"Heatstroke? Really?"
Yukino's cheeks burned. She was mortified and furious, and all she wanted was to give him a piece of her mind.
She hadn't expected a movie to shake her emotions like this, nor that he would take advantage of her vulnerability with a sudden sneak attack—leaving her whole body feeling weak.
And now, she had no idea how to answer the inevitable questions from Utaha and Megumi.
But one thing was for sure: "Heatstroke" was not the explanation she was hoping for.
"Ohh, so Yukinoshita got heatstroke," Utaha chimed in with a suspiciously cheerful smile.
Megumi didn't smile. Instead, she was quietly scanning Yukino—head to toe and then back up again, like she was collecting evidence.
Haru smoothly changed the subject. "Alright, let's switch to a different movie. This one's boring."
He didn't press the "heatstroke" lie any further. He knew Yukino didn't handle teasing well—one jab was enough, and any more would be overkill.
He paused the movie, helped Yukino sit up, and asked in an almost-too-gentle voice, "How are you feeling now? If you're still dizzy, maybe you should go lie down for a bit."
"You could win an Oscar, you damn actor…"
Yukino clenched her small fists, her shame and anger mixing like a storm.
If they weren't in the middle of this situation, she would've given him a solid beatdown.
Instead, she took a deep breath, composed herself, and said to the others as calmly as she could manage, "I'm fine now."
"That's good," Utaha replied, flashing a radiant smile.
But it was the kind of smile that screamed gossip and teasing, not actual concern.
"I'm going to the restroom," Yukino said, her voice tight and cold. She stood and walked off stiffly.
"…Me too," Utaha added, surprisingly, getting up to follow her.
He watched them leave, quickly picking up on what was going on, though he kept his expression neutral and casually closed the movie window.
That's when Megumi's soft voice sounded beside him: "There's only one toilet in there. Why would they both go at the same time?"
He kept a straight face. "They can take turns. Both of them are well-mannered enough to understand how lines work."
A blatant lie, delivered with complete confidence.
Megumi's cheeks flushed pink, but her tone gradually returned to its usual quiet calm."You're talking nonsense again."
He chuckled. "As long as you understand, there's no need to point it out."
Megumi blinked at him. "Just like how you've been sneaking glances at me?"
"…When did I ever sneak a look at you?"
Haru panicked internally. She noticed? He was sure he'd been subtle… very subtle.
Megumi sat properly, not saying a word, just staring directly at him with those soft but unblinking eyes.
He had no choice but to change the topic. "So, what should we watch next?"
"Let's wait until they come back before we decide."
She didn't press further. Instead, she glanced toward the bathroom—and noticed the door had been firmly shut.
Her imagination kicked in. She could almost see Yukino and Utaha awkwardly standing in line inside that tiny space, waiting to use the same restroom.
It's embarrassing just thinking about it.
So awkward… she thought.
And sure enough, inside the restroom, things were awkward—exactly as Megumi had imagined.
Yukino had assumed Utaha would wait outside. But the moment she walked in, Utaha followed right behind her…
And locked the door.
The sound of the lock clicking shut sent alarm bells ringing in Yukino's head.
She turned around, only to see Utaha leaning casually against the wall, a curious, slightly flushed smile on her face.
"Are you really just here to use the restroom?"
Yukino's brows furrowed. "If you don't have anything useful to say, then don't say anything."
Utaha didn't mind the jab. Instead, she blushed a little and muttered under her breath,"I need to change my pants."
"…"
No wonder she followed me in—turns out we had the same goal.
Utaha lowered her voice. "You too, right?"
Yukino's face flushed with heat. She had no interest in discussing this. "You can shut up now."
"Oh my, acting all composed while clearly flustered—it's quite the contrast to your usual cold image. Actually… you look kind of cute like this."
"Thanks for the compliment. Now, kindly leave."
"How am I supposed to leave?"
Utaha dropped her teasing smile and spoke with a touch of awkwardness."I told you—I need to change my underwear too."
Yukino fell silent for a moment. That was a problem.
They were both girls. It wasn't that hard to understand—after all, the movie they'd just watched had caused… a certain reaction.
The real issue was that they were still, undeniably, on opposing terms.
But at least they were suffering together. That made things a little less humiliating.
Utaha sighed. "I really didn't expect that kind of content from such a highly rated film."
Yukino, despite her discomfort, still spoke with a touch of intellectual pride."A lot of arthouse films include scenes like that. It's actually quite common."
"I know that," Utaha shook her head, "but that doesn't mean I like it."
Yukino paused.
She didn't like it either.
But there was no way she'd admit that to Utaha—not when their relationship wasn't even close to friendly.Especially not while standing in a bathroom, especially not while she was trying to change her underwear.
