Chapter 319: To the Rooftop
Kitahara Kaede glanced from side to side.
Mei immediately understood what that tiny movement meant.
“What? We’re getting along too peacefully compared to what you imagined?”
Caught red-handed, Kaede looked a little awkward.
He gave a dry laugh, pulled over a chair, and sat down.
Pakura said nothing. She had just finished peeling the apple.
Naturally, she broke it in half and handed one piece to Kaede.
“Want some?”
Kaede accepted it and quietly thanked her.
Mei, lying on the bed, stared in disbelief.
Her eyes widened as she fixed them on the remaining half in Pakura’s hand.
“Wait! I thought you were peeling that specifically for me!”
Pakura acted as though she hadn’t heard the complaint. A rare trace of dry humor entered her voice.
“Then you thought wrong. Peel one yourself if you want it.”
That almost made Mei choke.
She bit her lip in irritation, braced herself against the bed, and made as though she were going to throw off the covers.
“Fine! Fine! I’ll peel my own!”
She protested with puffed cheeks.
Seeing how worked up she was, a hint of amusement flashed through Pakura’s eyes. She extended the other half of the apple toward her.
Mei stared at the apple now held close to her mouth and gave a loud snort.
Then she stubbornly turned her face away.
“I don’t want it!”
Pakura had no intention of indulging her.
The smile disappeared from her face and she calmly pulled her hand back.
“Alright. I’ll eat it myself.”
Mei had expected her to coax her at least another couple of times.
But when she glanced over from the corner of her eye—good grief!
Pakura had really taken a bite. Crunch. She wasn’t even looking at Mei anymore.
This time, Mei’s cheeks puffed up into two little buns, and even her breathing grew heavier.
Kaede watched the two of them go back and forth and found himself thoroughly entertained.
When had these two gotten so close? They looked like a pair of young girls bickering with each other.
He couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
He was just about to say something when—
Bang!
The hospital-room door was shoved open from outside.
Kaede instinctively turned his head.
Tsunade.
A little earlier, Nonou had stopped her in the hallway to report on the patients’ conditions. In passing, Nonou had mentioned that she had just seen Kaede coming to visit Mei.
The instant Kaede saw Tsunade, his heart sank.
Oh no.
Was she jealous?
He had come here first instead of going to see her. How was he supposed to explain this?
But what happened next was completely beyond his expectations.
After entering the room, Tsunade didn’t even glance at the bed.
Her eyes were fixed entirely on him.
Kaede immediately sensed something was wrong.
Her eyes were faintly red.
And there was an emotion in them he had never seen before, a mixture of heartache and sadness.
She stood in the doorway as though desperately suppressing something.
“Kaede, I need to talk to you.”
“On the rooftop.”
Without giving him a chance to ask what was going on, she turned and walked away, her back resolute.
Kaede froze with half an uneaten apple still in his hand.
Huh?
She was just… leaving?
What was going on with her?
He didn’t understand the situation, but an ominous premonition hammered wildly against his nerves.
Something huge had happened!
Absolutely huge—and it was probably related to him!
Kaede had no time to think about anything else. He shot to his feet.
He quickly glanced back at the two women in the room, apologetic.
“I’ll go see what this is about.”
He set the apple on the nearby cabinet and hurried out after Tsunade, disappearing through the doorway in moments.
The room fell quiet again.
Only Mei and Pakura remained, staring at each other.
The moment Kaede left, the girlish pout on Mei’s face vanished.
She narrowed her eyes toward the doorway, her expression difficult to read.
Tsunade’s condition just now… was definitely not normal.
Something was up.
She turned toward Pakura, who was still slowly eating her apple. The little flame of gossip in her heart immediately flared to life.
Mei leaned forward and began fanning it.
“Hey. Want to go listen?”
Her tone was blatantly encouraging, clearly hoping to drag someone along with her.
Pakura swallowed the bite in her mouth and remained as cool as ever.
She glanced at Mei’s eager expression and shook her head without hesitation.
“No. I don’t have a habit of eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.”
Mei’s eyebrows shot up.
She threw off the blanket and braced herself against the bed, preparing to climb down.
“Seriously?”
She deliberately dragged out the word, her tone pointed.
“If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Why insult me while you’re at it?”
“I’ll go myself! I want to see what Tsunade is up to.”
Pakura looked at her.
She could barely stand properly. Two steps and she’d probably sway over.
In the end, Pakura let out a heavy sigh.
She really couldn’t deal with this stubborn woman who insisted on competing with everyone.
Pakura wiped her hands with a tissue, walked over, and hooked one arm under Mei’s.
“Forget it. You look half-dead. I can’t exactly watch you crawl there.”
She rolled her eyes, her voice full of reluctant compromise.
“I’ll be generous and help you over.”
Mei immediately leaned most of her weight against Pakura’s shoulder without the slightest hesitation.
A triumphant little smile appeared on her face.
Supporting each other, the two women left the room and headed toward the rooftop.