After pressing the doorbell, footsteps approached from inside.
A soft click sounded as the door swung open, revealing a slouching boy in blue slippers, shoulders drooping like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Kousaka Kyosuke — Kirino's older brother.
The sight of Hozuki Nozomi flanked by three cute, striking girls seemed to short-circuit his brain for a moment.
"You all are..."
"Excuse us. You must be Kirino-chan's older brother. Hello, I'm Aragaki Ayase, Kirino's classmate and good friend. We've all come to visit her."
"Miyamizu Yotsuha. Kirino's friend."
"Kurusu Kanako. Also that girl's friend. Nice to meet you."
"Hey, Kyosuke. I don't think I need to introduce myself, do I?" Hozuki Nozomi added with a small smile.
Kyosuke rolled his eyes.
"No need. I know you way too well."
Kousaka Daisuke had a habit of using Hozuki Nozomi as a benchmark to shame his son — always going on about how accomplished Nozomi was, and how disappointing Kyosuke turned out.
"Come in. Kirino's lying down in her room. She's already taken some fever medicine."
Kyosuke turned and walked back inside.
"Pardon the intrusion," the girls chorused politely, stepping past the threshold.
Hozuki Nozomi, no stranger to the house, followed with familiar ease.
Kyosuke waved them toward the second floor and retreated to his own room to play games. He'd already settled into what could only be called a retiree's lifestyle — games, manga, drifting through days with no ambition. A lump of clay no potter would bother with.
No wonder Kirino had written him off.
Which suited Hozuki Nozomi just fine. It only made it easier to slide into the role of the ideal older brother in Kirino's mind.
...
Upstairs, at Kirino's bedroom door, Aragaki Ayase knocked with careful knuckles.
"Kirino-chan, are you awake? We came to see you."
"Mm... Ayase? I'm still up."
"Then we're coming in. By the way — Nozomi is here too."
"What? He— he came too?"
"Yeah. I'm right outside. Can I come in?" Hozuki Nozomi asked, voice warm.
"Mm... come in."
At this point, there was nothing left to hide anyway. Ayase already knew about her otaku side and was slowly making peace with it.
"Pardon the intrusion."
The door eased open, and they filed in without a word. Seeing Kirino trying to sit up, cheeks flushed pink with fever, Ayase moved quickly to her side and coaxed her back down against the pillow.
"Kirino-chan, just rest. We're not here to make you sit up and entertain us."
"And here — a get-well gift. I'll leave it on the table."
Hozuki Nozomi presented his own offering: a slender blue hairclip, tucked into a small gift box that begged to be opened slowly.
"Thank you, everyone."
Kousaka Kirino's eyes drifted over her friends, a little emotion catching in her throat. When her gaze landed on Hozuki Nozomi, her cheeks flushed a shade deeper — this time not from fever. She hadn't imagined he'd actually come.
"Kirino-chan, get better soon."
Kurusu Kanako spoke with concern, then promptly pulled her homework notebook out of her backpack.
"I've been waiting for you to lend me your homework so I can copy it."
Kirino went dead silent.
"Thank you so much," she gritted through her teeth.
Kurusu Kanako, unquestionably a terrible friend.
"You're welcome. I also brought today's assignments — figured you can knock it all out together."
Kirino: "Are you a demon?"
"No, I'm Kanako."
"No, you're a demon sent to torture me! I'm sick and you brought me homework."
That really was a little cruel.
Kanako stuck her tongue out, scrambling for cover. "I was just trying to motivate you to get better faster."
"Kanako, that's not how it works. You have to do your own homework or you won't improve at all."
Ayase launched into a lecture aimed squarely at her best friend.
Kanako's shoulders sagged and she offered a sheepish grin. "I was just joking."
Miyamizu Yotsuha bent slightly closer to Kirino, softer.
"Rest well, Kirino."
"Yeah. I will."
"Then we won't crowd you any longer. Focus on getting better, don't worry about anything else. Okay?"
Ayase said it earnestly and began herding her two friends toward the door.
Only then did Hozuki Nozomi step forward. He leaned down, unhurried, and pressed a soft kiss against Kirino's smooth forehead.
"Get well soon. A lively Kirino-chan suits you better."
Ignoring the way her cheeks burst into crimson, he turned and walked out with an unruffled calm, drawing the door shut behind him with quiet consideration.
Kirino waited until his footsteps faded before slapping both hands over her forehead.
"Aahh—!"
"Nozomi, seriously... how could he just kiss a girl's forehead like that so casually?"
Her head buzzed — half mortification, half quiet, guilty delight.
That was what a proper older brother did.
Not like that useless Kyosuke. Hmph. All he knew how to do was play games. Didn't even bother to check on his little sister when she was burning up.
If Kyosuke had heard that thought, he'd have cried foul on the spot. He'd never been welcome in his own house, and Kirino had banned him from her room outright — of course he wasn't going to march in. Even so, he had been the one to leave the fever reducer and cold medicine at her door.
With the visit wrapped, Hozuki Nozomi found himself with time to spare. The afternoon was still young, so he floated the idea of taking the three girls to an amusement park.
Ayase's eyes lit up instantly.
"Is that really okay? But without Kirino..."
"We'll bring Kirino next time. Let's scout it out for her first."
Kanako threw in her suggestion with a grin.
Yotsuha and Ayase nodded eagerly.
And so, Hozuki Nozomi slipped comfortably into the role of an easygoing older brother, spending an hour or so shepherding the three middle-school girls through rides and stalls, then delivering each of them safely home.
Today's itinerary was officially closed out.
...
The next morning.
Hozuki Nozomi opened his eyes to a swimming ceiling, a leaden skull, and skin that felt like it had been left too close to a furnace.
Something was off.
Could someone with a constitution like his actually get sick?
No help for it. He fished out the medical kit, downed some cold and fever medicine, and resigned himself to a sick day.
..
By noon, though, there was still no sign of improvement.
The Maid Ayano-chan called out from work herself to look after him, folding a cool damp towel across his forehead, rinsing and refolding it as it warmed against his skin.
While Hozuki Nozomi drifted in and out of a foggy haze, Frieren and Fern let themselves into the room.
Frieren examined him with unusual care, her expression tightening by the second. Finally, she drew her conclusion.
"He isn't sick. He doesn't have a cold. The magic power inside his body is entering a peak growth phase."