Lately, Utaha felt like her luck was running low.
First, she suspected that the one ally she thought she could rely on was about to stab her in the back.
So tonight, she decided to test the waters with a bold and risky move—and unfortunately, it confirmed her fears.
What really gave her a headache, though, was that even when she tried to subtly probe Megumi, the girl didn't seem the least bit flustered. In fact, her response was almost like: "I knew you'd pull something like this."
Utaha wasn't just any amateur. She was someone who could go toe-to-toe with Yukinoshita—well, even if she lost more often than not and was constantly pressured, she had still gained valuable experience through the countless battles between them.
So once she noticed Megumi's intentions, she had quickly deduced the truth.
Which only made her angrier.
But the real proof that her luck was terrible… came now.
Just as she crawled out from under the heated kotatsu blanket, cheeks puffed up, she heard a noise from the guest room.
She turned—and froze.
In disbelief, she watched Megumi walk out in her pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes like she had just woken up.
Haru also turned around.
Their eyes met—three people, one awkward silence.
Megumi rubbed her eyes and, unfazed, said in a flat voice, "Senpai, you really like sneaking around late at night, huh?"
Utaha's heart practically leapt into her throat. She puffed her cheeks, refusing to say a word, and quickly stood up.
Megumi tilted her head, puzzled. "Why are you running away when you see me?"
Utaha's face turned crimson as she shot Haru a desperate look: I can't say a word right now—help me out!
Haru caught the cue and stepped in, "You couldn't sleep either, Kato? Maybe you're just too excited about the hot spring trip?"
"Nope. Just got up to get some water." Megumi poured herself a cup of tea from the nearby table.
Utaha used the moment to scurry into the washroom, trying to vanish as fast as possible.
Her guilty silence and hasty escape only made Megumi more suspicious. "Does Senpai have a problem with me?"
"She just really needed the bathroom," Haru replied smoothly.
Megumi let out a quiet "Oh," not revealing whether she bought the excuse.
She finished her tea in one gulp, then turned toward Haru. "You're not sleeping either?"
"I've been sleeping pretty late lately," Haru admitted. It was a good opportunity to keep Megumi distracted and give Utaha more time to regroup.
Megumi's attention shifted to him. "Sleeping late... but you still have energy during the day?"
"I sneak in naps when I can. So far, it works. I've never really felt run-down."
"That's not very healthy," Megumi murmured, her gaze subtly changing.
She hadn't known this about him before.
Now that Haru had brought it up, she mentally reviewed everything and realized—if what he said was true, it supported a theory she had been developing.
A high schooler constantly sleep-deprived, yet always full of energy—he was practically a superhuman.
Wanting to gather more intel, Megumi sat down across from him.
But as soon as she opened her mouth to ask something, her nose twitched. She sniffed the air, frowning. "What's that smell?"
Haru didn't miss a beat. "Jelly just knocked over the litter box earlier. I already cleaned it up."
The orange cat curled up under the kotatsu lifted its head in confusion. "Meow?"
Megumi sniffed again. It didn't really smell like litter.
But she'd never had a boyfriend, let alone done that kind of thing—she had no frame of reference for this scent and couldn't identify it.
Seeing her uncertain expression, Haru picked up the orange cat and handed it to her."The culprit's right here. If you want to play Judge Kato, I'll be the jury."
Megumi took the cat, shaking her head. "Jelly seems innocent to me."
"Meow~"
The orange cat snuggled into her arms, rolling over to expose its belly as if thanking the girl for clearing its name.
Megumi was quickly distracted by the cat's adorable antics.
Haru had already decided to pin the blame entirely on his chubby cat. Saying anything more would only seem suspicious, so he kept quiet.
Soon, Utaha returned from the washroom. Seeing the two seated by the kotatsu, she figured Haru had successfully covered for her and sauntered over, swaying her hips as she sat down.
The three of them didn't say much after that, simply enjoying the peace of the quiet early morning.
About ten minutes later, Megumi yawned and put the cat down. "I'm going to bed. How about you, Senpai?"
"I'll stay up a little longer," Utaha said. She was actually pretty tired too, but didn't dare sleep at the same time as Megumi—worried she'd slip up.
Megumi didn't push, quietly returning to her room.
As the door shut, Utaha let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god I left in time. If she'd come out any sooner, I'd be toast."
Haru gave her a pointed look. "Who told you to start doing that kind of thing on a whim?"
Utaha flushed and gave him a playful glare. "You didn't dislike it, did you?"
"…No. I didn't."
With no one else around, Utaha snuggled into his chest with a satisfied sigh. "Too bad this place isn't safe. Otherwise… I'd totally devour you right now."
She finished her sentence with a deliberately seductive tone, her eyes sultry and teasing.
Haru reminded her, "You always say that… and yet you've lost every time."
Utaha shot him a flustered look. "You wanna test that theory?"
Haru wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
With a grin, he reached out and pinched the soft flesh of her waist. "If you're willing to bend over the couch or lean forward right now, I'll oblige."
"I was kidding! Jeez!" Utaha immediately backed down.
She wasn't about to do it in the living room.
Not only was the risk too high, but it was freezing. If she caught a cold, she'd be doomed.
Especially with the way Yukinoshita and Megumi saw her right now—if she got sick and showed weakness, they'd absolutely pummel her into the ground.
Haru, of course, had only been teasing, so he didn't push it either. He simply rubbed the soft skin of her waist gently.
After a while, Utaha couldn't hold out any longer. She reluctantly pulled herself away from his arms."Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Soon, probably," Haru replied. In truth, he had no idea when sleep would come.
"Then I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
After their brief farewell, Utaha made her way to the guest room, drowsy. As she passed the closed bedroom door, she glanced at it and thought:
One day, I'm going to sleep in that room. And I'm going to get a key to this house.
I, Kasumigaoka Utaha, will stand shoulder to shoulder with Yukinoshita Yukino!
For once, she allowed herself to act like a child.
The next day at noon, Haru and the others arrived at the Izu hot springs.
Haru had booked everything in advance. Just like last time, the three girls got a deluxe suite with a private hot spring, while he had a room to himself.
After dropping off their luggage, they explored the inn to get familiar with the layout. Every room had its own bath filled with natural spring water.
After lunch, Haru joined the girls in their suite. They chatted about Utaha's latest script and, at his suggestion, played some casual card games.
"I need a nap," Yukino said, clearly more interested in sleeping than playing cards in the cozy warmth of the room.
Once she retreated to the bedroom, the card game ended—no one wanted to disturb her.
"There's still five hours until dinner. What should we do?" Utaha asked lazily, thoroughly enjoying the freedom of doing absolutely nothing.
Before Haru could answer, Megumi glanced at his luggage. "I think I saw you pack your game console this morning?"
"I did. Want to play?"
"What kind of game were you thinking?" she asked instead of answering.
"If I were alone, I'd probably be playing a card-based mobile game. But since you're here, we could do some Monster Hunter co-op."
"I'm in."
With Megumi agreeing, Utaha couldn't exactly sit out either.
Luckily, Haru had come prepared. Even if Yukino joined in later, there'd be no problem.
They had only been playing for half an hour when Utaha kept glancing toward the bedroom. Finally, she couldn't resist asking: "Haru, what's Yukinoshita's sleeping position like?"
Haru's fingers paused on the game controls as he raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"
Utaha flashed a dazzling smile. "She gets to record me, but I'm not allowed to record her?"
Megumi blinked in confusion. Record? What kind of recording?
It sounded likeYukinoshita had some kind of dirt on her senpai.
Now that's something worth being curious about…