After the crazy game with Hisashi, dinner was soon ready so we all gathered back at the cafeteria. We sat in our usual seats, away from each other. Gin didn't sit next to me this time. I shall accept the fact that he may not want to get near me again. He couldn't have liked the kiss, or he's at least too embarrassed by it to show his face again.

When it's the end of the day, and we go back to our cabin, Kentaro still isn't happy about the fact that Hisashi has to stay with us for an unknown amount of time. Hisashi takes the open bed above Gin.

(July 4)
The next day, Yuuma is there. He explains that the professionals for Matsu's treatment are here and will take care of him. I have a couple questions.

"Were you able to pay for it then?" I ask.

"Yes," Yuuma says. "I gave the task to sell your donation to an officer. Then Ana paid the professionals this morning. They've already started tending to Matsu. They'll get him through the worst of the withdrawal. He may still take some time to recover completely when they leave."

"Then who will take care of him until he completely recovers...?" He's not saying he'll make Matsu continue the routine while he's still not well, right??

"I thought about it," Yuuma interrupts my thoughts. "And I believe you might be good for the job, Akiara. But you'll have to make up the time you miss each day from the routine with extra sessions of the workout and such, along with Matsu."

Extra sessions?? Who cares about that! I can help Matsu!! Or... I mean... I can skip out on the routine everyday, lucky me. Even though I'll have to make it up after...

"Alright, I'll do it," I say.

The day continued on with our routine back on schedule. I'm glad we don't have another free day though. If we did, what kind of crazy game would Hisashi come up with next...? I don't even want to think about it...

From the 4th to the 7th, four days go by as Matsu gets his treatment. They get him through the worst of it and make sure he's well enough without them. On the 8th, I can start helping Matsu for the last bit of his withdrawal. But there's a surprise event on the 7th.

(July 7)
It seems like any other day as I go to the cafeteria as usual. We all eat breakfast by ourselves, Kentaro running in late. I've noticed Gin has started staring at me, so I wonder if he'll finally get the courage to say what's on his mind. His staring is bothering me... If he has something to say about the kiss, just do it and stop looking at me. He seems antsy and about ready to get up.

Then, all of a sudden, Ana bursts out of the kitchen. She's carrying a big round cake on a platter. There's decorative candles evenly spaced out on the cake, already lit. Yuuma reacts, seemingly surprised. I think we're all surprised, but his reaction was a little different. I immediately learn why.

"Ana..." Yuuma says. "I told you not to make a big fuss about my birthday..."

"No way!!" Ana exclaimed, angry. "That's lame!! I want to celebrate!! I want to make a cake!! I want to eat a cake!!"

I jump up. "It's your birthday today, Counselor Yuuma??"

Yuuma glances at me, then at the rest of the boys. "Yes... But we don't need to make a big deal of it..."

"Birthdays are meant to be celebrated!!" I say. "We have to celebrate!!"

"Yeah, Akiara is on my side!!" Ana says.

Yuuma looks almost lost, looking between us. Then he sighs. "Very well... You made a cake after all... Let's share it and be done."

"Yay!! Then you have to make a wish!! Come on, blow out the candles before they burn too much!" Ana moved the cake close to Yuuma.

Yuuma paused like he was making a wish. Then he blew the candles out in one breath. Ana set the cake down on Gin's table. She made Yuuma sit in front of it. I walk over to join them. Everyone else does too.

"Now we have to sing!" Ana says.

"No," Yuuma immediately replies.

I chime in. "It's not a birthday without the embarrassment of getting sung to!"

"Exactly!" Ana agrees.

Yuuma looks done. Ana and I begin singing. The others slowly join us.

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Yuuma, happy birthday to you~"

We clap for him. Then Ana cuts the cake and we each get a slice. It's so delicious... I expect nothing less from Ana. I've still had a few bitter feelings about her and Yuuma since the Matsu incident, but I can't feel that way forever. Let's have fun and celebrate a birthday. We can put all of the other stuff aside.

Ana made conversation and mentioned snippets of her past with Yuuma.

"Can you believe Yuuma didn't say anything to me for years, but one day he came up to me to ask if I wanted to join this camp? I probably should have punched him right then and there! Ahaha!!" She laughed loudly.

"I'm sorry... You know I was busy..." Yuuma said.

"Yeah, but you could have said something! Or asked for help! Texting is a thing, you know!"

"Sorry..."

"Oh well, it doesn't matter now. I accepted anyway because I was happy to hear from you. So you better like me being here and enjoy my cake, alright!?"

