Kasumigaoka Utaha stared blankly at the empty bento box in her hands after finishing every last bite.
A strange, heavy confusion settled over her chest. Whose bento was this, again?
Was it supposed to be hers? For some inexplicable reason, her mind felt hazy, unable to recall the exact details of how the box ended up in her hands.
She distinctly remembered talking to someone just moments ago.
But when she slowly glanced around the rooftop, it was completely deserted.
The space was entirely empty, save for the violent rattling of the metal railing shaking under a sudden, forceful pressure.
Wait—there was no wind at all.
Kasumigaoka's face drained of color, turning stark pale as she stared wide-eyed at the violently vibrating railing.
Her overactive imagination instantly conjured up every terrifying school ghost story she had ever heard or written about haunted rooftops.
Overwhelmed by sudden, cold dread, she hastily shoved the empty bento box into her bag and fled from the rooftop in a blind panic, her footsteps echoing down the stairs as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
Back on the edge of the rooftop, Mai clung tightly to the shaking metal railing, her body trembling and completely exhausted from the tension.
"You promised she wouldn't notice us..." Mai breathed out, her voice ragged and breathless.
Haruto grinned mischievously, his hands resting firmly on her bare waist as he continued to keep her pinned against him.
"Haha, I lied, Mai. Kasumigaoka has actually been able to see and hear us the whole time."
"!!!"
Mai's reaction was immediate.
Her eyes widened to their absolute limit in utter shock and profound embarrassment, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
"You—you absolute bastard!" she gasped, her hands flying up to cover her flushed face as the full horror of what she had just done right in front of another person finally hit her.
Haruto couldn't help but laugh out loud, his amusement only fueling her panic as the afternoon air whipped across the open rooftop.
He didn't give her a second to pull away.
With a swift, powerful shift of his hips, he drove straight up into her hot, slick core again, making her let out a high-pitched, helpless squeak that cut off into a breathless moan.
"Since she already knows," Haruto murmured darkly against her ear, his rhythm turning heavy, deep, and relentless, "we might as well give her something real to remember."
Mai's defenses completely shattered. Her legs hooked tight around his waist, her fingers gripping the cold metal railing as every hard, punishing thrust stole whatever rational thought she had left.
That day, the rooftop echoed with heavy, ragged breathing and the wet sounds of skin meeting skin, while the rattling metal railing stood as the sole, trembling witness to everything that transpired between them under the open sky.
Afternoon.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was still pacing through the quiet hallway, pondering over the bizarre bento box incident, when a sharp, clear memory suddenly flashed in her mind.
"The bento box... it was Haruto's?!"
Utaha stopped dead in her tracks, immediately filled with a wave of heavy regret and mortification.
How on earth could she have forgotten something so significant?
Not only had she devoured every last bite of it, but she had also completely accepted and taken his food without properly offering anything in return.
"I need to wash it, return it to him... and formally apologize."
Meanwhile, Haruto wasn't particularly bothered by a missing bento box. After all, compared to a simple lunch, Mai had been infinitely more delightful.
Unfortunately, the open rooftop hadn't been the ideal, comfortable place for a thorough round.
Mai, thoroughly overwhelmed by the public setting and her newly awakened draconic energy, had hastily fled back home as soon as they were finished, declaring she needed the safety of her own bedroom.
Haruto completely understood that things had gotten a bit too intense for her pride all at once.
After she reluctantly helped tidy up their mess, he let her slip away home.
For Haruto, the rest of the school afternoon felt painfully dull in comparison.
He would have much preferred to skip the remaining classes and head straight back home, curling up to cuddle with Mai.
To him, Mai was always the absolute best company.
For the rest of the students, however, the afternoon carried far more excitement.
The midterm examination rankings had finally been posted.
The classroom buzzed with conversation as students hurried back from the hallway, discussing scores and comparing rankings.
Haruto, meanwhile, rested his chin on one hand with an unmistakably bored expression.
A few moments later, Megumi Katō quietly returned to the classroom.
Stopping beside his desk, she tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Haruto-kun..."
"It seems you didn't go to check the rankings."
Haruto let out a lazy yawn.
"I don't need to."
"I'm first."
"..."
Megumi blinked.
"So you already knew."
There wasn't even a trace of surprise in her voice.
After spending enough time around him, she had begun to realize that Haruto rarely said something without confidence.
After a brief pause, she changed the subject.
"By the way..."
"I saw Mai-senpai at school today."
Haruto looked up.
"Did you?"
"She came to bring me lunch."
"I see."
Megumi hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been lingering in her mind.
"You and Mai-senpai seem... very close."
"...Are you two dating?"
Haruto answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Yeah."
"We started going out a few days ago."
"..."
Megumi quietly lowered her eyes.
She had expected that answer.
Even so...
Hearing it spoken aloud left a faint ache in her chest.
Trying to remain composed, she forced a gentle smile.
"I see..."
Megumi fell completely silent at his direct response, her calm gaze dimming slightly in the afternoon light.
Yet, despite feeling a strange, unsettled tug in her chest, she couldn't help but press on. "And... exactly how far have you two..."
Haruto casually pointed his finger upward toward the ceiling. "We just finished doing it on the rooftop earlier today."
Even though Megumi had mentally prepared herself for some kind of teasing response, she was still thrown completely off guard by his sheer shameless bluntness.
The rooftop... Had they really progressed to that level of reckless boldness during school hours?
Megumi bit her lower lip, struggling to process her tangled thoughts.
"Well... congratulations on your new relationship. Class is about to start soon, so I'll head back to my seat."
"See you after class, Haruto-kun."
With her usual calm steps, she returned to her desk.
Haruto watched her walk away.
For just a brief moment...
He felt that the smile she had shown him seemed just a little lonelier than usual.
*****
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