The Saintess Next Door is a Super Popular VTuber Whose Character was Designed by Me
Tonari ni Sunderu Seijo-sama wa Ore ga Chara-Design o Tantoushita Daininki VTuber deshita
Chapter 31 - The Saintess' Visit
"37 degrees, huh? That’s just a slight fever."
"You should just take a rest and wait it out."
Since the school trip involved an overnight stay, students were required to check their temperatures as part of health monitoring.
That morning, when Iori checked his, the thermometer displayed exactly 37°C.
Considering his normal body temperature was around 36.5°C, the difference was barely noticeable, so it was just a slight fever at best.
If it had been just a fraction lower, it wouldn’t have even been worth fussing over.
After consulting with a teacher, Iori was instructed to stay in the hotel and rest.
However, he didn’t feel particularly weak. No headaches, nausea, or coughing, and his appetite was fine too.
It was really just a slight fever, so his condition was mild. Depending on his condition in the afternoon, he might even be able to rejoin the activities.
"So, that chill I felt yesterday must have been the start of this, huh?"
"Ah, that's probably it."
Iori muttered to himself while sitting on his bed.
Yesterday, he had been feeling unusually cold alongside Kanata, but unlike his friend, Iori wasn’t the type to get cold easily. He had found it odd at the time.
Thinking back, his struggle to hold his ground when he got tangled up with Asumi might have also been an early sign that his body wasn’t at full strength.
"Well, I’ll check in on you from time to time, so just take a rest."
"It’s not like I need serious bed rest or anything."
Kanata, now dressed in his sportswear, waved a hand as he left the room.
And so, Iori was left alone in the hotel.
"Alright, shall I do some drawing?"
Since he was just resting as a precaution, doing something mildly energy-consuming like drawing shouldn’t be an issue.
Iori pulled out his tablet and stylus from his bag and resumed his illustration work after a day-long break.
"Man, it’s quiet."
About two hours had passed. Iori took a break and gazed out the window, mumbling to himself.
Lately, Asumi had been making him drinks while he worked or cooking dinner, so it had been a while since he’d drawn by himself.
On top of that, the past few days had been lively—his secret of living next door to Asumi had been exposed, he’d gone skiing, and there had been plenty of excitement with his friends.
Now, the silence felt somehow unsatisfying.
(No, no. This is how it’s supposed to be.)
Shaking off the thought, Iori returned to drawing.
Being alone was normal and fine for him.
As long as he could draw, that was enough. Having a few casual friends to hang out with was just a bonus.
But somehow, he couldn’t completely shake the feeling of loneliness.
Still, he told himself that he was just feeling a little down because he wasn’t feeling well.
Just as he was trying to distract himself with work, there was a knock on the door.
Figuring it was either Kanata or a teacher checking in on him, Iori casually said, "Come in."
The door quietly opened.
"Excuse me."
His guess was completely wrong.
It wasn’t Kanata or a teacher.
Standing there in the doorway was Asumi, dressed in the school’s designated tracksuit.
She was also holding a plastic convenience store bag.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit you."
"Wait, are you even allowed in the boys’ rooms?"
"Well, you know, special circumstances."
"That so?"
With a playful wink, Asumi pressed a finger to her lips.
In other words, as long as no one finds out, it’ll be fine.
Yesterday, when she scolded Kurumi, it had mostly been to make sure they didn’t show up late for assembly or miss preparations. Maybe she wasn’t too strict about the rules herself.
Not that it really mattered to Iori. If anything, he was just happy she had come to visit, so he didn’t think too hard about it.
"To be honest, I was a little worried about you. But also... I was scared to ride the ski lift again, so I ran away here."
"Still scared, huh?"
"I—I can’t help it! It’s terrifying!"
Asumi pouted slightly, looking embarrassed.
It was true that fears like that weren’t something you could just overcome in a single day.
Seeing this unexpectedly cute side of her, Iori couldn’t help but chuckle.
Flustered, Asumi turned her face away in embarrassment.
"Well, whatever. But honestly, I don’t even need a get-well visit. I just have a slight fever."
