Mai felt completely ignored, which was true, but she couldn't shake the prickling sensation that danger was lurking right beside her.
Frozen in place, acutely aware of Utaha sitting just a few feet away, she felt a sudden, intimate movement and quickly turned back to Haruto, whispering with breathless panic.
"Haruto-kun, how can you still... at a time like this with someone right here?"
Haruto didn't speak aloud. Instead, a quiet smirk played on his lips as he opened the chat group.
Haruto: "Mai, you know she can't see you right now, right?"
Mai Sakurajima: "..."
Mai Sakurajima: "Is it really okay to do this right in front of her?!"
Haruto: "Relax. Just go with the flow."
Akame: "What are you two talking about in private?"
Haruto: "Nothing much, just discussing the most advanced methods of rooftop cuddling."
Mai Sakurajima: "Stop saying that phrase right now!"
Frieren: "Cuddle what? Is it edible?"
Haruto: "Never mind, Mai told me to stop, so I'll keep quiet."
In reality, Mai pinched his arm hard as a warning, her face burning with overwhelming heat.
Despite her embarrassment and the sheer adrenaline of almost getting caught by Utaha.
She cautiously followed his lead, her trembling fingers parting her clothes to slip his warm hand directly under her last layer, pressing it straight against her bare, trembling skin.
The rooftop remained quiet, the afternoon breeze carrying the faint scent of clouds and flowers.
For Kasumigaoka Utaha, completely unaware of the invisible presence right across from her, the atmosphere felt serene and peaceful.
After a few minutes of enduring the awkward angle, Mai shifted her weight, sliding around to straddle Haruto in a face-to-face position.
She placed her hands firmly on his shoulders, resting her chin lightly against the crook of his neck to catch her breath.
The previous position had simply been too exhausting to maintain while trying to stay completely silent.
Kasumigaoka suddenly paused, her fingers stopping over her smartphone screen as she looked up.
"Thank you for what you did last time, Haruto-kun," she said softly, her voice carrying across the small space.
'What does she mean by last time?'
Mai's internal radar flared up instantly. Her dark eyes narrowed with sharp suspicion, though she didn't dare stop the slow, deliberate grind of her hips against him.
Haruto gave her a quick, reassuring glance to keep her steady.
"Utaha–senpai, I'm just glad you're okay. You seem to be looking much better today,"
Haruto smoothly deflected with a warm smile, turning his attention back to the novelist. "Hopefully, you won't pass out from lack of sleep in an empty hallway again, right?"
Utaha's gaze darkened just a fraction, a faint blush dusting her pale cheeks. "Haruto-kun, don't you know it's terribly impudent to bring up a lady's vulnerabilities?"
Haruto shrugged lazily, his hands resting firmly on Mai's bare waist beneath her skirt. "There's no one else here anyway."
Well, except for Mai Sakurajima, who was currently sitting right on top of him.
He said it partly for Mai's benefit, letting her know that his previous encounter with Utaha had simply involved helping her when she collapsed from exhaustion.
Even so, Mai couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Haruto's intentions had been far from innocent.
You don't have feelings for her, do you?
Mai glared at him silently.
Haruto met her gaze with an entirely exaggerated expression of pure, innocent confusion, blinking wide-eyed at her.
Mai could see right through the act.
You perverted wolf! she thought angrily.
Annoyed by his smugness, Mai decided to "punish" him.
She tightened her inner muscles completely, locking down around him in a vice-grip and freezing her movements dead in their tracks, refusing to give him any more friction.
Haruto, however, found her supposed "punishment" utterly delightful.
To him, the intense contraction of her hot, wet walls was less of a punishment and far more of a reward.
His grin widened as his hands slid down to firmly grip her bare buttocks, lifting her slightly just to slam her back down onto his rigid length.
Mai let out a sharp, breathless gasp into his shoulder, her eyes widening in panic as Utaha instinctively tilted her head at the sudden noise, looking around the empty rooftop.
"Did you hear something, Haruto-kun?" Utaha asked, her brow furrowing in suspicion.
"Just the wind, Utaha-senpai," Haruto replied smoothly, his voice completely steady even as he drove upward hard enough to make Mai's toes curl.
Mai bit down hard on her own lip, her cheeks burning bright red as she squeezed her eyes shut, forced to silently bounce against him in a desperate rhythm to keep from crying out while another girl sat just a few feet away.
"Haruto-kun, are you waiting for someone?" Kasumigaoka asked, glancing at the unopened bento box sitting next to him, implying that he might be expecting a secret girlfriend.
Given Haruto's striking looks and effortless demeanor, having a girlfriend wouldn't be a surprise at all.
In fact, after what happened during their previous encounter, Kasumigaoka had quietly looked into him and discovered that Haruto was surprisingly popular around the school, even though there were never any concrete rumors of him being attached.
"No, I'm not waiting for a girlfriend," Haruto replied smoothly, smiling inwardly since his girlfriend was literally sitting right there in his lap.
"This bento just happens to be extra." Since Mai was far too worked up and flustered to eat anymore, Haruto decided to repurpose it.
"If you don't mind, Utaha-senpai, you can have it. I saw you were just munching on plain bread earlier. That can't be very satisfying for a novelist's stamina."
Kasumigaoka's eye twitched slightly. Was he really criticizing her meal straight to her face?
She initially intended to politely decline, but when Haruto unlatched the lid of the untouched bento, the rich, savory aroma drifted out, and she couldn't help but be tempted by how delicious it looked.
Gulp...
She swallowed instinctively, hesitating as her stomach rumbled softly. "Are you... completely sure I can have this?"
"Of course. Consider it a peace offering."
Haruto entirely ignored Mai's furious, glaring expression and handed the bento box over to the black-haired novelist.
"Thank you..."
Kasumigaoka couldn't resist any longer and accepted it.
Lately, with her demanding editor Machida Sonoko constantly pushing her chapter deadlines, she barely had any time to cook, surviving mostly on convenience store bread and water while pulling all-nighters to write.
When she took her very first bite, her dark eyes widened in genuine surprise. "This is incredible! Did you actually make this yourself, Haruto-kun?"
Haruto let out a low laugh and glanced down at Mai, who was furiously pouting in his arms. "Haha, no, a certain famous celebrity made it for me out of love."
*****
20+ Advance Chapters are available on Patreon.
With Exclusive Character Arts On It.
So Be Sure To Check It out.
patreon.com/ITz_DeaD