Teddy Bear - Trace of a Thread Chapter 1

[shivalries]

Season: Autumn

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[Park (Autumn)]

Leo: Hmm-hm hmm♪

Wahaha! It’s come, it’s come, inspiration!

I’ve been on a roll lately~ These hands are your source for locally-produced masterpieces…☆

I really am a genius, huh! No wait, perhaps even a god?! Juuust kidding, I just wanted to try copying Shu…♪

Mika: ……

Leo: Eek, is that a dead body?!

Huh? What? Did he collapse here…?

Mika: ……

Leo: H-Heey? What’s up? You okay~? You’re still alive, right?

Mika: ……

Leo: (Hm. His body’s warm, and I can feel a pulse… He’s alive… right?)

(But his breathing’s shallow and kinda unsteady~ the rhythm’s all off!)

(I-I can’t just leave him here like this! I’ll get an ambulance or something!)

(Ahh, but thanks to that other thing, I don’t have my phone, or even my wallet! I don’t have anything but my genius!)

(But that’s all I really need! Wahaha!)

(Wait, I shouldn’t joke around at a time like this… umm, what do I do? I guess for now, I’ll carry him to school since it’s close by?)

(Yeah, taking him to the nurse’s office or something should be a good idea! And if I see anyone on the way, I can borrow their phone and call an ambulance, too!)

(Alrighty, let’s go with this plan!)

H-Hey there? I’m gonna pick you up, okay?

I don’t see any injuries on him… It should be fine to move him. I might touch him somewhere weird, but there’s no avoiding it, okay!

Here we go~ guaaahh! Hrgghhh…!

Mika: ……

Leo: (H-He’s pretty heavy! This won’t work~ My muscles aren’t doing so great after being a shut-in for so long!)

(Even after coming back, I’ve been lazy and had Knights carry heavy things for me, you know?)

Mika: Uuu… Oshisaaaan, m’sorry…

Leo: Mm? He’s mumbling something in his sleep! Or, did you wake up~? To be honest, it’d be great if you could walk on your own, you know!

You’re wearing a uniform, so you’ve gotta be a Yumenosaki student, right? You’re a big kid in high school already, get a grip!

Come on, you can do it little guy!

Mika: ……

Leo: Ah, he just closed his eyes again… Guh, he’s a real handful! Alright, I guess I have no choice but to buck up and carry him!

Come on, work, my muscles that I don’t really use that much!

Hiyahh!

Uuu, every single step is so heavy~!

(…But this guy… he seems pretty light for his height.)

(I don’t have any upper body strength, so he probably just feels heavy… It’s like he’s just skin and bones, or just hollow on the inside?)

(Does he have cotton instead of organs in there?)

(Actually, hmm… I feel like I’ve seen this guy somewhere before? Who was he again?)

(I’ve forgotten! But anyway, I can’t waste calories on thinking right now!)

(I gotta hurry! I don’t know who he is, but I won’t be able to sleep if I let him die!)

[Nurse’s Office]

Adonis: We’ve made it to the nurse’s office.

Leo: Yeah! Thanks for carrying that guy who collapsed for me, it was a real big help!

If I’d been the only one carrying him, we’d most likely both have ended up on the ground!

I owe you one~ Sorry to interrupt you in the middle of club activities, though? You look scary, but you’re a good guy, kid from Rei’s place♪

Adonis: I’m not the “kid from Rei’s place”, I’m Adonis Otogari. Haven’t I told you this several times already, Tsukinaga-senpai?

Leo: Huh, is that right? Sorry about that! I don’t really care for names, you see!

But that’s a pretty name~ Adonis, from Greek mythology, right?

Anemones spring from his flesh and blood! The goddess who loved him cries tears of roses!

Ahh, it’s come, it’s come, inspiration!

As thanks to you, I shall offer you a song, and I shall title it “Adonis” so I don’t forget your name~♪

Adonis: …… (He ignores Leo for now and lays Mika on a bed.)

Okay. This will be fine for now. Take time and rest on a nice, soft bed.

Leo: Yeah! That’s one thing out of the way!

Ahh, I was seriously panicking, I probably lost years off my life! Even though I don’t think I’ll be living long as it is!

…Same for this guy. Seriously, why’d he collapse? Any ideas, Adonis?

Adonis: I’m not sure, but Kagehira collapses frequently. It seems he doesn’t have much interest in eating, so he’s a bit anemic from malnutrition.

Which means it’ll all be solved if he eats meat. And I just happen to have a kebab, so I’ll give it to him when he wakes up.

Do you want some, Tsukinaga-senpai? Eat some meat.

Leo: Ah, I’ve seen this in some country before! I was thinking you smelled good - so it was this, huh~ Do you always go around carrying food with you?

Adonis: It’s just a coincidence. I was doing some extra practice for track club, and ran wherever it took me, but…

Lured by the smell of meat, before I knew it, I was standing in front of a kebab stall I pass by on the way to school.

It’s one of my favorite places, and the owner knows me.

I know it’s not good to put something in my stomach while I’m still in the middle of practice, but they asked me to try out their new product…

And I gave into temptation and tried it.

And to cap it off, it was so good that I went back to school just to get my wallet, and then I ended up buying a lot… I am weak.

Leo: But that’s fine, isn’t it? Self-control is the path to enlightenment, but… in the end, humans are better off when they eat whatever they want to eat, and do whatever they want to do!

I like that way much better~♪

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Masterlist || Trace of a Thread Chapter 2 >