⟦ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟜⟧
It was only the start of the day, and Kagami was already feeling heckled. Someone had left a deaf joke in her locker. She arrived at class later than the rest of her friends, feeling dejected over the knowledge that people were making fun of her. She always had anxieties about it, but so far the year had been good, and she had been beginning to think she was just paranoid.
But then the note came along and the fragile glass castle she had built had come crashing down. Now her body was left covered in microscopic but innumerable burning cuts from the shattered shards that littered the ground. Tadano immediately picked up on her sorrowful mood. "Hey Ishioka-san... Are you feeling okay? What happened?"
She felt her lip begin to tremble. It seemed that anytime someone asked if she was okay, no matter how hard she was fighting back tears, they would begin to cascade down her face at those four little words. Her hands shook as she raised them to explain herself.
"I'm sorry, Tadano-kun. I know I've been really emotional lately, but I swear I'm not usually this hard to deal with. It's just that... I thought I had been doing really well this year. I finally made friends, and things seemed to be coming together. I was finally starting to believe no one thought I was weird for not being able to hear, but..." She sniffled softly. "Someone left a note in my locker, teasing me about being deaf, and everything just came crashing down."
She looked up from her hands to stare at Tadano with forlorn eyes, glistening with tears. Tadano shared a look with Osana, the pair glanced at Komi who now understood that Kagami was upset because of the joke she had left in her locker. All three of them began to frantically explain what had happened.
Komi held her notebook up, eyes wide and teary in fear of losing a friend. "Ishioka-san I am so sorry. I saw something on the TV that said humor is important to communication. They also said the best humor is relatable, and I thought the joke might be something you would like because you related to it. I wasn't trying to make fun of you for being deaf, I promise."
Kagami took a second to let the words sink in. The joke had really hurt her feelings, but Komi had only been attempting to communicate better by following instructions from the television, and hadn't meant to hurt her. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Komi-san... I won't pretend that your joke didn't hurt my feelings, but I know you meant no harm by it, and it helps knowing that it wasn't a random person making fun of me."
Komi tearfully began to apologize over and over again, until Kagami stopped her and gave her a reassuring smile. Tadano took over the situation, turning the situation into a humorous one, explaining how a joke Komi left for Osana sounded like a death threat, freaking them out completely. Osana jumped in to tease Tadano and Komi on their dad jokes. "I asked Tadano-kun to show Komi a good joke and he responded with a lame pun!" Osana cackled loudly.
"You put me on the spot! I can make better jokes than 'cats make purr-fect pets'!" Tadano protests sharply, face flushing in embarrassment. Kagami shook her head in amusement, eyes twinkling with mirth.
"I liked your joke Tadano-kun." Komi wrote out in her perfect scrawled handwriting. Kagami nodded in agreement. It wasn't the traditional funny joke, but puns and dad jokes always held a special place in her heart. Her father loved them, and couldn't go a day without using at least one in conversation. If possible, Tadano flushed a shade darker, the red color burning from his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears. He wasn't accustomed to having two incredibly beautiful women backing him up and complimenting him.
Before anyone could say anything more, the teacher walked in, signaling the start of the class.
Kagami had noticed that Osana had stolen Tadano's umbrella before he could even switch out his shoes. With a shake of her head, she pulled out her own umbrella and approached Komi. "Osana-san stole Tadano-kun's umbrella. I have to go to work, but could you give this to him when he comes down? If you don't mind waiting, that is. Actually, I'll just put it by his locker and leave a note. Sorry for wasting your time, Komi-san." Kagami wrote quickly, leaving Komi dazed in a whirlwind of disorientation.
Komi watched as Kagami leaned her umbrella against the lockers by Tadano's, and started writing out a short note. She folded it once and slid it through the slats before turning on her heel and stepping out into the cold rain. Her uniform was at work, she justified. A little rain wouldn't hurt her.
Clearly, she was wrong in every way imaginable. She had made it to work, but not before slipping on a patch of wet concrete and twisting her ankle just enough that it started to swell slightly. She got through the work day at the animal shelter just fine, sticking to going through adoption paperwork instead of helping with feeding, watering, and cleaning animals.
But what really proved her wrong, was the way she felt as soon as she woke up the next morning. Her head pounded so violently that she could feel her entire body thrumming with every beat of her heart. Her eyesight was foggy and it was hard to see unless she concentrated, which proved difficult as the concentration it took to see properly only caused her head to ache worse.
Her joints felt stiff and she was sore across her entire body, especially her ankle, which had swollen even more since the night before, and now pulsed achingly in time with the pounding of her head. Her skin was burning to the touch, sweating so heavily that her white undershirt was now see through. Despite all this, she still felt freezing cold, whining softly and tugging her blankets closer to her body, bundling herself up in them like a caterpillar in its chrysalis.
