Once inside, I helped her lie down on the futon, the soft mattress sinking beneath her weight. She let out a small, pained sigh as her head touched the pillow, her body relaxing into the bed. The kimono parted slightly as she shifted, revealing the swell of her breasts beneath the thin underlayer, the fabric clinging to her damp skin.

The maid arrived quickly, placing a large bowl of cold water and a folded towel on the low table beside the bed. She handed me a small bottle of fever medicine from the drawer, her eyes flickering with concern. "Will there be anything else, Jack-sama?"

"No, thank you. Just make sure no one disturbs her."

As the maid left, I dipped the towel into the cool water, wringing it out before pressing it gently against Kasumi’s forehead.

She gasped sharply, her back arching slightly off the bed as the cold fabric made contact. "Ah! J-Jack—!" Her voice was a breathless whimper, her fingers clutching at the sheets. "It’s so cold—!"

I didn’t pull away. Instead, I kept the towel pressed to her skin, my other hand resting lightly on her shoulder to keep her still. "I know it’s cold, but it’ll help," I murmured, my voice low and soothing. "Just bear with it for a moment."

Kasumi’s breath hitched, her chest rising and falling rapidly beneath the thin fabric of her kimono. "Nngh... Jack, you don’t have to—ah!—to do this..." She gasped again as I dragged the towel down the side of her neck, the cool water tracing a path along her flushed skin. Goosebumps rose in its wake, and I could see the way her nipples tightened beneath the fabric, betraying her body’s reaction to the sudden chill.

"Oka-san," I said, my voice firm but gentle, "you’re burning up. You can’t just ignore this."

I adjusted the damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead, my fingers brushing lightly against her temple. Her kimono had shifted further now, the fabric slipping to reveal the smooth expanse of her collarbone and the top of her breasts. I tried to ignore the way my pulse quickened, focusing instead on the task at hand.

"You always do this," I sighed, wiping the towel along her jawline, then down the delicate column of her throat. "You take care of everyone else and forget about yourself."

Kasumi’s eyelids fluttered open, her dark, fever-bright eyes meeting mine. There was a flicker of something raw in her gaze—gratitude, embarrassment, maybe even a hint of desire. "Jack..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "I-I’m used to it... You don’t have to worry so much..."

"I know I don’t have to," I said, my voice softening. "But I want to."

I moved the towel to her wrists, wiping the sensitive skin there before trailing it down her arms. Her breath hitched with every touch, her body trembling not just from the fever, but from the intimacy of the moment.

The kimono’s sleeves had fallen back, exposing the smooth skin of her shoulders, and I could see the way her fingers curled into the futon, her nails digging slightly into the fabric.

"Jack..." she breathed, her voice barely more than a whisper. "It’s... embarrassing..."

"There’s nothing embarrassing about needing help," I said, my voice steady. I dipped the towel into the water again, wringing it out before pressing it to the back of her neck. She shuddered, a soft moan escaping her lips as the cold fabric sent a shiver down her spine. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Ah...! " she gasped, her body arching slightly into the touch. "J-Jack, it’s too much—!"

"Shhh," I murmured, my free hand resting lightly on her waist to keep her still. "Just let it help you."

Kasumi’s eyes fluttered closed, her breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps that made her chest rise and fall beneath the thin fabric of her kimono.

The indigo silk clung to her feverish skin, damp with perspiration. "You’re... too kind..." she whispered, her voice thick with emotion that threatened to break. "No one’s ever... taken care of me like this..."

I didn’t respond with words. Instead, I focused on the rhythmic motion of the cool towel against her skin, my touches gentle yet firm.

The fever would break soon - I could feel her temperature already beginning to stabilize. Until then, I would stay right here, making sure she understood she wasn’t alone in this.

The silence between us stretched comfortably as I worked, until I finally sighed and met her gaze. "Oka-san..." My voice was soft but probing. "Tell me the truth. Are you worried that you won’t be able to spend more time with Yuko and Haruna? Is that why you keep pushing yourself like this?"

Kasumi’s body tensed slightly. She turned her head away, her fingers twisting in the bedsheets. "No. It’s not that..." The lie sounded weak even to her own ears.

I set the towel aside, capturing her chin gently between my fingers to turn her face back toward me. "Oka-san, don’t lie to me." My thumb brushed against her cheekbone, feeling the heat still radiating from her skin.

She exhaled sharply through her nose, her dark eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Hm... I just..." Her voice cracked. "I just want to do everything with my daughters while I still can. So that when they leave... I won’t have any regrets."

The raw honesty in her confession made my chest tighten. I wrung out the towel one last time before setting it in the bowl, then took both of her hands in mine.

"Oka-san..." I said firmly but gently. "From now on, Haruna and Yuko aren’t going anywhere. We’re all living together. Even if we ever move, we would take you with us. You’ll never be left behind."

Kasumi’s eyes widened in surprise. She tried to pull her hands away, shaking her head vehemently. "No, no! How can I interfere with my daughters’ lives like that? Keeping them here would just take their happiness away. I can’t be that selfish!"

I reached out, my fingers carding through her damp hair in a soothing motion. "Oka-san..." My voice was steady, brooking no argument.

"How can your daughters be truly happy without you? Do you know Haruna keeps missing you terribly? And even Sister Yuko - though she pretends not to care - she worries about you constantly. She misses you all the time."