You finish explaining your story...

Maiko let out a small sigh as she leaned back in her chair, your story leaving her in silence. Her reaction was minute, but in your current state of mind, she might as well have just screamed out in frustration.

“I’m sorry.” The words come out of your mouth on reflex.

“Hey...what for? You haven’t done anything wrong.” Maiko sits back up straight and tries to give you a reassuring smile.

“I know that, it’s just...” You sigh. “I feel like I’m just making your job more difficult.”

“Is that right? I actually find all this rather interesting,” Maiko let out a small chuckle.“I certainly wasn’t expecting this from you after everything I told you yesterday. I expected you to embrace the position you’re in, so for you to say that you feel bad when you have sexual thoughts about other women other than Emiru...I think it says a lot about you.”

“So what do you think I should do?” You ask. You feel drained; recounting last night’s events was like reliving them, so you don’t have the energy to think in depth right now.

“Well, to be blunt, this is all more of a relationship issue rather than a Yellow Fever issue, which puts it outside of my expertise.” Maiko said. “I may not understand what your issue is with having other women, but if you’re adamant about only wanting Emiru, then I suppose I can’t stop you. With that said, I need to ask...”

Maiko leans forward and looks you in the eye. It reminds you of how your own mother would speak to you when saying something important.

“Ken, do you love her?”

The question makes you blanch, but not as much as you were expecting. It may be that you were already contemplating this question yourself, but were just too scared to confront it.

“...I can’t say for certain,” You admit. “I’m not really that experienced when it comes to this stuff. All I know is that I don’t want her to ever go through something like what happened last night. She didn’t do anything wrong. I want her to stay smiling. That’s how I feel.”

Maiko lets out a small sigh. “Admirable...but I’m not sure I’d call that ‘love’ exactly...”

“And what do you mean by that?” Maiko’s resistance was starting to irritate you.

“Ken, you need to remember that the way the heart works can be...fickle. Love goes beyond the feeling of infatuation or chivalry; it’s something that’s cultivated together as a couple. Not to mention, just because you may feel this way towards Emiru right now doesn’t mean that it will last forever, or that you won’t feel the same towards someone else.”

There’s a gravity to Maiko’s words that kept you silent. You wonder whether she was speaking from experience, and whether or not she was right.

“If you really want to take her feelings into consideration, then you need to make choices based on what’s best for you both, not just one or the other,” Maiko continued “...even if that means breaking things off with her.”

“What are you saying? That I should cut ties with her? Turn away and never look back?” You retort. This time, you can’t keep out the annoyance in your voice.

“If the actions you take end up hurting her, then yes,” Maiko says bluntly. Your argument didn’t even phase her. “But you’re jumping to conclusions. All I suggest for now is just...talking to her. Tell her what’s bothering you. Your treatment for your fever is perfectly natural, and doesn’t have to change your relationship with her, so I really don’t see why being with other women bothers you so. But if the idea of it is really is eating away at you, then it’s worth a go at least.”

The calmness of her reply cools your blood, helping you to think rationally again. The idea of talking to Emiru was daunting, but yesterday was a good lesson in why obfuscating your intentions was a bad idea.

“...I guess you’re right,” You eventually say. “Although, I’m not sure I can pull it off. I don’t think my Japanese is good enough to convey what exactly I want to tell her.”

“You don’t think your Japanese is good?” Maiko asks, switching to Japanese.

“My Japanese is...not bad.” You also switch by reflex. “But I do not have enough practice in speaking.”

Maiko smiles at you. “I think you speak perfectly fine,” She replies back in English. “Just be confident in yourself; I’m sure she’ll understand. And if this is not the perfect to practice your speech, then I don’t know what else there is.”

As you try to figure out what to say to Emiru, Maiko stands up and opens a drawer from a filing cabinet around the room’s perimeter. She withdrew a sheet of paper from it, before handing it over to you and returning to her own seat. It seemed to be sort of chart; you can pick out just enough characters to understand that it was to track ovulation cycles.

“Nowadays, most girls track their cycles using an app...but I’m sure giving her this the old fashioned way might be a good conversation starter.” Maiko says with a thin smile.

Right...so long as I actually remember what the appropriate term is in Japanese.

“Anything else you want to add?” You ask Maiko as you store the chart away.

“Health-wise, I think you’re fine to continue living life as you were before,” Maiko explained. “Booster aside, it thankfully doesn’t seem like your collapse yesterday left you with any lingering issues. But that doesn’t mean you can get lax with the fever, so you need to make sure you’re being relieved from it periodically. I have no qualms about the relationships you have towards whomever’s helping you out, but you need to keep in mind what one person is capable of. I would still recommend that you have other women help you with your fever, unless you plan to have Emiru be around you at all times.”

