Itazura Na Kiss: Love in Tokyo 3 - Hello, Baby!

03| chapter 3

KOTOKO'S POV

Okaa-san, Yuuki, Dad, Otou-san. Familiar faces were hovering over me.

Okaa-san gasped with a smile of relief, and I could see Yuuki's mouth drop open.

"Ah! She's awake!" Yuuki exclaimed. I tried to get a better look at Dad, whose eyebrows were pushed together.

"It's true!" Okaa-san squealed in relief. "Kotoko-chan is awake!"

'Where's... Irie-kun...?'

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Kotoko-chan is up!" Okaa-san was shouting, and a weight was lifted from my side as she rolled off the bed and stumbled to the bedroom door.

'What's happening? Everyone is so worried...'

"Kotoko-chan is...!" I could hear Okaa-san exclaim.

"Mama, calm down, calm down!" Otou-san interjected, grabbing her by the shoulders. I pulled myself up to see what was happening.

"What...?" I croaked out "I..." I looked from Yuuki to Papa's worried faces, then down at the floor.

'What happened? I don't remember getting in bed... or anything from last night...'

Quickly, Okaa-san rushed to my side. "Kotoko-chan, you collapsed at the hospital." She explained to me.

Suddenly, Yuuki piped up. "Onii-chan carried you home."

"You've been sleeping until now," Okaa-san continued in a rush.

Bits and pieces of it were coming back to me, and my heart started to pound.

'I remember... Irie-kun's blurry face... and the floor-'

"We were so worried! Thank God you're up..." Okaa-san grabbed my arm and started to shake me. Her face was wrinkled all over in concern, and although I still couldn't really remember what happened, I felt horrible that everyone was so distraught. It was all my fault...

"Gomenasai, I made you worry," I said. I was so embarrassed that I looked away.

"That's right!" Dad exclaimed. "You really had us worried...!" I could hear him start to sob, and I looked up.

'Dad...?'

Otou-san smiled and slapped him on the back.

"All Is well! Kotoko is fine," he sighed as Dad sniffed and wiped his face..

I didn't know what to do. No matter how hard I tried, I could only remember half of what happened to me last night. I let my mouth hang open and looked to Okaa-san, who was still staring at me with a pained expression. Suddenly, she grabbed both my arms and pulled me into a hug, and I could feel her sniffling against my chest.

'Oba-sama...'

"Gomenasai ne, Kotoko-chan!" She cried in my ear. My whole body shook as she squeezed me lovingly. "You caught our influenza!"

'Huh...? But I feel totally fine!'

Oba-sama pulled away from me and stared at me with shame in her eyes.

"You had to work at the hospital, and take care of us as well!" She looked sadly at Dad, Yuuki and Otou-san. I felt like I was about to cry. They'd done nothing wrong! It was me who fainted, yet she was taking all of the blame and worrying herself even more... And even if I was sick, it still wasn't their fault! They couldn't help that they'd caught the influenza. Irie-kun and I had decided to help them, so if anyone was to blame it was me. Even so, I felt fine!