She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 56)
by BrDPirateMan

Spring. Yes, it's finally spring. Winter was over. We retired the coats and scarves, sending them back into our closets to hibernate till autumn.

Eri felt trapped under all the layers we had to wear for the past few months. As soon as the climate changed for the warmer, she emerged from her chrysalis of winter clothes like the metaphorical butterfly and wasted no time getting into more comfortable attire.

But if there was such a thing as attire that was too comfortable, then what I was looking at right now certainly counted. Hell, she's vacuuming the living room in what's essentially a swimsuit. Not that I minded. And if it helped her get the spring cleaning done, then I was all for it.

Still one hell of a distraction though. Her micro shorts and bikini top did wonders to divert my attention away from the task at hand.

I watched her go about her business but limited myself to half-second glances. As you can imagine, half a second wasn't nearly enough to sate my eyes.

Eri used her foot to press the power button on the vacuum cleaner, turning it off. As the noise petered out into a wheeze, she called out to me, "Neku, I'm done here. Gonna start wiping the floor now so don't come over."

"Alright, go for it."

"And another thing," she chuckled. "You've been wiping the same spot for the past five minutes."

I looked down at the dining table that I was wiping and suddenly realized that I had indeed been hovering around that one area for far longer than needed. Whoops! At least it was clean now, though ridiculously so.

"Don't worry, I understand," she sniggered, putting away the vacuum. "You can't help being a man."

I snarked, "That's because you can't help being a woman."

"Heh."

Spring cleaning continued thereafter in relative silence. I left Eri to wipe down the living room while I turned the kitchen upside down to clean it. I was on my hands and knees, cleaning out the cupboards. It was actually kinda peaceful, working methodically like I was in a trance.

Then I noticed it had gotten a little too quiet… I should still be able to hear the sounds of her dipping her rag into a bucket of water and wringing it, but there was nothing. I got back on my feet and peered over the kitchen counter to find that Eri was lying on the couch, apparently exhausted.

"Tired already?" I snorted teasingly. "Surely you can do better than that, Ms Ready-for-anything!"

But there was no comeback. She just lay there, not saying anything. It struck me as strange, seeing as she had a witty remark for almost everything. Out of curiosity and no small amount of concern, I dropped whatever I was doing and went over to her, being careful to tiptoe around any damp spots on the floor.

Her eyes were closed. Was she asleep, or merely resting? But then I noticed something else. Her face was a deep shade of crimson… Wiping the floor was hard work, but not so hard you'd be all red-faced by the end of it. I gingerly placed the palm of my hand on her forehead and then her cheek.

Dammit, I knew something had to be up. She's got a fever.

At this point her eyes pried open at a snail's pace and she rose to a sitting position just as slowly. She just looked so out of it.

"Neku?" she mumbled. "Oh, sorry… it looks like I dozed off… I don't usually do that."

"How're you feeling?"

"I… I feel kinda strange… like my head isn't screwed onto my neck the right way."

"You're burning up, Eri." I touched her forehead again, feeling the inferno under my fingertips. "You might be coming down with a cold or something."

"I don't feel sick or anything. I just feel like… crud, for lack of a better word."

"Then you're definitely sick – "

"Oh, psh! Me, sick? Get real." The poor girl was already beginning to grow delirious. She was slurring her words too. "I'm not sick, dummyyyyy."

"Uh, you're – "

"And!" She thrust an index finger right at my nose. "And… just to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm perfectly fine, I'm gonna do a really sexy striptease right now. Watch."

Eri gave me a big wink… or what passed off as one, because her eye stayed shut afterwards. Her hands reached behind her neck, intending to undo her bikini top. However, she fumbled with the string and made an extra knot instead. Long story short, she sucked at being sexy.

"Why won't it come off?!" she grumbled, not making any progress. "It worked fine when I put it on just now!"

"Give up," I sighed. "If you're sick, don't fight it."

