Morning arrived quietly.
No alarms. No shouting. No catastrophic interruptions.
Just light.
A thin strip of sunlight slipped through the curtains and landed right on my eyes. I frowned, shifted a little… and immediately felt warm.
Very warm.
My brain woke up first.
Why am I warm?
Then my arm registered something soft under it.
Then my chest registered a familiar weight.
And then—
Oh.
Right.
Saki.
She was still asleep, face tucked against my shoulder, arms loosely around me like this was the most normal thing in the world. Her hair was a mess, brushing my chin. Her breathing was slow and even.
I froze.
Not panicked. Just… very aware.
I waited.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Nothing exploded.
No one burst in.
No guilt alarms went off.
No internal screaming.
Just calm.
Which felt illegal.
Carefully, like I was disarming a bomb made of glass, I shifted my head to look at her properly. She stirred a little, nose scrunching faintly, then relaxed again.
Cute.
Dangerously cute.
I looked away immediately.
Don't think stupid thoughts. It's morning. Be normal.
As if summoned by my attempt at sanity, she moved.
Slowly.
Her grip tightened just a bit.
And then she woke up.
At first, she didn't move. Just blinked once. Twice.
Then her eyes focused.
On me.
There was a full second where neither of us reacted.
Then her face went red.
Like, instantly.
"Oh—!" she gasped, jerking back and bonking her head lightly against the pillow. "I— I mean— good morning— wait—"
"It's okay," I said quickly. "You're okay. Nothing bad happened."
She covered her face with both hands. "Why are mornings so… immediate?"
I laughed softly. "That might be the most accurate description of mornings ever."
She peeked at me through her fingers. "…Did we… sleep?"
"Yeah," I said. "Eventually."
"…Together?"
"…Yes."
Her ears turned red. Actually red.
But she didn't panic.
She just… sat there for a moment, collecting herself.
"…That wasn't scary," she said quietly.
"No," I agreed. "It wasn't."
Another pause.
Then she smiled. Small. Warm. A little shy.
"…I kind of liked waking up like this."
My heart did something stupid.
"I—" I cleared my throat. "Yeah. Me too."
We sat there for a bit longer, neither rushing to get up. The world outside the room slowly woke up too. Distant voices. Seagulls. The ocean, still doing its thing.
Eventually, she stretched and hopped off the bed. "Okay. Before someone comes knocking and ruins everything."
"Good call," I said.
She turned at the door, hesitated, then smiled again.
"…Last night was nice."
"It was," I said.
She nodded once, satisfied, and stepped into the bathroom.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
For the first time in a while, I didn't feel confused.
Just… content.
And maybe a little excited for whatever came next.
Saki's hand was literally on the doorknob.
Literally.
She had just turned it—
When the door flew open.
Like it had been kicked by destiny itself.
"KENTAAAA—"
Kenta burst in.
I don't know how.
I don't know when.
I don't know why.
He was just… there.
Followed immediately by Mei, who walked in like this was a scheduled appointment.
"…Good morning," Mei said calmly.
Saki screamed.
I yelped.
Kenta froze mid-step, eyes sweeping the room at lightning speed.
Bed.
Messy blankets.
Me sitting on the bed.
Saki standing suspiciously close to the door.
Silence.
Absolute.
Dead.
Silence.
"…Huh," Kenta said.
Mei adjusted her glasses. "…Interesting."
"WHY ARE YOU HERE," Saki shouted.
"Valid question," I added. "CRITICAL QUESTION."
Kenta blinked. "Wait, aren't you two sharing a room?"
"Yes," Saki said instantly.
"That's public knowledge," I said at the same time.
Mei nodded. "Confirmed."
Kenta scratched his head. "Okay. Then why does it feel like I just walked into something illegal?"
"BECAUSE YOU DID," Saki yelled. "ON A SOCIAL LEVEL."
Mei tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly. "You're both red."
"Heat," I said.
"Morning," Saki said.
"Lies," Mei replied immediately.
Kenta leaned closer to me, whispering loudly. "Bro. Did something happen."
"No," I said.
"Yes," Saki said.
"No," I said louder.
"Yes," she said louder.
Mei sighed. "You two are terrible at coordination."
Kenta snapped his fingers. "WAIT. Did you guys finally—"
"NO," we shouted in perfect sync.
Silence again.
Mei stared at us.
"…That was synchronized," she said.
Kenta grinned slowly. "Suspiciously synchronized."
Saki grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. "Why are you even here?!"
"Oh right," Kenta said casually. "Breakfast."
"…Breakfast," I repeated.
"Yeah," he said. "Your parents sent us. Something about 'drag them out before noon.'"
Mei nodded. "Kyosuke suggested it."
Of course he did.
Saki groaned and leaned her forehead against the door. "I hate everyone."
Kenta laughed. "Wow. Resort trip is already fun."
Mei smiled faintly. "This vacation will be… memorable."
I sank back onto the bed.
It was morning.
Everyone was awake.
And somehow, somehow—
We had survived the night.
Barely.
And judging by the grins in front of us—
The real chaos had only just begun.
I rubbed my face. Hard.
"…Okay," I said. "New question. Why are you two here?"
Kenta blinked. "Here as in… here-here?"
"Yes. Here-here," I said, pointing at the room. "This room. This resort. This beach. This timeline."
"And when did you even come?" Saki added, arms crossed, still red. "We literally just woke up."
Mei answered calmly. "Last night."
Both of us froze.
"…Last night?" I repeated.
"Yep," Kenta said cheerfully. "Late evening."