Kagami knew that her mother would be in no state to take care of her while she was sick. She couldn't even take care of herself. She hadn't left her room returning from the hospital after the accident, and had turned into a shell of the person she used to be.
Kagami wanted to blame her, wanted to scream and shout that she was just a kid, a kid who needed her mother when her entire world crumbled around her. But she knew that her mother's world had also crumbled. No mother should outlive her children, but she had, and it was torture.
She forced herself to focus on her laptop, the little monstrosity scorching her eyes so harshly that she felt like she was staring into the sun. She sent two messages. One to her boss, 'Fuyuko-senpai, I have a cold, I won't be able to make it to work today. I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience.' And the other to Osana, 'Can U bring me cold medicine? Am very sick. :('
Fuyuko responded promptly with a 'get well soon' and Osana responded with a thumbs up. As soon as she got the responses, she let her laptop drop to the ground next to her bed, and curled deeper into her blankets until sleep graciously allowed her to transcend her sick body and drift aimlessly through the dream world.
Tadano's day had been anything but calm. Nakanaka had entered a blood pact with Komi, effectively making the pair friends. He had also been cruelly and painfully reminded of his cringy middle school self, including all of the heartache and embarrassment that came with being publicly rejected after pouring his heart out to the girl he liked. And it didn't help that Kagami was out sick. He felt responsible for it.
She had left her umbrella for him so that he would have one to walk home with, leaving her to walk in the rain, causing her to get sick. If he had brought a backup umbrella, this wouldn't have happened. He was also upset at Osana. If they hadn't taken his umbrella, Kagami wouldn't have left hers for him to use, and she wouldn't be sick.
There was also the fact that his day felt darker without the presence of a certain curly haired woman with piercing gray eyes. She had so quickly become a major part of his life that her not being there seemed to leave a void. He'd find himself turning to translate something for her, only to realize she wasn't there.
It would be the same for Komi, he reasoned. The pair had quickly swallowed up his free time. He found himself spending all of his time with the pair and Osana, or one on one with one of the two. So when Osana asked Tadano to stop by to bring Kagami cold medicine, he was happy to do so.
As soon as he agreed, he immediately felt the surge of self doubt and second thoughts. Would she even want to see me when she's sick? What if she's embarrassed? What if I make things worse? These thoughts consumed every fiber of his being until Osana smacked him on the back of the head. "She asked specifically for you."
Tadano felt his back straighten immediately. He felt... important. Needed. Worthy. He nodded his agreement, accepted an address from Osana, and set off towards the convenience store to pick up cold medicine. On his walk from the convenience store to Kagami's house, he sent a message to his parents, informing them of his whereabouts.
As he approached the door, he recalled Osana's instructions. Ring the doorbell once. Make sure to press it hard. It's loud enough to produce vibrations that will let Kagami know someone is at the door. If there's no answer right away, ring it again. If there's still no answer, there's a key taped to the top of the door jam. Kagami's room is on the second floor, all the way in the back. Make sure to knock very loudly on the door, and do not enter unless she answers it. She will think you're an intruder and attack if you don't wait.
Tadano let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. He pressed the pad of his finger against the doorbell and pushed hard. He flinched at the loud sound echoing through the air, resulting from pressing the button. Osana had said it was loud, but he still wasn't fully prepared. He waited a minute before pressing the doorbell again, feeling better prepared for the loud noise.
This time, the doorbell was accompanied by a far off shriek and thud from somewhere in the house.
Kagami had been fading in and out of a dreamless sleep, free from the pain her body was inflicting upon itself to protect it from invading cells. The first ring of the doorbell did not wake her up, but it did knock her out of a deep sleep into a lighter one. The second one, however, woke her up completely. Tumbling to the floor in a heep of limbs and blankets, she let out an uncharacteristically loud shriek of surprise.
Everything that sleep had dulled to a manageable level was back full force. She weakly dragged herself down the stairs and to the door where she leaned heavily against the wall to open the door. For every second she stayed on her feet, she could feel her body growing heavier. Eyes half lidded, she could only make out the shape of a figure in the doorway before her legs gave out from under her and she slid completely to the floor, becoming entirely consumed by the blankets she had kept tightly wrapped around her body for warmth.
"M'sorry, Os-Osana-s-san." She muttered hoarsely as best she could. Her arms were much too heavy to be able to sign. Not that she'd be able to see them sign back anyways. She felt arms wrap around her bundle of blankets, herself in the middle of it all. The arms helped guide her up the stairs and back into her bed, where she proceeded to curl into a ball and whine quietly in pain.
