Three days have passed since her conversation with Gojo about fireworks, and the event is fast approaching.

The members of the clan are buzzing with anticipation and excitement, while the maids and lower-ranking members are left to their regular duties.

The stark contrast between the joy of the higher-ups and the restrictions on Helia and other maids weighs heavily on her mind.

Today Helia woke up feeling a bit off, her head slightly dizzy and her body heavy.

Despite her discomfort, she forced herself to get out of bed and continued her daily duties as a maid. She tried her best to push through the fatigue.

[...]

As the day progresses, her feeling of dizziness only worsens. She can feel her body starting to get hotter, a sign of the developing fever.

She tries to maintain her composure and continue her work, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to focus, and her body is growing weak.

Despite her weakened state and the mounting fever, Helia still manages to clean Toji's toilets, just as she does on any other day.

During her second round of cleaning, she almost stumbles and has to steady herself against the wall, feeling the full effects of the fever starting to take hold of her body.

Luckily for her, Toji wasn't in his room today to make fun of her.

[...]

When she returns to the maid compound, her pallor and sickly appearance don't go unnoticed by the head maid. She takes one look at Helia and immediately can tell something is wrong.

Concern and worry flash across her face as she approaches Helia, sensing the gravity of her condition.

"Oh dear, look at you." She exclaims. "You look terrible."

Helia tries to reassure the head maid. "It's alright it's just a little bit of fever, it'll pass."

The head maid places her hand on Helia's forehead, feeling the heat emanating from her body. She scowls and looks at her with disapproval.

"A little bit of fever?" She says sternly. "You're burning up, child. You need to rest immediately."

Helia shakes her head, but she immediately regrets her action as she feels a rush of pain. "I'm fine I assure you."

The head maid shakes her head, clearly not convinced by her claims. She crosses her arms and gives Helia a firm look.

"No, you're far from fine." She retorts. "You can barely stand on your own, and you look as white as a ghost. You're going to bed right now and you're not getting up until you're feeling better."

"But..."

Without giving Helia a chance to protest further, the head maid firmly grabs her arm and leads her to her bed.

She tucks her in and pulls the covers up to her chin, her expression stern but caring.

"No buts." She says firmly. "You're staying in bed and resting. You need to get better before you even think about doing any more work."

"Alright..."

Helia watches the head maid leave. And as she lays in bed, her thoughts turn to her daily report to Naobito and tonight's training session with Toji.

She knows she won't be able to attend in her current state, and a pang of disappointment and frustration stabs at her heart.

The thought of Toji's anger crosses her mind, and she anticipates his scowling face and gruff words of annoyance.

She knows he won't be happy about her absence from the training session, but she also knows there's little she can do about it in her current state.

She decides that it's better not to think about this idiot and get some rest. She goes into a restless sleep, her fever continues to tire her body, causing her to toss and turn in her bed.

The high temperature causes her mind to race, her sleep filled with strange and uneasy dreams.

[...]

Toji is waiting impatiently at the training grounds, his arms crossed over his chest. He glances around, his expression growing more and more annoyed by the minutes.

He had expected Helia to be there by now. But there's no sign of her anywhere in sight.

His annoyance turns to anger as more time passes without any sign of her arrival. He knows she's never late to the training sessions, and her absence is strange and irritating.

His patience reaches its limit after waiting for 20 minutes, and his anger reaches boiling point.

He grumbles and swears to himself as he stomps out of the training grounds, his footsteps heavy and frustrated. He was surely going to kill Helia next time he sees her.

[...]

The next morning, Helia woke up feeling slightly better but still not completely recovered. Her fever was still present, and she was still weak and tired.

She wondered how Toji reacted to her absence during the training session.

She shook her head in annoyance. She had a high fever right now; she shouldn't be thinking about him. Even when he wasn't there, he still managed to piss her off.

The head maid, seeing that Helia was still not quite well, had ordered her to take the day off from work and rest. She told her to stay in bed and get as much sleep as possible, insisting that she needed time to fully recover.

Helia had obediently followed the head maid's instructions and went back to sleep. Her weakened body and mind welcoming the extra rest, allowing her to drift into a deep, dreamless nap.

[...]

Toji's anger continues to simmer as the afternoon wears on. He was already pissed off that Helia missed the training session the night before, and now she's not even showing up to clean his toilets as she usually does.

Every minute that passes without her appearance adds fuel to his growing fury.

His anger slowly starts to give way to a hint of concern. As the hours pass and Helia still hasn't appeared, he can't help but wonder what could have happened to her.

The thought that something might be wrong crosses his mind, but he quickly brushes it aside, trying to maintain his grumpy demeanor.

He stubbornly convinces himself that he doesn't care about what might have happened to Helia. He tells himself that she's just being lazy or avoiding her duties, and that's why she's not showing up.

He grumbles to himself, convincing himself that he doesn't care about her well-being. Even if something bad had happened to her, he wouldn't care the slightest in the world.

Why would he care about the well-being of a simple maid?

[...]

After a few hours, Toji's patience finally snaps, and he can't take it anymore. He bursts out of his room, a scowl on his face, and he starts making his way through the manor.

He's determined to find a maid and get some answers about Helia's whereabouts, as he can't bear the uncertainty and lack of control over the situation any longer.

He scoffs as he walks. He's annoyed at himself for feeling even slightly concerned about Helia.

He doesn't know why the hell he cares about where she is or what she's doing, and he tries to convince himself that he's just angry about her shirking her duties.

He finally spots a maid and calls her out. "Hey you! Come here."

The maid looks up, startled. She straightens up and slowly approaches him, a mix of fear and curiosity on her face.

"Y-yes, sir?" She stutters, her voice trembling slightly.

Toji hesitates before asking. "Do you know Helia?"

The maid looks at Toji, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion. She's taken aback by his direct question, but she quickly composes herself and responds.

"Yes, I know her. Why do you ask, sir?"

He sighs, he hates himself for pronouncing the next words. "Do you know where is she? I haven't seen her for a while."

The maid fidgets nervously, clearly afraid of him, but he doesn't seem to care.

"Well, she's been ill for the past few days. The head maid ordered her to take some time off to rest and recover."

He nods stoically, pretending to be unbothered by the news. He hides his relief and concern under a facade of indifference.

"Alright..."

The maid is surprised by Toji's calm response. She had expected him to be annoyed or angry, but he seems oddly indifferent to the news. She hesitates for a moment, then continues.

"If you'd like, I can let her know that you asked about her."

His eyes widen as he speaks in a cold and menacing tone. "If you tell her or anyone else, I asked you this, I'll make sure to kill you."

The maid flinches and takes a small step back, her face turning pale at his sudden threat. Her heart races in her chest, and she nods quickly in agreement.

"I-I understand, sir. I won't whisper a word to anyone, I swear."

"Good, you can go now."

The maid breathes a quiet sigh of relief and nods quickly once more. She mumbles a quiet "yes, sir" before scurries away as fast as her feet will carry her, not wanting to spend another moment within his scary presence.

He scowls and curses under his breath as the maid quickly walks away. He feels a mix of annoyance, confusion, and a hint of embarrassment for even asking about Helia's whereabouts.

He's angry at himself for even caring about her well-being, and he tries to convince himself that he was just being curious due to her lack of appearance.

He stomps back to his room, doing his best to shove any thoughts about Helia out of his mind.

•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•

Helloo! How are you doing?

I know the "she's sick thing" is a little bit cliché, but I really wanted to include it in this fanfiction!

As always tell me what you think of this chapter!

See you in the next one!

Sarah ☆