Exhausted, she plopped back into a fetal position on the couch. The spirit was willing, but the flasher was weak. "Next time… I'll get it next time… Just tell the room to stop spinning…"

"Let's get you to bed," I said. "Can you stand?"

She clutched her head in obvious discomfort. "Yeah, but I'm kinda dizzy. Can you… help me?"

I wrapped my arm around her and we hobbled to her room where I tucked her into bed.

"You need to rest," I said. "Don't do anything for yourself."

"I don't intend to. I… I think… I'm gonna take a nap…"

"Yeah, you do that. I'll get you porridge when you're up."

As I was about to leave, she muttered, "How did I get sick in the first place anyway?"

"Well, you did spend the last few days at home butt-naked. You must've gotten chills or something."

"But it's spring! I was so sick of those thick winter clothes and I needed to celebrate…"

"You overdid it."

"Ugh…"

I stroked her forehead. "I'll get you an ice-pack. Be right back."

"Ice-pack… be right back… Hey, you know what? That rhymes… I bet I can rap pretty well myself."

"No rapping. Just go to sleep."

This was proof that Eri's thought processes could get a little janky when she's feeling under the weather. I still remember the time in high school when she was down with hayfever. How could I forget? She suggested we go and plant rainbows in the school compound.

I left to fetch an ice-pack from the fridge. And I could just hear her through the door, trying her hand at rap. Very badly.

"Tonsillitis, encephalitis, meningitis, gastroenteritis…"

Worst rap song if I ever heard one.

XOXOXOXOXO

Eri's stint as the Bedridden Rapper didn't last long (thank goodness). I left her to snooze while I cooked porridge for her, following a recipe handed down to me by my aunt.

I was about to add the finishing touches to the porridge in the form of toasted sesame seeds, but an unexpected sound rang through the air, causing me to jump and sprinkle seeds all over the counter.

Was that Eri… laughing?

Oh god, first rap, now laughter?

During the five seconds it took for me to rush on over to her room, my eardrums were treated to a rapid-fire ensemble of different kinds of laughs, ranging from guffaws straight from the belly to the 'hee-hee-hee' of a wicked witch. The whole performance was frankly quite unnerving.

"Eri?" I spluttered. "Wh-What's going on?"

The laughter stopped, and she replied, "I was trying to speed up my recovery, but it doesn't look like it's working."

"You're trying to get well faster? What, by laughing?"

"Don't they always say laughter is the best medicine? I figured if I try laughing a bunch, I'll be okay in no time!"

"I don't think it works like that, Eri…"

"You never know till you try. Okay, back to work. Mwahaha. Mwahahaha!"

"No, seriously, stop. You're just reinforcing the notion that only idiots get colds. Why don't you have some of my porridge; that's always a better idea."

Eri sat up painfully and threw on a T-shirt, keeping her gaze on the bowl of porridge I was holding in a tray. She stared at it blankly for quite a while. Could there be something wrong with the food? I'd never actually taken care of a sick person before, so I hoped that at the very least I didn't mess anything up.

"What's the matter?" I asked, bracing myself for the harsh truth.

"Nothing, just… will you spoon-feed me?"

Slightly amused, I shrugged and went ahead with her request, scooping up a spoonful of porridge. I gently blew on the spoon, my breath making tiny ripples in the porridge. I had no idea how warm it was, and taking a thermometer to every spoonful would be just silly. This was one of those things you had to play by ear, I guess. Eventually I felt that it should be cool enough and introduced the spoon into her waiting mouth.

"How is it?" I asked, watching in anticipation as she chewed it up (the porridge, not the spoon).

"Not bad," she replied, smiling faintly. "Not bad at all. The sesame seeds are a nice touch."

My shoulders loosened in relief. "So I nailed the taste and the temperature, huh? Great! I was worried for a moment you wouldn't like it."

"It feels like home."

Aww… for some reason that warmed my heart plenty.