A large hand came into her focus, inside it a couple of round pills. She accepted the pills, followed by a glass of water to help her wash it down. Perhaps it was just the placebo effect, or maybe the medications had just kicked in that quickly, Kagami felt her headache lessen exponentially.
Her vision was still fuzzy, but she could make out enough of the hand movements to know that Osana was going to make her some soup. She nearly gagged at the thought. Heartwarming as it was for Osana to make her food, Kagami knew that everything Osana made was inedible. If anything, it would make her sick for a whole different reason.
Despite the lessening aches and pains, Kagami felt herself fall back into a light sleep while waiting for Osana to come back with their promised soup. Maybe I could get away with pretending to have some? Or maybe only have a small sip and pretend to throw up? She would figure something out to not have to eat it.
Tadano hadn't known what he had been expecting when Osana told him Kagami was sick, but it certainly wasn't this. The first thing he noticed when Kagami had opened the door, was the fact that she slept only in a white tank top and shorts, showing off her surprisingly long tanned legs for someone so short. The sight left Tadano blushing and stuttering. Luckily for him, it would be nothing that she would hear.
The second thing he noticed was that despite the absurd amount of blankets she had wrapped herself in, she still seemed to be freezing cold. Her body shook so violently that it seemed the slightest breeze would send her crashing to the floor. Almost like he had manifested it to reality, she collapsed into a heap on the ground so fast that it left Tadano scrambling to stop her from hitting her head against the wall.
Her entire body seemed to disappear into the blanket pile, almost completely drowning out her already quiet apology. "M'sorry Os-Osana-s-san." He froze in shock. He had heard her voice before, but it was just as startling as the first time he had heard it.
Once the shock wore off, Tadano was left with the confusion of why Kagami had called him Osana. He came to the only logical conclusion: Osana had lied to him, and Kagami had actually asked for Osana to come and not him. Disappointment flooded his being. He wasn't fully sure why he was feeling this way. Maybe it was because it felt nice to be singled out for something like that? Regardless, he was here now, and he wasn't going to leave Kagami alone like this.
Tadano slowly lifted Kagami up to her feet, making sure the blankets stayed securely in place before leading her over to the stairs helping her up them step by step. From the landing, it was easy to tell which room was hers, as it was the only one with an open door.
As soon as she hit the mattress of her bed, she curled into a tight ball and let out a pitiful whimper that clenched Tadano's heart with an iron fist. Rummaging quickly through the convenience store bag, he poured a couple pills into his hand, and filled a nearby glass with water from his thermos.
Tadano held his hand out, letting Kagami take the pills at her own pace, before offering her the water as well. He took the glass back when she had finished with it, and began to slowly sign words to explain where he was going. "I'm going to go make you some soup. Make some noise if you need anything, okay?"
Kagami didn't respond, but he left for the kitchen regardless. On his way to the kitchen, he noticed a small shrine in the corner with pictures of several people, all resembling Kagami. A barley graying couple, arms wound tightly around each other, smiling brightly at the camera. The woman was short, with pale skin and long black hair and brown eyes. The man was taller, with tan skin just like Kagami, with the same piercing gray gaze. His hair was a mess of light brown curls that fell into his eyes ever so slightly.
Kagami stood between the two, smiling brightly at the camera with her hair in a long braid swung over her shoulder. In front of her stood a little boy with a toothy grin, showing off a missing front tooth. He had the same curly hair and gray eyes as the man, with the paler skin of the woman. Next to him was an older girl, but still younger than Kagami, staring straight ahead with a barely there smile that gave her brown eyes the tiniest of glints. Her hair fell straight down her back in a shiny black sheet contrasting drastically against her pale skin.
He stood there for a few minutes, the cogs whirring in his head, trying to make sense of everything in front of him. The couple, Kagami's parents? The boy and girl, siblings? Pieces began to fall into place.
This was why Kagami would never hang out if she had work. Why she had gotten defensive when they had questioned her parents not getting her a phone now that she had friends. Why she only ever mentioned her family in passing. The entire puzzle now laid out in front of his eyes. He could feel his heart splintering into needle sharp pieces in his chest, pricking at every aspect of his being.
Tadano didn't know how he would cope without his family. What he would do without his family, how he would hold it together without them. He decided at that moment that he would support Kagami in any way that he could, without bringing attention to her situation, or to the fact that he knew her situation. Should I tell her that I know? What if I'm wrong? What if she hates me for snooping around? This is clearly something she didn't want people knowing. What if she freaks out and stops talking to me? Am I going to lose Ishioka-san as a friend?
