Sosuke Kitahara tiptoed to the bedroom door.
It wasn't locked.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest.
The lights in the room were off, and outside, rain pattered steadily against the windows. With the sound of rainfall in the background, Sosuke slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind him. Moonlight streamed in through the glass, casting a soft glow across the snow-white bed.
There lay Utaha Kasumigaoka, curled up under the blanket, her figure graceful even in slumber. Sosuke gently clutched his chest, afraid that the thunderous beat of his heart might wake her.
He had once held every advantage time, opportunity, circumstance yet still lost her in his past life. Too timid, too hesitant, he'd watched Utaha slip through his fingers. He regretted it for the rest of his days.
But now, fate had given him a second chance.
Tonight, that regret was about to be erased.
Tokyo's late September air had a slight chill to it, but the cabin was comfortably warm. Although Utaha was wrapped in a blanket, it only loosely covered her waist. At some point, she had changed into a nightgown, revealing most of her body.
One side of her khaki-colored nightdress had slid up, exposing her smooth, pale thigh beneath the moonlight. Her skin glowed like silk, and it was clear she wasn't wearing anything underneath.
She had acted so bashful during the day yet now she was dressed like this.
Sosuke chuckled silently.
"Such a tsundere," he mouthed.
Her face was half-hidden by her flowing black hair, with only the edge of her lips peeking out. Utaha was the kind of woman who stirred a man's soul. Sosuke stood at the edge of the bed, staring longingly at the curve of her lips for a long moment before remembering what he came here to do.
"If heaven gave me another chance, then I won't let any regrets remain," he told himself.
Desire surged within him. He couldn't hold back any longer. Heart racing, Sosuke reached under the covers, his hand gliding along her nightgown without hesitation. The softness beneath sent his mind into a spiral. With a beauty like Utaha before him, how could any man resist?
"Kitahara… what are you doing?"
A sleepy voice drifted out from beneath the blanket.
Long, disheveled hair parted to reveal the face of Yukino Yukinoshita, her sleepy eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Clearly, she was confused to find Sosuke standing there.
His mind went completely blank.
Before he could respond, another delicate voice rang out beside him.
"What are you doing in my sister's room?"
Out of nowhere, Haruno Yukinoshita's head popped out from the blanket as well, her expression frigid. Her eyes burned with disappointment.
"I was waiting in my room for you. I must've been blind to trust you…"
Sosuke panicked. Just as he was about to explain himself, the bedroom door burst open with a bang.
At the doorway stood Sayuri Sawamura, her face streaked with tears, her floral kimono soaked from the rain outside. Her chest rose and fell with each breath as she glared at Sosuke, voice trembling with rage.
"Eriri… she could've lived. Why didn't you save her? Why did you just stand there and watch her die?!"
His mind spun.
He hadn't seen Eriri since the outbreak began. Where was this even coming from?
Surely, it was a misunderstanding.
Just as he opened his mouth to explain, his voice betrayed him.
"That's right. I didn't want to save her. If Eriri was still alive… would you have ever chosen to be with me?"
The words left his mouth before he realized what he was saying.
The room fell silent.
Sayuri stared at him in shock, her hands covering her mouth. Shaking her head in disbelief, she stumbled backward then turned and fled the room, sobbing.
"No, Sayuri! Wait! Let me explain!"
Sosuke leapt up, horrified at what he'd just said. But before he could give chase, someone grabbed his arm.
He turned and saw Eriri Sawamura herself sitting upright on the bed in a white wedding dress, holding a bouquet, her eyes brimming with emotion.
"Kitahara… so all this time, you were hoping I'd die?" she whispered.
"No, no, Eriri! I never wished that on you. We have no grudge between us. Why would I want you dead?" he protested, flustered.
Eriri didn't reply.
Instead, blood-red tears trickled from her eyes. Her skin turned deathly pale.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed her human form twisted into that of a zombie. Mouth gaping, razor-sharp teeth bared, she lunged at him.
"Aaaargh!!"
Sosuke jolted awake, soaked in cold sweat.
The girls in the cabin stared at him in confusion. One moment, he was sleeping soundly on the couch and the next, he'd flopped face-first onto the floor, letting out a scream.
Utaha crossed her arms, giving him a pout.
"Weren't you the one teaching us the breathing technique? Sleeping in the middle of a lecture and even rolling off the sofa… seriously, impressive."
Still reeling from the vivid dream, Sosuke caught flashes of Utaha's thighs from earlier and quickly looked away.
Yukino asked curiously, "You were dreaming, weren't you?"
"Y-yeah," he admitted, rubbing the bump on his forehead. "I must've dozed off while you were practicing."
"Was it a good dream or a nightmare?" she continued, raising an eyebrow. "Your breathing got really intense for a bit there…"
The cabin was warm, and Yukino was curled up in her pajama set with her arms hugging her knees. Her slender calves peeked out from beneath the hem.
Five women in one dream… was that heaven or hell?
Sosuke forced a wry smile and brushed it off.
"Anyway, how's the breathing practice going? Did you remember the key points?"
Yukino shifted slightly and tucked her pant legs down to hide her calves. She swept her messy hair behind her ear and said softly, "I wrote them down. But… it doesn't feel much different from how I normally breathe."
"That's normal. You'll notice the changes once you stick to it for a while."
Sosuke glanced out the window.
Aside from the blinking signal lights of other boats, most cabin lights were already off. Only the spotlights on the distant battleship still scanned the waters vigilantly.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. We've got an early start tomorrow," he said, stretching and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm drenched in sweat. I'll go rinse off."
Before leaving, he shot Utaha a discreet glance.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she rolled her eyes at him before yawning. "It's getting late. Let's turn in."
She pulled Yukino along and headed for their cabin.
Haruno, however, remained seated, her eyes darting between Utaha and Sosuke as they left. Her nose twitched slightly, sensing something.
Then she let out a quiet sigh.
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