"Wait—Fumino!"
Sakurajima Mai's voice cut through from the living room, carrying a note of urgency that was almost easy to miss—almost.
She'd caught bits of the conversation drifting out from the study earlier, and every alarm bell in her head had gone off.
She knew exactly what Rei Ao was doing in that bedroom.
And knocking on his door right now?
Yeah, no—she didn't even want to picture it.
But her warning came a second too late.
Knock, knock!
Fumino's hand was already on the sturdy wooden doorknob of the master bedroom, giving it two polite taps.
"Come in."
The low, slightly breathless but crystal-clear reply from inside—definitely Rei Ao's voice—slipped through the door.
Fumino didn't think twice. Still smiling politely, she gave the handle a light twist.
Click.
The knob turned, the door eased open, just a sliver.
Every head in the living room—Mai, Tohru, Futaba—snapped toward that slowly widening gap.
Fumino and Rizu both looked puzzled.
Why was Mai-senpai acting so jumpy?
What was Rei Ao even doing in there?
Curious, and feeling just a twinge guilty about possibly interrupting him, they leaned in to take a peek.
The very next second—
It was like someone hit pause on reality.
A scene so vivid it could've been a flashbang blasted into their unprepared eyes.
The lights inside were dim, washed in a warm, amber glow that practically hummed with suggestion—but everything was still perfectly visible.
For half a beat, the air was dead silent.
"KYAAAAA—!!!"
Three screams—sharp, ear-splitting, and loaded with pure terror, shame, and shock—ripped through the house like blades, shredding the fragile peace into ribbons.
First scream—
From Rizu, who saw everything. Her brain short-circuited instantly.
The calm, rational gleam in the science girl's eyes was gone, her gaze blown wide like copper bells.
Her glasses slid halfway down her nose as her mouth formed a perfect "O," unleashing the loudest scream of her life.
Second scream—
From Fumino, right on Rizu's heels.
Her soft, refined smile shattered into pieces.
Her face flushed bright red, then drained to white, then sickly green—like she'd just witnessed the apocalypse.
She slapped both hands over her eyes, but it was too late. That single, searing glimpse was already burned into her mind like a hot brand.
Her scream radiated pure despair: "I should NOT be here!"
Third scream—
From Toyohama Nodoka herself—the one caught in the act—humiliated beyond reason.
She buried her face into a broad chest, letting out a muffled cry that trembled like a wounded animal.
Her whole body shook so hard it was like she was trying to disappear on the spot.
And the man at the center of it all—Rei Ao—
Still frozen in that… unforgettable position.
He glanced toward the door, his unfairly handsome face now wearing an expression worthy of a painting: a forehead full of thick, dark, visible frustration lines.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Even he could feel the tidal wave of awkwardness crashing through the room.
Mai and the others just covered their faces.
Yeah… there was no stopping this train wreck.
…
Three hours later.
For Fumino and Rizu, those hours on the living room sofa felt like three centuries.
The faint scent of body wash hung in the air, making the atmosphere even harder to bear.
They sat side by side, rigid as a pair of newly unearthed terracotta soldiers, heads ducked so low they were practically folded into their own chests.
Fumino's silky brown hair fell like a curtain, shielding the deep crimson burning across her ears and neck.
Rizu's eyes stayed screwed shut, her round glasses slightly crooked on her nose.
Behind the lenses, her lashes trembled like panicked butterfly wings.
Their hands, resting on their knees, were clenched so hard their knuckles had gone white.
Inside their minds, the same image replayed on a relentless, endless loop—
Rei Ao… and the tearful, flustered Toyohama Nodoka.
That scene—every flicker, every movement—was etched into their eyes, echoing in their ears.
Shame.
Overwhelming, searing shame.
Like millions of ants crawling across their hearts.
Like being dropped into molten lava, every inch of skin set on fire.
They could feel the heat radiating from each other, embarrassment in perfect sync.
Click.
The soft sound of the master bedroom lock turning dropped into the silence like a pebble into still water, shattering it instantly.
Both girls jerked upright like startled rabbits, heads shooting up—only to see Rei Ao—before snapping back down even faster, comically in sync.
He stepped out, now dressed in loose, dark loungewear.
His damp black hair fell casually over his forehead, the ends still dotted with beads of water.
He carried an air of lazy satisfaction—
Like a predator after a full meal, calm, confident, and entirely at ease.
~~~
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