"What do we do now?" Utaha asked, finally dropping the sarcasm and trying to focus. Yukino was in the same awkward position she was in—might as well join forces.
She knew Yukino was smart. Two brains were better than one in a situation like this.
Yukino looked conflicted. "All my clothes are in my bag."
"Same," Utaha nodded. "And he's the one who helped us with our luggage. If we go out to grab them now, we'd have to walk right past him."
Yukino had already thought of that. It gave her a headache just imagining it.
Then Utaha said, casually, "Well, we could just go without for now. We're wearing skirts—he wouldn't be able to tell."
Yukino turned and gave her the look. The one reserved for people who said very, very stupid things."So you want to leave our underwear in here and wait until he uses the bathroom… and discovers our little disaster firsthand?"
Utaha froze. That possibility… hadn't occurred to her.
Seeing her expression, Yukino sighed. "Senpai, you've been hanging around Haru too much. That was shockingly dumb."
"I was joking, okay? You can't just define me based on one line."
"My bad. It's just… I didn't hear a hint of sarcasm. Honestly, it sounded way too sincere."
"Yukinoshita, do you have to pick a fight with me right now, in this of all places?"
"I'm not trying to argue. I'm simply stating facts. Besides, you're the one who picked the movie. You also suggested we all watch it together."
Utaha was so angry that her chest hurt.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
"You two okay in there? You've been quiet for a while," came Haru's voice from the other side.
Yukino's face immediately tensed, her calm composure vanishing in a flash.
Utaha had been nervous too—until she saw Yukino's reaction.The same Yukino who'd been lecturing her nonstop just moments ago.
So, naturally, she smirked. "What's this? Nervous already?"
Yukino frowned. "Are you sure you want to pick a fight now?"
"I don't want to argue, I'm just stating my opinion," Utaha responded, ready for some banter.
She added with a teasing smile, "Do you think, if he's worried about us being stuck in here, who would end up being more embarrassed?"
Yukino shot her a frustrated glare.
Didn't she know the answer already?
Utaha had already casually mentioned, "Well, we could just not wear anything, he won't notice," so if Haru were to come in, there was no question who would be embarrassed.
Yukino stiffened and shouted out, "We're fine, we're not watching the movie anymore."
"Oh, well, just don't take too long in the restroom," came Haru's voice, followed by a knock on the door.
The knocking stopped, and he walked away.
Yukino immediately grew more tense.
Meanwhile, Utaha was still stoking the flames. "Could it be that what he meant is he's going to use the restroom too?"
Yukino took a deep breath, her eyes narrowed at Utaha. "The priority right now is to figure out how to get out of here."
"I told you, you can just not wear anything," Utaha said with a sly grin.
Yukino deadpanned, "If you're willing to go out like that and perform, I can invite him to come enjoy your show."
Utaha's face turned red. "You even used the word 'performance'? Yukino, are you really that desperate?"
"Maybe you can guess," Yukino shot back.
"I'm not interested."
They argued a bit more, before falling into silence again.
Utaha realized they couldn't stay in there forever. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly exclaimed, "We can have Megumi help bring us some underwear!"
Yukino's face turned sour. "I already thought of that."
Utaha looked at her expression. "You don't want anyone touching your underwear."
Yukino said nothing, but her eyes said it all.
"But there's no other choice unless you want to go out with your bottom naked," Utaha teased.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai!"
The mention of "naked" was too much, and Yukino, who had just calmed down, was now upset again.
Utaha realized she had said the wrong thing and laughed nervously. "What I meant was, do you have any other ideas?"
Yukino let out a frustrated sigh, hesitated for a few seconds, and then closed her eyes in defeat. "Just text her already."
"See? Problem solved."
Utaha shook her head and pulled out her phone, but just as she was about to send a message, there came another knock on the door.
She and Yukino froze in place, their expressions stiffening.
Because the next sound they heard was Megui's voice. "Senpai, can you open the door?"
The two girls exchanged glances, both of them shocked.
It seemed like Megumi was in the same situation.
"She's in the same boat?" Utaha rubbed her temples, realizing things had gotten more complicated.
Yukino said nothing, her mind racing. It was just a movie, but it had spiraled into all of this.
Finally, Utaha opened the door. Just as they had suspected, Megumi looked just as flustered.
"Are you two not planning to leave?" she asked, holding a bag in her hand.
Utaha eyed the bag suspiciously. "What's in the bag?"
"Underwear," Megumi said, her cheeks flushed, but her voice remained calm.
Utaha exchanged a look with Yukino, silently confirming what they already knew—Megumi had been affected too.
Yukino facepalmed in defeat.
Outside, Haru, still confused, glanced toward the bathroom, wondering if the three of them were teaming up for some kind of bizarre, awkward challenge.