The second spoonful that went down her hatch was another success story and she was in good spirits. By the time we got to the fifth, well…

"Mmm… So good… oh god, yes…"

"Eri, please don't fellate the spoon."

Her lips parted, finally letting go of it. "One more round, Neku. Feel free to splatter your porridge all over the inside of my mouth."

"If you're able to crack smutty jokes while you're sick, it must mean you're well on your way to recovery."

"I told you the laughing helps!"

She dropped the dirty act eventually and ate normally afterwards, but hell if that wasn't the weirdest spoon-feeding session I'd ever done in my life. It left me quite exhausted… and that's not a euphemism for anything, by the way.

"Thanks for the food," she said, settling back into bed.

"If you need any more, there's some left in the kitchen. Anyway, I'm going downstairs to buy a few things. I'll be right back, so just sit back and rest. If you need anything, just give me a call."

She waved at me weakly. "Take care… Don't let the bedbugs bite."

XOXOXOXOXO

I waited for the elevator doors to open, making a mental checklist of things to get from the convenience store. There were a couple of things I had in mind - mostly simple foods that were easy to digest, like pudding and jelly and such.

Then when the doors opened, I found Uzuki inside and joined her.

"What's up?" I asked. "Getting bentos again?"

"No, not this time. Today is ramen day."

"Ah… Having lunch with Kariya, huh?"

Uzuki paused for a second. "N-No… I'm not eating with him today. Well, I don't think he wants to eat with me, anyway."

"D-Did something happen?"

She passed a hand through her hair, a sigh parting her lips. Have the speed bumps already appeared in our Reaper friends' relationship?

"He's been avoiding me," she admitted. "Whenever we meet, and I'd try to talk to him, he'd give some kind of excuse and leave in a hurry. It's… weird."

"Really?" That did strike me as odd. If anything, Kariya's always all over her. "When did this start?"

"About two or three days ago. At first he'd say things like, 'I'm in a great hurry' or 'I gotta meet up with my gaming crew'. But then he just kinda ran out of good excuses, I guess, so in the end it all boiled down to 'I need to take a dump real bad' or even 'I need to go bake my pillow'!"

"But why does he not want to see you?"

"Hell if I know. He's been in the business of being a weirdo for as long as I can remember, but this is something else altogether." The elevator doors opened and out we went. "I want to get to the bottom of it, but he never sticks around long enough for me to get started."

"I can ask him about it if you like…"

Tired of making no headway, she jumped at my offer. "You know what? I think you'll have more luck talking to him. Maybe I can't get anything out of him because this is a guy thing?"

"A guy thing, huh… you mean, like erectile dysfunc– "

I hastily slapped my hand over my mouth before I could finish saying it. It was much too late, though. I had uttered enough syllables for Uzuki to connect the dots. The good thing was that she didn't make a fuss of it. All she did was give me a wry look, but it made me want to shrink into myself all the same.

"Slip of the tongue," I squeaked. "Didn't mean to say that, I swear."

She just muttered, "Your girlfriend's penchant for sex jokes is starting to rub off on you, I see."

"I really didn't mean it. It just… slipped out. By itself. You know, totally not on purpose."

"Sure, I believe you. Sure."

"You don't sound convinced at all…"

We had to part ways when we reached the convenience store. As she walked off, she reminded me, "See what you can find out!"

"Will do. Catch you later."

"And lay off the dirty jokes. They don't really suit you."

"L-Like I said – "

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

And she was gone. Was this what I'd become now? I don't think I could ever live this down…

XOXOXOXOXO

Our refrigerator was now filled to the brim with a cache of pudding and other snacks. Eri had gone back to sleep; I spent the downtime going over my class materials, sitting at the coffee table. Occasionally I'd check up on her to see how she was doing, and so far there were no problems.

Amidst thoughts of what I could add to the porridge to improve the taste, my cell phone rang.

"Yo, Phones. What's shakin'?"