"I know. Numakura-san already told me. But just in case, right?"
"I mean, I’m totally fine. See? I’m even doing some drawing."
"You should be resting. Actually, are you really fine? It’s been a while, why don’t you check your temperature again?"
"Come on, there’s no way it’s gone up."
Iori was happy that Asumi had come to visit, but he didn’t think it was anything worth worrying about.
He laughed as he showed her the illustration he was working on.
Even so, Asumi was still concerned and insistently handed him the thermometer from the desk.
"I feel perfectly fine. If anything, my fever has probably already gone down", with that thought, Iori laughed it off and took his temperature.
And then…
"……"
"Well? What is the result?"
"……It-it's normal…"
A brief silence filled the room. The thermometer beeped, signaling the result.
Iori checked the numbers on the display—then, stiffly, he reported his temperature awkwardly.
"Let me see."
"It’s embarrassing."
"What’s embarrassing about it? Don’t lie. Come on, show me."
"Uh…"
"…Your fever went up, huh?"
Asumi reached for the thermometer, but Iori instinctively tried to resist. However, his weak attempt was easily overpowered, and she took it from him.
After checking the reading, she calmly stated the result.
"Iori-kun?"
"No, no, it’s just 37.3°C. It’s barely anything."
Asumi narrowed her eyes at him, giving him a sharp, unimpressed look.
Sensing that he was in trouble, Iori hastily tried to smooth things over.
"Iori-kun?"
"I’m sorry."
But when she smiled at him 'gently', Iori knew he had lost. He resigned himself and apologized.
"Why were you drawing instead of resting?"
"That, I thought it’d be fine."
"You’re always so careless about yourself. You worry about others and are considerate, but when it comes to your own health, you completely neglect it."
"I-I'm very sorry…"
Usually, Asumi would just give him a small scolding, but today, she was being unusually strict.
This was probably the first time she had seriously reprimanded him.
Until now, it had always been more like a casual warning, like scolding a child. But this time, she was genuinely calling him out.
"I'm really ashamed of what I've done."
"Well, what’s done is done. No use dwelling on it. Besides, this is exactly why I came to check on you."
With a sigh, Asumi pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down.
Iori saved his work and turned off his tablet.
"Did you at least hydrate yourself?"
"Uh… not really. I was too focused on drawing."
"I brought a sports drink, so drink up. And just in case your fever gets worse, I also brought some fever medicine, it's mine, but you can use it if you need to."
"Thanks."
She had probably bought them at the hotel’s convenience store.
Asumi handed him the sports drink, and Iori accepted it gratefully, thinking that this was very typical of her.
She even poured it into a cup for him, tending to him with such care that it almost felt excessive.
She must have brought the fever medicine with her in case of emergencies, since this was an overnight trip. Taking it out from a small, cute pouch, she placed it on the bedside table.
Iori, who had thought of himself as relatively self-sufficient, suddenly realized how inexperienced he was compared to someone like Asumi, who lived alone and managed everything herself.
"I won’t tell you to lie down, but no more drawing, okay?"
"Okay."
After he finished drinking, Asumi gently reminded him again.
Iori had expected her to leave soon after that, but instead, she remained seated, watching him.
Iori wondered why.
It wasn’t like there was anything else for her to do here.
"Aren’t you going back, Asumi? Well, not that I want to tell my visitor to leave, but you don’t have to stay either. You can do whatever you want."
"I’m here to keep an eye on you. I don’t trust you not to start drawing again."
"Fine, fine."
Iori didn’t want to trouble her any more than he already had.
This was a school trip, there were plenty of other fun things she could do besides skiing. He didn’t want to take up her time.
So, he tried to persuade her to leave, but she only responded with a serious look and a sharp remark.
"Yesterday, you helped me. So now, it’s my turn to help you."
Then, she added with a small smile—
"And besides, this is my choice."
(Man, I really am useless, huh…?)
Iori let out a sigh, reflecting on how much he relied on Asumi.
At the same time, as he looked at her gentle smile, he found himself staring a little too long—before quickly looking away, feeling a bit guilty.
[To be Continued]
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