Third Person PoV

" How does it taste?" Suzune asked after Kiyotaka chewed his first bite.

His eyes widened in suprise.

"...it....it tastes good...." Kiyotaka looked down on his plate and quickly began shoving more spoonfuls of it in his mouth. " So....good..."

Suzune sighs in relief. " You can taste again.....I'm glad." She said.

" Would you like to eat more? I'll cook another-"

Kiyopon looks up from his food and nods at her immediately.

" I'll eat all of Suzune's cooking." He said.

She laughs at that, " Well, you do need to gain a bit of weight back. Okay, please continue eating while I cook some more."

Kiyopon nods and Suzune proceeds to cook in the kitchen.

The room was now tidy, the dishes were washed, and Kiyopon was currently back in bed. Suzune sat by his bed.

" Do you need anything else?" She asked.

"...." She was met with silence, not an uncomfortable one but rather it felt like an awkward type of silence radiating from Kiyopon's side.

" Kiyotaka-kun, do you want anything else? If it's within my power, then it will happen." She said.

"....Anything?" He asked.

" Anything."

" Then....just for tonight......could Suzune stay?" He asked, softly.

"...."

' My heart is beating so fast.....' Suzune thought.

The lights were off and she was currently laying in bed beside him.

Well, now they were both simply staring at the ceiling in silence, not knowing what to do except sleep and yet, they can't even do THAT.

"...Um....I'll sleep then...." Suzune awkwardly spoke and turned to her side, away from Kiyopon and closed her eyes.

She yawns, feeling herself relax. Her body was ready to sleep.

But before that...

" Good night, Kiyotaka-kun."

" Suzune, what were your first impressions of me when we first met?"

"....I guess we're not sleeping, huh...." She sighs

She turns from her side and goes back to her previous position where she just stares at the ceiling.

" Well....let's see...." She hummed and began gathering her previous thoughts of Kiyopon.

" Well, I thought you were a weirdo."

" ?!" Kiyopon felt his heart getting pierced by that comment.

Suzune chuckles, " Well, you WERE staring at me quite weirdly back at the bus ride. It's a normal assumption, no?"

"...." Kiyopon can't argue with that, after all, that's how most of his friendships began in this school.

Just silent.....unadulterated......s t a r i n g.

Until the person being stared at eventually concedes and succumbs to his circle of friendship.

" And then you made think you were mute until you informed me that you didn't like to talk and rather opt to use your notebook. You're a weird individual." She continued,

" And somehow, you convinced me into becoming friends with you....and...now I-" She pauses.

Her face turns red.

" And you what?" He asked.

".....A-And...now I.....now I'm better....than my past self..." She said.

' I almost told him that I have feelings for him.....Suzune you idiot!' She thought and sighed before composing herself and adding one more thing.

"...I'm better now....because I have you by my side. A person I could lean onto whenever I feel like it and that....makes me happy." She finished.

"....I see..." Kiyopon felt comforted by that.

" What about you? What were your first impressions of me?" She shot back the question.

"....Hm...." Kiyopon hummed.

" Well...I just thought you were interesting.....everyone on the bus was looking at the commotion while you alone kept reading your book unbothered." He started,

" That trait alone gave me the idea that you were a loner." He said.

Suzune sighs at that. She can't really argue against that since that's the label her past self decided to portray.

" But suprisingly, you became my friend. Also, I didn't really convince you into becoming my friend." He looks at her with a smug expression. " You saw that I was sad when you rejected me at first, and you felt bad so you decided to accept, am I right?"

She also turns her head to look at him.

" You're making me want to ignore you out of spite."

Kiyopon quickly returns to staring at the ceiling.

" I retract my statement then..." He said.

" Also, I'm also thankful for having you. A person I could lean on and it's you. I never thought I'd cry again but you changed that....you were persistent in helping me....." he continues,

" I think throughout this year, you've helped me a lot more than you think. Thank you." He says.

"....Did I?"

" Yep."

She stares at the side of his face, trying to determine any evidence of a lie for some reason. But she couldn't find any, for as long as she could remember, Kiyopon stayed genuine with people he's close to....

"...You're welcome." She said and returned to staring at the ceiling as well.

A moment of silence...

" Suzune."

" Hm?"

" I think....tomorrow, I'm ready to go back to school."

" You don't have to force yourself to go if you still don't feel like it, you know?"

" It's almost the end of the month....I don't want the class to lose points."

" Don't worry about them. I'm sure our classmates will understand....after all.....they DO care for you a lot more than you may think."

"...." Kiyopon pondered on her words regarding how the class really feels about him. He wondered if they really cared for him as a person to the point where they're willing to lose class points and be okay with it.

" Your group of friends....the Kiyopon group? I forgot to inform you this but.....I was forced to join in." She said.

" Really? That's great." Kiyopon was delighted by that.

Suzune hummed in agreement, " They're a nice group of friends. I don't necessarily mind hanging out with them but......hopefully....you'll back in the picture too. When you're ready. ONLY when you're ready."

" .....Understood...." Kiyopon replied.

"....Well, I'm quite tired. So I'll sleep now, okay?" She said and turned to her side.

" Okay. " Kiyopon was tired too, anyways.

He turns to his own side and closes his eyes, erasing all thoughts, and focusing on that certain feeling of falling asleep....

Until he felt the shuffling of the bed and a warm hand touching his back. His eyes immediately shot open in suprise.

" ....Suzune?"

" P-Please don't look over here..." she said in an embarrassed soft tone.

" I just.....like this side more.....but I'll hit you if you look at me...." She said.

Fearless of her half-hearted threat, Kiyopon immediately turn to his other side to look at her.

Kiyopon's vision was blessed with a timid-looking Suzune, a red blush over her face, and a cute angry expression on her face.

" Why did you look at me...." She asked.

" Why didn't you hit me for doing so?" He shot back.

".....I don't want to hit you...." She avoided eye contact but still faced him, " Like I said....I just like laying on this side more....."

" I see.....looks like I discovered another new aspect of the girl known as ' Horikita Suzune'. " He mused.

" Ugh, be quiet." She mutters and tries to close her eyes and fall asleep,

" Just....let me sleep....like this..." She slowly said before going into complete silence.

A few minutes later, Kiyopon realized that Suzune already fell asleep. He was suprised by how fast she fell asleep, but smart and hardworking people would often fall asleep like this......in addition, she had to take care of his recovery.....

She needed the rest. She's more than deserved it.

But why is it that Kiyopon couldn't stop staring at her...?

This feeling was similar to that of when she was sick back at the cruise ship. At the time, he had touched her face and had complete focus on her lips......but that was just curiosity.

But there's something different now...

Another feeling has surged.....another feeling that Kiyopon can't identify....

But it was a positive feeling....

"...."

He decides to turn to his own side, he can't bear to sleep while facing her for reasons unbeknownst to him.

He eventually fell asleep....