"Oh, Kariya, hey man. What can I do for you?"

"I'm gonna have a LAN party tomorrow afternoon with the usual guys. I just got a spanking new copy of MegaKill. We're all gonna fight to the death against a hundred other bots. Awesome, huh? You coming?"

Regretfully I had to decline. "I'm sorry, I can't make it tomorrow. Eri just fell ill and it doesn't look like she'll be okay by then. I need to stay home and look after her."

"Eri's sick? What happened?"

"She's got a high fever. Think it might be a cold."

"Oh, okay. It's too bad, but it can't be helped. You do your thing, then. Tell her I said, 'get well soon'."

"Thanks, I will." Suddenly Uzuki's words from earlier snapped into my mind. That's right, I meant to ask him… "Um, while we're at it, can I ask you something? About, well… uh…"

"About what? Go on, dude."

I'd promised to dig out the truth for Uzuki, but this was harder than I thought it'd be. I mean, going right up to someone to ask them in their face why they've been avoiding their girlfriend… a bit too direct, wasn't it?

But a promise was a promise. And so, very awkwardly, I began…

"So, ahem, Kariya. So I heard, you know, from the grapevine. I mean, a little bird told me that you, uh… mighthavebeenavoidingUzukilately."

I could almost see the confusion in his voice.

"What? I couldn't catch that last bit."

"Didn't you hear it?"

"I did, but it sounds like my toilet flushing. Seriously, speak up, man."

What the heck was I doing? I shouldn't be dithering like this… I was doing this for the sake of my friends. I should be more serious about this.

"Yeah, sorry," I coughed, before continuing with more confidence, "Listen, I bumped into Uzuki today and she told me you've been avoiding her…"

"Ah…" His voice shrank, like he had been found with his hand in the cookie jar. "She said that?"

"Let me just get my facts right first. Is… Is this true?"

"Uh, I might have told her I had a couple of things I needed to take care of…"

Like baking your pillow? I could have said that – it was a superb moment for a snark – but didn't wish to put him on the defensive. Instead, I opted for a gentler approach.

"Uzuki is confused about your behavior," I said. "She can't figure out why you've been acting like this towards her. And she apparently can't get a straight answer out of you, which is why she asked me to talk to you."

"W-Well, uh… I have my reasons…"

"What happened? Did you two have a fight?"

Kariya hesitated to talk, so I reassured him that everything would be alright.

"Uzuki's just concerned, is all. She's not looking to give you a bad time. And I promise not to judge you either, so don't worry. You can tell me."

Now somewhat calmer, he finally got those lips flapping. "Truth is, I made a grave error while on the job not too long ago, and she called me out for it, what with her being my boss and all. Now, she's not famous for having a good temper, but she really tore me a new one, and I felt genuinely ashamed about it."

Gotta say, I wasn't prepared to hear that. Kariya, ashamed that he did badly at his job? That's a first for our resident slacker. "I thought you didn't care much for your work."

"I'm still not a fan, but ever since we started dating I've been putting in a little more effort each day. Figured if I do that I could get on her good side… That's why when she gave me that scolding it felt like a punch to the gut."

"Well, dating or not, anyone would be mad if you goofed up."

"Yeah, I guess so." I heard a sigh on the other end of the line, then he continued, "When she got mad, I was really scared… scared that she'd break up with me. Knowing what I've done, I thought it best to give her time to cool off."

"And that's why you've been avoiding her?"

"Y-Yeah, it'd be awkward to hang out now. And I might make more mistakes too. We're in a real delicate situation as we speak, so I can't afford to dig a deeper grave for myself."

Now it was my turn to do the talking. It didn't take a whole lot at all to analyze his situation and offer my thoughts.

"We've been through this before, Kariya. Uzuki may give you a bad time for screwing up a job, but she's not going to hold it against you forever. And she's a professional, so she'll know not to get her feelings mixed up with her work life."

