/
Kaburagi had no interest in any girl outside of Yurie-sama. Unless he had some reason to, he would never speak to a girl of his own accord. Yet

“Sup, Takamichi.”
“Ah-, hello.”
Each time he passed her in the hallway he would greet her just like that. It was like they were good friends.
What’s more, from what I heard, Kaburagi would call out to her in the same way when he came to her class to visit Enjou.
It wasn’t something that people could brush off with ‘meeting by chance’ anymore. Kaburagi wasn’t the sort to call out to a girl just because he ‘met her by chance’.
Even worse was that thanks to that, Enjou was calling out to her like a friend as well, these days. The result was that Tsuruhana-san’s No. 2 and her friends were picking on Wakaba-chan even harder now.
And my friends were all gossiping as well. Serika-chan and Kikuno-chan even asked me to ask Kaburagi about it at the salon. Ehhh~
Honestly though, what on earth happened during the summer, Wakaba-chan?
*
*
*
Wanting to seek refuge from the powder-keg the high school was turning into, I often hid in the Handicrafts Club or the Petite Pivoine. After school today I was heading there to meet with Mao-chan.
The weather forecasts had predicted a typhoon, and the skies were beginning to grow cloudy
 I gazed out the hallway window as I headed to the Petite salon. While I was doing so I caught sight of a small crouching figure.
“Eh-, Yukino-kun!?”
Upon closer inspection I realised that it was Yukino-kun crouched in the hallway and grasping his chest painfully. I rushed over in panic.
“What’s wrong, Yukino-kun!?”
He wouldn’t answer. Yukino-kun was paler than usual, and just continued to wheeze shallow breaths.
“Is it an asthma attack!?”
Yukino-kun nodded. This was bad!
While struggling to breathe, Yukino-kun was looking through his bag for something. Huh?
What he pulled out was his inhaler. His arms were trembling and he was struggling to shake it, so I took it from him and shook it in his stead. Would this help him? He inhaled the drug with a whoosh, but his wheezing hadn’t gotten better. Maybe it wasn’t something that worked right away.
“Yukino-kun, let’s just head to the nurse’s office, okay?”
“Okay
” he quietly replied.
I held my hand out and helped him up, but he was too unsteady on his feet to walk.
“Yukino-kun!”
I quickly stopped him from falling but we wouldn’t be able to get there like this. What was I to do? I desperately searched my mind for ideas when it hit me.
“Yukino-kun! Climb onto my back!”
“
Eh
?”
I squatted down and faced my back to him. There wasn’t anything I could do except piggyback him!
“But
”
Yukino-kun was hesitant but now wasn’t the time for that. His face was still as white as a sheet. Maybe the medicine had worked because he looked a little more comfortable than before but in no way did the attack look over!
“Come on, hurry!”
At my urging, he timidly let me carry him. I immediately felt the burden. He might have been thin, but he was already a 1st grader. It was heavy. Would I really be able to stand like this!?
But Yukino-kun was struggling to breathe right next to my ear. The hands around my shoulders were ice cold.
Fine! Women were all about guts! Awaken, the power of the muscles I gained during summer jogging!
Nuoooooooooooooooooohh~!!
With Yukino-kun on my back, I stood up and steadied myself. I could do this!
“Yukino-kun, hold on tightly, okay?”
By a stroke of good luck, somebody from the Petite Pivoine had come by, so I asked them to bring our bags to Mao-chan before heading straight for the infirmary.
Goooooooo! Show them your guts! Aim for Honoluluuuuuuuu! Uoooooooooohhh!
I ran steadily through the hallways of the primary school building with Yukino-kun.
*
*
When we got there, the nurse immediately had Yukino-kun lie down on the bed.
“Are you all right, Yukino-kun? The nurse said that she would contact your family as well as your Oniisama so they should be here right away, all right?”
“Yes
 Thank you very much
 Reika-oneesan
”
Lying down made breathing harder, so right now his upper body was propped upright.
“Does it happen often? Attacks like these
”
“Today’s attack was because the typhoon’s coming
”
Apparently his asthma got worse during weather like these. It was just terrible! Typhoons came every year! Did he end up like this each and every time!?
“I’m fine,” he smiled weakly while sipping warm black tea.
He wasn’t. You aren’t fine, Yukino-kun!
That was when Enjou arrived.
“Yukino!”
He made a beeline for Yukino’s bed and began checking up on him.
“Did you use your inhaler?”
“Yeah
”
“A car is coming to take you to the hospital. We’ve let the hospital know already.”
“Okay
”
With Enjou’s help, Yukino got down from the bed.
“Can you walk on your own?”
“Yeah
”
Mao-chan and Yuuri-kun had brought our bags here so we brought them to the carpark to see the Enjou brothers off.
“Kisshouin-san, thank you for helping my brother. I’ll definitely repay the favour.”
“Yukino-kun is a precious and adorable kouhai of mine. Thanks are unnecessary. Please do hurry to the hospital. Could you let me know how he is tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Sorry, and thanks.”
We waved as the car drove into the distance.
“Yukino-kun looked like he was in pain
”
“Yes.”
Please let Yukino-kun get better

*
*
The next morning, Enjou called me into the hallway. I flew through the greetings and immediately asked him about Yukino-kun.
“Enjou-sama, how is Yukino-kun doing!?”
“We’re hospitalising him just to be safe but it wasn’t too bad this time. I think he’ll be discharged tomorrow or the day after.”
“I see
”
Yukino-kun was being admitted again. Poor Yukino-kun

“Kisshouin-san, yesterday you carried him all the way to the infirmary, didn’t you? Thank you. He must have been heavy, right? It gave me a shock when Yukino told me.”
“No, he was not particularly.”
Rising up to Mihara-san’s relentless daily training had really been worth it. My pitiful muscles had definitely shown growth. Admittedly I didn’t train my arms at all, so they were shaking with muscle pain this morning, though!
“Yukino was a bit depressed about being carried by a girl, you know.”
“My!”
I didn’t hurt his pride as a boy, did I? Speaking of which, he was worried about his height during the summer party, wasn’t he.
“Then please apologise to Yukino-kun for me.”
“Why are you apologising? I really am grateful that you went that far for him. Thanks.”
Enjou bowed to me. I quickly stopped him since I noticed pedestrians looking at us. Please give me a break here.
That was when I noticed Kaburagi and Wakaba-chan heading down our way. So the two of them had arrived to school together again.
I wonder why they had suddenly grown so close. I sooooo wanted to know

“Do you want to know?”
“Uehh!?”
Enjou read my mind again!
“Want me to tell you? Why Masaya suddenly got closer with Takamichi-san
”
“Eh
”
It felt like Enjou’s eyes had lit up in mirth.
“No! I am fine, thank you!”
Never play with fire!
Oh boy, oh boy! That was close.
“Now, please excuse me!” I said, and headed right back to my classroom.
After all, I had to hurry to class! Today was the day we would be picking which events we would be entering for the Athletics Carnival! There wasn’t any time to concern myself with other people’s romances!
Actually, after the incident with Yukino-kun, I was feeling a little more confident now. Maybe I would enter one of the races this year.
“Reika-sama, will you be entering the costume race again?”
Yeah. Not that race.