In the living room, Ayumi sat quietly on the sofa, watching the latest MV from Yusarin's new album.
Nao sat beside her, keeping her company.
Meanwhile, Hakuto, the unfortunate working man, was in the kitchen preparing a late-night snack, as Ayumi had mentioned she was feeling a bit hungry.
"Whoa! No matter how many times I watch this, it's still amazing!"
"That's just the lighting and camera work doing their magic."
"Huh? I thought it was Yusa-chan's special ability."
"Maybe… that too..." Nao figured that Misa wouldn't take over her sister's body in the middle of an MV shoot.
"Alright, alright, you two have watched that MV to death already. Come eat your late-night snack."
Hakuto placed three bowls of noodles on the coffee table.
"Isn't it just because you were too slow cooking, so we had no choice but to keep rewatching the MV?"
"Hah? If you think it's so easy, go do it yourself."
"As long as you're willing to eat it, sure."
Hakuto couldn't win against Nao. Her shameless attitude, eating for free while still acting so arrogant, was something he could never master.
Sure, Hakuto liked freeloading too, but whenever he did, he kept a humble attitude.
Like when he asked Nao for the warehouse key—he was practically one step away from writing the word "sycophant" on his forehead.
"Huh? Is Hakuto-nii and Nao-nee arguing?"
"I'm not that bored." Hakuto shook his head. "Are you feeling any better now?"
"Still a little uncomfortable, but I can manage!" Ayumi rubbed her nose as she spoke, already looking lively again.
Nao, on the other hand, remained silent.
Since Hakuto was handling things, she knew better than to interrupt. With nothing else to do, she focused on eating the noodles Hakuto had just served.
"Can I ask what your nightmare was about?"
"The dream…?" Ayumi thought for a moment before replying, "I don't remember too clearly, but I felt the ground shaking, and everything around me was collapsing…"
As she spoke, her face showed a frightened expression—clearly, the dream had scared her quite a bit.
Hearing this, Hakuto glanced at Nao beside him.
She had just swallowed her food and muttered under her breath, "Collapse, huh…"
Nao had heard from Hakuto about Ayumi's ability in detail, so she had a general guess about what the dream might mean.
"A collapse happened in the dream… Is this her body's way of giving an early warning?" Nao looked up at Hakuto.
Hakuto understood her meaning right away. He also knew that if he didn't intervene, Ayumi would really die in a collapse.
"Ayumi, do you mind if I stay here tonight?"
"Huh?" Ayumi was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded.
"Hakuto-nii is staying over?"
"It's already really late…"
"You're welcome to stay! I'll go get your bed ready!"
Ayumi put down her bowl of noodles and prepared to go to the bedroom to tidy up.
But Hakuto stopped her—she was still recovering, after all.
"No need, I'll do it myself. You just focus on finishing your meal."
"Are you sure? You're the guest, Hakuto-nii."
"But you're the patient."
"Okay then…"
Hakuto patted Ayumi's head before walking into the bedroom and opening the wardrobe.
The student dorms at Starsea Academy weren't very big, but they had put in significant funding to ensure every student in need had a place to stay.
Ayumi and Yuu usually just slept on futons on the floor, sometimes separated by a curtain.
Since Hakuto was staying over, he naturally took Yuu's spot, only needing to change the bedsheets.
As he was finishing up, Nao entered the room after washing the dishes.
"Honestly, I didn't expect you to ask to stay over."
"If I didn't ask, Ayumi would've invited me anyway. Besides, I have to stay."
To be honest, when Hakuto first mentioned staying, Nao had almost choked on her noodles.
But it made sense—he had to ensure Ayumi's safety, and not just for tonight.
"You didn't stay because you were planning something weird, right?"
"Even though I call you a chibicon all the time, I wouldn't joke about that in this situation," Nao said, waving her hand dismissively.
"But whatever… Oh, also, why did you only set up one bed?"
Hakuto froze, turning slowly to look at Nao with a confused expression.
"(눈_눈) What do you mean, 'only one'? You think I can clone myself?"
"Hah? Where's mine?"
"Hah? Are you crazy, or am I?"
"You want me to walk home alone at this hour?"
"I mean, I could walk you home."
"Wait a second…" Nao was speechless. "You're saying you'd take me home, then come back here to sleep?"
"Yeah…"
"If I didn't know the situation, I'd call the cops on you…"
And so, despite Hakuto offering to escort her home, Nao also ended up staying over at Ayumi's place.
Her sleeping spot was right near Hakuto's.
"Even though I see you as a friend, men and women shouldn't be sleeping too close."
"Should I go fight Ayumi, the sick one, for a sleeping spot instead?"
"You win…" Hakuto nodded, silently agreeing to let Nao sleep beside him.
After all, it wasn't a big deal… probably.
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