It was winter in the Strahl Region, and snow blanketed Haruto's mansion in the Galark Kingdom.
"Cough, cough, hack," a man's voice trembled as he coughed. "Hmm... my body feels so heavy. I think I caught a cold," thought Amakawa Haruto as he woke up sluggishly in his bed and touched his hot neck. Particles of light conjured in front of the bed, revealing Aishia's figure.
"Haruto," Aishia called out. Seeing him, she said, "It is way past training. I was worried about you, so I came." Aishia usually slept with Haruto in her spiritual form(or sneak into his bed naked), but the previous night, the girls of the mansion had a pajama party. Liselotte, the Beltrum Princess, the Hero of Galark, and the First Princess of Galark were present, so Aishia slept with Miharu instead.
"I-I am fine, it's just a simple cold," Haruto tried to speak, but Aishia gently sat down beside him, touching his forehead with her slender fingers. Haruto gulped, seeing her so close.
"Warm," Aishia said. "Haruto has a cold."
Haruto tried to brush it off. "It's just a simple illness due to the winter. It will go away in a few days," he said, trying to sound reassuring.
"Onii-chan!" Latifa burst into the room energetically, eager to share tales of the prior pajama party. "Huh? What happened, Onii-chan? You look pale," she asked with concern.
"I am fine, everyone gets ill once in a while, right?" Haruto consoled her gently.
"I will go tell Orphia. She will know the medicine," Aishia said as she left the room. Elven medicine is far superior to human medicine.
"Ai-chan, is Haruto-san not awake yet? He is never this late," Miharu, who was sitting with Satsuki, Liselotte, and Charlotte, asked.
"Haruto is sick," Aishia replied bluntly.
"Sick?" the three women exclaimed in unison.
"Is he alright?" Satsuki asked gently.
"It seems to be a normal cold. Haruto said he would be fine," Aishia replied.
"How about I import some medicine from Rikka Guild? Our medical branch should be quite effective," Liselotte suggested.
"Yes, I hope Haruto-sama gets well quickly," Charlotte added.
"No thanks, but have any of you seen Haruto's bracelet?" Aishia was referring to the space-cache, where all the medicine was stored. Haruto usually did not wear the bracelet in the mansion.
Meanwhile, Orphia, Alma, Sara, and Celia, who had just completed their training, entered. "What's up everyone, is something the matter?" Celia inquired curiously.
"It seems like Haruto-sama is sick, Celia-san," Liselotte said.
"Sick?" Celia and the others furrowed their brows with concern.
"Well, since it's winter, a cold is normal," Charlotte said enthusiastically. "Rather, we should take this chance to tend to Haruto-sama," she added mischievously.
Meanwhile, "Satsuki, move up," Haruto said tiredly.
"Like this?" Satsuki asked as she wiped his sweat with a wet towel.
W-what am I thinking!? Satsuki shook her head furiously, embarrassed by her thoughts. She noticed Charlotte smirking at her, as if knowing what she was thinking. Char-chan really is troublesome, she thought.
"S-should we go into Haruto-san's room?" Sara asked nervously.
"Why not?" Aishia asked, tilting her head cutely.
"Well..."
"I'm going to bring Haruto-san breakfast," Orphia said as she and Alma left for the kitchen.
What a wonderful chance to go into Haruto-sama's room. I get to take care of him too Charlotte thought, a flame igniting in her eyes.
She's got a fierce look, Liselotte thought as she glanced at Charlotte's side profile. I cannot simply stand by, can I? Haruto-san saved my life; I have to pay him back Liselotte decided.
"H-Hm, Aishia-san, can I take care of Haruto-san too?" Liselotte asked shyly. It wasn't her first time tending to Haruto since she took care of him when he was injured rescuing her from Saint Erika.
"Why not? You already saw him naked," Aishia dropped the comment casually, though she meant Haruto's upper body. Her words gave off another meaning.
"W-w-what?" Liselotte looked utterly dumbfounded, opening and closing her mouth like a fish.
"W-what do you mean Liselotte saw Haruto-sama naked?" Even the composed Charlotte was utterly blown away and sought more information.
"Y-you're quite the woman, Liselotte-chan. I never thought you would be that bold," Satsuki said, exasperated.
"I-it's not what you think, I can explain, I can!"
Meanwhile...
"Hmm, this will do, I guess," Orphia took a vial from the space-time cache. She and Alma were in the kitchen to use the space-time cache. While Charlotte and the others knew about the ancient artifact, Orphia thought revealing advanced medicine would derail the conversation.
"It's ready," Miharu said brightly, holding a plate full of food.
"Well, let's go then," Alma said as the three of them went to Haruto's room.
"Are you all going to Haruto-sama's room?" Charlotte asked eagerly as they passed her.
"Yes Princess Charlotte, we intend to serve him breakfast," Orphia replied.
The group of women, all tagging along, went to Haruto's room.
"Latifa, you shouldn't really stick to me like that. My cold would spread to you," Haruto said gently to the werefox clinging to him.
"It's fine. Werefoxes have high immunity. I will be fine," Latifa argued, hugging her brother tightly. At that moment, the door unlocked.
"Haruto, I brought them all," Aishia said and followed behind her was Miharu with the food plate, Sara with the water, Orphia with the vial, Alma carrying a water bucket and towel, and Charlotte, Celia, Satsuki, even the blushing Liselotte followed.
"Y-you guys," Haruto tried to get up. He was quite alarmed to see the entire group of women all at once in his room.
"It's fine, don't strain yourself," Satsuki said firmly. "How are you feeling, Haruto-kun?" she asked gently.
"Like I said, it's simply a cold. I will be fine," Haruto reassured them.
Charlotte stepped forward with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, if you need anything Haruto-sama, just let us know. We're all here to take care of you."
Haruto sighed, a smile tugging at his lips despite his discomfort. "Thank you, everyone. Your concern means a lot."
As the group of women began bustling around, tending to Haruto in their own ways, the room filled with a warm, comforting energy that seemed to chase away the chill of winter. Haruto might have been ill, but surrounded by those who cared for him, he felt a bit of warmth that no medicine could provide.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THERE MIGHT BE A PART-2,AND I MIGHT ALSO EDIT THIS IN THE FUTURE ADDING MORE INFORMATION.THINK OF THIS AS A SS
