章 90: Ch 90. Let Me Hug You
As Hoshimi embraced her, Yukinoshita instinctively tried to resist, pushing against his waist to distance him.
"Let me hug you... I can't move anymore..."
Hearing Hoshimi's whispered words in her ear, Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment, then stopped struggling and allowed him to hold her.
"Mm~"
The next moment, the extremely weak Hoshimi leaned heavily on Yukinoshita, putting some of his weight on her sprained right ankle.
Yukinoshita's expression changed, and she quickly supported Hoshimi by his waist, using her uninjured left leg to bear his weight.
"Hoshimi, are you okay?" she asked softly in his ear.
"...Not... really..." Hoshimi, feeling a tightness in his chest, whispered back.
"I'll take you to the infirmary," Yukinoshita said, her brow furrowed at his weak voice.
"No... just let me rest a bit... no need for the infirmary..."
"Huh? You're in this state and still don't want to go to the infirmary?"
"No... just need to rest... I'll explain later..."
"..."
Seeing he was adamant, Yukinoshita didn't argue further about the infirmary.
Struggling to support him, she said quietly, "Hoshimi, can you move a little? Let's sit on that bench. I can't hold on much longer..."
With her right ankle sprained, even walking was hard for her. Now, supporting Hoshimi with just her left leg, she felt it trembling.
If this continued, she would collapse under his weight.
"I... can't move right now..."
Hoshimi wasn't lying. After winning the match and deactivating his "trump card," he felt intense muscle pain, chest tightness, and weakness. To avoid collapsing in front of everyone, he used sheer willpower to walk towards Yukinoshita.
He had intended to make it to the bench, but midway, he couldn't hold on anymore. Thankfully, Yukinoshita came over, allowing him to use her as a support. Otherwise, he would have already fallen.
"What should we do? I can't hold on much longer," Yukinoshita said, her voice trembling along with her left leg.
In about ten seconds, she would collapse too.
"Call... for help..."
"Oh~ oh~" Yukinoshita agreed, glancing around. The girls from Class 2-J looked at them with eyes full of admiration and well-wishes, unaware of Hoshimi's condition. Was it because Hoshimi acted well, or were they just oblivious?
She wanted Yui to help, but Yui was behind her and out of sight. She couldn't turn to call her, fearing any movement might cause her left leg to give out.
At that moment, Haruno and Shizuka Hiratsuka appeared in her line of sight.
She looked at them with hope and softly called, "Sister..."
"Hm?" Haruno immediately noticed the problem upon meeting Yukinoshita's gaze. Her sister seemed to need help.
Raising an eyebrow, Haruno moved quickly towards her. Shizuka, seeing Haruno rush, instinctively followed with long strides. They reached the struggling pair together.
"Sister... Hiratsuka-sensei..." Hearing Yukinoshita's labored breathing, they quickly understood the situation.
Haruno hurried to support Yukinoshita while Shizuka went to help Hoshimi, holding him up.
"Ahh~" Relieved to have more support, Hoshimi leaned heavily on Shizuka.
"Hm?" Shizuka, steady as a rock, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Side effects?"
"Yes..." Hoshimi nodded slightly.
"Is it serious? Do you need a hospital?"
"No... just need to rest a bit..."
"Alright, as you wish."
Although Shizuka thought Hoshimi should see a doctor, she respected his decision, considering it might involve his privacy.
"Please help me to that bench," Hoshimi said, indicating the nearby bench.
"Alright." Shizuka supported Hoshimi to the bench.
"Ahhh~"
Once seated, Hoshimi slumped, completely relaxing.
On the other side, Haruno helped Yukinoshita to the bench. Yukinoshita instinctively looked at Hoshimi, frowning, "Are you feeling better?"
"Just need a bit of rest," Hoshimi said, half-closing his eyes, exuding a lazy aura.
He knew using what he learned from that girl had side effects, but didn't expect them to be so severe. During previous dream experiments, it wasn't this bad. A year ago, using 10% power only caused slight weakness, not this unsteadiness.
Wait! A year ago, his body wasn't this frail. A year of staying home had weakened him.
Licking his dry lips, Hoshimi realized he needed to exercise.
To live freely, one needs a strong body...
Yukinoshita, confirming Hoshimi wasn't pretending, turned to Haruno, avoiding her gaze, "Sister, thank you."
"No problem, little Yukino. It's nothing for my sister," Haruno said playfully while discreetly observing Hoshimi.
It was rare for her sister to ask for help, so Hoshimi had earned a lot of points today.
"Hoshimi, there's still the award ceremony. Can you and Yukinoshita attend? If not, I'll have someone collect it for you."
Shizuka remembered the award ceremony and seeing their condition, she asked in advance.
"Award...?" Hoshimi moved his arm, feeling somewhat better. He looked at Yukinoshita, "I think I can. How about you, Yukino?"
"Yes..."
If Hoshimi could, so could she.
"Alright, you two rest here. I'll prepare for the ceremony. Come when you hear your names."
With that, Shizuka glanced at Haruno and Yukinoshita before walking away.
===
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