"Of course. It's a delicious cake." Yuuma stuffed more into his mouth.

I ate my cake quietly. I'm a bit interested in their relationship and how it came to be. Maybe I'll hear more eventually?

After we had our fill of the cake, Yuuma got us back on track. I feel like he works too hard on his birthday... Wouldn't you take the day off? Maybe he can't in this situation. But we'd be understanding. Oh well, he can do whatever he wants. He's the one in charge, after all.

The day went by. Seems like Gin lost his opportunity to talk to me, if he even was going to today. Then, on the 8th, Yuuma let me take breakfast to Matsu and stay with him in the cabin.

(July 8)
I slowly enter Matsu's cabin, his breakfast in my hands. Ana made soup so hopefully it'll be mild enough for him. Yuuma said Matsu may still feel sick, like having to throw up, so I need to take care of him when that happens.

Matsu was lying down, but he sits up, staring at me.

"Hello, Matsu. I have your breakfast," I tell him. He looks like he has bags under his eyes. Is he not sleeping well? That might be a side effect of withdrawal... 

"Y-You're... Aki...?" he asks.

"Akiara. Did you forget my name? Haha!" I tease.

"I-I'm sorry..." he looks away. "W-When I'm... high... I-I have trouble p-paying attention... S-So I wasn't able to r-remember your name..."

"That's alright! It's not that big of a deal. Um... Here's your breakfast." I feel a little awkward. I feel like this is the most Matsu has talked, and he isn't smiling anymore. He looked too sad when he said sorry. I don't like this... Was he like this before the drugs...?

I set the tray with the bowl of soup on Matsu's lap. He picks up the spoon and tastes the soup. I'm not sure what to do now. I ate before I came here to let him rest longer. I should at least sit. I grab the laundry basket and sit on it like Yuuma had a few days ago. I wonder if there's a proper chair I can bring in here instead.

"...how are you feeling?" I finally ask.

He looks up from his soup. Then he looks away again. "I-I feel okay..."

"If you need anything, just ask. I'm going to take care of you until you're all better!" I smile.

"T-Thank you..." He gives a quick nod.

Awkward silence. I'm not sure if I should leave him alone and let him eat his soup quietly, or if I should fill the silence with random conversation. He looks really tired, and a little pale. I'd rather not irritate him when he's not feeling well.

There's only the sound of Matsu's spoon clinking against the bowl. I look out the window across the room. The blinds are partly closed, but you can still see out a little bit. It doesn't let too much light in.

"A-Akiara..." he speaks. I turn my head to him. "C-Could you take the bowl...?" His eyebrows are furrowed and he's gotten even more pale.

I stand up and quickly take the tray away. He looks like he's going to be sick. What should I do??

Before I can react, he leans over the side of the bed and vomits into a trash can. I'm startled. I have to look away before I get sick too. Only my eyes can move. He's so sick... I feel so bad...

"Are you ok...? Should I see if Yuuma has medicine for nausea?" I ask.

He slowly sits up. He wipes his mouth. "...yes... I-If there's medicine, I'd like to h-have it..."

"Alright! Just wait, I'll be right back!" I go to leave but I stop and glance at the trash can. "And I'll take care of this too!" I grab it and hurry away.

There's a dumpster behind the cafeteria. I walk through the cafeteria to get to the kitchen. I should drop off the soup and then throw the trash away. No one is in the cafeteria, so they must be doing their workout. I should just ask Ana about the medicine then.

I walk into the kitchen. Ana is cleaning up from breakfast. She notices me.

"Hey, Akiara," she greets me.

"Um... Matsu ate some soup, but then he threw up..." I lift the tray in my left hand and the trash can in my right to explain.

"I was hoping the soup would be alright..." She takes the soup from me, frowning.

I set the trash can down and tie the bag. "The dumpster is just outside, right...?" There's a door here leading outside, I now notice.

"Yep. The dumpster is right outside the door," she says, dumping the rest of the soup in the sink and washing the bowl.

I step outside. The dumpster is to the left. I toss the bag in and go back inside. I lean my back against the door and close it.

"Ana... How long will Matsu be sick for...?" I ask. I hate seeing him sick and not being able to do anything... He can only get better over time though.

"Well... The last effects of withdrawal could last for up to 10 days..." Ana says.

"10 days... That's awful..." He still has to suffer for that long...? I hope he can get better before then...

I step away from the door. "Is there medicine Matsu could take? For nausea?" I ask.

"I think there's something. Let me see," she says. She opens a cabinet with different medications. I guess they have stuff like pain medication if we get hurt or complain of a headache...? She looks through the bottles and picks one up. "This may help!" She shakes a pill out onto her hand, gets a glass of water, and hands it to me.

