Can I go see him?"
She cautiously sought Ogiwara Sayu's opinion.
Shiina Mahiru wasn't stupid.
She had long since noticed that Ogiwara Sayu was spending the night in Lin Xi's room.
Looking at the uneasy yet somewhat stubborn Shiina Mahiru, Ogiwara Sayu smiled and shook her head.
"Why are you asking for my opinion? If you want to go, then go."
"I think he'll be very happy if you go visit him."
"Is… is that so…"
Shiina Mahiru's cheeks grew hot.
What exactly did Sayu mean?
"Alright, hurry up and go."
Ogiwara Sayu directly pushed her to the door of Lin Xi's room.
Shiina Mahiru took a deep breath before walking in.
She walked to the bedside.
She saw Lin Xi lying on the bed with a towel on his forehead.
He seemed to be asleep.
After thinking about it, she came to his bedside and reached out to take off the towel.
She used the back of her hand to test his forehead.
Thank goodness.
The fever had broken.
Shiina Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Lin Xi grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
The girl exclaimed in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, holding her close.
"Sayu, don't go, let me hold you."
"Um… I'm not…"
Shiina Mahiru wanted to push him away with a flushed face, but her gaze fell on his somewhat pained expression, and she stopped her movements.
He caught a cold entirely because of her.
She thought, she would just let him hold her for now.
Thinking this, she stopped struggling, but her cheeks were covered in blush.
It was the first time she had been held so intimately by a boy.
How should she put it?
Because it was him, it didn't seem so unpleasant.
This embrace made her feel very warm.
Being held by someone who cared about her, so this was how it felt.
Shiina Mahiru's maiden heart couldn't help but beat faster.
She was a little nervous.
She subconsciously looked towards the door.
What would she say if Sayu saw her?
However.
What the nervous Shiina Mahiru didn't know was that the man holding her was secretly overjoyed.
Pretending to be sick was also a technical skill.
But everything was worth it.
Look, Shiina Mahiru was now in his arms!
Although the means were despicable, using her kindness and the guilt it produced to embrace her.
But Lin Xi wanted to touch Shiina Mahiru's heart.
If the means were despicable, so be it.
As long as the result was good.
Shiina Mahiru's cheeks were burning hot, she didn't even need to look to know.
They were already red to the roots of her ears.
She was a little ashamed.
Although she understood that Lin Xi was treating her like Sayu.
But she felt very uncomfortable.
This pervert.
He was clearly still sick, but his 'tool' already wanted to act against the wind.
Moreover, it was a little scary.