That night, for Makoto, could be summed up with one phrase: a roller coaster of ups and downs.
Earlier, when Ichika had winked at him, he had caught the signal clearly—so he didn't lock the door.
He waited more than three hours.
He even got up to check once, but the whole house was quiet—no sign of anyone moving.
He figured Ichika had probably fallen asleep by accident, so he gave up and went to bed.
In his dreams, he felt like he was hugging a particularly soft, oversized pillow.
Not only was it squishy and warm, it also smelled amazing.
The pillow kept switching appearances in his dream—sometimes it was Ichika, sometimes Yukino, and eventually even Nino showed up.
The intoxicating scent wasn't just lingering in his nose—it seemed to wrap around his whole body.
Wait a minute…
That smell is way too real.
Makoto instantly became alert and opened his eyes.
Sure enough, the scent wasn't a dream.
And the feeling in his hands was real, too.
Since the lights were off, the room was pitch-black, and he couldn't see who was in his arms.
He assumed it was Ichika.
Who else would dare do something like this?
But to be sure, he carefully pulled his hand back from the girl's waist and reached for his phone beside the pillow, unlocking it.
The faint light illuminated the girl's face.
Miku?!
What the hell is going on?
Makoto was stunned.
Lying in his arms, Miku had her eyes tightly shut, her breathing even, and her soft, beautiful cheeks glowing faintly in the light.
She was clearly in a deep sleep.
Her arm was draped over him, her warm, soft body pressed close, bringing them into an incredibly intimate embrace.
Her pajama collar was loose, exposing more skin due to her sleeping posture.
Her smooth, radiant neck and her slender waist were pressed right against him. Like a sweet, obedient kitten, she curled up completely in his arms.
Only now did Makoto realize—that soft feeling in his dream?
His hand had slipped inside Miku's pajama top and was resting against her smooth, tender waist.
"She probably just went into the wrong room."
He figured that if a girl went to the bathroom in the middle of the night while half-asleep and not paying attention, it'd be very easy to walk into the wrong room.
Once he figured that out, he calmed down.
It wasn't all that awkward—he was confident he could wake up Miku and explain everything.
But just then, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.
The sound was faint, the kind you'd get from someone trying to walk quietly in slippers but still making a soft sliding noise.
That must be Ichika, right?
Makoto set down his phone and closed his eyes to pretend he was asleep.
He needed to confirm the situation before making a move.
With a soft creak, the door was carefully pushed open.
He peeked out of the corner of his eye quickly.
Then froze again.
Wait, why is it Nino?
Ichika, where did you go?
Your little sisters didn't just sneak in—they made it all the way to the bed!
Makoto quickly shut his eyes again.
Nino was also stunned.
She held her phone with the brightness lowered and, after seeing the two people on the bed, a wave of jealousy rose in her heart.
Miku, you actually…
No, I can't jump to conclusions!
Nino managed to keep calm. She carefully walked to the bedside, watching the two as they slept soundly, then let out a breath.
She figured it out—Miku must've gone into the wrong room.
From the moment she saw Miku walk into the guest room to the time she followed, it had only been about 10 minutes.
If Miku had really come to make a move, Nino would've definitely heard voices when she was pressed up against the door earlier.
Right now, both Makoto and Miku were clearly sound asleep.
And considering it was already deep into the night, this was the point where most people were in their deepest sleep.
Nino patted her chest, relieved.
That scared me. I thought Miku had secretly snuck in too, just like Ichika.
Now that she was completely reassured, Nino began to feel conflicted.
Should she wake up Miku?
But doing that would completely socially destroy her.
Earlier today, Makoto helped guide Miku out of her self-doubt, and she finally took her first step forward. I can't be the one to hurt her delicate heart again, right?
Nino was a soft-hearted girl. She and Miku often argued over whose gym clothes belonged to whom, so they knew each other well.
She stared at the two sleeping figures in distress, while Makoto was also silently puzzled.
You've been standing there for ages. Are you planning to stand there all night?
He began to think: Maybe I should help Nino leave quietly, then wake up Miku and calm her down, explain everything clearly.
That way, there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.
But Nino wasn't just quiet because of Miku's feelings—she was also jealous.
If only the one in Makoto's arms were me…
Wait!
Nino's eyes lit up, like she'd been possessed by a mischievous meme.
She had an idea.
She positioned her phone where it could light the room without being too bright and waking the two up.
Next, she carefully lifted the blanket.
Seeing Miku curled up like a kitten in Makoto's arms made Nino's eye twitch.
Then, still moving gently, she slowly propped Miku up.
Makoto saw it all.
He figured out what Nino was trying to do.
So he adjusted his position and, while Nino was lifting Miku, he discreetly helped support her.
This way, she wouldn't wake Miku by accident or struggle with her weight.
The two of them, without a word exchanged, worked together in perfect sync.