I take them. "Thanks." Then I begin to leave.

"I'm sure his nausea will get better with time. I'm glad you're taking care of him," she smiles.

I nod at her and leave. Let's hope he doesn't throw this up too...

I get back to the cabin and Matsu takes the pill. Then I set his trash can back by his bed, a new bag inside. He says he wants to rest so I make sure the room is darker. I wait a moment until I can hear his soft breathing, now asleep. He seemed to fall asleep alright. But maybe he can't stay asleep? Or maybe he can sleep a bit better today. Either way, I'm glad he's asleep now. I still haven't found a chair. I'll find Yuuma and ask him.

The days go by as I help Matsu. I make sure he gets 3 meals a day. He's still been throwing up a bit, until the medicine helped him keep stuff down. I've tried to fill the silence with random conversation because it's awkward otherwise. He quietly listens. When I mentioned our bonding activity with origami, he said the memory is a bit fuzzy. So he doesn't even realize how he affected me at that time... He also confirmed that he really does like cats, a small smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile too. He explained a little more to say that he often met stray cats and they were always friendly with him.

One of my duties to help Matsu is to wipe his skin down and clean him off. His legs feel a bit stiff and hurt, apparently a symptom of heroin withdrawal. It was awkward when I had him strip down to his underwear so I could wipe him off. But I tried to keep my mind focused and not in the gutter. He seemed uncomfortable, but soon got used to it. He's thin, lanky, and pale. I want to continue to touch his skin. But I force my hands off of him when I'm done wiping him down.

As the days go by, I learn to push my worldly desires aside and dedicate myself to helping him. We're both more comfortable that way. I think he's cute, but I try to keep that a secret. I don't think he's noticed.

(July 11)
Today is cloudy. As I take Matsu his breakfast, I look up at the sky. The clouds are dark and look like they could burst with rain at any moment. I wonder what Yuuma will do if it does rain. Everyone usually exercises outside. Will he skip it or try to do it indoors?

I give Matsu his breakfast and he eats well. He's looking a bit better. Maybe he'll be all better before 10 days? I have my hopes up. Fufufu... Is it because I, the great Akiara, am taking care of him? Just kidding... I really don't think I'm all that great...

"I-Is it cloudy today...?" Matsu asks. I had to turn on the light in the cabin because it was still too dark in here, despite it being daytime.

"Yeah. It could storm at any moment," I say. I stand up and open the blinds on the window across the room. The cabins have a few windows, but Matsu can see out of this one more easily.

As I look out the window, there's a tap. And another tap. And another. I realize rain is starting to come down. It splashes on the window. Yuuma wouldn't make everyone workout in the rain, right? No, of course not.

I step away from the window and look back at Matsu. He's gone a bit rigid. Is something wrong?? I hurry over to him.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling alright?" I ask.

"Um..." He grips his utensil. "D-Do you think...there will be l-lightning and t-thunder...?"

"Huh?" I blink. "I'm not sure. It could just rain."

Then, as if on cue, there's a loud crack of thunder. Matsu jumps, dropping his utensil. He stares, wide-eyed, out the window. That was so sudden, it scared me too... But why is he so worried about it? It's loud, but it's just weather. We'll be fine indoors. It'll probably pass soon too.

He looks down at his plate. He picks up his utensil again. He tries to continue eating. Then there's a bright flash outside the window. Later, there's thunder. He winces.

"Do you hate thunder...?" I ask.

He pauses. "...y-yes..."

I sit down. I can understand. It's so loud after all. I'm not that fond of this kind of weather.

He jumps again at the next sound of thunder. "C-Could you... close the b-blinds...?" he asks.

"Sure..." He seems especially sensitive to the weather though. I get up and close the blinds.

"A-And... I'm done with b-breakfast..."

I take the plate from him. I'd rather not go out in this weather, so I set the plate aside on the ground as I sit on the chair. I notice Matsu bend his knees and bring the blanket on top of himself and up to his nose. He looks cute, but also like a scared kid.

"Hey... Is everything alright?" I ask and lean close to him. "Does the thunder bother you that much?"

He hesitates. "W-Well... This weather... I-It reminds me of t-times when I've struggled... I-I don't like it..."

Times when he's struggled? What could that mean? Will he even tell me...? It's not like we're that close... And maybe he doesn't want to go into detail...

Then there's more thunder. He brings his knees closer to himself and furrows his brow. "Urgh... I-I might throw up..."