Yukino let go of her usual restraint, slowly leaning down until her smooth forehead pressed against Haru's. Their noses brushed together, and with her lips parting slightly, warm breath tickling his face, she whispered:
"I think… I should allow myself to be a little more open."
Before Haru could react, she closed the distance and kissed him.
Her lips were soft and fragrant, the kind of purity only a maiden's kiss could hold like a flower just blooming in the early morning. For a moment, it felt as if everything in the world had become perfect.
Haru didn't move, didn't even dare to.
He was still soaking in the tub, arms and hands dripping wet. Yukino had already bathed; if he tried to wrap her in his embrace, he would only dampen her clothes.
But just as he was suppressing those thoughts, Yukino's face flushed deeper and she reached out. Her hand pressed lightly against his bare back.
"This is all I can do… don't get greedy," she murmured, voice soft yet heavy with embarrassment.
"…Alright," Haru replied in a low voice.
The night outside was still young. Light from the lamp spilled across the walls, flickering against the rising steam. Shadows danced across the edges of the window frame and shelves, where bottles of bath gel blurred into hazy silhouettes. The faint glow seemed to whisper secrets of the night.
After a short while, Yukino returned to the bedroom.
Utaha, who had been sitting at the edge of the bed scrolling through her phone, lifted her head. She blinked. Then blinked again, staring.
"...Why is your face so red?" Utaha asked suspiciously.
"If you want to know, you can go ask him," Yukino answered calmly, as though nothing had happened.
Utaha narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you snuck a taste?"
"No," Yukino replied evenly. "I walked in openly, without hiding anything at all."
"To think you can make 'sneaking a taste' sound so natural… I'm actually impressed, Yukino."
"I thought you'd already been impressed by me. After all, during both of our planning sessions, I was the one answering all your questions. You should've started admiring me long ago."
"...Does Haru know you're this narcissistic?"
"He always says I'm cute," Yukino countered without missing a beat. Then, almost playfully, she added, "Of course, I also happen to think so myself."
Utaha's face stayed expressionless. "…You're invincible."
"Thank you."
Watching Yukino make the first move so openly, Utaha finally decided to stop pretending.
Crossing her long legs with elegance, she set her phone aside and said lightly, "So maybe I should do something too."
"You certainly can," Yukino replied.
Utaha shot her a half-smile. "And you?"
"I'll be right behind you, just in time to enjoy watching you fall into the tub if things go wrong." Yukino's words landed precisely where they'd sting.
Utaha let out a short laugh. "I knew you'd say that."
She shifted her gaze, pretending to look around casually.
"I shouldn't have been so busy with the filming plans just now. I should've dropped everything and secretly followed you instead."
Yukino didn't bother answering.
Those kinds of words 'if only I had…' could never hurt her.
On the contrary, she found it rather amusing. Watching Utaha's jealousy and frustration show through—that was its own kind of priceless entertainment.
Utaha suddenly spoke up.
"Say, do you think we should prepare a special gift for him tonight, since it's Valentine's Day?"
Yukino's tone was flat.
"What ridiculous idea did you just come up with?"
Utaha smiled politely.
"Why don't I dress you up, wrap you as a present, and hand you to him myself?"
"You think that's even possible?"
"Then another option. Let me pick an outfit for you. I can guarantee my styling will not only bring out all of Miss Kitty's hidden charm but also leave him so mesmerized by your beauty he won't be able to pull himself free."
"Not a bad suggestion," Yukino replied coolly, "but I'd rather try it on you first."
And so their duel of words continued sharp as ever, neither backing down.
By the time Haru finished drying his hair and stepped back into the room, the two girls were still in position: one seated at the edge of the bed, the other lounging on a chair. Both pairs of beautiful eyes gleamed with intelligence and composure.
"Are you two done arguing?" Haru asked.
They turned to look at him simultaneously.
They didn't speak, but their gazes were clear enough: So, you figured it out already?
Haru explained, "Yukino doesn't like to lie, and Utaha's too smart. Once she came back here, she was bound to figure out what happened."
"Then what's your opinion?" Utaha pressed, clearly wanting him to take a stand.
Haru's answer was simple:
"It's already late. We should all get some rest."
Both girls' cheeks flushed at once.
It was Valentine's Day, after all. The perfect night for a grand brawl whether in a game's battle royale, or in the chaotic "free-for-all" unfolding here in reality. Either way, Haru had every reason to feel content.
Before turning off the bedroom light, he couldn't help noticing Yukino's black stockings again. They looked oddly familiar. Still, tonight he had no energy to dwell on such little details.
Stockings all look more or less the same, he told himself. Must just be my imagination.
…
Elsewhere that same night, plenty of girls were also still awake.
Megumi sat quietly in her room, dressed in soft pajamas. She picked up her phone more than once, opening her messaging app only to close it again.
She wanted to text Haru.
It wasn't even a bad excuse; she truly was struggling with a tricky bit of her Chinese studies right now. A perfect reason to reach out.
But…
"They might be busy…"
Megumi finally set the phone down and lay on her bed.
The moment she closed her eyes, her thoughts spun out of control.
Were the three of them really busy right now?
Were the scenes I imagined actually happening?
Her face burned hotter the longer she entertained the images, emotions rising until they threatened to overflow.
She opened her eyes again and stared blankly at her pale, slender fingers.
She remembered all too well the way Haru and Utaha had once demonstrated their "massage techniques" the professionalism, the precision, the detail.
Afterward, she had even searched online. To her surprise, Haru's method had been more thorough, more careful than anything she found.
So in her spare time, she practiced.
And eventually… she discovered those techniques weren't limited to massages alone.
Or rather they could be applied to something that, in a certain sense, was also… a kind of massage.
"…This is trouble," Megumi whispered, realizing she'd thought far too much.
There was no way she'd sleep without doing something.
…
Meanwhile, Haruno leaned lazily against her bed's headboard, clad in a thin camisole. She scrolled through her phone, frowning slightly.
Why hasn't Haru responded to my gift yet?
After a moment's hesitation, she tapped his number and called.
But the response was only: "The line is busy. Please try again later."
Haruno tilted her head, a little suspicious, and then decided to send a video call request instead.
Three seconds later, it was declined.
A message popped up instead: In the bath. Talk later.
Haruno stared at the screen, stunned.
Of course, she wasn't naive. She knew full well what that kind of excuse implied.
When someone you're close to says, "I'm in the bath, I'll talk to you later," what they really mean is:
I'm too busy sharing my water with someone else right now to deal with you.
~~~~~~~~~~
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