He was at best half-convinced. "I… I know, but I'm still scared. I worked so hard to make our relationship happen, and it's been going well for us too, so I don't want it to end so soon."

"Oh please," I huffed. "Uzuki doesn't want to break up with you either. Not in a million years."

"She doesn't?" His voice grew lighter with hope. "Did she say that?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself? Look, all you've been doing is running away from your problems, except… there was no problem to begin with. You've only been scaring yourself and worrying Uzuki, all for no reason."

Eyes finally opened wide, he gasped at this revelation. Finally saw the light, as it were.

"Damn, Phones," he breathed, "I think you might be right. I've been worrying over nothing."

"Exactly. Now you go sort this out with Uzuki. She wants an explanation, so don't keep the lady waiting."

"Yeah, I'll do that right now!"

Well! Looks like this one's in the bag then! But there was one more thing I needed him to be mindful of.

"And Kariya, think about what made her mad in the first place. If you really mean to put some effort into your work, then make sure you keep your word."

"I'm already on it! I'm not gonna become a complete workaholic like her, but I'll definitely work harder. Just a teensy weensy little bit… hey, it's the thought that counts in the end, right? But for real, man… thanks. You ain't bad at all."

Satisfied that the crisis was over, I inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

"Don't mention it," I said. "And, again… sorry I can't make it to your LAN party. To be honest, I'm curious about MegaKill myself."

"Oh, it's a blast. I first tried it on solo mode and it plays like you won't believe! But no worries, man. There's always next time!"

We engaged in a little back-and-forth banter about MegaKill before ending the call. Tired, I slumped over backwards against the couch behind me. Playing as the go-between for two sides of a couple can be mentally draining, especially when you know that one wrong move on your part may kill off their relationship. And that was one of the easier dilemmas to solve. Whew!

I checked up on Eri a little later to find that she was still napping like a baby. Looking at her sleeping form, I was reminded of something… and when I checked the contents of my refrigerator…

"Forgot to buy OJ… hmm, bread too."

I left her be and raced downstairs with the intention of grabbing them at the convenience store, but was stopped in my tracks when I saw Kariya talking with Uzuki inside the parking area. Thinking fast, I ducked behind a pillar and watched them from my hiding spot. The conversation was hard to follow because I was too far away; with things as they were, I could only make out bits and pieces here and there.

However, one part stood out clearly.

"…Don't be ridiculous," chided Uzuki. "I could never hate you. And if you really are sorry for that job you botched, then I guess I can let you off the hook."

Kariya brightened up. "Really?"

"Just make sure you do it properly next time!"

"Sure I will! Still, is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Well, you just need to work harder. I don't really need anything – "

"Okay, fine, that I can do. But c'mon, girl, there's got to be something you'd like to have. Spoil yourself a bit."

"Oh, alright. I suppose you owe me ramen."

After that the words they exchanged just blended together, but if Kariya's ten-foot-wide smile was anything to go by, then things were going swimmingly between them and they were well into working out the details of their next date.

"All's well that ends well," I chuckled to myself.

I silently wished them luck and waited for them to leave before popping into the convenience store.

XOXOXOXOXO

Eri's fever subsided somewhat by the evening, but she wasn't out of the woods yet, not by a long shot. And while she's always had some eccentricities, here she was so disconnected with reality that they were dialed up to ten. I had my doubts she even knew what she was talking about.

When I touched her forehead for what must be the umpteenth time today, I noticed that her neck was sweaty. Her T-shirt was quite damp too. So I lugged a plastic basin full of water into her room, along with a hand towel.

"Eri, I need to wipe your sweat off," I said. "Sorry, can you sit up for a bit? I need you to take off your clothes too."

It was almost comical how drowsy she was. "It's… my time to shine… Gonna… nail this striptease… yes, this time…"

I ignored her ramblings. "Lift your arms up."

"Like this?" She raised them above her head. "Like Superman?"

