The phrase "a hazy night" had always felt to Haru like something reserved for movies and dramas that wanted to depict romance or ambiguity.
But tonight, for the first time, he could truly feel it in reality.
When Yukino and Utaha stepped out of the bath together, carrying with them the soft fragrance of steam and perfume, something in Haru's mood shifted.
By the time he entered the bathroom and shut the door, he could faintly hear the two girls' voices from the bedroom.
He didn't catch much, but one word reached his ears clearly: stockings.
So when he sank into the tub, closing his eyes, his mind was completely filled with legs.
Utaha's tall, voluptuous figure her legs carried just the right amount of softness where they should, and flawless shape where they shouldn't.
Yukino, though a little shorter, had not a single flaw in her proportions. Her slender, supple figure and skin appeared whiter under the soft veil of night.
Haru soaked in the warmth, already thinking of what might come next.
Tonight, it was inevitable a confrontation neither he nor they could avoid.
Still, he resisted the urge to spread his [Perception] skill over to eavesdrop. Surprises were better left untouched.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the bathroom.
He opened his eyes. Could it be Utaha, here for a sudden attack? It sounded like something she would do.
But when the door opened, it was Yukino who entered.
She wore a pair of luxurious black stockings paired with a pale-blue nightdress. It wasn't strapless, but the neckline revealed the delicate lines of her collarbone and the snow-white skin around it mesmerizing under the dim light.
They say people are most vulnerable in two moments: while bathing and while on the toilet. In such moments, one could be pressured, persuaded even proposed to.
Haru wasn't embarrassed enough to panic, but neither could he stand. He turned, resting his arm on the tub's edge. "Why are you here?"
Yukino noticed his restrained movements, and a playful smile tugged at her lips. "So you do get flustered when someone interrupts your bath."
"It's not flustered. Just… natural awkwardness," Haru corrected.
"Oh, I suppose that works too."
She didn't come further in, simply crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Earlier, when you told me about your visit to Utaha's house, you skipped over a lot of details. I want to know more."
Haru blinked. "And you chose now, while I'm bathing, to ask?"
Yukino rested her chin on her hand, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Because Senpai has been unusually forward tonight. I want to understand why."
"…Ah, I see."
So that explained why the two of them had gone to bathe together, even chatting about stockings afterward. It must have been Utaha who brought it up.
Thinking back, Haru explained slowly: "Her mother grew uneasy about how close we'd gotten. She suspected something between us."
Yukino's eyes widened slightly. That was news to her.
"No wonder Senapi called you in such a rush earlier," she murmured.
"Exactly. She didn't know how to deal with it. That's her mother, after all someone who knows her too well. If she tried to lie or bluff her way through, she'd only dig a deeper hole."
"That… makes sense," Yukino admitted softly, leaning back against the wall. "So she was moved by how you helped her. No wonder she's been so fiery tonight."
"There's your share of credit too," Haru added.
"She already said that. No need to flatter me," Yukino replied flatly.
When she showed no signs of leaving, Haru prodded: "Anything else you want to ask?"
Yukino smirked. "Trying to get rid of me already?"
"If you'd rather join me, I wouldn't complain," he said coolly.
Her smirk vanished into an indifferent glance. "Of course you'd say that."
"So? Do you want to?"
"Only if you're fine with Senpai barging in."
"…Wait, you're actually considering it?"
"Idiot. Did you miss the point of what I said?" Yukino shot him a sharp look, then added slyly, "I have plenty of Senpai's blackmail material on my phone."
Haru chuckled. "You think she'd burst in with a camera? Relax, she wouldn't go that far."
Yukino sighed. "No, she wouldn't take photos. But if she ever saw me sitting in here with you, she'd etch that memory into her heart and use it against me forever."
"The cautious Miss Meow… too cute."
"…Idiot."
Yukino muttered the word, then straightened.
Haru didn't have time to tease her again before she stepped closer.
The distance between them was small to begin with. Now, each step made her heartbeat quicken enough for him to notice.
By the time she stood before him, her pale cheeks were blooming with soft crimson, warmth rising until her lashes trembled.
Something stirred in Haru. He tilted his head up in anticipation. "What are you doing?"
Yukino lowered her gaze, eyes locked with his. Her lips parted slightly, revealing the faint glimmer of her teeth and the shy flicker of her tongue.
She spoke softly: "Senpai said a lot of things earlier most of them useless nonsense. But there was one line that struck me as true."
"What line?" Haru asked, playing along.
Yukino leaned closer, her eyes shimmering with a delicate blend of shyness and allure.
"She said… on a night like Valentine's, you must be full of expectations."
"…That's true," Haru admitted.
Her lashes fluttered harder at his answer.
And in that moment, Yukino shed the cool, proud mask she always wore revealing the hidden charm she had kept sealed away.
Her allure, radiant and irresistible, bloomed in full.
~~~~~~~~~~
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