Page 77 of Pandion

“From the garbage facility. He sorted trash for two weeks because I didn’t hand in my chips. Satoru?”

“Please, can we not…”

“What did they do to fix it?” Hase-sensei asked.

“Nothing, as far as I know. It mostly only happens when he’s stressed out or more tired than usual. Like after he’d completed the half an hour nonstop data transfer.”

“The what?”

“We only had a half an hour, so he pushed through without stopping to… get the data to…” Kagesawa stalled, confused. He’d always just assumed Satoru was an exceptionally kind person, so he hadn’t spent much time considering his motives.

“I— need my meds, it’s getting quite bad, r-r— R-re— d.”

“Shit, did I pack them?” Kagesawa tried to recall. Even if he had, they were back at the dorm room. “Do you have anything?” He turned to Hase-sensei.

“We do not carry prescription medicines, but there’s emergency pain relief at the nurse’s office.”

“Where’s that?”

“I’ll go get it.” The professor left the room.

“Are you all right? Ah, I know you’re not all right, but how bad is it? Should I do something?” It had been distressing to watch him suffer from a migraine before, but it was somehow worse now.

“It’s fine… r— I overdid it with the testing. I should have known better… I need to lie down for a moment.”

It’s fine, don’t worry.

Kagesawa helped Satoru onto the floor and rolled up his jacket to offer it as a pillow.

“How far is the nurse’s office?” Kagesawa thought out loud, checked the time and sat next to Satoru on the floor. “How did it come to this?”

It’s fine, don’t worry.

“It’s a little ironic…” Satoru hehhed, eyes closed.

“What is?”

“You worrying about me when you’re the one with the life-threatening condition.”

“This could be related. And it is my fault.”

It’s fine, don’t worry.

“You don’t have to keep saying that.”

“What?”

“Ah, crap.”

Satoru wouldn’t keep projecting in this situation, and the link was still dampened. They routinely projected through it, but depending on the degree of dampening, the sound was much fainter than normal.

“What?” Satoru opened his eyes but shaded them with his hand.

Don’t worry.

“I think it’s picking up on my mood again and trying to help.”

“Oh.” Satoru closed his eyes, his forehead creased. He must have been in a great deal of pain. Kagesawa didn’t want to risk a check.

---