COTE : Oh No, I've Become the Substitute

The silvery traces of moonlight streamed soundlessly in from the balcony. The pale, cool radiance spread across the floor like a length of sleek, icy satin.

Stirred by the air conditioner's breeze, the gauze curtains fluttered gently, casting swaying shadows across the floorboards.

"Beep—!"

A faint electronic chime rang out abruptly in the room, followed by three successive beeps. The red digits on the air conditioner's display finally settled at 26 degrees.

Fuyuji set down the remote and let out a soft sigh. Slowly, he turned his head, letting his gaze fall upon the girl curled up into a tight ball on the bed.

Morishita Ai had shrunk into a tiny bundle, sinking into the fluffy bedding like a kitten greedy for warmth. Beneath the thin blanket, only her flushed little face peeked out, tinged with a childlike pink. A few strands of hair clung damply to her smooth forehead. Her long lashes quivered faintly with her slightly quickened breaths, like the wings of a startled butterfly.

I told you not to eat so much ice cream...

Fuyuji rubbed his temples with a headache, recalling Morishita's willful lifestyle over the past couple of days.

Wrapping herself in a blanket, cranking the AC to the lowest setting, eating ice cream while blasting a fan. Then the sudden blackout—trekking together under the blazing sun to Keyaki Mall, and then eating ice cream again after coming back. A whole night without power, barely getting any proper rest before waking up early. And now, setting the AC this low again...

He shouldn't have indulged her.

Fuyuji pressed a palm against his head, his eyelids lowering.

After a moment of thought, he bent forward slightly and reached out to gently touch Morishita's forehead. Softly, he said, "Ai... let me see how you're doing."

"Nn..."

The moment his palm touched her smooth forehead, an unsettling heat immediately radiated against his skin.

Still... it didn't seem too severe...

Just then, Morishita, who had kept her eyes tightly shut, drowsily opened them. She gazed hazily at Fuyuji, her voice thick with a soft, nasal drowsiness as she murmured:

"Fuyuji Mikage, how did you get into my dream?" Then she blinked, tilted her little head to one side, and her face tightened with vigilance. "No! I only dreamed about calling you. Right now, my dream should be me chatting with you. It must be that you missed me too much and dreamed about Lady Morishita!"

Fuyuji's expression instantly darkened. He turned around, crouched down, and opened the medical kit he had brought over.

Just to be safe, he still needed to take her temperature. If it exceeded 39 degrees, he'd have to rush her to the school infirmary immediately. No—if it hit 38.5, he'd take her. The slightly more rational Lady Morishita from before was just a tiny bit cuter.

"Come on—" Fuyuji sat down on the edge of the bed, turning on the room light in the same motion, and gathered Morishita up, blanket and all. "Let's take your temperature. Tell me how you're feeling."

"I'm not sick. I'm just a little tired from running a full marathon around the school before bed."

Swaddled like a cocoon, with only her head poking out, Morishita remained stubbornly defiant. Her pink-tinged ears looked especially soft under the lamplight, radiating a warmth that stirred an aching tenderness.

"Alright, alright. Morishita-sama isn't sick."

With one arm letting Morishita lean against his chest, Fuyuji reached into her blanket cocoon with the thermometer in his other hand and placed it properly.

"Lady Morishita, this is a transformation device. Don't let it slip out."

Morishita wordlessly bumped her head against his chest. "Do you think I'm a little kid?"

"..." Fine. It seems even when sick, she's not that easy to fool.

A second later.

"What kind of Kamen Rider transformation device looks like that? Most of them are belt-type."

I take back what I just said...

Fuyuji extended his arm and casually patted down Morishita's blanket, tucking it snugly. Immediately after, a fluffy lump unexpectedly appeared in his palm.

"Lady Morishita, what are you holding in your arms?"

"Hmph hmph, it's this!" A plush toy was handed out from under the covers and passed into Fuyuji's hands.

It was a round, chubby, slightly mischievous-looking old rabbit with two black button eyes. Its fuzz had a warm, old, cream-yellow hue. Its left ear had a small tear, from which fluffy, cloud-like cotton poked out. Its fur was pilled and slightly balding in patches. One glance made it clear that Morishita had been rough with it plenty of times.

Before long.

A muffled, nasal sound slipped out. Morishita seemed to regret her decision. Soft, plaintive, and aggrieved, she said, "Fuyuji Mikage, you've looked long enough! Hurry up and give Fuyuji Mikage back to me!"

"Ha?" Fuyuji was completely baffled.

"What do you mean—" He paused mid-motion, belatedly noticing the plush toy in his hand. The upturned seams at both corners of its mouth gave it a cheeky, adorably annoying look. He flipped the rabbit over. Near the back of its neck, crookedly stitched, were the two words: "Fu-yu-ji Mi-ka-ge."