"Yeah, look at you. Made like a real superhero."

"Don't say that," she huffed. "I may be sick, but I'm not a kid."

"Heh."

I peeled the T-shirt off of her body and stripped the rest of her clothes. First of all I wiped her back, then proceeded to her arms, followed by the rest of her body. The whole time throughout, my movements were slow and gentle and no words were spoken. The entire experience for both of us was… well, I would not exactly call it a calm one; she's naked and everything, after all. But it was also strangely peaceful. There were no ulterior motives. I had a genuine wish to aid her recovery, and she wanted to get better. It was a good deal.

"Feel any better?" I asked, putting away the towel.

"Much… better. Thank you…"

"Let me get you a fresh set of clothes." I stood up and reached for her cupboards, but she clutched at my sleeve, stopping me.

"You know what," she breathed. "I think I'd like to ditch the clothes for now… if you don't mind. I know I'll just get gross and sweaty again."

She still had that fever… Maybe it might be better for her to not wear anything at the moment.

Eri fell back into bed, her head plopping into her pillow. When I covered her with the blanket, she spoke up again and whatever clarity of mind she may have had moments ago was now gone. Her head was back to being a scattered mess of thoughts.

"You're so nice," she said, in a whispery voice. "Are you… my guardian angel?"

"I come close."

"You look… so different with hair like that. Are you… Are you still selling noodles?"

Okay, that's just random. But the strangest had yet to come. Just before she drifted off to sleep once more, she squeezed out a few more words under her dwindling power.

"Anyway, thanks… for being at my side… Mako."

"M-Mako?" Did I hear that right? "Who… Who's Mako?"

But my question fell on deaf ears. Eri had already dozed off.

I'd heard of stories and real-life accounts of people saying other people's names while they're asleep. As for why this happens, I don't really know. There's some scientific mumbo-jumbo behind it, but if you say someone's name in your sleep, then it makes sense that you've met them before in your life and have a desire hidden in your subconscious to see them again. Or something.

Long story short, Mako was the name of a very real person whom Eri personally knew. But who exactly was that? A friend? A relative? Or even… an old lover?

That couldn't be right. Mako is a girl's name. Maybe Eri had a gal pal whom she was very close with.

Like, real close… so close, you could swear they were going out…

No, no, settle down. Eri wouldn't tread that path. And even if she did, there's nothing wrong with that, right? That's all in the past. She loves me now.

Still, it's all very curious…

I should ask her about it when she's feeling better.

XOXOXOXOXO

By the next morning, Eri had recovered plenty. Although her fever hadn't gone away completely, it wasn't as bad as yesterday. Plus she could go back to solid foods so here she was at the dining table having breakfast with me. The best part was that she was back to her usual self, albeit in a subdued form.

"I told you I'd be okay," she boasted. "I'm a freaking survivor. Gimme half a day, and I'll doing somersaults in the living room."

I touched her forehead. "Take it easy. You're not fully well yet. So don't try anything weird. Like somersaults. And for goodness' sake, lay off the rap songs and creepy laughter."

"Rap? Laughter?" Then Eri stiffened. "N-Neku? Uh… my memory of yesterday is kinda fuzzy… Did I do anything weird?"

Totally deadpan and without missing a beat, I related to her a summary of the shenanigans she'd been a part of.

"You did a rap song about various medical conditions, attempted to laugh freestyle, and performed oral sex on a spoon."

Her reaction was… nonchalant. "Oh, okay, that's not so bad. Business as usual, then." She even did a somewhat dismissive shrug.

"Fellating cutlery is 'business as usual'?"

"Oh, please. When you make a habit out of sucking the ketchup off of chili dogs, spoons are no big deal."

I felt my head spinning, like I was the one who's sick. "I can't believe we're discussing this right now."