You open your mouth to argue, but quickly shut it when you realise she’s right. Emiru already has her own life, her own friends and passions. Forcing her to give those up just for your sake would be selfishness of the highest order.

“One last thing, I also want you to return here regularly so I can monitor your condition. At least until I’m sure you’re recovered completely.” Maiko finishes.

“How often?” You ask.

“Once a day preferably, for the next week.”

You consider it for a moment, but then shake your head. “Sorry to ask, but is that necessary? I’ve already kinda lost lunch break, so I’d rather not have to do it again. I mean, I’ve already missed meeting Emiru because of this…”

Maiko nodded in understanding. “I understand. But I can’t just let you go without some way of monitoring your health.” Her face then lit up in with inspiration. “I know: rather than come see me to monitor your health...why not hang out with Rika instead? She’ll know what to watch out for with your fever, and she might be able to help you with getting up to speed on your schoolwork as well.”

“Hang out with Rika...?” The idea makes you frown. “Just, like, as friends, not to help me with the fever or anything like that?”

“Well…” Maiko put a pondering finger to her chin. “What you decide is ultimately your choice, isn’t it? Whether you do want her to help out like that, or if you just want her to check up on you, I’m sure she’ll be fine with both.”

“Still...are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Why? Is there a problem?” Maiko peers at you confused.

“Well, it’s just…I’m not so sure she’s fond of me.” You admit, recalling the way two parted ways last night. Then there was the fact that Rika wasn’t exactly jumping for joy to see you again.

“Oh, it’s fine. Rika just takes some time to warm up to people, that’s all.” Maiko responds. She seemed genuine, but you still had a bit of doubt. Was she right, or did she just have a blind spot for Rika’s behaviour?

As if sensing this, Maiko’s face fell. “Ken, you look unsure. Did something happen between you two? I just wanted to make a suggestion; don’t feel pressured to-”

“No, no…” You respond, thinking hard. “I just think I said something rude to her last night. Maybe I should apologise somehow; I mean, she did save my life, so I want to show her how much I appreciate her.”

“I see,” Maiko nodded. “In that case, I’ll trust in you to figure something out. Give me your phone; I’ll add both my and her numbers.”

“Sure,” You pass it over. “That’ll be great.”

A growl in your stomach silences the conversation. It was a rather apt reminder that you’ve missed lunch to be here. A glance at a nearby clock shows that there’s barely ten minutes left before lunch ends; if you hurry, you might be able to wolf at least some of your forgotten bento down before class starts.

“Better hurry,” Maiko tells you as she passes back your phone. “I hear the teachers are rather strict about tardy behaviour.”

You give her a sheepish grin as you gather your things and make for the door.

“One last thing, Mr. Aizawa...” Maiko stops you at the entrance.

“Yeah?” Your heart begins to race as Maiko walks slowly and deliberately close to you.

“I just thought you would like to know...I’m tracking my cycle too.” Maiko tells you, putting her hand on your shoulder. Her words are oddly soft; somehow removed from both the energetic and professional personas you know her for. “I know you would prefer to only be with Emiru, but…if you ever need someone else to be with, I hope that you will consider me.”

You find it hard to come up with a response; you’re too emotionally drained, and your empty stomach makes it hard to string thoughts together. Giving an answer either way might just make things between you two more awkward in the future.

“I’ll...keep that in mind.” You eventually say, before you hurry out the door to escape the situation. As soon as you turn the corner, your brain refocuses completely on finding a quiet spot to eat.

Watching you leave, Maiko’s expression turns forlorn. She lets out the breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

“If he does end up choosing me...I just hope that I can handle it better this time around.” She said to herself quietly, turning around and closing the nurse's office door behind her.

Neither you nor Maiko take notice the girl hidden just outside the doorway; not that she was trying to be noticed.

Rika Yamaguchi gritted her teeth as she processed the conversation that she just overheard. She sunk to the floor in a ball, trying to put a lid on the strange cocktail of emotions burning within her.

“She’s always doing this...making plans by herself and trying to carrying all the burden…” She murmured to herself, squeezing her eyes shut as droplets of tears burned her eyelids.

She couldn’t let him hurt her mother. Somehow, she had to stop him, no matter what.

But then again…

“...she did save my life, so I want to show her how much I appreciate her.”

Maybe...he wasn’t actually that bad of a person?