"Where exactly are we going?"
As Utaha dragged Haru along, his mind raced.
A changing room?
Unlikely. The convention had only just begun. Whether it was a dressing area for invited guests or the general public, there was no way it would be empty.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Utaha flashed him a cryptic smile.
Then, she led him straight to the restroom entrance.
"No way. There's absolutely no way I'm going into the won's restroom."
Haru shook his head firmly.
Even if it was empty, he refused.
That would be way too sketchy.
"Not even if it ant getting to see those fishnets you've been dying to see?"
Utaha whispered like the devil tempting a lost soul.
"I'm not going in."
Haru stood his ground.
Utaha looked montarily surprised, but her expression remained composed. "How strange. I thought, knowing you, the mont I suggested it, you'd jump at the chance without hesitation."
"?"
A taphorical question mark popped up over Haru's head.
The next second, he realized sothing was off. "Wait a minute. What did you and Yukino talk about earlier?"
Utaha froze for a split second but didn't answer.
Haru locked eyes with her, studying her expression. "So I was right? But I still don't get it—why would Yukino agree to you dragging off just to look at fishnet stockings?"
Utaha's lips curled into a sly smile. "Since you've already guessed part of it, why not take another shot?"
"Not enough intel, lack of clues. I can't figure it out."
"Giving up so soon?"
"I'm not giving up. But maybe I could think better if you showed the fishnet stockings first?"
"…"
Utaha was montarily speechless.
She shot him an unimpressed look. "Is this what they call 'staying true to oneself'?"
"If you're complinting , then yes."
"Of course, it's a complint."
"That's the scent of a lie."
Seeing that Haru didn't buy it, Utaha dropped the topic and turned to face the bustling crowd outside.
"I didn't actually ask gumi for help," she admitted. "Instead, after discussing it with Yukino, she took the initiative to invite gumi along to check out so plushies."
"And then?"
Haru asked instinctively.
The whole "fishnet stockings" thing had thrown him off, but now that he was thinking about it, he had indeed guessed right.
Given how much attention Yukino paid to him, there was no way she wouldn't notice him being dragged away by Utaha.
Not even gumi's presence would have been enough of a distraction.
"I told Yukino that if the plan failed, I'd co back early."
"What plan?"
Utaha didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned slightly, her beautiful eyes carrying a mix of shyness and amusent, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
Lowering her voice, she said, "Even though Yukino refused to discuss it with and acted like she didn't want to talk about it, I thought about it carefully… and I believe she shares my thoughts."
Her tone turned more playful. "You… every ti you do that kind of thing, you're ridiculously good at it. Could it be because you're always saving up your energy, and that's why I lose so quickly?"
Haru fell silent.
She even pulled out the phrase "saving up energy."
Utaha's face was flushed, clearly embarrassed to be discussing sothing like this.
But since no one else was around, she managed to continue. "You've probably noticed by now—Yukino really wants to properly test your physical abilities."
"That's true," Haru admitted.
Yukino had brought it up several tis before.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to cooperate.
It was just that his physical stats were too extre. If he made even a small mistake during a test and didn't control his strength properly, Yukino would be so shocked her brain might short-circuit.
Now that he heard Utaha's explanation, he understood why she had suddenly brought up fishnet stockings.
She must have convinced Yukino sohow.
Or at least, even if she didn't fully convince her, Yukino might have silently approved Utaha's plan to "test Haru's abilities" out of sheer curiosity.
Judging by Utaha's current deanor, however, she wasn't planning on conducting a serious test.
It felt more like she wanted to asure sothing instead…
"So, what do you say?" Utaha's face was burning red.
The two of them were standing close together, whispering. The warmth of her body, the scent of her perfu, and the soft, almost intoxicating breath from her lips surrounded him.
Haru nodded solemnly. "If it's for the sake of science, I'm willing to sacrifice myself."
"For science?"
Utaha resisted the urge to roll her eyes, then turned and stepped into the won's restroom.
Clearly, she was checking the situation inside.
About three minutes later, after two won exited, Utaha poked her blushing face out from the doorway and gave him a aningful look.
Haru pretended to be casually checking his phone, but using his [Auto-Aim] skill, he discreetly scanned the area to confirm that no one was watching.
Then, in an instant, he dashed inside.
Within two seconds, Utaha had pulled him into a stall.
"There's no one here for now, but only for now," she whispered.
Haru understood imdiately.
Whether at a convention, a tourist spot, or a restaurant, the won's restroom was never empty for long.
Even if there was a rare window where no one was inside, soone was bound to co in soon.
That was exactly why stories about "won taking over n's restrooms" popped up so often in the news.
Listening for any outside movent, Haru spoke in a low voice. "Let guess. Yukino only reluctantly agreed because you frad it as a 'test,' but she wouldn't actually approve of this part."
"Exactly."
At this point, Utaha didn't bother hiding anything.
She smiled, a mix of shyness and smug satisfaction on her lips. "This ti, I acted on my own. Because honestly, rather than hanging out with everyone at the convention, I'd much rather spend so alone ti with you."
With those words, her face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
Then, she lifted her skirt.
She was not wearing panties.
Her heart was racing.
Haru was shocked. "It really is fishnet stockings."
At his words, Utaha's eyelashes trembled, as if she had used up all her courage.
Leaning closer, she whispered against his shoulder, "You only have three minutes."