The matter of Eri's mystery friend Mako was never far from my mind. Last night it kept me awake past my usual bedtime hour for a little longer. I know it sounds stupid, but the busybody in me just couldn't let it go. And now that Eri had largely recovered, I wanted to close this case and put it behind me. Now should be an okay time to ask, right?

"Eri," I began, "there's a little something I'd like to talk about. Yesterday while you were half-asleep, you muttered the name 'Mako'…"

She froze. There was shock etched in her face. Her mouth was ajar, like she wanted to say something, but no words came forth. Did I hit the bull's-eye? Had I stumbled upon a dark secret of some kind? Did Eri, for a time in the past, experiment with going out with girls –

"Wh-What did I say?" she asked, cautious. "You know, about… this 'Mako'."

"Well, just before you went to sleep, you said, 'Thanks for being at my side, Mako.' You were sleepy, so you probably didn't know what you were saying, but Mako's got to be someone you know, right? So who's that? Friend of yours, maybe?"

Now she was getting flustered. It's not easy to make ol' thick-skinned Eri flustered. This must be a bigger secret than I thought it would be.

However, seeing her discomfort I began to feel conflicted. I didn't want to make her feel like I was putting her on the spot. Should I press the issue?

"Um, I know you're still not feeling well. If you don't want to talk about it… I'm just curious, is all."

"No, Neku, what's said is said." She quickly recovered and composed herself enough to give me a proper reply. "It won't be fair of me to keep you in the dark about it. And I'm not that sick now. Let me tell you all about Mako."

My hands went all clammy and I almost forgot to eat. Finally that burning question would be answered. Insides churning with anticipation, I waited for her to start.

"Mako is not an actual name," she said. "It's a nickname. Something I coined for my childhood friend. He doesn't really like it because it's a girly name, but puts up with it nonetheless."

"Wait… he?"

"Yeah, Mako's a guy."

My theory that Eri might have swung that way before was shattered to pieces. I was wrong from the very beginning. But what'd you expect when that childhood friend of hers has a female name?

I brought my bowl of miso soup to my lips and took a sip. "And here I thought Mako's a girl… What's his real name?"

"Makoto Miki."

That name rang a bell, clawing at the back of my mind like an itch that won't go away. My memory of it was faint at best, but there was one detail that I could somewhat recall.

"Makoto Miki? Wait a minute, isn't that the guy who started that 'trendy' ramen shop some years back… what's it called again?"

"Shadow Ramen?"

"That's the one. You're telling me the owner's your friend?"

"Yeah. You know, I was so surprised when he told me that he quit his job to open a restaurant… but that's a story for another day."

Interesting… Eri was childhood friends with this Makoto fellow. This sure was a small world. Incidentally, Shadow Ramen didn't do well at all. Having overpriced ramen wasn't a good way to stay in business, and three months after it opened, it was unceremoniously forced to close its doors.

"Anyway," continued Eri, "I've known him since we were kids. He used to live in Fukushima like me, so we grew up together. Our dads are great friends, so it's only natural Mako and I would be close, too."

My heart stung with this knowledge. Was this pang I was feeling in my chest one of envy? I may be her boyfriend, but Makoto knew her for far longer. There was a lot that I knew about Eri, but at the same time there was a lot that I didn't… and he did. Whatever I didn't know, he had to know, right? Since they were so close and all. It made me feel… uneasy.

As she dispensed more details about her gallant childhood friend, that sense of uneasiness only grew. "Mako's five years older than me, so I've always looked up to him as a 'big brother' figure. And, for that matter, he sees me as a kid sister of sorts. But it's something that's worked well for us."

Despite the turbulence in my heart, I did my best to stay cool. "Sounds like a fun guy to hang out with."

"He is! There's a six year age gap between us, but we never let that get in our way. When I was in primary school, he was already in high school, and sometimes he'd give me a hand when I was stuck with homework. Naturally, as we both got older and schoolwork piled up, we couldn't hang out as often, but we'd always make time to go swimming at the local pool every now and then."

