Kazusa looked adorable as she slept—curled up, hands lightly clenched in front of her face, eyelashes trembling slightly.
She was probably still feeling some discomfort from the fever, or maybe she was having a good dream now that her condition had improved.
But, well... he had already promised her—there was no going home tonight.
After turning off the bedside lamp, Chisato quietly closed the bedroom door behind him.
Kazusa was asleep, but he still had plenty of things to take care of.
Downstairs in the living room, the first thing he did was call Utaha.
Saying a few flattering words naturally put her in a good mood, and in the process, he also confirmed that she would be staying up late at home working on her novel draft tonight.
Since Utaha wouldn't be going back to their shared apartment, there was no need to tell her that he was staying over at Kazusa's.
That would only upset her for no reason.
Chisato's thoughts moved quickly.
After exchanging some caring words about her health and reminding her not to overwork herself, they wished each other goodnight, and he hung up the phone.
Then, after reheating the leftover porridge on the stove, he sat at the dining table, eating his simple dinner while sending a message to Iroha, asking if she was available to talk.
It didn't take long before Iroha called him directly.
"Senpaaai~"
As soon as the call connected, her voice was as sweet as ever.
Already used to her tone, Chisato got straight to the point and thanked her,
"Iroha, I really appreciate what you did earlier today—keeping my secret."
Although she had teased him at first, pretending she might spill everything, in the end, she didn't.
Not only that, she even stopped Yukino from speaking up, preventing the situation from spiraling out of control.
Chisato owed her for that.
"It's fine, Senpai, you don't need to thank me. After all, I know you're not ready to let Touma-san find out about Sawamura-san and Kasumigaoka-san."
Iroha's voice over the phone was understanding, even cheerful at being able to help him.
"It would feel weird if I were the only one getting favors from you. Now we're even—we have a shared secret between us."
Chisato frowned slightly.
Something about that didn't sit right with him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
If their "shared secret" was simply that Iroha liked Hayama Hayato while Chisato was keeping things ambiguous with multiple girls despite dating Kazusa, then that made sense—sort of.
But... something still felt off.
Was she hinting at something else?
"After you left this afternoon, I had a talk with Yukinoshita-senpai. I managed to convince her to back off, at least for now."
Iroha continued,
"But with her personality, if she meets Touma-san again, she might not cooperate like she did today. So, Senpai, you really need to be careful not to let them run into each other again."
"I got it. Seriously, thank you so much."
Chisato pushed aside his vague doubts and let out a silent sigh.
"If you ever need my help with anything, just let me know."
"Senpai, you're being way too formal with me! You don't have to be so polite—we're partners in crime now, aren't we? We know each other's secrets, so this little favor is nothing."
"...Right."
"It's getting late. I was out all day, and I'm really tired. I should go to bed early tonight."
"Then I won't disturb your rest."
"Um, Senpai!"
"What?"
"Do you have time after school tomorrow?"
"I can spare two hours after school. After that, I have work."
"Then… Can we meet up? It's about the thing I asked you before."
"I've never gone shopping with a guy before, so before I officially ask out Hayama-senpai, I'd like to have a practice run with you."
"A practice run… I see. Alright."
After thinking for a moment, Chisato agreed without hesitation.
On the other end of the call, Iroha's voice immediately rose in pitch, sounding almost like it was coated in honey.
"Thank you, Senpai! Then, goodnight. Rest well."
"…Yeah, goodnight."
After hanging up, Chisato was still in a daze.
Everything Iroha had said over the phone sounded perfectly natural, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
He thought about it for a while but couldn't figure it out, so he decided to let it go.
After finishing his porridge and washing the dishes, he borrowed Kazusa's bathroom.
So far, everything was going smoothly.
But when he was about to borrow her sink to hand-wash his underclothes, his gaze fell on something in the laundry basket—something Kazusa had carelessly tossed in after her bath.
Normally, she had a housekeeper who took care of her daily needs, so he could just leave it there and let the housekeeper handle it tomorrow.
But Chisato had his own habits. Clothes were one thing, but he just couldn't leave used undergarments sitting overnight.
He had to wash them and hang them up immediately.
Otherwise, he couldn't help but think they would breed bacteria, which wouldn't be good for one's health.
Standing beside the laundry basket, he stared at the small, delicate garment—mainly white, trimmed with pink ribbons, and adorned with a tiny bow in a… crucial location.
He hesitated for a long time before finally reaching out and picking it up.
They were already a couple, so there was no need to be overly concerned about such things.
With a smile on his face, he turned to head back to the sink and washed it.
But just then, the bathroom door slid open.
Supporting herself against the wall, Kazusa appeared before him.
The first thing she saw was her reassuring boyfriend's gentle smile.
But almost immediately, her gaze dropped to what he was holding in his hand.
She froze.
There, in his grasp, was the very garment that had accompanied her all day, absorbing the sweat from her fever.
In that moment, even his warm and sunny smile took on a completely different meaning in her eyes.
Her face turned bright red. She bit her lip hard, her eyes glistening as if she was about to cry.
Then, without a word, she stomped over, snatched her underwear from his hand, and bolted out of the room.
There was no chance for Chisato, who was crying but had no tears, to explain anything.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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