Entry 11: Hanging out with Sakura

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…suddenly, I’m awake. Maybe it’s because of the particular atmosphere in the infirmary, but I feel like I fell asleep myself while watching over the patient. The infirmary is filled with a calming feeling. The commotion of the school building is far away here
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Sakura is asleep on one of the beds. The school’s nurse is absent, so even though I’ve got no experience with it, I’m taking care of her myself. …well, so I say, but I can’t really do anything more than let her sleep and wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Sakura :: Nn…

A remarkably large sigh comes from Sakura. It sounds like she may be waking up. …thank goodness. It’s been quite some time since I found her. It seems her fever’s gone down, so with this I feel like it’s going to be all right. As I look down at the bed in relief, I catch Sakura’s eyes when she opens them.
I greet her, and she reservedly, but happily, gives me a smile in return.

Sakura :: Senpai…thank goodness. It wasn’t a dream…

Sakura gives a sigh of relief, as gazes at me fixedly, as if enraptured. She’s sincerely grateful. All I did was look after her while she slept, so it’s honestly kind of embarrassing. I try saying something to alleviate the feeling.

[>] Calling it a dream would be an exaggeration, wouldn’t it?
> How are you feeling?

“Did you dream that the world was ending, or something?” I joke around a bit, trying to lighten the mood. Sakura’s awe seemed about that grandiose.

Sakura :: Wha…um, no, was I making a face like that…? …but, I’m not exaggerating. For me, it really was that…amazing, you know. A-anyway, thank you very much. You not only saved me, you kept watch over me afterward.

Sakura bows her head, smiling gently. …I wonder what it is. People smile at me everyday, but this is somehow…unsettling? Embarrassing? It seems that guileless, straightforward gratitude really can warm the heart this much. Again trying to gloss over these feelings, I ask Sakura a question.

Sakura :: How did I end up on the floor? I…don’t really know myself. The atmosphere around the school just felt different from usual, so I went to walk around the halls to check things out…then when I was in the entrance way a kind of dizziness came over me. …and you saw what happened after that. Even if I called out to them, none of the other students noticed me. It felt so hopeless I thought I was going to just be left to lie there. And then you spoke to me.

So that’s what happened? I’m curious about why everyone ignored Sakura like that. I mean, I really think it was terrible of them, but I can’t help but wonder. But anyway, I tell her that I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious.

Sakura :: Yes, thanks to you Hakuno…no, senpai! I really feel perfectly fine now. But…um, can I ask you as well? Have you, well…has anything unusual happened to you?

Of course there’s nothing unusual. It was a regular day, at a regular school, with my regular classmates. My teacher ran into her desk and everyone made fun of her as usual. I went to class, ate lunch, and talked to my friends. That’s right. Nothing was out of place. Nothing new happened. That’s the kind of place this ought to be.

Sakura :: Oh, really? Heehee, Ms. Fujimura is a weird one, isn’t she. I’m kind of jealous of how lively she is.

Sakura listens to me talk about ordinary normal things happily. It’s all stuff I’m kind of tired of myself, but her interest seems endless. I can’t help but think that glimmer in her eyes looks like longing.

…Maybe that’s why. When the listener seems to be having so much fun, I end up having fun too. Even things I usually wouldn’t think anything of, when I talk about them with Sakura, my impression of them completely changes.

Sakura :: It makes me happy somehow. Our school is full of the sort of people who just want to take care of it by themselves when they get hurt. Even as the nurse’s assistant, I don’t have a lot to do, and nothing new ever happens. I guess it’s rather lonely…though, I’d never noticed until now. And, you found me, so…

…right. There’s nothing unusual / nothing should be unusual / but, what was it that happened in the entrance way? Why did all the students ignore Sakura? …well, that’s over anyway. Right now I’m just enjoying a conversation with Sakura. We keep on talking in the infirmary, until we hear the bell chime that tells us it’s time to go home.

Sakura :: Oh…it sounds like time’s up, doesn’t it…I’m sorry for keeping you so long. Have a safe trip home, senpai.

Sakura shows me out of the infirmary and I take my leave. As we part, I turn to look back at Sakura one more time, and her eyes looks full of regret, like she’s on the verge of tears as she watches me leave.

[The time progression percentage has now reached 99%!]

Unchanged from original translation: https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/157/. As a side note, I love this scene. Please support the original translator.