"You and Mako… I mean, Makoto got one hell of a dynamic. That's… actually kinda cute."

It was something I had to admit was true, even though I was so envious I was turning green. To be fair, Eri and I were plenty good as a pair, I just didn't know as much about her as I'd like to.

I still had a long way to go where this relationship was concerned…

"You know," she mused, "Mako reminds me of you. Both of you are similar to each other in more ways than you think."

"Similar?" That's a curious thing for her to say. "How so?"

"Well, you're both really nice and decent people… and like you, he's kinda quiet. He's not really the type for noise and hijinks. He's a good cook too. And both of you aren't very good with people, so you two have your dorky moments."

"Hey, come on, I'm getting better, aren't I? As in, less dorky. You can't deny that."

"I'll give you points for trying," she chuckled. "Anyway, yeah, you're both huge dorks. He even reads comics in his spare time, and hasn't grown out of it."

"Ain't nothing wrong with comics, Eri… but do go on."

"There's a few other things… but that's all I can skim off the top of my head now. You're basically a lot like him… or the other way around."

Makoto had many of my traits by the looks of it. If she likes him, it's easy to see why she'd be attracted to someone like me. We're practically the same person.

But that set me thinking. If we're equals, who would she have chosen as a boyfriend? Him, or me?

And who's to say we're even equals to begin with? Surely there has to be some kind of difference. He probably has a job that pays better than mine. And if memory serves, he's a great deal more handsome than me. Being older, he has been around for longer so it's not much of a stretch to imagine he has a better sense of humour. Hell, he might even have a car.

What made Eri fall in love with me when she already had him? And what's stopping her from breaking up with me so she could be with Makoto? Looking at this situation from a practical – if brutally honest – standpoint, she'd be better off with him than me… right?

"By the way, Neku," came her voice, derailing my train of thought. "I hate to change the topic, but I just wanted to say today's miso soup is fantastic."

"Oh, uh, thanks."

"The porridge you made yesterday really helped. I might have taken longer to recover if I'd not eaten it."

"Now you're just exaggerating. You know porridge isn't a cure-all."

"Heh, maybe not. But you went out of your way to look after me. And, well, I'm really happy you did."

She reached out to touch my hand. The smile she had for me was as sweet as it was genuine. The words she spoke to me next were the clincher that set my heart racing.

"Thanks, Neku. Seriously, I'm so glad you're my boyfriend."

What an idiot I was.

I shouldn't be worried about how much better than me someone is, or whether said someone is a better match for Eri.

I should be thankful that she's here with me and that I can spend every day with her. Our life together was fraught with challenges and obstacles, but she's always by my side and I ought to thank my lucky stars for that. Above all else, if she really and truly loves me for who I am, then who was I to doubt her? What more could I ask for?

That's all I needed to know. Plain and simple.

I returned her smile.

"I'll make a deluxe serving of porridge for you afterwards," I happily offered. "It'll be a blast."

"Um, thanks, but I'm well enough for solid foods now, in case you forgot."

"Oh, right."

"Heh, see? You're totally a dork."

XOXOXOXOXO

Two days later Eri's cold vanished completely. With the exception of the first day where she was out of whack, she was in relatively good health for the duration of her illness. She pretty much shrugged the cold off. Her resilience was admirable.

Her stubbornness with certain habits, on the other hand…

"Eri, you ought to at least wear a shirt, you know."

"No way. I just took a bath. Let me finish sweating first."

She opened the refrigerator and reached in for a can of soda, her naked body bristling against the cold air. Only a small towel, dangling around her neck and over her breasts, provided some decency. That is to say, not much at all.

She didn't learn her lesson, not one bit. "Do you really want to catch another cold?"

"Psh, I'll be fine." She took a swig from her can. "Only idiots catch cold!"

"That's exactly what happened to you a few days back… Doesn't that qualify you as an idiot?"

"…Oh, shut it."