I Want to Hear Your Voice - Chapter 22

SS “Cold” (1)

As soon as Sousuke came home from work that day, he faced Satori who greeted him at the front door, and said, “Sorry, Satori. I’ve got a bit of a headache, so can you just buy something from outside for dinner tonight?”

Satori opened his eyes wide.

Headache…? Does headache mean his head hurts…?

Satori was flustered. He didn’t know what to do and could only follow Sousuke from behind. Sousuke staggered to the living room, looking like he was about to collapse.

Satori was a spirit, so he rarely got sick. But Sousuke was something like a “half-human and half-spirit”, so maybe there was something wrong with the human part of Sousuke’s body.

Sousuke collapsed onto the sofa, and he looked as if he had just realized Satori’s presence just now.

(Not good. I’ve got to pull myself together or Satori will be worried.)

Then, he lingered his gaze on the worried-looking Satori and frowned slightly.

(Oh no, Satori will hear this too…)

Satori widened his eyes, which seemed like they would spill tears anytime soon. He knew that his presence made Sousuke worry, but he didn’t know what to do. He wondered why he was so useless at a time like this. He thought that he had gotten used to the human world after Sousuke had taught him, but he couldn’t do anything to help in the face of a suffering Sousuke.

Satori clenched his palms together in front of his chest. At his feet, the white fluffy spirits were jumping up and down, as if asking whether Satori was alright or not.

What to do, what should I do…?

“So-sousuke…”

Satori extended his hand and was startled by the high temperature of Sousuke’s body. He hurriedly tried to pull his hand back, but Sousuke grabbed his hand.

“Satori.”

(It’s okay.)

“I’m okay, so you don’t have to worry.”

But in Satori’s eyes, it didn’t seem that way at all.

“I stopped by the hospital on the way home and got an IV, so I’ll get better by tomorrow. That’s why, don’t cry.”

Sousuke chuckled at Satori who couldn’t answer anything back. His fingers wiped away the tears that had accumulated around the edges of Satori’s eyes.

“You don’t believe what I’m saying?”

Satori was surprised and quickly shook his head. At that moment, the tears he had been holding back until then were spilled onto the floor. Seeing his tears, Sousuke stretched his arm in a sluggish manner and ruffled Satori’s hair. Satori’s chest became tight at the gentle touch of Sousuke’s hand.

(It probably won’t spread to Satori, right… It’ll only make me worry, so I better stay away from him just in case…)

Before the surprised Satori could say anything, Sousuke got up from the sofa.

“I don’t want to pass my cold to you, so sorry but I’ll be taking the bed for today. This sofa can be turned into a bed, so can you sleep in the living room, Satori?”

No, no. Sousuke…

“I-I…”

Satori bit his lip tightly and shook his head to the side. His heart ached when he saw the slightly troubled expression on Sousuke’s face. It wasn’t that Satori didn’t want to sleep on the sofa, separated from Sousuke. He just didn’t want to leave Sousuke alone in that condition. However, he would only trouble Sousuke if he kept on whining, so Satori had no choice but to nod his head.

Seeing him nod, Sousuke, who had a much redder face than usual, smiled in relief.

(Sorry.)

“Make sure to eat properly.”

Satori was patted on the head.

“…!”

Satori clenched his hands that wanted to hold Sousuke back. Sousuke staggered to the bedroom, then he closed the sliding door between the living room and bedroom, which was usually left open and connected the bedroom to the living room.

“Sousuke…”

The moment he was left alone in the room, tears began to fall from Satori’s eyes. The white fluffy spirits jumped around Satori’s feet as if they were worried about him.

What should I do…?

Satori rubbed his eyes then hurriedly headed to the kitchen. He suddenly remembered a scene from a TV drama about taking care of a sick person, and he started to carry the things he saw in his arms one after another. Halfway, he was carrying too many things at once that the ‘tasty water’ fell out of his hands.

“Ah.”

Satori picked up the tasty water and returned to the living room. Satori, who had lost his composure, didn’t realize that the white fluffy spirits were following him from behind.

First, I have to cool down his temperature…

For that, he needed something to lower fever and fluids for replenishment.

He became so worried that his chest felt like it was about to crumble.

“I mustn’t cry. I have to stay strong.”

As he did so, his vision slowly became blurry, and Satori tried desperately to get his feelings together. Satori wiped the tears that were piling up with the sleeve of his clothes, then turned his lonely gaze to the closed bedroom.

“Sousuke…”

Satori tightly bit his lip, then shook his head to the side.

I have to stay strong…

He set down the things he was carrying at his feet, then quietly opened the door that separated the living room from the bedroom. He wondered what he would do if he were to get scolded for not doing what he was told, but Sousuke seemed to be asleep. In the dimly lit room, he could hear the sound of Sousuke’s labored breathing.

Perhaps because he was feeling really sick, Sousuke, who was usually sensitive to the noises that Satori made, didn’t show any signs of waking up even when Satori entered the bedroom. This fact made Satori’s heart ache.

As Satori wiped Sousuke’s sweat-drenched forehead with a tightly wrung wet towel, Sousuke moved slightly. Satori was surprised; he froze and watched Sousuke for a while, but there was no sign of him waking up.

“I’ll put the water here, okay…?”

He put the tasty water within the reach of Sousuke’s hands. He was sure that Sousuke would get better after drinking it. Then, Satori wrapped a leek around Sousuke’s neck, just like what he saw on TV. Satori tilted his head when he saw Sousuke furrow his eyebrows.

“I wonder why doing this would help…?”

Satori didn’t understand why, but in the TV drama, the girl who had been sick in bed got better afterward, so it must have a tremendous effect for sure.

Satori took off his treasured amethyst pendant from his neck, and gently placed it beside Sousuke’s pillow, along with the charm pouch containing the memo of Sousuke’s phone number.

“Please protect Sousuke.”

The back of his nose ached.

Seeing Sousuke suffering made him sad. If Satori could take over the pain for Sousuke, he would gladly do so. He felt that his useless self was so pathetic.