Even now, Haru's impression of gumi remained unchanged—this girl seed naturally composed, like she was born with the ability to restrain herself.
Her earlier words—"Don't ignore anymore"—carried genuine emotion.
Had it not been for the lead-up, that one sentence alone could've been interpreted as a confession.
And yet, she had a way of choosing just the right timing. She never allowed the atmosphere to beco awkward or overly romantic.
Instead, she used the earlier King's Ga as an opening, drawing from the actual events that unfolded, to express her feelings about being left out.
In doing so, she neither confessed nor begged for attention—it was sothing in-between.
Not direct enough to put pressure on him, and not distant enough to be brushed aside.
And that, perhaps, was the scariest part about her.
She knew how to navigate the waters of subtlety.
Before getting into the car, gumi turned to him with her usual calm tone.
"Amamiya-kun, please don't tell anyone what just happened."
"Why?" Haru asked.
She replied in her usual composed manner:
"Because if you say anything, Utaha-senpai and Yukinoshita will both interfere. If that happens, my observations will be compromised."
There it was—another perfectly logical reason.
She was curious about his physical condition, after all. She wanted to "observe" him.
If word got out, the other two girls would definitely get involved—question her motives, get competitive, ruin the quiet setting she preferred.
Haru sighed. "You always explain yourself so thoroughly before anyone even questions you?"
"Only when it's you, you flirtatious Amamiya-kun," gumi teased lightly.
There it was again—casual, playful sarcasm even after a tender mont like that. It was as if the hug, the mistaken-identity-as-girlfriend, had no real emotional weight to her.
Or maybe… she was just that good at pretending it didn't.
After seeing her off, Haru walked back still thinking about that one line:"Sotis, gentleness can turn into malice."
It wasn't wrong.
She knew he wouldn't push her away—so she leaned in boldly and hugged him.
That hug could've just been a natural reaction to being "mistaken for his girlfriend."
Or… it could've been sothing she had wanted to do for a long ti—now finally masked behind a justifiable excuse.
_ _ _ _
Back in the apartnt, Utaha was still in the shower. Yukino, as always, sat on the couch elegantly, cat in arms.
Haru glanced at her exquisite profile, and suddenly rembered sothing.
"You and Hiratsuka-sensei... What happened between you two?"
Yukino didn't even blink.
"Took you long enough to ask. I suppose that ans you've got impressive self-control."
"I've been wanting to ask since earlier," Haru muttered. "But I was busy being your dealer."
She didn't hide anything, giving him a brief rundown of her encounter.
As she spoke, a certain spark lit in her eyes.
When she finished, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Haru, when you used to go after criminals, did you feel the sa way I do now?"
"You an the sense of accomplishnt? That rush when soone sincerely thanks you?" Haru asked.
Yukino's eyes glinted. "Exactly."
"I was wondering why you seed so hyped tonight. You even went along with Senpai's proposal despite having the upper hand. So it's because of that rush."
She didn't deny it.
Unlike helping with school bullying cases, tonight she took down multiple thugs on her own. It was a new kind of thrill.
A new version of herself, unlocked.
Just then, Utaha finally erged from the bathroom.
No more bunny ears this ti. As she dried her hair, she said calmly,
"Shall we continue playing cards?"
Yukino raised her gaze, her tone cool as ever.
"Are you sure you want another loss, Senpai?"
Utaha handed Haru the dryer, clearly expecting him to help. As he started drying her hair, she wore her usual detached school persona.
"My state of mind is clear now."
Yukino caught her aning imdiately.
"You're saying you can stay calm this ti?"
Utaha lifted her chin. "Precisely."
Yukino gave Haru a sidelong glance.
"Then, how do you want to challenge this ti, Senpai?"
Utaha stood tall. She'd been thinking about this ever since her bath.
"I've played a few card gas with Haru before," she began, "He once taught a popular card ga."
Yukino chuckled.
A mocking, unapologetic laugh.
"Senpai, I should remind you… I've known Haru far longer than you. That ga? He taught that back in elentary school."
She turned to Haru, who nodded in agreent.
"I taught her when we were about ten."
Utaha frowned.
She didn't care that Yukino was better at the ga.
What irritated her was the "I've known him longer" part.
That was the real thorn.
She bit her lip, wanting to say sothing cutting—but held back.
If she continued this line of conversation, Yukino would just keep the upper hand.
Yukino, of course, noticed her hesitation.
"Well? Are you still up for it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Utaha's eyes glinted. After a brief pause, she declared,
"This ti, let's not play King's Ga."
"Then what do you want to play?" Yukino asked confidently.
Utaha blurted out her inner thought without thinking—
"Let's play... strip poker."
The room fell silent.
Even she turned red after realizing what she'd just said.
It was just a passing thought. A knee-jerk reaction to Yukino's taunts.
"What did you say?" Yukino froze.
Haru blinked.
Yukino's cheeks tinted pink, and she shot a quick glare at him—as if trying to gauge his reaction.
Utaha coughed and turned her back slightly, trying to cover her embarrassnt.
"Fine, if that's too bold for you... we can play the opposite. Dressing poker."
Now it was Yukino's turn to blink.
Haru, ever the analyst, rubbed his chin.
"Dressing poker, huh? So... that ans we start the ga naked?"
Hearing what he said, Yukino and Utaha both blushed.
~~~~~~~~~~
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