[TSSIM] Chapter 433: Treating Honoka

Meanwhile, on the other side.

At this moment, Honoka stared blankly at the hand holding hers.

"Hmm, there sure are many people here today, despite the weather..." Homura remarked, feeling a bit emotional.

Clearly, this proved that Muse had a much greater influence than he remembered.

"It's all thanks to you, Homura-kun..." Honoka replied softly.

"Here we go again..." Homura sighed. "If you didn't have the talent yourselves, nothing I did would make a difference."

"Ehehe—Achoo!" Honoka sneezed again, sniffling.

"Are you cold?" Homura asked worriedly.

"It feels a little chilly."

"Alright, let's jog a bit. It'll help get your blood flowing and warm you up."

Homura smiled and started jogging with Honoka, focusing on getting rid of the chill in her body.

As they started running, Honoka felt her energy returning.

Feeling the warmth of his hand in hers, Honoka smiled happily.

===

"Auntie, excuse me, is Yukiho still home?"

Several minutes later, when Homura and Honoka finally arrived at her Japanese sweet shop, which was also her house, he greeted her mother at the counter.

"Yukiho? Yes, she's home..."

Honoka's mother, Kosaka Sayumi, was still a bit dazed and replied instinctively. 

"Alright, excuse me." Homura took a deep breath and called up the stairs. "YUKIHO! COME DOWN HERE!"

Thud!

Crash!

Clatter!

A series of strange noises followed, and Yukiho came running down.

"Minamiya-senpai?! Why are you—eh? Nee-chan, you're back?"

Yukiho, who was talking to Homura, suddenly noticed her big sister.

"Did you know Honoka caught a cold?" Homura asked.

"What?!" Yukiho almost screamed. "Nee-chan, you caught a cold?!"

"Ehehe..." Honoka awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"Honoka..." Sayumi frowned. "Why didn't you say anything about being sick? And... why did you have to catch a cold today of all days..."

"Auntie, that's not important right now." Homura said calmly. "What's important is today's performance. Luckily, it's just a mild cold. If I try hard enough, I should be able to get Honoka feeling better in no time."

"Huh?" Yukiho was utterly confused. "You can cure her in no time? Minamiya-senpai, you know about medicine too?"

"I know a bit, but this doesn't require medicine." Homura shook his head. "Auntie, could you please heat some water for Honoka? She'll need to wash off her sweat later."

"Sweat?"

Sayumi looked at her daughter, not noticing any sweat.

However, Yukiho figured out what Homura meant.

"Mom, go heat up the water!" Yukiho told her mother. "I'll take care of Nee-chan and Minamiya-senpai!"

"Alright, but—hey! Yukiho, don't push me~!"

Saying this, Sayumi let Yukiho push her away.

Homura turned to Honoka.

"Let's head to your room then."

"Okay." Honoka nodded. "I think I'm feeling a bit better, not as sneezy as before..."

"I'll make sure you're fully better soon."

Homura smiled as he followed Honoka to her room.

Once they got to her room, Homura waited for Honoka to change into fresh clothes before entering.

Looking around the room, which hadn't changed much from what he remembered, he shook his head, walked to the window, and closed it.

As for the door, he naturally left it open.

"Make sure you're ready for this since this massage isn't about being comfortable; it's about getting your blood flowing." Homura warned ahead of time. "So, yeah, it might feel a bit uncomfortable."

"Um, no worries." Honoka nodded. "As long as it helps me get better sooner."

"Minamiya-senpai, is there anything I can help with?" Yukiho asked as she walked in.

"Just watch." Homura shook his head. "Alright, let's get started."

Honoka laid down on the bed immediately, and Homura stepped forward, ready to begin.

Sayumi was peeking from the doorway, her eyes wide open with a hint of curiosity.

Who knew what she was curious about?

Was it what Homura was about to do? Or maybe she was curious about her daughter's relationship with him?

"Ugh..."

Honoka let out a muffled groan, but it was clearly not because of pain. Still, the feeling was worlds away from the previously blissful sensation of being on cloud nine.

With just one push from Homura, Honoka broke out in a light sweat, and after a few more pushes, she started feeling a bit uncomfortable with the sticky sensation between her clothes and her skin.

"By the way, Yukiho, get some warm drinking water ready." Homura said without turning his head. "Honoka's sweating a lot, so she needs to replenish her fluids. It'd be good to add a little salt to the water too."

"Gotcha!"

Yukiho nodded and was about to head out when her mother stopped her.

"I'll go. If anything else comes up, you can handle it." Sayumi said, turning around to leave.

"By the way, why is Mom still here…" Yukiho muttered confusedly.

"Obviously, she's just worried about her precious daughter. How could she not be?" Homura smiled a little. "If Honoka doesn't get better soon, do you believe she'll pin her down and not let her out?"

Yukiho: "..."

Honestly, that could really happen!

"But knowing how stubborn Honoka is, she'd definitely insist on going out anyway… She might even sneak out if it comes to that."

Saying this, Homura kept massaging, and Honoka kept sweating.

Listening to his words, Honoka couldn't help but smile.

Indeed, if her mother really did try to stop her from going out, maybe she really would do what Homura said.

"But that won't happen, because I'm here." Homura added with a smile.

As time passed, Honoka sweated more and more, but her energy also started to come back.

After about five or six minutes, Honoka stopped sweating altogether, and Homura ceased his movements.

"Alright, drink some water. Drink plenty—by the way, don't chug it too fast." Homura reminded.

Feeling her mouth really dry, Honoka, who was about to gulp down her entire glass of water in one go, slowed after hearing Homura's words.

Soon, a thin layer of sweat covered Honoka's body again.

"Phew…" Honoka let out a long breath after finishing her drink.

"How are you feeling?" Homura asked with a slight smile.

"I feel a lot better!" Honoka replied energetically, then used a towel to wipe the sweat off her face. "And I don't feel like sneezing anymore!"

Yukiho placed her hand on Honoka's forehead.

"Wow... it's cold!"

"Her skin's cold because she's been sweating, but her body temperature is still normal." Homura explained briefly.

"Honoka, you should go take a bath." Sayumi suggested.

"Is the water ready already?" Honoka asked.

"I heated it this morning. It's still warm, so it should be just right."

"Okay! I'm going now!" Honoka said as she dashed off.

"Seriously, that girl…" Sayumi muttered with a sigh. "Didn't even say thanks to you…"

"It's fine, Auntie, don't treat me like a guest." Homura chuckled.

"Well, in that case, I won't be polite with you." Sayumi smiled.

Homura: "…"

Good thing he didn't say something too polite, or that would have been awkward.