Chapter 5 …

 Light Snow

The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I was lying in front of the shack, with Hoshi Akari-san pressed tightly against my side.

Thank goodness… After that, there hadn’t been any more enemy attacks, and it hadn’t snowed either. The shack was still burning, and Hoshi-san must have followed my instructions and kept the fire going.

I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t move. As I struggled, Hoshi-san seemed to notice and suddenly sat upright.

“Yuu-kun. Don’t force yourself to move. I think your wound has probably closed, but you’ve got a really high fever. Also… lend me the hatchet.”

I was still gripping the hatchet tightly in my hand. Without this thing, I would’ve been completely finished. I really owed my life to whoever had left it here.

About an hour later, Hoshi-san returned carrying something, then splattered it right on top of me.

“What is this?”

It smelled incredibly raw and fishy, and it was cold and damp. But maybe because of my fever, it actually felt a little good.

“This is… the hide from the beasts you defeated, Yuu-kun. It was my first time skinning an animal, but I somehow managed okay. If it’s not enough, there are still more, so I can skin some more later. And after that, let’s try grilling the meat too!”

Rawhide would probably rot eventually, but as a temporary replacement after losing the shack, this was honestly pretty decent. And more importantly… meat. I was grateful we could finally eat meat.

“And, Yuu-kun… about the things you defeated… they had horns and fangs and stuff. They didn’t really look like any mountain dogs or wolves I know… Maybe they’re creatures from this world?”

I wanted to confirm it with my own eyes, but my body refused to move, so for now, I just accepted that explanation.

By noon, I ate meat for the first time in ages, and afterward, Hoshi-san continued butchering the carcasses. But by afternoon, the swelling in my left shoulder had gotten much worse, and my fever seemed to be climbing even higher. The chills were terrible, and I ended up vomiting everything I’d eaten at lunch.

Hoshi-san took care of me, but without a shack, I couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen if it snowed tonight. And there was always the chance of another beast raid.

“It’s okay, Yuu-kun! They smell a little weird, but we’ve got five hides, so we should somehow manage tonight! And I’ll stay right next to you the whole time too!”

With me unable to move, Hoshi-san felt unbelievably dependable.

Eventually, the sun set. After adding more firewood to the burning remains of the shack, Hoshi-san and I lay down together under the open sky, wrapped in five beast hides.

◇◇◇

Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up.

My throat was unbearably dry. My fever was still raging.

I looked beside me, about to ask Hoshi-san to bring me water—

But something was wrong.

Her face looked pained, and she was shivering violently.

“Hoshi-san, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Ahaha… sorry, Yuu-kun. I think I’ve got a fever too. Maybe I pushed myself too hard doing all that butchering when I’m not used to it…”

When I looked around, I realized the fire from the shack had nearly gone out.

Hoshi-san must not have been able to move, and the fuel had run out.

Damn it… At a time like this, my body won’t even move? What a pathetic excuse for a man I am!

I steeled myself and tried to stand.

But the instant I thought I was on my feet, the ground spun violently, and I collapsed right back down.

My fever really was that bad.

Then, dragging herself along while still wrapped in beast hide, Hoshi-san slowly inched closer to me.

“Don’t push yourself, Yuu-kun. At this point, we just have to accept it and sleep here together. It’s okay… I think I’ll recover by morning… So for now… let’s just stay close and keep each other warm…”

…Yeah.

She was right.

That really was the best thing I could do right now.

Hoshi-san was my girlfriend Tomori’s mother… but somehow, in that moment, she felt unbelievably precious to me.

With my still-functioning right hand, I gently pulled Hoshi-san’s head closer to me.

“It’s okay, Yuu-kun. When things are hard, it’s okay to lean on your mom.”

…Yeah.

That’s right.

She really was “Mom.”

Not quite the same as my girlfriend after all.

Realizing that, I stopped myself just before I did something as crazy as kissing Hoshi-san.

The ground and sky were still spinning wildly, but the warmth of Hoshi-san’s skin felt comforting.

Was this hell… or heaven…?

As that fever-fogged thought drifted through my mind, snow began to fall.

And little by little… it grew heavier.

(Ahh… this might be the end…)

That thought crossed my mind, so I looked at Hoshi-san—

And she was staring directly back at me.

“Yuu-kun… I’m sorry. I’m so useless. But… I’m really glad you stayed with me until the end. I wonder if I’ll never get to see Tomori again… This is awful… My eyes just won’t stop leaking…”

“Hoshi-san. Don’t give up yet. After one night’s sleep, our situation might improve. Let’s keep fighting together until the very end!”

Then, pulling Hoshi-san’s tear-and-snot-covered face tightly against mine, I said—

“May I kiss you?”

…Wait.

What the hell am I saying?

Am I delirious from the fever?

Hoshi-san blinked at me blankly for a moment.

Then, eventually, she said—

“Okay…”

And then, Hoshi-san’s face slowly moved closer—

And our lips met.

Maybe it was the fever.

Maybe it was the sheer insanity of this completely unexpected situation.

But as the world spun faster and faster around me, and my consciousness gradually began to fade…

The snowfall grew even heavier—

And slowly, gently…

It began to bury the two of us whole.