If someone else saw it, they'd probably think it was a silent comedy skit.
When Nino finally managed to lift Miku onto her back, she wondered: Is Miku really that light, or am I just unusually strong right now?
Soon after, she tiptoed out of the room carrying Miku.
Behind her, the ever-helpful Makoto was stealthily supporting Miku's weight as she moved.
Once Nino straightened up, he lay back down.
But then Nino frowned—why did Miku suddenly feel heavier?
She turned back and saw Makoto still lying in the exact same position, no sign he'd moved at all.
The current mood wasn't the time to overthink, so she picked up her phone and left the room with Miku on her back.
Makoto opened his eyes, muttering in his heart: You forgot to cover me with the blanket.
The door was still open, but he didn't rush to close it out of caution.
A few minutes later, those familiar footsteps returned.
Makoto thought Nino had come back to cover him with the blanket.
But instead, she entered the room, closed the door, blushing, kicked off her slippers, and crawled into his arms.
This time, Nino pulled the blanket up over them.
Pretending to be asleep, Makoto began to ponder.
What's going on now?
A switcheroo?
From what he knew of Nino's tsundere personality, she wouldn't be bold enough to do something like this without even confessing.
But he didn't know that earlier, after watching him and Miku for so long, Nino had decided:
I can take her place!
It might sound exaggerated, but Nino really did want to try.
She figured: I've already died of embarrassment in front of Makoto before—lost face and even had that close massage moment.
So if I act a little selfish and experience what Miku did, just for a bit… it should be okay, right?
Nino wasn't greedy—she only planned to lie in Makoto's arms for a little while.
But once she was there, feeling his warm breath on her face, her heartbeat sped up uncontrollably, her gaze going hazy.
So this is what it feels like to be held by a guy? So warm… so safe?
Biting her lip and trying to steady her breath, Nino carefully lifted her head.
Even though she couldn't see his face clearly in the dark, she felt like their eyes were probably meeting.
Under the blanket, it was warm and still carried the faint scent of Miku's hair, mixed with Makoto's warm breath.
Nino felt both shy and giddy.
Does this count as sneaking in?
Probably not… right?
While she was getting carried away with her thoughts, Makoto waited patiently and realized—she had no intention of leaving.
So she really did sneak in, huh?
Makoto nearly laughed.
Since you're already sneaking in, wouldn't it be unfair of me not to drop a few gold coins in return?
So, still pretending to be asleep, he let his hand drift downward and landed it right on Nino's waist.
Nino stiffened instantly, nearly letting out a scream.
Luckily, she held it in, and upon hearing his steady breathing, assumed he was still asleep.
But his hand had slipped under the hem of her pajama top, now resting directly against her bare waist.
That warm touch made her heart pound even harder.
Makoto noticed her breathing suddenly stop, then pick up again, faster and shallower—and he couldn't help but smirk.
Interesting.
The next second, he lowered his head, slowly, not too fast and not too slow.
His intention was to give Nino time to adjust—to ease into things—so he could make a smoother move.
But just as he was doing that, Nino, completely flustered and tense, instinctively pulled back.
And because of that small retreat, instead of bumping into her forehead…
He bumped into something soft.
Well, this just got fun, Makoto thought.
Nino slapped a hand over her mouth, her face blushing furiously—even her neck turned a lovely shade of red.
It's fine. He's asleep. He doesn't know anything.
The girl tried to calm herself down.
In this position, she didn't even know where to put her hands.
But then she thought: He's asleep. No matter what I do, he won't know.
Her face flushed, Nino slowly lowered her hand and pressed it gently on Makoto's head.
And just like that, she executed the ultimate secret technique: Boob Smother.
Makoto felt her movement, surprised by the girl's boldness—but also struggling to breathe.
The scent was lovely, but the suffocation was very real.
He squirmed a bit.
To Nino, that squirm felt like him rubbing up against her.
Her face grew even hotter, and her emotions flared even more.
Then suddenly, she stiffened completely.
Even her legs tensed up tightly under the blanket.
After all, she'd been drinking coffee all night to catch Ichika…
And in her excitement over Miku earlier, she completely forgot to go to the bathroom.
Now, in this chaotic emotional state—and with Makoto trying to breathe through it all—she realized something was very wrong.
When emotions run high, anything can happen.
Nino panicked and tried to pull away from Makoto, but his arm was already tightly wrapped around her waist.
I can't hold it anymore!
The moment she forced herself free from his embrace and sat upright—
Her entire body froze.
Makoto had been wondering why she suddenly reacted so violently when he suddenly felt the bedsheet become wet.
Startled, he immediately sat up with a jolt.
He picked up his phone to use as a light source and looked at Nino by the bedside with a completely bewildered expression—only to see the girl covering her flushed face, teary-eyed as she turned around.
I've socially died in front of him again.
She was truly so ashamed that she started crying.
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