Tadano's body felt like lead as he went through every possible scenario in his head, letting each one play out worse than the last, ending with Kagami slapping him directly across the face while crying freely and demanding he stay away from her. He shook his head quickly. Kagami was quick to anger, but she wouldn't do that to him. Not for something like this.
One step at a time. Let's make Ishioka-san some soup first. She's sick, and that's the priority. Taking care of her and getting her back on her feet is my main focus today. She doesn't need to know that I know. She'll tell me when she wants to. Tadano nodded to himself, determined to follow through with this course of action.
He continued along the hallway to the kitchen, set on making the soup he had promised Kagami. It was the least he could do for her. After all, she was sick because of him.
Kagami was woken from her restless sleep by gentle tapping on her blanket clad shoulder. She let out a quiet groan of annoyance, but began to sit up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes in a fashion that Tadano could only compare to that of a kitten just waking up.
Smiling softly, he presented her with the soup and a spoon. She took it from his hands hesitantly, and raised a spoonful of soup to her lips, eyebrows furrowing in distrust. She blew delicately on the soup before taking a sip. Her face contorted into a look of bewilderment that made Tadano chuckle under his breath. She still thought that he was Osana. And Osana couldn't cook anything edible if their life was at stake.
She began devouring the soup at a speed that left Tadano worried she would begin throwing up. Instead, the worst it did was to give her a small case of the hiccups. It seemed that everything Kagami did only served for Tadano to find it adorable. After eating, Kagami's headache almost disappeared completely, and her eyesight cleared up enough that she noticed that the person she thought had been Osana, was not actually Osana. She tilted her head to the side and squinted at him, eyebrows furrowing in concentration, before realizing who it was. "Tadano...-kun?"
"Yes. Osana-san said that you asked for me to pick up some cold medicine for you. Clearly, they lied, but I didn't want to leave you alone like this." He watched her face contort into panic and worry. She's worried that she's imposed on me. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I'm more than happy to help. To tell you the truth, when Osana-san said you had asked for me... I felt really happy."
Kagami was too dumbfounded to come up with an intelligible response. She stayed frozen in place until Tadano waved a hand in front of her. "Ishioka-san, is everything okay? Was I too forward? I apologize-" Kagami cut him off with a frantic shake of her head, swatting anxiously at his hands to get him to stop.
"You have nothing to apologize for. It just caught me off guard is all. I'm not used to anyone being happy to take care of me. It means more to me than you could possibly know." Her face flushed a deep scarlet. "Thank you, Tadano-kun."
Tadano felt his ears burn in embarrassment, but allowed a wide grin to split his face. "You're welcome, Ishioka-san. You can always count on me." He let the silence fill the space between them momentarily, before moving to grab the dishes. "I'll go wash these and come back when I'm done. Is there anything else I can get you?"
Kagami studied the ground carefully, eyebrows knitting together in thought. "If it's not too much trouble... would you be willing to bring me a bowl of chocolate ice cream? There's a tub of it right up front in the freezer. You're welcome to have some, and anything else in the fridge that you want. It's the least I can do since you came here after school to take care of me."
Tadano smiled. "Of course. I don't mind at all." He left the room for a few minutes, and returned with two bowls of chocolate ice cream. Handing one to Kagami, he kneeled on the floor next to her bed, watching her as she ate.
Kagami and Komi were so similar, but also somehow polar opposites. Komi was the definition of grace. Kagami was a whirlwind with a mind of its own. Both were amazing people in their own respects, and he wouldn't wish either of them to change who they were.
They ate in silence, the only sound being the clinking of their spoons against their bowls. Kagami finished first, setting her bowl to the side to watch Tadano as he ate.
He didn't notice at first, but as soon as he did, he choked on his ice cream and flushed red. She rushed to pat him on the back, but this only made his choking induced coughing worse. As soon as he recovered, she began to sign apologies to him, all of which he waved off. "I just wasn't expecting to see you staring at me, is all. Is something wrong? Do I have ice cream on my face?"
Kagami shook her head quickly, regret passing across her face immediately after. She clutched her head and let out a short whine. "You should get some more sleep. I'll take the bowls and clean up. Is there anything else I can do?" She signed 'no', and allowed him to help her lay back into bed and get comfortable.
As Tadano left the room, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to how cute she was, even while sick. How she had made him feel useful and important. How much weight she was carrying on her shoulders and still put on a smile every day and never complained. He wondered how no one else had ever bothered to get to know her.
Even on his return to his house after saying goodbye to Kagami, he continued to think about her. He didn't understand how she could do it all. He certainly couldn't understand how no one else seemed to notice her worth as much as he did. She was just as pretty as Komi, just as nice, as caring and considerate. And yet, no one but their small group of friends had taken any notice of her.