Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

"The floor is cold, you are not allowed to go barefoot." Kujo Renji held her in his arms and said in a tone that did not allow for negotiation as they walked towards the bedroom.

Mu buried his face in his neck, and his hot breath sprayed on his sensitive skin again and again.

It was a sickly yet extremely dependent smell.

"...Porridge." She said sullenly.

"Not yet. I'll call you when I'm better."

Lian Si put her back on the bed, pulled the quilt over her chin, and covered her tightly, leaving only a small, green head exposed.

"Take the medicine first."

He handed her the pills and water.

Mu looked at the medicine in his hand, wrinkled his nose, and revealed an undisguised, childish resistance on his face.

Lian Si understood.

He thought for a moment, turned around and walked out of the room again. A moment later, he came back with a small jelly with a cucumber pattern printed on it.

"After you take the medicine, I'll give you this." He shook the jelly in his hand.

Mu's eyes lit up.

She finally stopped resisting, took the medicine obediently, and swallowed it in one gulp with water.

Lian Si found it a little funny.

He tore open the jelly package, scooped a spoonful with a small spoon and handed it to her mouth.

The crystal clear, green jelly trembled slightly on the spoon.

Mu opened his mouth and took the jelly in.

The cool, sweet taste instantly diluted the bitterness of the pill. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction, like a cat that had eaten a dried fish.

Lian Si fed her the entire jelly, mouthful by mouthful.

During this process, neither of them spoke.

The room was very quiet, with only the gentle sound of the spoon hitting the jelly box and the subtle, satisfied swallowing sound.

Sometimes, Lian Si really couldn't understand Ruo Yemu.

She seems to care about nothing, is indifferent to everything in the outside world, and always lives in her own world.

But she is more sensitive than anyone else, and can easily see through the disguise of people's hearts and see through the essence of his soul at a glance.

She was like a mirror, a clear mirror that reflected only him.

What is reflected in the mirror is a flesh-and-blood "person" who is unfamiliar to him, who will soften his heart because of a dependent look, and will stop because of a hoarse call.

He hated the feeling of being out of control.

But... he doesn't hate this feeling of being completely relied upon, which belongs only to him.

The porridge was cooked quickly.

The snow-white rice grains have been completely cooked and blended with water, becoming sticky and smooth.

Lian Si poured in the chopped ginger and beaten egg, stirring quickly. The bright yellow egg shreds spread throughout the snow-white rice porridge, a truly beautiful sight. He didn't add any salt, but after serving, he drizzled on two drops of soy sauce for a more flavorful finish.

He held the bowl carefully and blew on it again and again until the temperature of the bowl wall was no longer hot, then he returned to the bedroom.

Mu didn't sleep, as if he had been waiting for him.

The girl struggled to sit up on her own.

"do not move."

Lian Si placed the bowl on the bedside table, first pulled out two pillows and placed them behind her so that she could lean comfortably, then he picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful of porridge, and handed it to her mouth.

"Is it hot or not?"

Mu shook his head and swallowed the porridge in small sips.

The warm rice porridge slid down her esophagus into her stomach, instantly dispelling some of the chill caused by the fever and making her sigh comfortably.

Seeing that she could accept it, Lian Si continued to feed her mouthful by mouthful.

He suddenly remembered his past life.

When he was still the unscrupulous Kujo Renji who would do anything to climb up the ladder, being sick meant showing weakness and giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage.

So he never dared to get sick. Even if his body issued a warning, he would only numb himself with higher concentrations of caffeine and more ruthless work.

A scene like this, quietly eating a bowl of hot porridge while being cared for, was a luxurious warmth that he had never even dreamed of.

But now, he has become the one who gives warmth.

This is an absurd yet wonderful identity reversal.

By the time Mu had finished her bowl of porridge, a thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead. This was a good sign that her body was beginning to dissipate heat. Her complexion seemed to be a little more rosy than before.

Lian Si put down the bowl, took out a tissue, and wanted to help her wipe the sweat from her forehead.

As soon as he stretched out his hand, it was grabbed by Mu.

She doesn't have much strength, but she is very persistent.

"Lian Si..."

She suddenly spoke, not calling him "Xiangzi", but his real name.

The voice was soft, with a strong nasal tone, but very clear.

Lian Si's movements paused.

This was the first time she called his name so clearly while awake.

"...What's wrong?"

