Monday. Catching a 5 AM bus from Chiba to Tokyo, Miyahito didn't even go home. He headed straight to school.
Sneaking into the empty classroom after changing in the locker room, he collapsed onto his desk, desperate for sleep.
"Haa... I'm exhausted." Rubbing his eyes, he muttered sleepily.
Originally, he planned to take the evening bus Sunday after dinner. That would've let him shower and change at a leisurely pace.
But he couldn't withstand Ayase's pleading puppy-dog eyes for more than a few seconds. He caved, stayed overnight, and got dragged into late-night chats.
Still, the real issue was...
"I wonder if I can bluff my way through this," he mumbled, remembering how Ayase had relentlessly grilled him all weekend: "So, what's this Kasumigaoka girl like? Is she cute?" "C'mon, tell me! How did you meet her when you were little?" "Are you getting along with her now?"
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
He deeply regretted not being stricter about sleeping arrangements when they were kids. If he'd said no back then, she wouldn't have heard him sleep-talking.
Curiosity about romance... really is every girl's nature.
Fighting off sleep, his breathing gradually slowed.
I hope... the weekend interrogation... blows over...
Otherwise...
Otherwise, who knows when Ayase will storm Tokyo to investigate in person.
(...Zzz... Zzz...)
...
Monday, 6:11 AM.
Carrying her schoolbag, traces of sleepiness still lingering on her face, Kasumigaoka Utaha yawned, her steps slightly unsteady as she made her way down the first-year corridor.
'Not a soul around.'
She blinked her eyes slightly wider, glanced at the closed doors of Class A, and thought to herself.
Makes sense. It's Monday.
Those high schoolers who partied all weekend aren't exactly waking up early to drag themselves to school.
Even Utaha herself—if it weren't for staying up past 5 AM grinding through her draft—would definitely still be buried in her blankets. But 5 AM is an awkward time... If she slept now, she'd never make it to her 7 AM classes. So, she'd decided to just come to school early.
Maybe she could catch a nap later without the risk of oversleeping.
'Hurry to the classroom and sleep. I'm dying.'
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Class B slowly drifted into her peripheral vision, catching her attention.
"Someone's here this early?" she muttered, stopping curiously to peek inside.
"Eh?" The moment a figure slumped over a desk in Class B came into view, Utaha froze.
"Aragaki-kun?"
She whispered his name. For some reason, a sudden, inexplicable urge to sneak into Class B washed over her.
But a practical question immediately arose.
As a Class C student, showing up alone in an empty Class B where only Aragaki Miyahito was present... If someone saw, rumors would definitely start.
So, should I go in or not?
Dear Miss Utaha.
However, something completely unexpected happened. While she was still debating internally, her body moved faster than her thoughts.
By the time she finally snapped back to reality...
'Eh? Why am I already inside?!'
Looking around in mild panic, her gaze returned to the boy sleeping soundly at his desk. Her wine-red eyes filled with bewildered confusion. Her racing thoughts completely stalled in that instant.
Just then, her eyes caught something in his desk drawer. She quietly questioned herself:
'A blue towel... exactly the same as the one I bought.'
Seeing it, she realized it perfectly matched the blue towel she'd been carrying everywhere but never got the chance to give him. Her thoughts instantly spiraled.
Not even sure what she was thinking anymore, her right hand, unencumbered by her bag, rose as if on its own. Her upper body leaned forward. The distance between their faces slowly closed. Her slightly trembling fingertip moved closer, bit by bit, toward his innocent, child-like sleeping face.
But just as her pale index finger was about to touch his skin, a shred of lingering rationality finally snapped Utaha out of it.
Instinctively, she yanked her hand back. Cheeks flushing, she bit her lip, forced herself to calm down, and slowly took a step back.
Confirming she hadn't woken him, her heart pounding with a mix of tension and shyness, she carefully retreated.
Step one, step two, step three...
Doing her absolute best to remain silent and not disturb the sleeping boy, she finally made it out of Class B.
Quietly, slowly, she slid the classroom door shut.
Staring blankly at the wooden door, a few seconds later,
Utaha instantly covered her burning-hot face with both hands.
At the same time, she internally screamed in despair:
'Almost... almost...'
'What have I been thinking all this time?! Are you a monkey in heat, Kasumigaoka Utaha!!!'
Feeling she couldn't stay there a second longer, she turned and stumbled clumsily toward Class C, still covering her face.
Thump thump thump!
Hurried footsteps echoed in the quiet corridor.
Half-asleep, Miyahito heard the noise and reflexively lifted his head.
Without opening his eyes, he scanned the empty room, saw nothing, and...
Thud!
Face-planted back onto his desk. He rubbed his cheek against his arm and mumbled sleepily:
"Mmm... still early..."
"Oyasumi... zzz..."
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