_ _ _ _
Haru had once participated in an online ga Man speedrun competition.
But since he wasn't familiar enough with the ga's layouts, he only managed to secure seventh place.
This ti, however, it was another race against the clock.
And he made sure to seize the opportunity.
By the ti he and Utaha returned, Yukino's sharp gaze was already on them.
Haru looked perfectly normal, calm, and composed.
After all, it was just a ga involving legs.
Utaha, on the other hand, was visibly flushed. If not for Yukino's keen observation skills, she might not have noticed how Utaha was practically leaning against Haru for support.
Yukino's expression darkened.
She recognized this scene all too well.
Her legs gave out!
"Haru, I need to have a private conversation with Senpai. Please leave."
Yukino's tone was blunt and firm.
Haru was about to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but Utaha spoke up first.
"Actually, I'd like to have a chat with Yukinoshita as well."
With that, Haru had no choice but to leave.
As he stepped away, Kato gumi, who was carrying a bag full of plush toys, looked at him curiously. "What happened?"
Haru let out a sigh. "Busted."
Kato gumi: "?"
anwhile, Yukino and Utaha deliberately moved to a more secluded spot, ensuring that Haru and gumi wouldn't overhear.
"What exactly did you just do?"
Yukino folded her arms, her tone anything but friendly.
If Haru were here, he would instantly recognize this stance—it was her "interrogation mode."
Utaha's cheeks were still flushed as she answered, "Just like we agreed earlier, I carried out the plan and took the opportunity to assess his physical abilities."
Yukino let out a cold laugh. "And? Did you get your data?"
Utaha nodded. "I did… but not much."
"For example?"
"You might not want to hear it."
That remark finally made Yukino's irritation surface. "You didn't take advantage of him, did you, Senpai?"
"This was a noble sacrifice in the na of scientific research." Utaha directly borrowed Haru's excuse from earlier.
Yukino's face darkened even further.
Pressing her fingers against her temple, she let out a cold sigh. "I should've known. The mont you brought up Haru's physical abilities with , it was obvious you had other intentions."
"But I am genuinely curious about this," Utaha admitted, knowing she needed to tread carefully.
More importantly, she wasn't lying.
Yukino could tell that much, but her voice remained icy. "So you exploited my curiosity just so you could do… whatever it was you did with him?"
"No! I wouldn't take it that far!"
Utaha quickly cut her off.
Silence fell between them.
After five seconds, Yukino spoke again, her expression still cold. "What did you do?"
Utaha's smile turned slightly seductive—though there was also a hint of embarrassnt.
"I wore the fishnet stockings he likes."
Yukino froze.
Her instinct was to glance downward, but she quickly realized Utaha was wearing a long skirt today—and she didn't have X-ray vision. Looking down was pointless.
For a brief mont, images she really didn't want to imagine surfaced in her mind. Annoyed, she snapped, "That guy has an almost obsessive fascination with girls' legs, especially with people like us."
Then, almost to herself, she murmured, "I don't even need to ask any further."
Just from imagination alone, she could piece together exactly what had happened.
Utaha averted her gaze, her cheeks still tinted red. "Actually, you overlooked sothing."
"…What?"
"He's not just ridiculously strong… his hands are—"
"Please Shut up!"
Yukino imdiately cut her off before she could finish whatever spell she was about to cast.
Her pale cheeks were now tinged with a light shade of pink, betraying both embarrassnt and frustration.
After all, she had experienced Haru's massage skills before.
And she knew exactly how terrifyingly good he was.
It was at that mont—after hearing Utaha's final remark—that Yukino fully grasped the situation.
Not only did Senpai hand over her "defeat CG," she might've even unlocked the "ultimate artwork" at this point…
A heavy sigh escaped Yukino's lips. "I never should have agreed to this."
Utaha looked a little awkward, assuming Yukino was referring to her "accidentally getting too into character."
But then Yukino continued, "If I had known you'd lose this quickly, I would have put my foot down harder."
That, in turn, made Utaha blush with frustration. "Yukinoshita, if I recall correctly, you aren't much better in this area, are you?"
Yukino neither admitted nor denied it. "Did I ever tell you anything about myself?"
"No, but I can tell."
"Hah. It seems Senpai has never heard the phrase: 'Your eyes and brain can sotis deceive you.'"
"Well, the fact that you keep dodging my comnts instead of addressing them directly… doesn't that just prove my point?"
"..."
Just monts ago, they had temporarily joined forces out of a shared curiosity about Haru's physical abilities.
Now, that alliance had completely crumbled.
The two beautiful girls ended up parting on bad terms.
No matter how proud they were, their feelings for Haru were undeniably real.
And because those feelings burned so fiercely, it was frustrating—infuriating—that when it ca to a certain area, they could never seem to keep up with the person they liked.
This is humiliating! x2.
That exact thought crossed both of their minds at the sa ti.
So when they finally returned, Haru and gumi were left utterly confused.
"They seed to be getting along just fine earlier… what happened?" gumi asked.
Haru shook his head.
Not in a million years could he have guessed that the reason for their argunt was purely because they were both too weak in battle—sothing they now considered a personal failure.
At this mont, Yukino looked at Utaha and thought: A weakling who couldn't control herself and ended up "defeated."
anwhile, Utaha looked at Yukino and thought: A weakling who refuses to admit she's a glass-cannon in combat.
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