"I knew I shouldn't have called Haruno…"
On her way home, Shizuka couldn't shake off the discomfort from her earlier conversation.
She had only wanted to vent to her friend, and maybe... just maybe... see if Haruno's sharp mind could help untangle some of her inner frustration.
Even if not fully resolved, surely Haruno could at least ease the pressure.
But she hadn't expected that her holiday trip would suddenly turn into a group event.
Haruno's reasoning was simple: she wanted to share the burden and thought Haru, with his knack for livening things up and slipping into the role of comic relief, would be perfect as the "mood maker."
Shizuka couldn't figure out how to refute her.
Not because Haruno was wrong. On the contrary... she herself liked being around Haru. The atmosphere he brought was always so easy, so alive.
The problem was that her situation had become… far too awkward.
By the time she reached home, Shizuka collapsed onto her sofa with a bitter expression. She didn't even bother making tea. She just wanted to lie there forever.
Her eyes drifted blankly to the ceiling as her mind spun.
There was no need to guess... if Haruno invited Haru, Yukino would certainly be there too.
And if Yukino was there, then Utaha might very well come along as well.
After all, that girl had skipped the school trip entirely just to spend time with Haru and the others.
"All of this trouble traces back to my own stupid curiosity that night."
Shizuka sighed.
That image of Utaha clinging weakly to the wall... that was something she could never forget.
It was also the moment she realized just how breathtaking that girl's figure really was.
Whether chest, waist, or hips, Utaha nearly rivaled her own.
And with that precocious body paired with her mature, sultry aura, she embodied the word "temptress."
Even Shizuka, a fellow woman, couldn't deny it.
But because that scene was burned so deeply into her memory, she had been having strange dreams for days.
Each time, she'd wake to change her clothes or worse, surrender to her urges and bring herself to an exhausted crescendo.
The more she thought about it, the hotter her cheeks grew. She sat up abruptly.
Her eyes happened to fall on the coffee table.
There, still sitting openly, was the skincare product Haru had given her. Since she had no visitors and applied it often, she'd left it there for convenience.
Shizuka's gaze flickered. She picked up the half-used bottle, glanced down at her noticeably softer, fairer skin, and twisted off the cap.
She brought it close. Still the same as before... no scent.
The effect of this product was simply too miraculous. Having tasted the results, she began to realize something else:
I probably wasn't part of Haru's plan at the beginning.
Something this good... of course he would prioritize giving it to the girls closest to him.
She thought immediately of Yukino and Utaha.
As for Megumi… her presence was so subtle that, in Shizuka's mind, she simply slipped from notice.
"…Have I really become some desperate, lustful woman, just because I've been lonely for too long?"
Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the bottle. Her thoughts drifted, her focus blurred.
That night's memories were far too vivid. Even later, when she "relieved" herself in the early hours, Haru's image at the bathroom door kept replaying in her head.
The memory of his face, his voice... so vivid that it made her shiver with guilty excitement.
Overwhelmed by shame and arousal, she set the bottle down, fled red-faced into her bedroom, and lay on her bed, eyes already hazy.
The heat inside her was impossible to control.
Just thinking of him...
No, not just him. Thinking of him that night, bare and unguarded, and remembering their past intimacy her chest only burned hotter.
On impulse, cheeks aflame, Shizuka picked up her phone and placed a call.
Within five seconds, Haru's voice came through.
"Hiratsuka-sensei?" he asked, confused.
At the sound of that familiar voice, her eyes trembled, becoming misty. With the blush spreading across her cheeks, her face carried a charm she couldn't disguise.
She forced herself to keep steady. "Sorry I haven't been helping out lately… things have been a little hectic on my side."
"It's fine. Take care of your own things first," Haru replied warmly. "We managed fine last year too, remember?"
Shizuka murmured an acknowledgment, but her gaze had already fallen to her free hand... her long, slender fingers.
"Was there… something else?" Haru asked.
She nearly blurted, No, I just wanted to hear your voice.
But she caught herself. "Do you have any plans for the holidays? I might have one, but I haven't decided yet. I'll let you all know later."
Haru chuckled. "What's this? Playing riddles now? When did you start picking up Yukino's habits?"
From his side, Yukino's sharp voice chimed in: "So in your heart, I've always been a riddle-spinner?"
Then came Utaha's amused tone: "To be fair, Yukino, you do act like a riddle-master sometimes."
Shizuka froze.
Hearing the voices of the very people from that night sent the fire raging again.
She hurriedly said goodbye, hung up, and stared at her hand. Her teeth caught her lip.
"…Just one last time. The last time…"
Carrying both guilt and thrill, she closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Haru, Yukino, and Utaha were at the supermarket buying groceries. Since Megumi said she'd come after dinner, the three had gone out together.
"She hung up already?" Yukino asked as Haru lowered his phone.
"Yeah. Sounded like something urgent," he said.
Yukino made a small sound of acknowledgment and glanced at Utaha.
Utaha nodded faintly; she was thinking the same thing. Hiratsuka-sensei probably hadn't sorted out her feelings yet.
That single call only reignited the question the two girls had been suppressing:
Did Hiratsuka-sensei discover anything that night?
They couldn't ask Haru directly. It was far too embarrassing. And besides, in their eyes, Haru himself was completely oblivious.
Groceries bought, the three strolled back, passing a boutique. Haru leaned down and whispered, "Do you two need new stockings?"
Immediately, two pairs of beautiful eyes rolled at him.
A perfect blend of shame and scorn.
These days, the very word stockings made them think of that night.
The night Haru had said, "Watch carefully this is how stockings should be used."
They'd learned… more than they ever wanted to.
Perhaps because even Yukino had gone along and put them on, Haru's mood that night had soared.
Soared to the point that both girls had collapsed, utterly drained, unable to move.
Three times. Three whole times!
Both Yukino and Utaha had the same thought: Haru was a stamina monster.
Even curled up, flushed and weak under the blankets, when they protested, he had the audacity to argue, "That's not my fault. You triggered my special attack today, Miss-Meow."
Expressionless, Yukino asked, "…And what 'special attack' was that?"
"Because you meowed at me."
The topic ended instantly.
Yukino buried her face under the covers, refusing to lift her head for a long while.
The whole incident had only happened because emotions had run too high that night...
Haru had leaned close and whispered to Yukino, "I want to hear the sound you make when you see a cute little kitten and can't help but meow to call it over."
She hadn't been able to hold herself back. A soft meow slipped out.
She could still remember the look on Utaha's face... dressed in stockings, frozen in shock... before that mischievous smile curved her lips.
"…Then what sound does a bunny make?" Utaha teased, clearly trying to fluster Yukino.
But the moment those words left her mouth, Haru had taken them seriously teaching "Bunny-senpai" exactly how she should sound.
Even now, when Yukino and Utaha remembered it, their faces burned crimson.
If the conversation went on any further, they would realize... almost in horror... that their mouths had gone dry.
The two girls exchanged a glance and wordlessly dropped the topic of buying stockings.
…Though, truthfully, Utaha's supply of stockings was already running dangerously low.
~~~~~~~~~~