"After dinner," Mei added. "While you were… busy."
"We were NOT busy," Saki snapped.
Kenta grinned. "Sure."
I ignored him. "Why are you here at all?"
"Oh," Kenta said, waving a hand. "Vacation."
"…That's it?"
"Yeah."
Mei nodded. "Riku booked it."
I felt a chill. "Why."
Mei shrugged. "He said you disappeared for a month and needed supervision."
"Kenta," I said slowly, "how did you know what resort we're at."
Kenta looked away. "So funny story."
"Don't say funny story."
"Kyosuke texted me."
Of course he did.
"What exactly did he text you," Saki asked, suspicious.
Kenta pulled out his phone and read aloud.
"Beach. Resort. Chaos. Come if you value entertainment."
Mei added, "He also sent the room numbers."
I choked. "HE SENT THE ROOM NUMBERS?"
"Yes," Mei said. "Very detailed."
Saki buried her face in her hands. "I'm surrounded by traitors."
Kenta looked around again, eyes landing on the bed. "So… you guys sleep well?"
"OUT," Saki said, pointing at the door. "Both of you. Breakfast. Now."
Mei nodded immediately and turned to leave.
Kenta paused at the door, glanced back at me, and smirked.
"Bro."
"…What."
"Nice blanket technique."
I grabbed a pillow and threw it.
The door slammed shut.
Silence returned.
Saki exhaled deeply. "I need coffee."
"Same," I said. "And possibly a new life."
We looked at each other.
Then immediately looked away.
Yeah.
Breakfast was going to be war.
___
Breakfast: Operation Act Normal
The dining hall was loud.
Clinking plates. Laughter. Sea breeze sneaking in through open windows. Everything about it screamed vacation.
Which made it ten times worse.
I sat at the table. Saki sat across from me.
Across.
Very intentionally across.
We were not sitting next to each other.
We were not making eye contact.
We were definitely not a couple.
At least… publicly.
"So," Kenta said, loudly, stabbing a sausage with his fork. "Great morning, huh?"
"Normal morning," I replied immediately. Too immediately.
Mei sipped her juice, eyes half-lidded. "You're tense."
"I'm relaxed," I said.
Saki nodded too fast. "He's very relaxed."
Kyosuke leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a knowing smile on his face. "You both look like you're about to confess to a crime."
Saki nearly dropped her fork.
Saki's mom laughed lightly. "They probably stayed up late talking."
"Yes," I said. "Talking. With words."
Saki choked on her drink.
Her dad handed her a napkin, smiling sweetly. Too sweetly. "Careful."
"I'm fine," she said quickly, face red. "Just— juice went down the wrong way."
Kenta leaned toward Mei and whispered, not quietly, "They're weird today."
"Very," Mei agreed.
I focused on my plate. Eggs. Toast. Do not look up. Do not think. Do not remember waking up holding her.
Across the table, Saki did the same.
Every time our eyes almost met, both of us snapped our gaze away like we'd touched a live wire.
Kyosuke noticed.
Of course he did.
"So," he said casually, "sleep well?"
"Yes," I said.
"Yes," Saki said.
At the exact same time.
Kyosuke grinned.
Saki's dad hummed thoughtfully. "That was synchronized."
"Coincidence," I said.
"Very," Saki agreed.
Mei set her glass down. "You two are terrible liars."
Kenta laughed. "Yeah, but it's kind of fun to watch."
I stabbed my toast. Aggressively.
Breakfast continued like that.
Small talk. Teasing. Normal conversations layered over a very not-normal tension that only two people at the table could feel.
To everyone else, it was just breakfast.
To us?
It was survival.
And somehow… we made it through.
Barely.
The resort gym was quieter than the dining hall. Thank god.
High ceiling, polished wooden floor, a proper badminton court tucked neatly inside. The moment I stepped in, something in my chest finally unclenched.
Racket in hand. Net in front of me. Normal rules again.
"This," I said, stretching my shoulders, "is the real vacation."
Kenta spun his racket once and smirked. "Wrong. This is supervised rehabilitation."
"…You came all the way to the beach for this?"
"Absolutely," he said. "Your disappearance last month was suspicious."
Mei, sitting on the benches with her phone, didn't even look up. "Riku ordered him."
I flinched. "I knew it."
Kenta stepped onto the court and pointed his racket at me. "You're not quitting again. Not on my watch."
"I wasn't quitting," I said. "I was… temporarily strategically resting."
"Liar," he said. "Serve."
I served.
The shuttle flew clean. Kenta returned it. Instantly, my body remembered. Footwork. Timing. The sound of the shuttle cutting through air.
Rally after rally, faster each time.
"See?" Kenta said between shots. "You're fine."
"I know," I replied, lunging and smashing. "I just needed… space."
"From badminton," he said.
"…Yeah."
We kept playing.
At one point, I glanced toward the glass wall. Outside the court, through the corridor, I caught a flash of familiar movement.
Saki.
She wasn't watching obviously. Pretending to check her phone. Failing terribly.
My shot went wide.
Kenta stopped and stared at me. "…You're distracted."
"I'm not."
"You are," he said, following my gaze. "Oh."
He grinned.
"No," I said quickly. "Don't."
"So that's why you stopped practicing," he said. "Fear."
"That is not—"
"You're scared of being seen," he finished. "By her."
I tightened my grip. "…Maybe."
Kenta walked back to the service line. "Good. Then practice."
I blinked. "What?"
"Get used to it," he said, serving hard. "She's not going anywhere."
The shuttle flew at me.
I returned it.
This time, I didn't look away.