"..."

Fuyuji's mouth twitched. Silently, he locked eyes with the toy's black button gaze for a moment. "She's mine! Goodbye!" With a two-handed fling, the plush toy tumbled across the floor, rolling twice before coming to a stop.

"Fuyuji Mikage, you're not allowed to do that to yourself!" Even with her eyes closed, Morishita had sensed his actions. Her sudden, faint protest came as if she were softly fighting off a cold monster even in her dreams.

"Alright, alright, Lady Morishita. I give up, okay? Just go to sleep now..."

Fuyuji scooped Morishita into his arms and adjusted her into a more comfortable position.

Three minutes later, the thermometer was retrieved from beneath her blanket.

"Phew~"

Fuyuji let out a long breath. 38.6 degrees. Not too high, not too low. Not yet at the point of needing an immediate hospital visit.

But he still had to monitor how things developed. If her temperature kept rising even after taking fever medicine, a trip to the infirmary would be unavoidable.

He gently laid Morishita back onto the bed, then got up and walked to the bathroom. Moments later, he returned with a basin of warm water.

The warm towel slowly, bit by bit, wiped across Morishita's sweat-dampened temples and smooth forehead, clearing away the stickiness brought on by the fever.

The half-asleep girl seemed to find some comfort in it. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Next, Fuyuji picked up the prepared fever medicine and a glass of water. "Lady Morishita, open up. Time for your medicine."

"I don't want the bitter kind..." Morishita mumbled in vague protest, eyes still closed.

"It's sweet vitamin C chewables."

Fuyuji lied without batting an eye, smoothly pressing the tablet against her lips. His other hand steadily held the water glass. Seeing her reflexively take the pill into her mouth, he immediately tipped a small sip of water past her lips, using a fingertip to gently lift beneath her chin, helping her swallow it down.

"Liar Fuyuji Mikage... it clearly had no flavor..." Morishita voiced her accusation, but ultimately could not overcome her drowsiness and sank back into deep sleep.

Seems she's still plenty sharp. Her sense of taste hasn't gone offline.

He tucked the blanket snugly around her, his fingertips once again brushing her still-warm but slightly less clammy cheek. Fuyuji did not leave. He simply turned off the light and sat quietly on the edge of the bed.

The cool, pale moonlight pooled at his feet. The steady, low hum of the air conditioner intertwined with the girl's faint, quickened breathing...

Gently brushing aside the strands of hair scattered across Morishita's face, Fuyuji gazed at her peaceful sleeping expression. For a moment, he felt dazed.

Looking back now... when had he fallen for her?

Was it that twilight hour in the library, when they'd brushed against each other, and he'd caught the scent of her hair, seen his own reflection in her eyes, and realized just how adorable she was...

Or had it been even earlier?

Scene after scene of memories flickered past like a revolving lantern. His thoughts gradually scattered like dissolving bubbles.

Fuyuji's eyelids suddenly dropped, as if weighed down with lead. He struggled against the web woven by the air conditioner's low hum and the girl's steady breathing.

He shook his head instinctively, his fingertip unconsciously pressing against his brow—but he could not hold back the tide of exhaustion surging over him—

"Slap—!"

Morishita, eyes tightly shut, abruptly reached out. One hand grabbed Fuyuji's wrist. The other hand emerged from beneath the blanket as well, stretching open toward him.

"Fuyuji Mikage... hold me..."

The girl's palm was shockingly hot, pressing tightly against the inside of his wrist. The damp, sticky sensation of sweat clung closely to his skin, clearly transmitting the fine texture of her skin and the scorching heat of her temperature at that moment.

The cool, pale moonlight continued its silent flow, spreading across the floor into a sheet of sleek silver satin, illuminating Fuyuji's frozen silhouette.

All his drowsiness dissolved in those open hands. Nothing remained but the burning palm against his inner wrist and the silent stirring in his heart, reverberating fiercely through the still night...

"Okay..."

Almost the instant he lay down, Morishita instinctively burrowed toward him.

Her entire body practically wedged itself into his embrace. Her sweat-damp forehead pressed tightly beneath the hollow of his neck. Her feverish breaths puffed against the skin above his collarbone, sending faint, tingling itches through him.

In the darkness, Fuyuji's body stiffened for an instant. The soft curves of the girl pressed tightly against him. Even through the thin layer of clothing, he could still feel the heat radiating from her body, as if he were wrapped around a burning little stove.

Fuyuji inhaled deeply. A familiar, peach-like fragrance made him unconsciously relax his taut muscles. His arm wrapped around Morishita's slender back, drawing her more securely into his embrace.