His voice unconsciously became softer.

Mu didn't say anything, but just grabbed his hand and slowly, slowly put it against his cheek.

The back of his hand still felt a little cool.

Her cheeks, however, were burning hot from the combination of the fever and the hot porridge she had just drunk. The fusion of ice and fire brought a strange, heart-pounding sensation.

She just rubbed her cheek against the back of his hand gently, like a docile feline seeking comfort.

Then she raised her eyes and looked at him without blinking with those eyes that looked particularly hazy and adorable because of the water vapor.

"do not go."

she says.

Not a request, not an order.

Just a simple statement that expresses the deepest desire of the heart.

He did not pull his hand back, but instead turned it over and gently covered her hot skin with his warm palm.

His thumb gently caressed her soft cheek.

"I do not go."

He heard himself answer.

"Go to sleep, Mu. I'm here with you."

The girl, having received the promise, finally closed her eyes with peace of mind.

She held his hand and never let go. Her breathing gradually became steady and long, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the window, the winter sun penetrated the clouds at some point, casting a thin and warm light.

The light shines through the window, casting a bright spot on the floor, making the tiny particles flying in the air clearly visible.

.........

"Ah chirp——"

A sneeze, not loud but enough to leave a noticeable trail in the cool air, came out of Chihaya Aine's nose.

She subconsciously shrank her neck and wrapped her beige down jacket tightly around her, as if doing so could bring back the warmth that had just slipped away.

"It's so cold——"

She dragged out her words and complained to Nagasaki Suyo, who was walking beside her. The white breath she exhaled was like a shapeless cotton candy, quickly dissipating in the cold morning breeze:

"It was so warm yesterday, but it suddenly turned into winter today."

Nagasaki Suyo turned her head when she heard this.

His eyes slid from the tip of her nose, which was slightly red from the cold, to her coat, which looked warm but was actually wide open.

"so..."

She spoke, her voice somewhat helpless:

"Why did you unzip your jacket?"

"Hey, it's a secret."

Chihaya Aine gave this answer almost immediately.

She puffed out her chest, a subconscious action that made her look somewhat smug and a little silly.

Those sparkling eyes curved into crescents, with a playful look that said, "You'll never guess."

--secret.

Nagasaki Suyo repeated the word in her mind, and her eyebrows moved almost imperceptibly.

She really couldn't understand Chihaya Aine's thought process.

A person who was complaining loudly about the cold weather in the previous second, could give such an irresponsible answer to the zipper of his jacket, which was open and served as the main air intake, in the next second.

Is this some new way of exercising willpower through self-contradiction?

"Yeah."

Nagasaki Suyo looked away, ending this topic which seemed meaningless to her.

If you ask further, the answer you'll probably get will just be something like "It's just a secret," which will make you even more infuriated.

Chihaya Aine certainly wasn't trying to train her willpower.

She was just carrying out a top-secret "warmth delivery" mission that she had assigned to herself.

In fact, just inside the open jacket, close to her sweater which still retained her body temperature, was a flat iron box carefully wrapped in an insulated paper bag.

In the tin box were cookies that she had baked early this morning, and they still had the aroma of melted chocolate.

This is intended to be taken to "Xiaoxiang" to eat.

She remembered that Xiangzi seemed to prefer things that were crispy in texture but a little soft and sticky inside.

So she adjusted the ratio of butter to flour and mixed chunks of dark chocolate into the dough.

When it was freshly baked, she tasted one herself. The hot biscuit melted in her mouth, and the rich aroma of butter and slightly bitter chocolate danced on the tip of her tongue. It was so delicious that she almost couldn't help but eat up the portion for Xiangzi.

It tastes better when it’s hot, she thought.

In such cold weather, if she just carried the cookies in her hands, even before she walked to school, these cookies that condensed her hard work would become as cold as the stones on the roadside.

That wouldn't work. Anything produced by Chihaya Aine had to be in top form.

Therefore, the best insulation device is her own body.

Although the iron box was a little uncomfortable on my chest and my walking posture became a little stiff, it was a small price to pay to protect the delicious taste of the cookies.

"Chihaya-kun, you look like someone with a bomb hidden in their arms."

"Huh?! That's not that exaggerated!"

Chihaya Aine puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction:

"Soyorin, you're still so harsh!"

"I'm just stating the facts."

"...Whatever you want."

Her tone was even colder than before: