Time rewound ten minutes.
Seeing that Sawamura Haruno had deliberately taken his phone into the bedroom to answer the call—clearly to avoid her—Miyazawa Maki showed a very displeased expression.
"That jerk… does he think I'd eavesdrop?"
She muttered as she grumbled, propping her pale, slender feet up on the coffee table.
Her small, delicate soles looked soft and faintly pink under the sunlight—white tinged with red. Anyone who saw them would unconsciously swallow, their imagination running wild: if they were to pour just a little of that sweet liquor onto such a "treasure," wouldn't the taste become even more tempting?
Unfortunately, the only person in this apartment capable of appreciating such a sight wasn't in the living room at the moment.
"So who exactly is he talking to?"
Maki finished off the remaining ice cream, then began tasting the mango-flavored liquor underneath. Yet even after she'd eaten all the mango, Haruno still hadn't come out.
She started sipping the strongest part of the drink at the bottom, all the while letting her thoughts wander.
Could he be talking to Mine Shiori?
After all, at lunch she'd said a bunch of things that could easily be misunderstood. It wouldn't be strange for Mine Shiori to deliberately wait until Haruno got home before calling to question him.
"Annoying woman…"
Thinking this, Maki puffed out her cheeks.
From how Mine Shiori looked at noon, it was obvious she hadn't even started dating Haruno yet. If that was the case, what right did she have to interfere so much?
With what position was she even questioning him?
If it really was Mine Shiori calling, Maki felt she should rush over right now, make a bit of noise, and completely cut off any chance of those two getting together.
Well… even if it felt a bit childish.
And even if she didn't have a proper reason.
But she was a bad girl right now—and bad girls didn't need reasons to do bad things.
"Exactly."
Maki muttered again.
She took another sip. The alcohol flavor was thick and stimulating, and without her even realizing it, her body temperature began rising rapidly.
The living room, which had felt refreshingly cool earlier, now seemed inexplicably hot. And as time passed, that heat only grew more intense.
The sweet liquor in her hand had long since been drained dry. Her face flushed red, yet she seemed completely unaware that anything was wrong.
She began restlessly swinging her pale feet, her gaze drifting again and again toward the bedroom door.
Finally, after reaching a certain breaking point, Maki couldn't hold back anymore.
Her mind was filled with a single thought:
I have to interrupt that call.
The short-haired girl suddenly stood up. Her body swayed uncontrollably, and she nearly fell back down. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stay upright and started striding toward the bedroom—
Then she noticed the cocktail still sitting on the table.
—the one Haruno hadn't had time to drink yet.
Maki blinked.
She remembered an old saying from the country across the sea: Alcohol makes cowards brave.
Her eyebrows lifted.
Without another word, she picked up the glass and drank it down.
The alcohol seemed to give her brain a brief moment of clarity. The instant she set the glass down, Maki locked onto her objective and marched toward Haruno's bedroom with imposing momentum.
Just as she reached the door, she heard Haruno's rather helpless voice from inside.
"I really can't help it… Can we talk about this next time, okay?"
"It's not that I don't cherish it. It's just that I have my own difficulties here—this really isn't what you think…"
Haruno stood with his back to the door, holding his phone and repeatedly explaining himself.
That scene, entering Maki's eyes, caused her to completely ignore the honorific language he was using. She became even more convinced that he was talking to Mine Shiori.
"I'm sorry. When the next long break comes, I'll definitely go home."
Haruno sighed softly. Seeing how firm his mother's attitude was, he could only promise again and again.
Just as the other side finally seemed tired enough and he was about to find a topic to end the call—
Suddenly, he felt something soft and full press against his back.
At the same time, a pair of small hands—clearly warm to the touch—wrapped around him from behind.
Maki didn't hesitate at all. From the very first move, she went straight for the "vital point."
"Haruno… who are you talking to?"
Her voice was soft and languid.
She tiptoed slightly and breathed near his ear. Warm air carrying the sweet scent of alcohol washed over him, instantly making Haruno's entire body stiffen.
"M-Maki?!"
Haruno's pupils shook violently. He finally reacted and instinctively raised his phone—
But it was already too late.
His mother's suspicious voice came through the line.
"Who was talking just now? Is there someone else with you?"
"N-no—just the TV drama,"
Haruno hurriedly explained.
"Do TV dramas call out your name?"
His mother shot back.
Before Haruno could think of an excuse, Maki launched her next attack.
She hugged him tighter, forcibly turning his body around. When he resisted, those soft, boneless hands immediately slipped through the gaps in his clothes—once again precisely finding their "target."
Cold sweat instantly poured down Haruno's back.
"It really is just the TV drama, Mom… You must've misheard."
He didn't dare move recklessly, awkwardly twisting his body while continuing to explain into the phone.
When he finally turned around and saw Maki's flushed face, everything clicked.
Aren't they twins?!
How can the difference in alcohol tolerance be this huge?!
Panicking internally, Haruno grabbed her wrists and forcibly pulled her hands out.
He had to—Maki was completely drunk now, with no sense of restraint at all. If he didn't stop her, who knew what kind of damage she'd cause?
Under normal circumstances, this behavior would've been awkward enough. But right now, she was drunk—and on top of that, she was a rebellious teenage girl.
Who would dare bet that she wouldn't do something seriously dangerous on impulse?!
"Who are you talking to?"
Maki tilted her head, clearly unable to read Haruno's panic. In a dissatisfied tone, she questioned him again.
"Is it Mine Shiori? Or… Mana?"
At the moment she said Mana's name, it was as if a switch had been flipped.
Her movements became rougher as she tried to shove her hands back into his clothes.
"…Tch."
Seeing she was about to speak again, Haruno's eyes went sharp. He urgently raised a finger and made a desperate shushing gesture, signaling for her to calm down—now.
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