Her delicate frame and soft body seemed especially fragile in the midst of her fever. The faint, quickened sound of her breathing was right beside his ear, interspersed with the occasional small, nasal murmur. A few strands of her sweat-damp hair stuck to his chin, transmitting a moist sensation.

A pair of small feet restlessly rubbed and nudged against his legs, intermittently teasing at Fuyuji's nerves. Finally, she simply used both arms and legs, clinging to him like an octopus.

Suddenly, a dreamlike murmur sounded in the silent room.

"Fuyuji Mikage..."

"Mm?"

"Tomorrow, on our date... I want to eat ice cream."

"Once you're better."

"No. This is a once-in-a-lifetime golden opportunity. Just between us—you can't tell Yamamura Miki. I'm sneaking out on a date with you. They don't know yet. Tomorrow, leave your phone in your room, and we'll seize the chance to slip away." Morishita's voice, smug as a little fox that had just stolen a chicken, drifted up from within his arms.

"I know. I let you all discover it on purpose. If it's dates you want, we'll have plenty of chances in the future. I want to go on dates with Ai-chan too."

"I knew it. Playboy pervert Fuyuji Mikage..."

"Can't help it. Ai-chan is just way too cute."

Fuyuji tightened his arms slightly once more, drawing Morishita closer against him. Her smooth, supple thighs, the firm, pert curve of her hips, her soft, delicate body... every part of her pressed close against him, fitting together seamlessly like puzzle pieces, without a single gap.

He bent forward and lowered his head, burying his face deep into the cascade of Morishita's loose, flowing hair. He inhaled deeply. The peachy sweetness of her shampoo, intensified by the heat of her fever, had grown ever more rich and fragrant, yet it could not mask the faint, salty undertone brought on by evaporating sweat. Woven through it all was a hint of something barely perceptible—her natural scent. That fragile, alluring fragrance seeped into him along with every breath, spreading through his entire body, utterly irresistible.

"It's all because Ai-chan ran into me right from the start. We rode the same bus together, got placed in the same class, and we even ended up sitting right in front and behind each other. And then Ai-chan must have used some kind of Morishita-family superpower to make me fall hopelessly in love with you."

"Not bad. It seems Fuyuji Mikage has finally acknowledged the fact that I possess superpowers. From now on, you'd better behave and listen. No philandering. Otherwise, I'll eliminate you."

"Alright, alright. I surrender to Lady Morishita."

Morishita said nothing more. In the dark room, only their two intertwined breaths remained.

A long while passed.

"Fuyuji Mikage..."

"Mm?"

"You're so hot." Morishita's small face scrunched up. Her palm pushed against his chest with disdain. "Let go of me, quick."

"Oh, oh." Fuyuji hastily loosened his hold a little.

Another moment passed.

"Fuyuji Mikage, why are you so far away? Lady Morishita is a little cold. Hurry up and come hold me tight!"

"..."

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Fuyuji didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Right now, Lady Morishita is the highest authority. Hurry, hurry."

"Fine..."

Fuyuji reached out and wrapped Morishita in his arms once more, maintaining a hold that was neither too tight nor too loose.

This time, Morishita did not speak again. She unconsciously nuzzled against him, like a small animal that had finally settled down. Her eyes closed heavily, her breathing evening out as she fell deeply asleep.

Weariness, like a silent tide, quietly seeped into the room.

Gradually, Fuyuji's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. At last, the taut thread of his consciousness completely slackened. His chin unconsciously came to rest lightly atop Morishita's soft crown. Holding her close, he too sank into a dreamless sleep.

The next day.

Morning sunlight streamed through the balcony and into the room. The chirping of the birds resting on the balcony railing roused Fuyuji from his slumber. His eyes slowly opened.

Nn... so heavy...

His consciousness had yet to fully return. The first sense to recover, before his vision, was touch. The moment he was even slightly awake, Fuyuji immediately registered the heavy pressure on his chest, as if a boulder had been laid across it.

Instinctively, he reached a hand out to the side, but the soft sensation he expected did not come.

Where did she go?

Before Fuyuji's stalled brain could finish rebooting, the lump on his chest that he had been ignoring suddenly shifted.

Immediately after, something grabbed hold of his clothes. With a rustling sound, a little head poked out from beneath the sheets.

The sickly flush on the girl's cheeks had already receded, revealing her fair, delicate complexion. A few strands of sweat-damp hair wound their way across her smooth forehead and faintly reddened cheeks, glinting like slender threads of gold under the sunlight.

"Nn, nn, Fuyuji Mikage—"

Beneath the thin sheet draped over her head, Morishita, who had burrowed out from Fuyuji's chest like a kitten, beamed with a radiant smile.

"Let's... go on our date..."

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